Everest Base Camp Adventure – Part 6
Dingboche to Laboche
People were starting to feel a bit ill this morning on our Everest Base Camp Trek and if we would have brought our Lonely Planet Trekking in the Nepal Himalayas
Lucky for us, we felt strong, but other groups were complaining of headaches and dizziness that morning. Everyone pushed through though and we didn’t think anything of it. We didn’t question our guide, we followed him blindly and were happy to see that we were on the same schedule as our new friends.
Is this a sign of things to come?
a tea house in dingoche nepal
Lillian (from L.A.) left a little earlier than the rest of us so we walked with Martin and Richard from Slovakia during the morning hours. They were carrying their packs and after watching them struggle a bit, we were happy to have hired our porter Sher. We enjoyed our day taking photos of the stunning clear views of the Himalayas.
Yaks graze as we trek from Dingboche
It may be a little colder trekking the Everest Region at this time of year, but the skies are clear and blue. We had a front row seat to some of the best views on earth. An entire panorama of the mountains standing proudly overhead reaching up to the deepest blue sky that I have ever witnessed.
The Himalaya’s are astonishingly beautiful.
Himalayas on a sunny day in Nepal
The scene took our breath away with each corner we turned and the mountains looked even more imposing being covered in snow. When we came across a small cluster of houses, we felt like we had entered the Kingdom of Middle Earth.
Is Bilbo home? Everest feels like Middle Earth
Little Hobbit houses lined a field with visions of giant peaks looming overhead. We just had to knock on the door to see if Bilbo Baggins happened to be in. Sadly, he wasn’t in. I ended up singing Leanord Nemoy’s Ballad of Bilbo Baggins for the rest of the day. A bad idea since I only know a few words. Then I eventually switched gears to sing all of William Shatner’s songs…Rocket Man, Common People, I am Canadian… I am embarrassed to say, I love his stuff!
Note: When trekking, crazy songs manage to get stuck in your head day after day. Bilbo Baggins only managed to stop my constant loop of The Bangles “Manic Monday” for an afternoon. The next day I woke up singing “Six O’Clock Already I was just in the middle of a dream”….all over again.
Dave’s song is even worse, he sang” The Eye of the Tiger” for days on end. What makes the cheesy music stick in your mind? Why can’t we have something cool to sing all day long?
But, those songs helped to push us ahead through slippery trails and narrow paths.
Layering up for Cold Weather at Mount Everest
Weather varies on the trek to Mount Everest Base Camp
The wind picked up and we put on our outer layers for the first time. We were thankful to have them as we staggered through the high gusts.
After lunch we faced quite the scramble up a steep hill littered with boulders. It looked like a tough climb, but we moved with ease and quickly made it to the top. Where we found our strength I do not know.
Prayer Flags drape a Sherpa's Grave in the Himalayas
At the top of this hill is a very moving site. Several monuments and stupas are erected honouring Sherpas and climbers that have lost their lives on Mount Everest.
The most notable being Babu Chiri Sherpa. The former world record holder of the fastest ascent of Everest, the most number of ascents up the mountain and the quickest back to back summits of 2 in less than 2 weeks. Tragically he lost his life on his 11th attempt when he fell into a crevasse.
It was a moving experience and a strong reminder to not take things lightly on Mount Everest, even if you are only trekking to Base Camp. It is still a serious trek.
More Posts on Everest Base Camp Trekking
- Everest Base Camp Aventure – Part 7
- Everest Base Camp Adventure – Part 5
- Everest Base Camp Adventure – Part 4
- Everest Base Camp Adventure – Part 3
- Everest Base Camp Adventure- Part 2
- Everest Base Camp Adventure – Day 1
- Everest Base Camp Adventure – The Arrival
- Packing List for Everest Base Camp Trek
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Hello D&D, what a great adventure, just finished reading previous parts. I know atleast a dozen people who did this trek but each time I see the pictures and read the narration, it gives me goosebumps.
cheers,
Priyank
.-= Priyank´s last blog ..Toronto Tuesday 02.05: College Street =-.
This is quite an adventure, both physically and spiritually. I like how these songs keep popping in, as if the mind is trying to focus on something else while the body is exerting itself.
Sending you good thoughts
.-= Gourmantic´s last blog ..Luxury in Paradise: Le Meridien Bora Bora in Tahiti =-.
WOW! This adventure of yours is leaving ME breathless!
Sing Songs, Stay Safe….isn’t it FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!
Marylouise
Love the photos – and you’re right, very Middle-earth-like! I would not have been surprised to see a hobbit or two in your photos. I hope by now those songs have worked their way out of your head!
.-= Trisha Miller´s last blog ..Travel Contest: Win Prizes Doing the Blog Hop =-.
Hi Guys! I’m loving the blog so much! I had to laugh about the songs getting stuck in your heads. I was stuck on a Crash Test Dummies song for the majority of the trek. MMMM mmmm MMMMM mmmm!!!
Our friend and guide, Nima, was very good friends with Babu Chiri Sherpa as well as Scott Fisher. It was a sad walk through the memorial field for him.
Thanks for bringing back so many great memories with your great writing and photography. So glad we met you!
I hope you are having a great adventure where ever you are at the moment. I’ll certainly be following you on the blog.
Emily & Gideon
Hi Emily. I remember you telling me about the Crash Test Dummies song. I almost wrote about it and then I thought that I might be going on a little loo long about the singing. I am so glad that you stopped by to tell us about it. I remember reading about Scott Fisher in Into Thin Air. That must have been very moving to walk through the memorial with Nima. I love your blog too! All the best with your new life in Sonoma.
I thought altitude and Diamox went hand in hand. Where are the drugs when you need them? Acclimitization in theory works but sometimes it still takes more than an extra 24 hours. We slept at 18,800′ on Kilimanjaro and despite 7 days on that mountain we all felt like shit – well at least until we got into some heavy duty steroid and then we all felt marvelous. At least your not sleeping in a tent by the looks of things. That counts for alot!!!
What fantastic blue skies! and sunshine. I’m envious.
Kristen will be following your footsteps in about 5 weeks.
Hi Leigh. Yes, we took our diamox religiously and it helped greatly. I didn’t understand so many other people not taking it. And you are right, no matter what it seems that you will always feel rough over 5000 metres. Believe it or not, we actually enjoyed camping our way up mount kilimanjaro more than sleeping in the tea houses. The huts aren’t heated up to EBC and tents are just so much warmer and cozier (if you have a good one that is) Looking forward to reading about Kristen’s climb. Going up Kili with her was one of the highlights of Africa for me.
Those photos are absolutely stunning. Thank you for such descriptive posts of your adventure as well, it’s like a book that I never want to put down!
And randomly, I just finished watching Rocky III about an hour before reading this post…so “Eye of the Tiger” is fresh in my mind…
.-= Earl´s last blog ..Close Encounter With The Mafia =-.
Haha, glad that you are singing the song too. It is frustratingly catchy:) Glad you are enjoying the posts. Not long to base camp now!
Amazing pictures I must agree and would love to make a trip here one day. Thank you for sharing this amazing experience.
David
.-= David @ Malaysia Asia´s last blog ..Klias Wetland River Cruise Sabah =-.
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