Everest Base Camp Trek 2020

by Adrian Davies

Five weeks in Nepal, 29 January to 3 March, three of those weeks spent trekking to and from Everest Base Camp (EBC) with my brother Howard. We embarked on what turned out to be, at least for me, a very challenging adventure, flying one way from Kathmandu to Lukla and returning by jeep.

EBC is 60km from Lukla but felt much longer. As it was winter, most lodges were closed due to the reduced number of trekkers. At night we slept in our day clothes, including gloves and an insulating hat, together with two warm blankets supplied by the lodges; sleeping bags are unnecessary on this trek. Our packs were 15kg (flight baggage limit) but even so, by the time we reached Monjo my aching legs were becoming weaker.

The brutal climb the next day to Namche Bazaar proved to be a reckoning. It seemed a combination of altitude, loss of appetite, dehydration and a general lack of fitness were conspiring to bring the trek to an early end. Constantly gasping for air I felt guilty, slowing my fitter, younger brother down. Three quarters of the way up and exhausted, I managed to enlist the services of a passing guide/porter to carry my backpack to Namche where we stayed for the next three nights. Sleeping was difficult, waking regularly with an alarming sense of suffocation, apparently another symptom of altitude, which required deep breaths to compensate; this passed after three days of acclimatisation.

Namche’s location is dramatic with towering Kongde facing the town from the opposite side of the valley. Early morning on our second day we climbed to the Everest View Hotel for sunrise views of distant Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. The sight of the freezing terrain ahead was sobering. Namche Bazaar is the last opportunity to hire guides/porters, so before leaving I hired Yogi, the same guide that helped me to Namche, but as he already had clients we agreed to meet further up the trail at Dingboche in twelve days’ time.

On leaving Namche we headed for Phungi Thanga, a tiny settlement at the side of the Dudh Kosi river where we stayed overnight at the only lodge open. The following morning took us over a suspension bridge spanning the river and to the steep climb to Tengboche, located on a ridge with 360 degree views. All lodges except the Hotel Himalaya were closed as was the famous Tengboche Monastery.

The next overnight stop was Pangboche, followed the next morning by a tough hike to Dingboche. Whilst waiting for our guide, we used the five day lay over to explore the Chhukhung valley to the east and the ridge above Dingboche to the north, which presented some beautiful views.

The Dingboche to Lobuche trail passes through a small tea house complex at Dughla, the only accommodation/refreshment available on this leg, where we had lunch. The climb from Dughla was steep, but levelled off at the Everest memorial site, an area dedicated to lives lost on the mountain. Our trekking poles proved essential as the trail was frequently covered in ice or snow. However the real enemy to progress was the lack of oxygen. We arrived late afternoon, at a bleak, windy and very cold Lobuche, where we spent the night.

Next morning we set off for Gorak Shep which, as there were no lodges on the route, had to be reached in a single day. The Gorak Shep lodges are huddled together between the Khumbu Glacier and a frozen dust covered lake. It was cold and windswept but a very welcome sanctuary for the next two nights. Next morning we trekked to EBC over undulating rocky terrain, often with no obvious trail. EBC was the most spectacular natural ‘cul de sac’ we had ever seen. A sea of rock and ice enclosed by the highest peaks in the world including Changtse a few kilometres to the north in China (Tibet).

After a second night in Gorak Shep we set off at 08:30 to climb Kala Pathar, a tough hike made more so by a strong, bitterly cold headwind. ‘Mountain gloves’ bought in Kathmandu failed to hold back the cold, a challenge met by chemical hand warmers. We summited at around 11:00. The views of Everest and its neighbours were spectacular. Following lunch at Gorak Shep we set off on our return journey to Lobuche where we spent the night. The following day was a long trek back to Pangboche. On reaching Dughla, we decided to by-pass Dingboche and take the shorter route via Pheriche where we stopped for lunch. We arrived at Pangboche early evening and stayed overnight.

Next morning we set off for Namche Bazaar stopping at Tengboche for lunch. After spending the night at Namche we headed to Phakding for our next overnight stop. The next day’s hike to Surke by-passed Lukla along an easier trail with a taste of rural Nepal. We arrived mid-afternoon; tomorrow we would leave for Bupsa.

The quality of the trail from Surke to Bupsa was the worst we had encountered. Recent rain had converted an already difficult undulating rocky path into a quagmire, often several inches deep in mud and animal waste. Mule trains taking goods up to Namche were seemingly unending. Following a night spent at Bupsa we travelled early next morning to Phaplu by 4x4 jeep. Three plus a driver squeezed in the front and four in the back was uncomfortable, but easier than walking! The route was initially a sea of deep mud, followed by twisting rutted tracks from then on. We arrived in Phaplu early afternoon, a small but pleasant rural village with its own airport, and stayed overnight at the Everest Hotel.

At 5am next day we said goodbye to our excellent guide and travelled by jeep to Kathmandu, an 11 hour 255km trip, this time on asphalt covered roads and with only four passengers aboard. Our epic adventure into the Himalayas had come to an end; one week left to explore Kathmandu before flying home.

Gorak Shep taken early morning
Sketch map and photos by Adrian Davies

Dughla taken early afternoon

Approach to Pangboche taken early afternoon

Everest and neighbours taken midday from Kala Pathar

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