Everest Base Camp Trek Dispatch
October 20, 2012 – Greetings from the Outpost of Gorak Shep
The evening of Oct 20th, and I am calling you from the highest lodge we’ll stay at, the highest location we’ll sleep on this trip, the outpost of Gorak Shep, just down the Khumbu glacier from Everest Base Camp. It’s brilliant, the mountains still are perfectly clear through the day, and they are shining really brilliant in the starlight right now and it’s very, very, cold.
Our lodge is comfortable. Phuri is still cooking, fixing great meals. We had great afternoon tea today. We always have popcorn and Pringles’ potato chips, and a variety of sweet cookies with our tea and hot drinks every afternoon. It’s a nice social time and it felt really cozy today as cold as it is here at Gorak Shep.
Tomorrow will be our day to visit Everest Base Camp. We’ll walk up along the rubble. There will be a lot of up and down over the ridges up at glacier moraine that leads us up to Everest Base Camp. We saw the tip of Everest Base Camp from the distance today as we were trekking into Gorak Shep. So this is the heart of the trip.
The team is doing very, very well. Couple of days back at Pheriche, after the lecture on High Altitude and Acclimation, The doctors checked the oxygen saturation of all of our team member’s blood and it was between 85-92%, which is really good for the first day only after one night in Pheriche. Now we’re higher, team’s still doing great, our spirits are high, we’re excited to be reaching our goals, Everest Base Camp, and with enough luck, the day after tomorrow, the summit of Kala Patar at 18,500ft.
Best wishes to everyone at home, we’re having a great time!
Listen to Wally's call
With Pumori behind us
The Sherpas just brought hot towels. They do this every night before dinner. It is always refreshing but felt especially good tonight because it is so cold outside.
Left: Clayton, with Pumori behind him, just before we arrived in Gorak Shep; Right: Fred on the glacier trail to Gorak Shep
Temba waves as the team arrived in Gorak Shep.
Temba, Liz and Fred on the trail to Gorak Shep. Just over their head is the Lho La, the pass into Tibet. Changtse, the north summit of Everest and entirely in China, stands behind.
Lauren and Tina at the lodge