Mt. Everest Base Camp
Day 9: Gorak Shep to Mt. Everest Base Camp, 2 hours
We Made it!!
After a relentless 9 day hike deep into the heart of the Himalayas, 7 mountain villages, over 25 hours of hiking, ascending 3,000m, altitude headaches, 2 acclimatization days, plenty of midnight toilet runs, indulging in Sherpa Stew, lemon tea, and momo’s at every chance, game after game of Yanif, hours of conversation with hikers from all over the world huddled around a fire stove, one very cold wash up, and one nail-biting mountain flight… we have arrived!
Video: Arrival at Mt. Everest Base Camp
Standing at the foot of the top of the world, feeling so small standing amongst the biggest white giants of the World… & so accomplished. Completing 9 very physical days, always pushing up and further, it all made our arrival at base camp that much sweeter. It was worth every penny, every headache, every freezing night. Once in a lifetime. We’ve talked about this trip and this moment for months, but I never thought we would actually stand on top of the Khumbu glacier listening to it creak and groan, after walking in the exact footsteps of so many famous mountaineers, throwing our arms in the air at our own mini-achievement. I realized just how small our achievement was when we were looking up at Mt. Everest and the summit another 10,000 dangerous feet away!
Looking Across the start of the Khumbu Ice Fall
Base camp is actually on the Khumbu glacier. The glacier is so impressive to wander through, but makes base camp look like an inhabitable hole. Gaping crevasses and caves dare anyone to come close. I’ve read so many books about expeditions to Everst and seeing the Khumbu glacier was too surreal! We left our tiny mark at base camp stringing prayer flags between two little stupas we made, sending our wishes and prayers up with the winds. We had base camp all to ourselves, not a soul in sight. It’s hard to imagine what is looks like with hundreds of people living there during the 3 month climb to the summit! (Side note: Camp was spotless, the clean up efforts have definitely paid off.) 60 miles behind us and at 17,600 ft (5,364m) we stood wih our fists in the air, where so many dreams begin and ours was accomplished.
You Might Also Like:
- Day 7-8: Dingboche to Gorak Shep
- Day 4-6: Namche Bazaar to Dingboche
- Day 1-3: Lukla to Namche Bazaar
- Everest Base Camp: Preparation and Tips
- Everest Eve
Yahoo! Congrats to you both on such an accomplishment. I know you worked every ounce of you to reach this achievement. I love your photos and for a brief moment, I can dream as though I’m there as well. Continue to have fun and stay safe.
Wow … congratulations! The colors in the photos are absolutely spectacular. It looks so crisp and clear and AMAZING there!
Again, that’s quite the accomplishment. You must be so proud…
Wow, props! Now THAT is a tale to tell the Grandchildren. I also loved the photographs, they made me feel like I was right there!
Wow. Incredible photo’s and what an adventure!!
Beautiful pictures
Way to BE. I did it last year. I believe I calculated the total vertical up as 26,000 feet counting the 6,000 feet up when you go back down. Congratulations!!!!!!!
You made it to climb to the top congratulations guys…
Great adventure ! Keep hiking…
That is SO cool! Definitely the adventure of a lifetime. I’m going to go back and read more of your blog now
http://tehcatspajamas.wordpress.com/
Woww ! Amazing… you both are amazing. Great pictures.
A great motivational post!
Makes me wonder what the hell I’m doing sitting at my desk at work all day doing.
Good for you, and congrats on FP…
These pictures are beautiful. Congratulations, what an amazing thing to achieve!
Fantastic accomplishment. I really would love to be able to say that I have also climbed this relentless mountain! Big well done to you!
Wow! That is really an amazing feat! Congratulations!
Congratulations! You are living my dream! The photos are awesome and the narrative is intoned with your excitement! Don’t forget… getting there is only half the trip. Safe Journeys.
Really inspiring! Keep it up!
CONGRATS! I’m glad to see WordPress users DOING and not just writing about how uneasily their cat traipsed about their latest knitting project!
Wow, cool pics. I read about you climbing adventurers, thanks for sharing, its encouraging.
What an accomplishment! Congratulations! Thank you for sharing your beautiful pictures.
woohoo! awesome! bravo!
I just stumbled on your blog because it was on the wordpress.com front page. Looks awesome! Totally wish I could do what you guys do! Anyway, congrats on reaching base camp, at 17,000+ you’ve gone further than most. Cheers on your travels!
Amazing, I have had a fascination with Everest and stories of climbers. You are living my ultimate dream. Congrats on making it so far and I can’t wait to read more of your exciting adventure!
The world’s greatest adventure! Awesome! Stay safe and best of luck.
Amazing!!!!! That’s so wonderful – I can’t even imagine how that must feel. Congratulations! Your photos here and lovely! Freshly pressed is well deserved!!!
I always admire people who climb Mount Everest. Good for you!
Congrats, madam and sir for summiting the tallest giant on earth and for being freshly pressed!
Congratulations. Given how I found climbing Cradle Mountain at 1535 m an exertion beyond my physical capacity, I admire you. Conquering even parts of Mt. Everest is a pleasure belonging to few people in the world. The photos are also rather picturesque and majestic in their grandeur.
what a great accomplishment. pictures look fabulous, congrats on freshly pressed too!
Congratulations!! Absolutely wonderful post and pictures! I’m leaving in 5 days for a mountaineering expedition in the Himalayas and this made me so much more excited!
Congrats!! What an adventure! You guys are simply amazing. When is the book coming out??
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! TO BOTH OF YOU…
This is really achievement on your part. You deserve this. After all the cold nights and lack of sleep you reach up to the top. HOW I WISH I WAS THERE ALSO EXPERIENCING THE FUN THAT YOU ARE EXPERIENCING RIGHT NOW…. THIS IS A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT THAT ONE CAN BE PROUD OF.
congratulations! cool pictures and absolutely fantastic
thanks you
base camp alone is an experience…nice!
What a fantastic achievement – congrats and brilliant pics too
great job! how i wish to be there, congrats!
An amazing place to write about, what an incredible journey I appreciate you guys sharing. Beautiful pictures of the base camp and I hope both of you remain healthy.
Freshly Presssed from Mt. Everest Base Camp! Wow. I took some time and read back about your journey. I wish you both the best of luck. I will be checking back on your blog for updates on your climb. Be safe! Getting to the peak is only HALF the journey. Returning safely is the goal!
Excellent pics. Looks like you were lucky to get good weather. Who gets to lug the laptop?
My hat goes off to the both of you. I like to hike, but I don’t think that I would have the stamina to hike the himalayas., or anything close.
Congratulations a million times over! You made it to the foot of the tallest mountain in the world, and that’s amazing, it’s also something I would never dream of doing.
I can’t say I know how your trek felt like, though I think I can say I’ve had a tiny taste of what trekking and summiting a mountain can be like. Just yesterday, I returned from a 10 day trek to the Smoky Mountains, here in the US. We summited the smallest of the mountains, and I can say I felt like I was at the top of the world. Being so high above, with nothing but nature, and no civilization, was better than I thought. But as soon as I came back, I was back to the Internet. Maybe that’s just how all humans are. We can’t live without our creature comforts for long, no matter how hard we try.
Double congratulations: One for reaching base camp, the other on being Freshly Pressed!
Ashley, aka TheEverydayMuser
http://www.theeverydaymuser.wordpress.com
Hello, Hello— and THANK YOU!!! Firstly, I couldn’t believe we were on Freshly Pressed.. I didn’t understand why my inbox was FULL of WordPress messages & than it dawned on me… ‘Well, maybe.. just maybe, we are freshly pressed?’ No way though.. & surely enough we were! We both feel so privileged, I swear I thought only my mom and grandma were reading the blog what we had to say! && Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the encouraging comments and thoughts. You’re all fantastic!
