Over the weekend, Best Hike editor Rick McCharles continued making posts on his recent journey through the Himalaya, trekking to Everest Base Camp from the Nepali side of the mountain. As usual, the posts were accompanied by great photos capturing the amazing scenery, as well as slices of culture, from the region.
On Day 6 of the trek, Rick made his way above the tree line and on into Dingboche, a rather famous village located at 14,800 feet. Dingboche is the location of one of the largest, and most impressive, Buddhist monasteries in the region, and a popular spot to for climbers heading to Island Peak, a 20,305 foot mountain that is a popular hike-up near by. Rick also noted that the weather had been a bit disappointing for the time of year, when it is suppose to be clear and cold, but on his trek, the skies were often clouded over.
The weather offered up a surprise on Day 7 in the form of snow, which is not uncommon in that part of the Himalaya in November. The snow fall spurred Rick on, skipping a planned acclimatization day, and instead sending him up to Everest BC. Turns out the snow made for a pleasant hike, and he ended up pitching his tent that night near some famous shrines to Sherpas and climbers located near Dughla Pass.
On the morning of Day 8, Rick was wondering if it had been a good idea to camp above 4800 meters. He ended up having a restless night huddled in his tent trying to stay warm and his cooking gear was frozen solid and refused to light up. Eventually he was able to get one going, just so he could thaw out his boots and get back on the trail. One thing did go his way however, as the weather cleared at last, so he decided to make a dash for EBC, picking up 800 meters of elevation gain in the process!
Did he make it? You'll have to read the story to know for sure. But it has certainly been fun to follow along on Rick's adventure so far, and he isn't done yet.
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