Day 4 – Namche -> Khunde
Typically the walk from Namche to Khunde is short and doesn’t take very long. However that was a bit boring and mainstream for us so we headed off the beaten track! We followed the Sherpa trails, which were steep, rugged, and at some points even required a bit of bush bashing. I’m convinced our sherpas even got a bit lost a couple of times, you could here them all calling out to each other from different spots, obviously we couldn’t understand them, but it sounded like we were lost.
Instead of heading straight to Khunde we detoured up to the memorial for Sir Edmund Hillary, his wife, and daughter, and then up to Khunde Peak. The track to get up here was a bit nerve wracking, we were literally walking up the edge of an extremely steep ridge line with pretty sheer drops on either side. But the views were well worth it! We had another crystal clear morning, not a cloud in the sky as we looked around at all the surrounding mountains. Khunde Peak sits at 4,200m, so we gained 800m in altitude from Namche, before dropping back down to Khunde which sits at 3,800m. We are now above the height of Mount Cook!
Typically we have breakfast at 7am and are on the trails between 7:30-8am. This meant that today we were happily in Khunde by about 12:30 in time for lunch and a chill afternoon. I spent the better part of my afternoon lying on the fake grass at the lodge, in the sun, reading my book, with an incredible view of the mountains in the background. There was absolutely no complaints from me! I don’t think life could get much better!
It’s funny, it already feels like we have been away and hiking for ages. But in reality, we’ve almost been away a week, and this was only day 4 of hiking – we still have about 13 days to go! We’ve already settled into a comfortable routine with our bags, and meals etc, and everyone gets along great! The meals are already feeling a bit repetitive, potatoes, rice and eggs, plus if you’re like me I’m living off at least 1 mars bar a day. They taste better over here!
Day 5 – Khunde -> Phortse
Khunde to Phortse was kind of a “typical” day on the trails. We hiked around 11km, and both villages sit at about 3,800m. However, in between we had to drop right down to a river, and then climb all the way back up the other side. So there was still a lot of up and downs! Nothings more demoralising than being able to see the village you are going to, but looking down at the giant drop in between.
The morning however started with an incredible sunrise!
Unfortunately a couple of our group members had fallen ill today, resulting in a couple of trackside spews. They were very very happy to arrive in Phortse! Hopefully it’s just an adjustment to the food and they soon come right.
By the time we arrived in Phortse, around 3pm the afternoon cloud had rolled in and it turned cold. I want to say we are adjusting to the temperatures, but that would be a lie. The days are great in the sun, and we get hot and sunburnt while hiking, but the evenings and mornings are still freezing. Almost consistently being around -10 overnight. It does reach around 5C at midday tho! So we peel layer after layer off.
Theres not much to see in Phortse (literally nothing) so we sat around the fire, in the lodge and played connect 4 for a couple of hours. We would’ve played cards, but the two people in our group who have cards, were asleep.
Day 6 – Phortse -> Dingboche
Today felt like a long day. Not for any real reason, but we hiked around 16km, and gained an overall +600m of altitude. The trail was actually quite pleasant. We wound our way up and down small hills as we looked down at the river.
There was a point leading up to lunch where it was so hot, we were in direct sun, hiking up a hill, where the group fell silent (quite a rare occasion). When we arrived at our lunch stop, the room was silent and everyone had mirroring faces of exhaustion. But after some “Mac n cheese” (plain macaroni pasta with grated yak cheese on top) and a cup of lemon tea we all came back to life!
After lunch it was another 2.5hrs to reach Dingboche but it felt a lot more manageable after a meal. Again we arrived at our lodge around 3pm, amongst the cloud, with temperatures rapidly dropping. We are now back on the main pathway to Everest Base Camp, as the last couple of days we had detoured off to some quieter villages. At this altitude things are getting a lot more expensive as everyone has to be carried up the mountains and we are more remote. Water, snacks, meals, showers, wifi, and power are now actively eating into our budgets. There is no longer power points in our rooms, you must pay the lodge and they will charge a device for you. Same with the wifi, what was 200NP ($2-3NZD) is now 1000NP (~$12NZD). In the scheme of things it’s pretty insane that we even have access to these luxuries.
The highlight of today was a cafe we found just up the road from our lodge in Dingboche. Not only did it have an extensive western style menu, and a huge cabinet + drinks range, if you spent 500NP ($6.5NZD) you could charge your phone for free! The charging facilities were a bit dodgy with like 15+ phones, chargers and adapters all piled up but we thought it was a great bargain. The cafe was warm, friendly and inviting, named Cafe 4410 to represent our current altitude.
More coming soon – I’m starting to get a bit behind on the posts!
~ Nikitas Nomadic Notes
Nikita’s Nomadic Notes 