Everest trek - Day 10 - Everest base camp

5170m to 5300m (+130m)
5 hours

Up at 5:30am. I was already wearing most of my clothes in bed so I put my boots and jacket on and headed out into the freezing morning with Helen and Dave. The forecasters were correct - the weather had completely cleared and we were surrounded by incredible snow-covered peaks, tinted blue in the early light - quite a sight! We decided to have a walk part way up Kala Patthar for a bigger glimpse of Everest, as you can only see the summit from Gorak Shep (you can't see it at all from Everest base camp). Coming down were Tom and Verena - they'd started at 4am - Verena said she was sick in the night but took a diamox, and this morning felt fine to go even higher - hardcore German lady!

We didn't spend long up there today - tomorrow we were going for the summit. Once the sun was up we went back for some food, and to say goodbye to Tom, Verena and Martin (who was still sick). After a quick breakfast and some take-away cheese chapathi's we set out for the camp. Just out of Gorak Shep is a memorial for Rob Hall, the legendary climber who died trying to rescue members of his group in the ill-fated 1996 expedition.  

After these memorials Dave said he was feeling a little odd and had to sit for a while. Soon he had a splitting headache and nausea - the morning Kala Patthar trip to 5270m had tipped him over the edge. We sent him back to the lodge and told him to take diamox and paracetamol. Altitude sickness is closing in - and me and Helen look at each other, wondering when it's our turn! We continue without Dave just have a look at the path to base camp, It tidily follows the ridge on the edge of the glacier. We come across another altitude casualty sitting on the ridge looking pale - he was with his friends and they'd just decided to turn back. The route's easy until you step onto the glacier, where it suddenly becomes hard to make out - you snake between huge green lakes of melt water and ice cliffs, in parts there's shale on ice shale and you find yourself slipping about! Rocks balanced on top of each other (cairns?) and yak dung are the best clues as to the path. In the spring the hundreds of tents extend almost to where you set foot on the glacier but now, with minimal climbers, the camp is far away at the base of the ice fall. While crossing you can hear creaks and groans, invisible underground rivers and (by far the most nerve-wrecking!) huge rumbles from avalanches high above. The landscape looks like the moon - only grey rocks and ice as far as the eye can see. It took about an hour to cross the glacier to the camp then the clouds moved in and it started to snow - no views of any mountains! There was a Korean team, a large Japanese team (who didn't want visitors so they wouldn't get sick) and a friendly Polish team who were climbing Lhotse. Some of the tents are perched so precariously above crevasses they look completely unsafe! We gather some souvenir stones, speak to the Polish team, get some pictures and start the clamber back, ecstatic that we'd actually made it! The snow is heavy now and we shelter behind a rock on the ridge and eat the cheese chapathi's.

Helen at the end of the ice fall - note the crevasse! 

Tents perched 

Polish team - and MonstaB

Melt water lake

The edge of the Khumbu, and the ridge back to Gorak Shep

Back at the lodge Dave's still feeling rough, but a little brighter. Me and Helen slump into the restaurant completely spaced out and exhausted, still expecting the altitude sickness to claim us any second! My appetite is enormous (a good sign that altitude sickness won't come) and I eat pasta (also finishing Helens pasta), 11 potato and cheese momos then another 10 buff momos that the Monks gave us! 

That evening is an incredible sunset. The colours are unlike any I've ever seen before. Reds, oranges, purples, blues. The blue is so blue that it looks unreal! Soon the sky is blacker than black and we head back in to get some sleep, ready for a 4am start.

Everest trek - Preparation

The trek to Gorak Shep is incredible, passing through many diverse geographical and cultural landscapes. It's never really flat, there's a lot of ups and downs going both ways. Sometimes it's not particularly easy but with the correct acclimatisation, a sweaty determination and lots of scenery soaking most people will make it with no issues!

Statistics
The elevations I quote are taken from a local OS map, of which there are many different makes, with staggeringly differing heights - even the village lodges and restaurants can't seem to agree on the height printed on their signs! I wanted to find out exact distances but the internet let me down, so I resorted to cutting-edge technology, and pinned a piece of cotton out along the route then measured it to the scale! This is obviously very rough so if you can find better information please let me know! Here's a work in progress statistics spreadsheet, there's also a map on the right-hand sidebar. Below is an exceedingly  rough (drawn at 4000m with cold hands!) side profile of the trip, giving an idea of the uppy-downy-ness. I also drew the rivers you'll meet - you can see how the route dips down.

