Date: 4/13

Local time: 3:34pm

Location: Gorak Shep

Elevation gain: 255m / 836f

Route taken: Lobuche to Gorak Shep

Weather: Mostly cloudy with some sun, 0 degrees 

Time: 4 hours with multiple stops due to the altitude 

Highlight of the day: Roland met us individuality as we walked into town!

As our altitude is up over 5000m we are taking things slowly and all feeling some effects of the altitude. Thankfully none of the effects are severe enough to stop our trek to EBC. 

Our trek to Gorak Shep today took us further up the Khumbu glacier. The glacier started as a meandering stream in a mostly rocky bed and slowly increased to a large glacier with crystal blue ice formations. The clouds filled in hiding the peaks of the surrounding mountains but it didn’t make the scenery less impressive. The ice flows are clinging to the mountain side and thick covering of snow that looks like a white river flowing down the mountain. 

As we crossed one of the last outcropping of glacier rocks before Gorak Shep we saw Everest Base Camp in the far distance! We were excited to see our final destination of yellow tents perched on a distant glacier, surrounded by mountains and larger that life ice flows. 

Then as we approached Gorak Shep, Roland was meeting us as we arrived and it was a thrill to finally meet Roland! He joined us for lunch and we all chatted like long friends. The entire DEQ team and Roland have been chatting on a group text since the team was announced so our ‘virtual’ chat turned into a real life chat. 

We are now settled into our lodge and finalizing our 

plans for Everest Base Camp in the morning.