Team Cooper - Everest Base Camp - Day 12

We awoke today to iced tents, but having had a good night's sleep.  We leave camp at about 8am for a very long days trek...everyone's in good form though, although Rachel is feeling fatigued.  

 

We walk along lower valley, through alpine scrub, following the Khumbu river.  We pass a couple of settlements where we see the occupants working in the field gathering yak dung for winter fuel.

We pass through Orsho before stopping for a short rest at Shomare which has several teahouses and simple lodges...we then continue on our way.  Once again the weather is sunny and getting warm so the outer layers are shed.  Before reaching Pangboche, we pass a water driven prayer wheel above the bridge.

We pass many Mani walls and chortens. 

 The path is mainly downhill and the plants and trees are showing their Autumn colours.

 

While on this path going downhill, there was a yak disagreement and we were in their path.  You should have seen us move uphill in all directions as fast as we could...it was nerve wracking due to the steep drop, however very funny all the same!!  That would have been something that would have been brilliant if we could have got video footage of it. :)

Reaching this suspension bridge crossing over Imja Khola, we are glad that they had replaced the lower one for a sturdier bridge.  The river below is very icy and fast flowing, not something you want to look down towards whilst going over a dubious bridge. 
 

After crossing this high bridge, we found our bags sitting at the path side.  We notice that there are no porters with them, which we find very strange.  Surely the call of nature was not the reason for all porters leaving the bags unattended.  As we walk a little way along the path, we find out why....the young porter that is with us has gone over his ankle and over the hillside, and with him two bags.  We could see the porters at the river trying to retrieve things. 

(Pictured below - porter trying to retrieve bag and contents.)

In short, the porter was very lucky not to have fallen to his death.  Unfortunately, one of the bags had ripped open losing most of its contents, and the other bag was lost to the river.  This put a damper on the day, however we were all just relieved to know that the porter was okay.

We carried on passing Deboche where we had stayed and left Peter on way up. Going back through the rhododendron forest we finaly reach Thyangboche.  This gives us the chance to rest and again admire the view of Everest.

  

We follow the sign...

  We go downhill for sometime, passing people we have seen on different days.  The path is very dry and dusty and we are beginning to feel choked up and very dirty.  We cross the bridge at the lowest part of the trek...again stopping at Phunki Tenga  for lunch.

Once again, a very long steep climb is ahead of us and we remember some of the grim faces we met when we were descending this hill.  The afternoon sun has clouded over but it's still quite warm. 

Rachel is finding it hard but is putting on a brave face and going at a slow pace.  Marc is doing really well considering all the fluid on his lungs.  This path seems to go on forever winding around but the colours are great.  We pass the Everest View Point and continue on.

  

  

 

 

After two hours we finally reach Namche.  What a great feeling that today we have walked 12 long miles, and soon we will find out the verdict on our bags.  This is done by Roy shouting out bag numbers and it is then that we find out who lost their bags.  Mark has lost all but a jacket and sleeping bag, but Graeme has lost everything.  But they both put a great face on and head out to buy something to wear, whilst we head for a much needed hot shower.  It's great seeing Peter again and we find that he has kept himelf busy in this lovely town for the past 5 days and his altitude sickness is much better. 

Everyone is in good spirits tonight, and after dinner, Roy and I go out for a beer and to use the internet before heading to bed at 9.15pm.

Tomorrow is another long day and we have a 6 hour walk to Ghat where we shall be staying in tents, as we should have been on our first night.