4343m-Dingboche dispatch#2 - A hot shower today is definitely dispatch worthy! Ahh to feel somewhat human again after a thorough cleansing and shave. ;) Managed to check emails early this morning under a clear blue sky, outstanding mountain vistas, and chilly temps. We are starting to say goodbye to the warm temps of the lower valley yet the sun at altitude is certainly a blessing (and a curse given the increased risk for sunburn).Given today is our rest day in Dingboche I wanted to send this dispatch to share several pictures from the past few days of trekking. Your positive comments about the previous dispatches as well as your requests to keep them coming have given me the necessary drive to comply as often as possible. Thank you for that.
I figured I would take advantage of the down time today as the next few days will likely be hectic, not to mention tiring. We will gain another 500 vertical meters (~1500') tomorrow on our way to the Lobuche camp. We rest there for a day before another 500 meter (+/-) gain to our Everest basecamp on the 9th. We will come back to Lobuche to train on fixed ropes as well as allow our bodies to further acclimatize before we gain the upper slopes of Everest. By utilizing Lobuche we avoid too many trips through the Khumbu Icefall on the lower South Col route of Sagarmatha. Lobuche is a 6100+ meter (just over 20,000') mountain so we continue to work hard for our goal of reaching the top of the world.Pictures (top to bottom): Plane taking off at Lukla. Yak Train in the valley below Namche. Getting a professional shave at Namche (first ever!).
Namaste from Dingboche
