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This gallery contains a subset of our photographs.
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Continue reading“We’re not exultant; but delighted, joyful ; soberly astonished… Have we vanquished an enemy? Not but ourselves…” (George Mallory).
D-Day. Today we summit Mt Everest Base Camp. It’s going to be a grueling +8hr hike at the highest altitude we’ve ever been. An early morning start with 5:30 breakfast and 6:30 hike. The morning was icy cold and the demons were swirling. Breakfast was barely edible as our appetites were long gone. Being well layered, we started our hike.
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I woke up to a towering Ama Dablam peering into my window nudging me to get a move on. It was cold even though the sun was out and the sky was clear. I shook off the chill and got ready for the hike to Lobuche.
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Awoken by my alarm, I peered my head out of my warm sleeping bag and felt the cold rush to greet me. I looked outside from my room and Ama Dablam was covered in clouds. Brrr it’s going to be a chilly day but Nagarjun Hill was calling.
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We woke up in the clouds, literally. The cold had come and I quickly went outside to feel it. Today is going to be a different challenge. Refresh, change (lots of layers), pack, breakfast, stretch and away we go. Our journey to Dingboche began.
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Onward upward we continued. In under 30 mins we were pleasantly surprised as Ama Dablam with its two ridges and ‘lonely hiker’ came into full view. In an instant we turned our heads to Everest with its white cap (called a banner cloud) and welcoming smile. Nuptse, in front, was still forming an impregnable fortress. Another beautiful sunny day and we quickly shed off our layers as our body heat increased. The hike to Tengboche was underway.
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The rhythm continues. Fueled with porridge and Nepali (masala) tea (and maskana biscuit from home), we headed out for our day of acclimatization climbing up to Sayangboche then back down to Namche Bazaar.
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Phakding (2626m) to Namche Bazaar (3370m)
The rhythm started – washup, change, pack up, breakfast, stretch and go. And, hopefully some writing too – battery and connectivity permitting. Day 1 was a smorgasbord of helter skelter rushing and running. But, that’s behind us. In the first few minutes of the hike the banner, courtesy of Bokkie, our group leader, who’s determined to take it to the top, would come out for a group pic. I’ve heard we’ve so far raised almost R80k for a worthy cause – school shoes for learners especially in rural areas.
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