Everest Expedition Friends and Family Base Camp Trek Dispatch
April 3, 2013 – Enjoying a Picnic on Our Way to Lobuche
Its 3:30 in the afternoon on April 3rd and I am calling you from 16,100ft/4,907m above sea level at Lobuche along the lateral moraine of the Khumbu glacier.
We left Pheriche at about 8:30 this morning. Beautiful clear skies, the spectacular peaks were around us in every direction. We particularly enjoyed looking at Lobuche Peak, which is right before us as we walked up towards the terminal moraine in the Khumbu glacier and climbed higher and higher.
Midway on our hike, Puri and the kitchen staff found a rock-enclosed pasture where they prepared a great lunch for us and we had a picnic lunch outdoors for a change. The mountains were still beautiful all around us. We took a nap after lunch in the sunshine. Then the clouds came and the cooler temperatures woke us up and we continued to climb up the terminal moraine, past the Sherpa memorials, which is always a spot that I enjoy stopping and just considering where we are, the beauty of what’s around us, the history of what’s been before us. It’s a place where that gives you pause but also gives you peace. We enjoyed spending a few moments with the prayer flags at the memorials before we continued on geared to Lobuche, where we arrived at 2:45.
This trekking group moves very steadily and very well, they make very good time. All the trekking team as well as the climbing team, you get your ups and downs with your health when you’re trekking at these altitudes but were doing great and the day after tomorrow, we’ll be at Base Camp—we’ll keep you posted on our progress.