Pictures are going to have to wait a bit and I’m behind a few days unfortunately. The internet is weak here and also overloaded with a few users this morning.
It is around 0F this morning, and my fingers are freezing as I type. The heat was turned on about a half hour ago, and it will take quite a while to warm this place up! It is clear out, and the sun is illuminating the mountain peaks to the west. I am sitting in “The World (sic) Highest Bakery Cafe” sipping on hot chocolate and a mocha and munching on a warmed brownie. Lobuche is a mere 6km from EBC and sits at 5030m/16,350ft, so this place certainly rates the title of highest bakery!
Yesterday our climb was nearly flat until we reached the terminus of the Khumbu moraine. From there we climbed a bit to Thukla (altitude of Mt. Rainier) where we had lunch. After that, we climbed a few hundred meters to the Climbers’ Memorial where numerous cairn-like monuments and some more stupa-like ones have been placed over many decades. One is there for Garrett’s former girlfriend Eve who perished in the 2015 earthquake and subsequent winds from a huge ice-fall from the ridge between Mt Pumori and Mt Lingtren that flattened the central portion the EBC. Garrett and his parents and current girlfriend Mikki placed the two prayer flags blessed at the Pangboche monastery two days ago.
Upon arriving in Lobuche, Rich Draves, Amalia, and I climbed up onto the south lateral moraine and peered into what is left of the great Khumbu Glacier below Nuptse. Pictures will impress! Just visible is the tongue of the Khumbu Ice Flow bathed in intermittent sunlight. To the north along the Chinese border sit Pumori to the left, Lingtren in the middle, and Khumbutse the latter of which sits overlooking EBC. Between Gorek Shep and Pumori is Kala Pattar, a ridge we aspire to climb tomorrow to see the sun setting on Everest.
People are just getting up now. We must be packed in 40 minutes, and breakfast will be at 8am!
4/14/21: Obviously well past the early 11 April posting above, we are now in Kathmandu, and I have less restrictive bandwidth. So the pictures below were taken 3-4 days ago. I’ll update April 11, 12 and 13 – arrival at Gorek Shep, EBC, and our help-flight from EBC back to Lukla. Cheers!
Stewart Travels 