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- Apr 10, 2024, 11:07am
- ☀️ -5 °C
- Altitude: 4,319 m
- NepalProvince 1Khumbu PasanglamhuDingboche27°53’26” N 86°49’40” E
Day 21: Tengboche to Dingboche
April 10 in Nepal ⋅ ☀️ -5 °C
With the night's freshly laid snow turned to ice, we set off for another early start, passing through thick wintry forest right out of Tengboche, much to Thomas' delight. This wooded section took us down through Deboche and Millingo, after which we crossed the Imja Khola via an icy hanging bridge, whose slippery metal panels had my heart rate in tatters. Across the other side, heart rates didn't settle for too long as we then ascended up to Pangboche. Any ascent at this altitude can easily draw breath from the lungs* but truth be told though, it's been a relatively easy day; the whole not-sleeping-500-metres-above-where-you-last-slept thing means that our calves have been coping fairly well (though maybe we've just been distracted by the views all day), especially compared to the ascents we had been putting them through earlier in the trek.
*Oh, and especially for Thomas who complained about difficulty breathing only to then find out it was literally just because he tightened his backpack's chest strap too tightly (this is an Oxford Scholar we are talking about btw 🤦♂️)
Following Pangboche, the path opens up into a stunning wide valley, where the river torrents under the towering watch of white peaks, including Everest, Nuptse and friends. As we headed up and beyond the conical summit of Ama Dablam, the views became panoramic and we enjoyed the depths of the Himalayas in their full glory. Once again, we managed to reach our destination, Dingboche, before midday and chose a teahouse (which is delightfully quiet) almost at random. As a result, we are sleeping at 4,410 m, which is similar in altitude to the height of the Matterhorn (although comically still remains closer in altitude to sea level than to the summit of Everest itself.)
After a lunch lull, where we fuelled up on food and I had a nap again, we decided to head up the valley towards Chukhung, stopping at every shop to ask for their price for Oreos on the way. Our leisurely stroll took us up towards a peak decorated with a textured glacier, which we speculated to be Baruntse while we also saw some real meaty yaks roaming the tundra. And that was about that for the day! The views just keep getting better and better, and we look forward to tackling 5,073 m Nangkartshang for our acclimatisation day tomorrow.
(Also, we absolutely LOVE yaks, they are such majestic creatures.)Read more
Traveler State propaganda, JJ was today's curlywurly
Traveler Pipe down or I'll delete this comment
Traveler Long live the truth
Traveler Gosh inching closer and closer still... 👏👏