The Top of the World...Almost

October 21, 2007
EBC Trek Day 8
Labouche to Gorak Shep (17, 500 ft) and Kala Pattar (18, 536 ft. according to the altimeter of one member of the Everest Rocks group)

To say that we made it today can mean many things. We made it out of the Kala Pattar Lodge in Labouche alive and really no worse for the wear. We also made it to Kala Pattar which is the highest point on our trek and has the best views of Everest. We got up quite early in order to get away from the guesthouse as quickly as possible. However, to say we slept would be inaccurate. There were over 140 people sleeping in the lodge that was built to hold closer to 70 guests. When Kenny got up in the middle of the night he tripped over several people sleeping in the hallway in front of our door (the door made out of old plastic cartons went really well with the plastic tarp roof). Anyway, we were eager to get going and I was happy to trade a warm breakfast for a granola bar on the trail. Kumar started out 30 or 40 minutes before us in order to get us a room in Gorak Shep and we came along after him, very, very slowly. For the first time I could really feel the altitude when I tried to exert myself. The good thing was that I could always catch my breath if I rested for a bit so that means no AMS for me.

When we got to Gorak Shep we were pleasantly surprised to be staying at the Buddha Lodge which had real wooden walls. We had a quick lunch and were energized in order to tackle the looming "Black Rock" which is what Kala Pattar means in Hindi. It was very steep all the way to the top and just about killed us. The views the entire way were amazing and we could see Pumori and Nuptse really well. Everest slowly emerged as we got higher. The panorama was indescribable, especially since we didn't really have the breath. At the top it got extremely windy and cold. We were really glad to have our down jackets and hoods. The Everest Rocks group was on the way up to do their concert but we couldn't stick around because it was way too cold and our heads were starting to throb a bit. It is hard to believe that we finally made it. It feels good and I think we have been really lucky to feel as good as we do. So many others are really suffering because of the altitude.

Tomorrow we go to Base Camp and then will head back down. We are not sure how far down we will go since we refuse to stay in the Kala Pattar guesthouse again and don't know where there will be places to stay. It has been quite a journey to get here and the destination is surreal. It flew by at times but there have been other parts where I thought the incline would never end.