Just like the day before we wake up early to get an early start on a big day but events conspired to push us our start time back. We met in the commons room of the tea house at 6:45, when we were promised breakfast. Cornflakes, porridge and hard boiled eggs weren’t served until 7:20. So we started at our usual hiking time at 8 AM.
Though the night had been brutally cold, the weather that morning was another cloudless blue skies. It was cold, but not bitter. I had somehow come to the idea that the hike to EBC was an easy stroll and we could bang it out in a couple of hours.
It was not easy.
It was up.
It was down.
It was rough terrain over boulders, loose talus and dusty scree.
And there was no atmosphere.
It really was just like the hardest section of the hike to Gorek Shep. But the altitude here was punishing. I thought that this hike was the most difficult segment of the entire trek, though, most of the people I talked with disagreed. We scrambled for close to three hours before we stood on the verge of Basecamp.
During the hike we got to see Everest peak over a ridge of mountains that normally obscures it. Like I said, perfect weather. As we hiked up the left side of the lateral moraine of the Kumbu glacier, it became apparent we were hiking into blind canyon. I knew that Everest climbs started by climbing through the Kumbu ice fall, but it was unclear where that went. Eventually it became apparent that the glacier took a turn to the right and there was a hidden gap in the wall that led up the mountain to camp one. Once that geography became clear my eyes knew where to look for Basecamp and could pick up the prayer flags.
That black pyramid like mountain in the background is Everest. 
Saad had trouble in the day before and this day also started pretty rocky. Initially he had really cold hands and I lent him my down gloves. This did not help and it became apparent that he had more than cold hands. He complained of dulled thinking and some confusion. He was having acute mountain sickness. He descended with Jim back to Gorek Shep.
The remainder of the group stumbled, bumbled, and fumbled toward the end zone. We stopped a few 100 yards short of basecamp to gather the group so we could all arrive together.
It was sublime.
I’m not entirely sure, but I think the wedding dress is from this wedding that happened last year.
AJKD represents at Everest Basecamp
Love your kidneys
CJASN and Everest Basecamp
Silva and Jeff had a touching moment where they dedicated the climb to the loved ones they lost and then drank some home-made Raki and poured some out. Before long, English Paul and Bishnu were calling for us to wrap it up and hike back to Gorek Shep.
The hike back? Just as hard.
When we got to Gorek Shep we quickly ate lunch and started hiking down to Duglha, the place we ate lunch two days ago (on the hike from Dengboche to Lobuche). As we walked out of the teahouse it was already snowing. We hiked through the snow and hightailed it off the mountain. We descended from 17,500 at Basecamp to around 15,000 at Duglha. Everyone was grateful to be out of the high altitude. The snow made for an epic Himalayan day.
We had veggie mo mos for dinner. Ben ate 13 mo mos. I wasn’t sure if I should impressed or repulsed.
