Days 15 & 16: Rest Days in Gokyo

Approximate Trekking Time: N/A

Distance: N/A

Overnight Elevation: 4750m / 15,584ft (still here)

Ah, fifteen days into our trekking and finally a full rest day! Our one and only on the trip so far and boy did we need it, as evidenced by our drained bodies on yesterday’s hike along the lakes. Our bodies have been over 14,000 ft. (4267m) for 10 days, 9 of those actually above 15,000 ft. (4572m). The body is not designed for this, and while I assume we would eventually acclimatize better, as it is, most trekkers have coughs or colds – or worse. We have thoroughly enjoyed the Khumbu trekking experience and views, the challenge and adventure, and the amazing people we have met along the way – that said, we are ready for the end of the trek. Ready to get rid of our colds and coughs (me), ready for warm beds and good sleep, and ready for hot showers, clean clothes, and more pleasant bathroom facilities.

We spent the day in the dining room lodge drinking tea, reading, writing, and playing cards. We also splurged on Wi-Fi cards to catch up with e-mail and Facebook and ensure our friends and families that we were alive and well.

The next morning, we woke and packed to head out of Gokyo over the third and final pass of the trip (Renjo La), but downstairs while waiting for breakfast I suddenly started to feel terrible. Unfortunately, this feeling didn’t go away and there wasn’t any way I was going to be able to hike through it, so Shawn and I ended up spending another day/night in Gokyo, a bummer since we were anxious to get to lower elevations. We both spent the day in our room, sleeping and reading in our sleeping bags.

Late in the afternoon, wispy clouds rolled quickly up the valley, settling on the dark turquoise waters and drifting with them northward across the lake, leaving behind much colder looking steely-blue waters. As quickly as they had come, the clouds disappeared. It was a stunningly beautiful sight.