Day 18 of our attempt at the EBC. We had an early start from Lobuche to our first stop at Gorek Shep. The hike started off gentle and got a bit more difficult as we arrived at the edge of the Khumbu glacier. For the rest of the hike we would be weaving our way through the giant lateral moraine of the glacier. Some parts of the trail were good, other parts were a bit more like bouldering. I was still pretty fatigued so Sonam helped me out with my bag as we made our way to Gorek Shep. We arrived there in time for lunch but we couldn’t stay long. We quickly dropped off anything we didn’t need and headed out again. Karma came along with us as well and he helped carry our packs to speed us up. We notice most have ditched their bags at this point. Also the smell of humans is getting stronger. It is strongly recommended not to shower above 4000m due to lack of water and cold temperatures. So most of us haven’t had a shower in several days and it’s beginning to become quite noticeable. We continue on our hike to EBC all through the huge moraine. It’s slow progress not just because of the terrain but also due to the amount of people and animals trying to pass each other on the narrow trails. Eventually we make it to Basecamp 5300m in the mid afternoon. We have to take our pictures quickly as there are lots of people. So we take our pictures, enjoy the view for a few minutes then head back to Gorek Shep. It was an amazing moment! It takes a few more hours to get back and we arrive there in the late afternoon. Of course every day there must be some drama. I was tired and damp so I retired early that night. There’s no heating in the tea house and the temp was dropping rapidly. I forgot to get my O2 reading so Sonam came to find me. He took the reading and it came out at 44%. Sonam ever the professional only flinched slightly. He had mentioned previously the lowest reading he had seen was in the 40s and had been fatal. I said I’m sure I’m just cold and I have bad circulation. He let me try to warm up whilst calmly putting together his O2 therapy kit. Thankfully my next reading was 70 which is acceptable at this altitude. Crisis averted but Sonam left the O2 just in case 😂
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