Day 7: Dingboche
Hiking time: 4 hours.
After taking in the splendor of the high Himalayas, we’ll continue climbing to the village of Pheriche (13,907 ft./4248m), which is not far from Dingboche (a village en route to Island Peak). Pheriche has become famous for its high-altitude medical clinic. The clinic attracts world-renowned physicians who from time to time acquire data to analyze the effects of high altitude on human physiology. We’ll visit the clinic and learn more about the effects of high altitude on Himalayan climbers. We’ll also spend an additional day further acclimatizing and hiking.
Day 5 of EBC Trek
We have a shoutout to another Beyond Adventures Trip Host with this blog post — Caroline Young, who works for Hope Heals. Tonight, at dinner, we talked about the Hope Heals “hope note” newsletter I (Mary) read last night, which brought new perspective to today’s trek. Hope Heals serves families with differently-abled family members. As we’re gaining altitude, breathing heavier, and climbing lots of stairs there is a gratitude present for our bodies that are able to propel us forward. Though we’re being challenged, it is a welcome challenge.
Daily Gratitude:
⁃ The clouds were more intermittent today! We caught some really great views.
⁃ The majestic Himalayas. The pictures and videos attached to each blog post truly don’t do it justice! We think you all should see them in person 😉
⁃ All the gratitude for Lalit and Shiva (our guide and sherpa).
⁃ Also allllll the gratitude for the porters carrying our duffels. Mike tried on the porter’s pack today, and when challenged to carry it for an hour, he was happy to give it back.
Daily Highlights:
⁃ Yaks on yaks on yaks on the mountains!
⁃ Carry me back bags! Today we were able to pick up 5 “carry me back” bags and contribute to cleaning up the Khumbu valley. Everyone Google this initiative! It’s an innovative one coming from the Sagarmatha Next facility we toured a couple days ago.
⁃ Mike teaching Mary how to start a side hustle at lunch today. Having our resident entrepreneurs, Mike and Symone, on this trip has been a blast! Mike literally thinks up a new business every day. Icon.
Daily Reflections:
⁃ Karen shared today how nice it’s been to be a part of this group — meeting new people, hearing people share new and different perspectives, and seeing new walks of life. It’s amazing how travel brings strangers together!