Porters and guides
My bag was only 11kg and I could see no need for a porter (Helen and Dave's bags were even lighter). I couldn't watch someone else sweating up the mountains with my stuff, and I like the achievement of doing it myself! If you decide to hire one I would urge you to research carefully how much the porter actually gets, especially if using a large agency - it's probably less than you think.

We decided not to have a guide for the freedom to walk at our own pace and to choose which guest houses we liked. I know this is completely different in the high season with guides and porters rushing on ahead to bag the best places - we had no such issues - most lodges were empty! Instead we had a good OS map, a compass and specialist Everest guide book.

Equipment
Keep in mind that we trekked early to late September so your kit list would be quite different outside these times - I was told that mineral water bottles in lodge restaurants freeze in December at Labouche! The only thing I wished for were gloves (and curiously you can't find them to buy above Namche). A compass, protractor and coloured pens for sweeter looking graphs would also have been nice. The only thing I wish I'd not taken were my waterproof trousers, which weren't used once. The fake stuff in Kathmandu or Pokhara isn't actually that bad, and will at least see you through this trek if not more; my double-sided fleece is great!

Rucksack - I use an Osprey Kestrel 38L
Daybag - Lowepro DSLR 150w. To keep the camera safe and dry.
Boots - My trusty old Salomons, well worn-in! (+ spare laces)
Socks - 150 Rupee North face rip-offs from Pokhara did the job fine.
Trousers - Warm, quick drying material, not denim.
Shorts (2 pairs) - Could've survived with one pair. Didn't wear them higher than Tengboche.
Sunglasses - Fake Oakleys with UV. 300 Rupees from Pokhara. Essential!
Hats - warm beanie for the mornings; rimmed hat for midday
Light scarf - protect the neck from scorching sunshine or keep the wind out.
Waterproof jacket - It's been with me for years - genuine and quality!
Waterproof trousers - I didn't use these once - wished I'd never packed them.
Fleece - Double-sided fake North Face from Pokhara - 500 Rupees. Surprisingly warm!
Water bottle - Fake "SIGG" - 200 Rupees from Pokhara.
T-Shirts (3) - I wore all three at the same time in Gorak Shep!
Underwear (5) - I could've got away with 2 easily - one day, one night (no joke!)
Sleeping bag - I only had a light silk sleeper. Lodge blankets were always available
Headlamp (+ spare batteries) - Essential
Camera - Canon 5D MkII & 24-70 USM L lens with polariser
Adaptor & charger - I used these once - charging is expensive at 3000m
Spare batteries - As many as you have
Money - £300 changed to Rupees in Kathmandu (you'll get a better rate changing big notes)
Compass - nice to have, and to know which mountain is looming over you
Music - I took my MP3 player, loaded with podcasts and tuneage,
Books - I didn't do much reading - too cold to hold the book in the rooms above 4000m
TIMS card - (Trekkers information management system) - get from Pokhara or Kathmandu
Area permit - This can be obtained at the gate to the Everest national park (3000 Rupees)
Flight tickets - (if applicable)

Plasters & surgical tape - wrap up those blisters
Lipsil - your lips will be dry most of the time
Earplugs - the lodge walls are thin
Iodene tablets - essential water purification - you will save a LOT of money
Asprin - Can help ease altitude sickness - seek advice before taking with diamox
Paracetamol - all purpose usefulness
Diamox - for altitude sickness
Immodium - the un-seasoned will get sick, I guarantee.
Multi-vitamins - Fruit and veg. are hard to come by
Baby wipes - Showers are expensive, and you won't want to take your clothes off in the cold - do you?
Banocin - Great for those little cuts and scrapes
Vaseline - Good for preventing and soothing "walkers bum"
Sunblock - Essential!

Food
Although you have to eat breakfast and dinner at over-inflated prices in the lodges lunch is a free-for-all. We crammed a ton of instant noodles and a metal mug into the bags and bought some hot water for 50 Rupees. We had masses of peanut bars and some sweets for those morning energy boosts. I would also recommend the 40 Rupee (in KTM and Pokhara) coconut biscuits, and make sure you get the yellow packet, not the fake orange packet that looks the same, but tastes inferior!

MonstaB and some supplies!