Another beautiful day in the Khumbu. After a few days of low clouds and a bit of rain, today was absolutely perfect. We were rewarded with stunning views of Ama Dablam, Lhotse, the Nuptse ridge and, of course, Everest. Once again, I was struck by the lack of traffic on the trail. I only saw one large trekking group. Perhaps we are between the groups but the teahouse owners report business is down. From my perspective, the Khumbu is very quiet.
Our Altitude Junkies team of eight, quickly spread out and I found myself walking alone at my own pace, lost in my own thoughts. I went back to my first trek here in 1997 to Everest Base Camp, to my travel to Ama Dablam in 2000 and the treks for my Everest attempts/climbs in 2002, 2003, 2008 and 2011. While a bit has changed, a lot has not.
The views remain stunning. The sound of the rushing rivers keep you company as do the ever present yak trains with their bells ringing announcing their arrival. I always stood on the uphill side knowing that there have been some unfortunate incidents where people have been pushed down steep hillsides by the unknowing furry beasts.
I took at break at the base of a long descent to reflect on these times then began the long uphill walk to the Tengboche Monastery. I was eager to see if the 2015 earthquake damage had been repaired. The trail is along a fairly wide dirt path mostly within a pine forest. Once again the views of the surrounding 20,000 foot mountains is stunning.
We arrived at the Tengboche Monastery in time to sit quietly on the floor as the monks did one of their several daily prayers. There were more monks there this time than last year. As always, I found the chanting and beating of the drums an opportunity to allow myself to go deep in thought as well as to try to take in the moment and have gratitude for where I was.
I asked my teammates for a one word description of the day:
- Nelson – heavy
- Laura – yak
- Lyle -monotonous
- Ben – pleasant
- Phil- uncrowded
- Gabby – grateful
- Barbara – peaceful
and mine – memories
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
A few pictures and videos from the day:
