Approximately 5.3 miles. Total gain: 2,130 ft. Total loss 920 ft.
Namche Bazaar to Moung La pass - 1,705 ft. elevation gain in 3.3 miles
Moung La pass to Dudh Koshi River - 920 ft. elevation loss in 1 mile
Dudh Koshi River to Phortse - 425 ft. elevation gain in less than 1 mile
Packing the dzo and getting ready to leave Namche Bazaar.
Farm terraces along the trail on the out skirts of Namche Bazaar.
Donation box along the trail to help maintain the trail.
Our trail to the left and we are once again greeted with a view of the peak of Mt. Everest (the peak all the way in the back with the snow blowing off the top).
This chorten was built May 2003 as a 50th year anniversary to the first successful summit of Mt. Everest by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary on May 29, 1953 to honor Tenzing Norgay and the sherpas of Everest.
Stopped here for a break.
Place to buy souvenirs, snacks, or use the toilet.
Tahr mountain goats.
Tea house in Moung La pass for lunch.
View of our destination, Phortse, from the trail. We still need to descend, cross the Dudh Koshi river, and ascend, before reaching it.
As we reached the Dudh Koshi River at the bottom of the valley, it began to snow. Instead of camping with our clothes and gear all wet and cold, we opted to stay the night in the tea house/lodge. This is inside the tea house. The stove is in the middle of the room. It is used to cook, boil water, and heat up the room. Dried dzo dung is used as the fuel. This is our first night of the trek staying inside. The rooms are very simple, four walls and a bed. The bathrooms are communal and you need to bring your own toilet paper. The rooms are not insulated and are cold so you still need to sleep in your sleeping bag in the bed. This is also the first night we began to use hot water bags to sleep with in order to stay warm. The woman in the picture is one of owners of the place. Her husband had successfully summited Mt. Everest and her son was about to try and summit this year.
