We had an early breakfast (0630) and we’re on the trail by (0730). We needed the earlier start because this was going to be one of longer day; we were looking at 6 to 8 hours hiking on the trail. My lock on the duffel the Porter’s carried ahead of me malfunctioned; I just had to hope a zip-tie would keep honest people honest.

It was very cool when we left the lodge, so we had our jackets on. Of course, we weren’t 20 minutes down the trail before we were overheating and pulling our jackets off.

The first 1/3 was climbing up, we stopped for tea in Mong at roughly 12,980 feet. We caught up to the summit team here, the had passed us on the trail. We were starting to get good views of Ama Dablam ans Lhotse through the clouds.

We then started our descent to a river crossing near Phortse, giving up much of our hard fought elevation. The way down was difficult; lots of rock steps with loose dirt and gravel. I was very glad to have my trekking poles; while some in our group were not using them, that wasn’t for me. The poles saved me twice, but my luck finally gave out; I slipped, catching myself on a rock with my forearm. I count myself lucky that I came out of that with just a little soreness.

We crossed the river near Phortse and then started our ascent to Phortse for lunch. Getting to the village was just the start. We had to hike 15 minutes or more through the village to get to the restaurant where we would eat. As we travel up the Khumbu Valley prices start going up. A bottle of water that cost me $1 in Namche is now running $2, and we still have a good way to go.

After lunch, we headed off, climbing up and leaving Phortse below us. We were basically on mountain edge paths the rest of the way. We had donned our waterproof jackets since it looked like we were going to be walking through clouds. It was not long before were hiking through snow for the first time!  With little more than 1/3 of the way left, the faster hikers in our group split off and went ahead. I stayed with the slower group. While I could do a decent job of keeping up with the faster folks, I really didn’t see the need to; it was much more comfortable to take the slower pace. Along the way, we came across Yak graving on the hill; it still amazes me how easily these animals navigate the terrain. The yaks actually boxed us in for a bit on the trail; I wondered if we were getting set up for a Yak ambush!

Not long after the yaks, we where upon Pangboche, and it was a welcome site. I was definitely ready for rest and happy to pay $4 for a hot shower. Spent the time talking to more group members in the evening; everyone has thier own story to tell. It is also a small world; one of the US climbers has offices halfway along my daily commute to work.

My bag made it unopened to our lodge, and the AC team found me another lock for 170 rupees (about $1.70). One less thing to worry about; thanks all.

We had dinner, replenished our water bottles, and off to a well earned sleep. This was a tough day, but clearly within the realm of the doable. I am so glad I made the time to train for this.