Thorong La Base Camp - Day 9 (End)

4900m. 12 km travelled. Because both the lower and upper base camps for Thorung La Pass (5400m) were less than a half day's walk from Yak Kharka, we afforded ourselves the luxury of sleeping in. We arrived at Thorung Phedi, the lower base camp, at 11:30 and, after a brief stop off, decided to continue the 400 meters upward to the high base camp to give ourselves a leg-up tomorrow morning. Thorung La is the world's highest mountain pass, so a full night's rest and a hearty dinner will be tonight's first priorities. Unfortunately, sleeping in well-below freezing temperatures at nearly 5000 meters altitude may not cooperate with those plans.

The base camp mess hall was already cold, but then the snowstorm rolled in. Tomorrow's 500+ meter climb in the snow will be delightful, I'm sure...Read more