EBC Day 12 - The Final Hike

I woke up at 6am this morning, after having slept for 10 hours.  It shows how tired I was last night, after the tough hike from Lobuche to Gorak Shep and then climbing Kala Pathar.  But it's a great feeling this morning, knowing that this is the end of the trek.  Another mere 3 hours from Gorak Shep  to Everest Base Camp (EBC).  Everyone in our group felt refreshed and in high spirit.

We took our time and started hiking at about 8am.  We are in no rush because we are spending another night in Gorak Shep.   Generally, there are two groups that hike at different times.  The first are groups that have spent the night in Gorak Shep.  They start their hike very early in the morning.  They will take a short break when they return to Gorak Shep, then continue on their return hike.  They may stop at Periche or Tengboche.  They can hike faster and longer because they will be going mostly downhill.

The second group had probably spent the night before in Lobuche and started their hike early that morning.  They would've reached Gorak Shep at about 10 or 11am, take a short rest, then continue on to EBC.  Then they spend the night at Gorak Shep and hike Kala Pathar the next morning.

When we started, the trail was pretty sparse.  About an hour into the hike, we started encountering hikers from the first group coming in the other direction.  The trail was not difficult, although it was rocky in some places.  Being well-rested and in good spirits we walked at a fairly good pace.  We reached EBC in about 3 hours.

Everest Base Camp is where climbers trying to summit Mount Everest start their journey.  It's where they get all their equipment, guides, porters, and team members together before starting their climb.  Most climbing activities are in April or May, perhaps because of the warm weather.  Trekking activities, on the other hand, happen mostly between September and December.

Sign pointing to Kala Pathar and Everest Base Camp

Himalaya Lodge where we spent 2 nights in Gorak Shepp

A very rocky trail

Sign showing we are at EBC

Nutan, our guide, and Stephanos on the trail

Panoramic View of area around Everest Base Camp

Stephanos and Nutan on the trail

Stephanos and Meng with sign

It was a wonderful feeling having reached EBC.  RELIEF!  ELATION!  COMPLETION!  HOT SHOWER!  COMFORTABLE BED!  DECENT FOOD!  Those were the thoughts that crossed my mind.

Me, at EBC

This couple rode horses all the way from Lukla

Our guides:  Nutan (L)  Dilip (R)

A Final Group Photo with the name of the charity we are supporting

On the hike back to Gorak Shep we met many hikers in the second group (described above).  They probably started from Lobuche that morning and are now just getting on the trail to EBC.  Following a light lunch we laze around the tea house in the afternoon, catching up on email and FB posts.  Tomorrow we are going back to civilization.