Day 17: Gokyo to Namche Bazaar
Approximate Trekking Time: 7-8 hours
Distance: 22.5k / 14 miles
Overnight Elevation: 3420m / 11,220ft
Down we go! The original plan for today (or rather yesterday) had been to continue along the Three Passes trek, hiking over the third and final pass – Renjo La – and down to Lumde and Thame. Unfortunately, since neither one of us has been feeling that great, we decided to detour from this route and head directly back to Namche Bazaar today. Actually, one of the great things about the Khumbu is that there are a number of trails and routes through the region, and generally no matter where you are you can descend to Namche Bazaar (and beyond) quickly if needed.
While we were a bit disappointed to not be finishing the Three Passes trek as planned, we also really enjoyed the trek from Gokyo to Namche Bazaar, still new trail for us until the very last section of the trail beyond Sanasa.
We ate an early breakfast and hit the trail by just after 7am, hiking southward out of Gokyo. The first part of the valley was still in the shade at this hour and bitter cold until we began trekking in and out of sunlight, finally losing the frigid shade. The trail through the boulder-strewn valley passed by the second and first sacred lakes, eventually following, and then crossing, the Dudh Kosi River, sacred to both Hinds and Buddhists. Crossing the river, we walked along an exposed ridgeline with rock staircases, gingerly stepping around the ice of frozen rivulets that streamed down the slopes from the rockface above.
The trail weaved its way around the slopes, descending into the village of Machermo, where we crossed through the lodges and yak pastures and ascended the other side of the ravine. This trend would continue throughout the hike: descend into small village and climb back up the slope on the other side.
We eventually dropped down a slope into Dole, crossing a rickety bridge over a stream and passing a few lodges before ascending through a grove of rhododendrons, the first trees we had seen since ascending past Pangboche. Climbing out of the trees to the remainder of Dole, we stopped at a lodge along the trail for lunch, in need of some energy.
The trail past Dole soon became very beautiful. For the past 10+ days we had hiked through an arid glacial landscape of boulders, dotted only with lichens, sparse mosses, and scrubby brush and grass. Now, we were entering vibrant forest with an abundance of tree and plant life. Spanish moss hung from the tree branches, bright green mosses clung to rocks and trees, and the dead leaves of fall crunched beneath our feet on the trails. We were finally back in an environment hospitable enough for green life – and easier breathing.
Trekking southward along the western bank of the Dudh Kosi, opposite the village of Phortse, which was perched along the opposite side of the river valley, the trail descended down, down, down to the river, switch-backing along the path of a waterfall to cross it at several levels – its icy waters frozen along the edges in the shade and in all but the swiftest flowing currents. Beyond this waterfall, we crossed others before finally hitting the bottommost point of the descent.
From here, we had our biggest climb of the day. A long climb of steep rocky steps and switchbacks to Mongla, a small mountain pass in the clouds. We continued up, up, up, stone step after stone step, through sun and shade, past porter after porter and a number of yak trains. One group of porters carried building materials down the trail, large sheets of plywood and long heavy metal beams strapped to their backs. The things you see these guys carrying… their strength in the mountains is amazing.
Finally, we emerged at the pass at Mongla, greeted by a large stupa, a couple of teahouses and bright beautiful clear blue skies. We stopped only long enough for a quick water break and continued hiking down the ridge along the mountain, slowly descending into Sanasa. There was also a high route we could have stayed on above Sanasa, though this route ends with a very long crumbled-rock staircase into Chhorkung, a route we had descended on our acclimatization day hike around Namche and I was not keen to do it again, particularly with our full packs. We descended through the trees into Sanasa to the low route, spinning the giant prayer wheel as we passed the Ama Dablam Lodge and the women with their tables of souvenirs.
Beyond Sanasa, the trail was a repeat (in reverse) of what we had done en route from Namche Bazaar to Tengboche. The trail was wide, with short ascents and descents undulating along the mountainside, the deep valley below. We passed the same stupas, including the one “…blessed with the unerring support of Rolex, Geneva”. On our first trip by the stupa perched above the path, we had walked up the stairway and read its plaque, this time we were on a mission, marching quickly by as the afternoon grew later.
Despite our last experience in Namche, where fog had closed in on the village and surrounding area by early afternoon, we were fortunate that today remained crystal clear for the entire hike into the village. Soon Chhorkung came into view and Shawn enthusiastically spun the large prayer wheel along the trail, happy that our long day of trekking was almost over.
It was 4pm as we descended the narrow alleys and staircases into Namche Bazaar (3420m/11,218 ft.) and back to the Khumbu Lodge, where we reclaimed the “Snow Leopard” room. So good to be back!
In the days since we had left Namche Bazaar, we had each had only one shower and, while I’d done some wet-wipey washes, we were both pretty grimy; the state of our hair was unmentionable. Needless to say, we took quite long hot showers to scrub down. Finally clean, we were hungry and devoured yak sizzlers in the dining room, the entire room staring as the loud sizzling plates were delivered to us. In some ways it felt like we had just been here, in others it felt like it was so long ago. Just 13 days ago we had left this lodge for our adventure northward.
