Sunday 7th – Kala Patthar (5545m) and Gorak Shep (5140m) to Pheriche (4270m)

It seemed warmer overnight but others suggested it was -20 C.

The eight of us who had decided to climb Kala Patthar (5545m) were awoken at 5am for our 2 hr climb.  It was a very cold and windy morning although we enjoyed great views of Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse from the summit.  The oxygen level at this altitude is around 50% of normal.

Another 1.5 hrs back down to breakfast back in Gorak Shep. The rest of our trekking party had already left for Lobuche where we would meet for lunch.

We headed off for Lobuche after breakfast.  It was a relatively easy walk.   We had met the rest of our party for lunch at Lobuche as planned and then walked on to Pheriche.    This was a relatively tough walk for me after lunch due to a strong, cold wind blowing up the Lobuche Khola valley.  We arrived at Pheriche (4270m) around 5:15pm.  It was a nice campsite (one of our best) and the best teahouse so far.  Karri, who had been recovering here for a couple of days, was pleased to be back with the group.

Overall this was a long and tough trekking day – 9 hrs in total including the ascent of Kala Patthar.