Nicky & Rhys
Hi guys,
First up, Salut for making it to the EBC! You must be proud of youselves coz that was a great achievement, espectially so, for having done it at a spur of a moment! I must tell you that reading your posting renewed my long-time dream of seeing the Everest up close and personal. I was excited to learn that you went out ON YOUR OWN, without a guide or potter, All this while I’d thot you must have a guide before you’re allowed to go up there; what more having to pay an exorbitant fee to the tour operators. I was just about ready to give up on my dreams when your journey popped up on my screen a couple of days back! Now, I KNOW I can do the same thing like you guys did! So, a big THANK YOU for showing me the way!
My mind is set to go for it next year, and I plan to follow in your footsteps I have some questions about the preparation with which I hope you could help me. When did you start the trek (which month)? My concern is about the weather, but reading your jounal, it sounded like you guys have had fine sunny weather most of the time, aside from the cold spells during nightfall.
As for accommodations, I see that you stayed at various tea-houses along the way. Did you have to make any bookings/reservations for it, or did you just walk in to get a room? Was it easy to get a place to stay along the way, especially in the more remote areas of the trail? Any particular tea-house you would recommend?
It’ll be great to hear from you, so till then, cheers and thanks a zillion for sharing your adventures . I’ve been reading it over and over again and admiring the photographs, and wishing I’m there already!
Cheers!
Gie.
I wrote a post that hopefully answers () all of your questions. You can totally do it! Keep me posted on your progress, and if you have anymore questions please don’t hesitate to ask
Good Luck!
Wow … congratulations! The colors in the photos are absolutely spectacular. It looks so crisp and clear and AMAZING there!
I was new in the world of bloggers so please guidance yes, And thank you for sharing these on your blog, And your blog is very useful to me.
Wow, beautiful pictures on your blog.
Amazing, I have had a fascination with Everest and stories of climbers. You are living my ultimate dream. Congrats on making it so far and I can’t wait to read more of your exciting adventure!
Congratulations!! Absolutely wonderful post and pictures! I’m leaving in 5 days for a mountaineering expedition in the Himalayas and this made me so much more excited!
An amazing place to write about, what an incredible journey I appreciate you guys sharing. Beautiful pictures of the base camp and I hope both of you remain healthy.
Went in ’95 and will never forget the memories – or the stomach issues – lol…
Hi Nicky,
I was thrilled to bits reading your hike up the EBC. Now, how about telling us about the hike DOWN? How easy or hard was it? How long did it take? Experience tells me that the descend is always the “killer”!
Eagerly waiting your post!
Cheers!
Hello! I’m sorry we haven’t posted about the walk down because it was… fast. With the mix in feelings between exhaustion & accomplishment– the walk down was more along the lines of, ‘Ok I did it, no get me out of here!’ I knew fresh air, air that I could really breathe was only hours away and we came down in 3 days. From base camp at 5,364m we walked as far as we could before night came and we stayed in a place called Pheriche at 4,270m. From there we hiked all day to lovely Namche Bazaar, 3,440m, where bars, bakeries, and warmer temperatures greeted us. We had one final day hiking back to Lukla where we waited for our little mountain plane to whisk us back to hot showers and civilization! Yes, the hike back was hard, but the hike up was harder. The mental aspect was easy because every step on the way down brought lower altitudes, warmer temperatures, and us closer to Katmandu!
Hi . thank you for giving me a mental picture i needed to prepare as best i can for my trip in your steps . im doing it to raise money for the British heart foundation . so here is to you both
and to my venture on 31st march 2012 .
EBC is an incredible experience, we wrote so many posts regarding our hike to help other travelers who were bubbling with the same sort of questions we had before we went. I hope it helps, and ask away if we missed out on anything. Good Luck!
congratulations! The colors in the photos are absolutely spectacular.
Thanks, but Nepal is such a photogenic country it made taking pictures very easy!