Day #16 - Everest BaseCamp
Sunday, March 6, 2022
Itinerary - Namche Bazar to Lukla
Elevation: 11,319’ to 9,350’
We made it!!! I’m sitting here in Rm#102 in the Yak Hotel in Lukla. I just took my first shower since leaving Kathmandu - 12 days ago. Solid hygiene performance!!
What a great feeling to have completed the Everest BaseCamp Trek!! Man - it was tough out there. I expected a great challenge- and it was even more difficult than I expected. The cold, the altitude, battling illness, and a rugged course - all add up to one of my most treasured accomplishments.
It’s 5:30pm - I’m resting in my room before dinner/celebration. We completed the last segment about 4pm. I grabbed a soda, chilled out for a bit in the lounge, then grabbed a shower. I’m tired - it was a grueling 12 mile trek today - with tons of climbing and steep descents. Because it was such a long day - our breaks were few and far between. And when we did take a break - it was extremely short. Today was actually one of the tougher days on the entire trek.
I’m so thankful to have completed this journey. A lot of things had to happen to be here today - with a successful summit of both Everest BaseCamp and Kala Patthar. Coming back down the trail - you get a look at just how aggressive the course was for us. Crazy!! Grateful!!
Time for dinner - I’ll check-in in a few hours.
It’s 10pm - just back in the room after our celebration dinner. Both Dorjee and Liam spoke on behalf of Wind Horse and S2 Mountaineering respectively. Then - Steve, David, and Jan spoke on behalf of the trekking group. Tips were handed out to the Yak crew, the porters, and all the sherpas. One sad bit of news - one of the porters that carried some of our food to each camp - developed severe altitude sickness at Gorak Shep. He had a blood oxygen level of 37%. He had to be evacuated down the mountain by horseback and then by helicopter. At one point - our guide was told he would probably die. The porter has made a slight recovery but he is still critical and being transported to Kathmandu tomorrow. The belief is that he has HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema). Very sad - I wish him the best and a full recovery.
The celebration tonight was awesome. There was cake, alcohol, music, and dancing. I got some great video of everybody dancing and living it up. After a week of bonding - our group has become really close. It’s actually one of my favorite parts of guided adventures.
Tomorrow morning will come early. We have a 6:50am flight to Kathmandu. I have my alarm set for 4:30am to get my bags packed and weighed to meet the guidelines. Will be coming to you live tomorrow night from the moonlight Hotel in Kathmandu.
Goodnight from Lukla!!
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