Day 8: Dingboche

Day 8 was an acclimatization and rest day for the Beyond Adventures Team. We woke up early to another blue bird day with the sun glistening on Lhotse to the north. At 4410 meters (14,332 ft) the temperature in Dingboche was colder than previous days and even penetrated the drafty rooms at the Countryside Inn, our home for two nights.

Not everyone was adjusting equally to the thinner atmosphere so there was considerable conversation on how to arrest the symptoms of headaches and nausea. The day’s plan was to hike high for a couple hours on the route to Nangkartshang Gompa, a historic monastery at 5,000 meters.

After a hearty breakfast, we left the hotel and began a steep climb out of town where we gained about 1,000 feet elevation over the course of a mile. Rather than push to reach the monastery we decided to conserve energy for the day ahead but not before taking in the most spectacular panoramic view thus far of the EBC trip.

It is hard to believe that there are any places on the planet other than in the Himalayas with that view! After our descent we returned for the rest portion of the day plan.

-Jamie Wilson