Alessio’s Everest Base Camp Trek Dispatch
September 29, 2014 – Amazing Views – Pictures Don’t Do Them Justice!
This episode of the Grizzled Mountain Man and his Trusty sidekick Sweaty Mess starts with two safety moments. The first safety moment, is that if you want to go and climb a mountain, you really should hire decent guides so you don’t get lost.
In the picture below, you can see two English dudes trying to figure out how to get to Ama Dablam base camp but are completely lost. This once again reinforced our decision to go with Berg!
Don’t get lost on the trail!
The second safety moment, as per every other day, is DON'T FALL OFF the trail.
Last night we thought we should continue the adventure and try a YAK steak. It was pretty much like beef, it was a nice change. The food has been very, very plentiful and pretty good. I am pretty excited as the potato crops have just been harvested so there is a ton of fresh potatoes everywhere.
Our guides were very excited to wake us early to show us the wonderful clear views of Everest and all other directions. We had fresh coffee sitting on the patio with the most amazing views. Then the sun came over the mountain and gave us even better views. The pictures do not do it justice. Even though the temperature was below 0°c, we had no problem staying on the balcony to finish our coffee.
Morning coffee at Pangboche
Morning coffee – views of Everest
Morning coffee view of Ama Dablam from Pangboche
One of the things we are very surprised to see at such a late time in the year at a very high elevation (13,500ft) is the amount of gardening still going on. See the attached picture of the cabbage garden at the lodge we stayed at last night.
Cabbage garden at Pangboche
After we managed to pull ourselves away from the view for breakfast, we continued our adventure up the valley to Pheriche. You can see in the photo the pathway on the side of the valley. It was a short day today to give us a chance to acclimatize we are now staying at 4300M.
On the way to Pheriche, we definitely noticed that we are now above the tree line. The vegetation is rocky with grasses and low juniper type trees.
Views down the valley
The Grizzled Mountain Man
Trail from Pangboche to Pheriche
Once we arrived after our 2.5 HR hike to Pheriche, we had the opportunity to thoroughly enjoy the sunroom with hot tea!
Rich and Bonnie at the Sunroom in Pheriche drinking an afternoon tea
Stay tuned for future episodes including:
- - What will the duo actually do when they finally make it to the top?
- - Will the Grizzled Mountain Man actually learn the local language words for wine and beer?
- - How will Sweaty Mess transition back to sweet Bonnie?
- - Will the Grizzle Mountain Man ever be able to transition back to the pudgy old guy?
Till Next Time,
The Grizzled Mountain Man and his trusty Sidekick, Sweaty Mess