A glimpse of base camp

Last night was another rough one. I didn't really sleep at all. I would drift off and almost immediately wake myself gasping for air. This is a normal part of acclimating but is not so fun. I was glad when the morning came and I could get up and get ready for the day. 

For my second day in Lobouche the plan was to go for another hike, gain a little more elevation and keep the blood flowing. We set out behind the tea house and up a trail. We reached an elevation of 17,200 feet, or 1,000 feet of gain, which is just a little shy of base camp elevation.  Again, I felt the elevation in the form of heavy inhaling and exhaling and some pressure in my head. However, there was a nice reward at the top. I got my first glimpse of Everest base camp.  In the picture below, in the dead center is the Khumbu ice fall. You can't see it in this photo but there are dozens of tents sprawled out along the left side of the ice fall. The large bullet shaped mountain to the left is Pumori and the large mass on the far right is part of Lohtse.  Everest is hidden behind Lohtse from this view point. 

This shot is looking in the opposite direction. I don't know the names of these mountains but you can see how the same glacier coming from the Lohtse icefall has carved its way through the valley. 

Here's a look at my 5 star hotel room. I shared one like this with the guide in Dingbouche. This time I could spread out a bit more as I had an entire room to myself!  Talk about luxury. No heat though.