The Climb

Introduction

Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world. Its height is 8,848 metres (29,028 ft). Its alternate names are Qomolangma, Sagarmatha, and Chomolungma. Mount Everest lies on the border of Nepal and China, with about half of the mountain lying on each side of the border. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first climbed it in 1953, with Hillary taking the famous photograph of Tenzing Norgay in the summit.

Kirsten will be climbing to Everest Base camp on the southeastern (Nepali) side of Everest.  Unlimited Trekking Nepal is the company who is organising the logistics and providing the Sherpa and porter for the trek.  There is no camping involved as each stop will be at a Teahouse where both food and accommodation is provided.  She will taking an alternative route via Gokyo and the Cho La Pass.

This trek explores the breath-taking Gokyo valley, which is located adjacent of the Khumbu.  Gokyo is a land of high altitude lakes and icy glaciers.  Here a hike to the high vantage point of GokyoRi (5360-m) presents views of four of the eight highest mountains on earth - all in one panorama!From here, one can see more of Everest (8848-m) and the three other Himalayan giants - Cho Oyu (8153-m), Lhotse (8501-m) and Makalu (8463-m) and some of the great Glaciers, mainly the Ngozumpa Glacier. The small herding settlement of Gokyo (4750m) lies on the banks of the third lake in a series of small turquoise mountain lakes and on the ridge above Gokyo, the four peaks above 8000m of Cho You, Everest, Lhotse and Makalu expose themselves. In addition to this you can have a look at the tremendous ice ridge between Cho You and Gyachung (7922m), considered one of the most dramatic panoramas in the Khumbu region. There are many options for additional exploration and high-altitude walking, including the crossing of Cho La, a 5420m-high pass into Khumbu and a hike to GokyoRi.

Cho La Pass is an icy and interesting glacier crossing of Ngozumpa.As this is not the standard route, there are fewer people and a less defined path so that a feeling of remoteness is present.  However, while this path ismore challenging, it is worth the extra effort as the scenery is stunning.

Everest base Camp

Everest Base Camp Itinerary - 92 km round trip

Day	Itinerary	Altitude	Altitude Gain	Time Trekking (app)
1 - 16th	Fly from KTM to Lukla  and walk to Phakding	2840m	- 160m	4 - 5 hours
2 - 17th	Phakding to Namche	3440m	+800m	5 - 6 hours
3 - 18th	Acclimatization day	3440m
4 - 19th	Namche  to Dole	4038m	+598m	5 - 6 hours
5 - 20th	Dole to Machhhermo	4470m	+432m	4 - 5 hours
6 - 21st	Machhermo to Gokyo	4750m	+280m	3 - 5 hours
7 - 22nd	exploreGokyoRi	5357m	+607m
8 - 23rd	Gokyo to Thauna	4700m	-50m	3 hours
9 - 24th	Thauna to Dzongla via Chola Pass to Lobuche	5420m/ 4910m	+210m (via +720m)	7 - 8 hours
10 - 25th	Lobuche to Gorekshep	5140m	+230m	5 - 6 hours
11 - 26th	Gorekshep to Kalapathar for Everest view and back to Lobuche or Phireche (EBC – 5545m)	5316m	+176m (via +405)	2 - 3 hours 7 - 8 hours
12 – 27th	Phiriche to Namche	3860m	-1456m	5 - 6 hours
13 – 28th	Namche to Lukla	2860m	-1000m	6 – 7 hours
14 – 29th	Lukla to Kathmandu	1400m	-1460m	35 min flight