Day 4 2025/4/19 Khumjung(3790m) to Pangboche(3950m)
Cloudy, sunny at Tengboche
Getting rid of upside-down jet lag isn’t easy. My sleep has been poor for the past few nights. Even though I woke up at 1 a.m. again last night, I somehow managed to get a more or less decent rest. Thankfully, I didn’t come down with a cold from the shower two nights ago, so I was feeling good and excited about today’s walk.
After breakfast, we set out at 7:45 a.m. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t on my side. On a clear day, we would have seen Ama Dablam and Thamserku, but today the mountains hid their beauty from us. So, we walked simply for walking’s sake -to reach the next place.
Leaving Khumjung, the road was not dusty at all, but once we joined the main trail, it was covered in dirt. I can imagine that on a dry, sunny day, with people and animals constantly passing by, it could get very dusty. That’s part of the reason trekkers and climbers often get the so-called “Khumbu cough.” Since we started from Khumjung, trekkers from Namche were still behind us, and because it was cloudy, the dust wasn’t bad at all.
I noticed a couple of local girls wearing slippers on the dusty, rocky road and thought about my Salomon shoes. They don’t look particularly impressive or excel at waterproofing, but they’re very comfortable and have served me well for almost 500 miles. I’ve worn them on the Huayhuash Circuit, the Tour du Mont Blanc, the Dolomites AV1, the Patagonia O Circuit, and now on the way to Everest Base Camp.
As I walked, I realized why Jungbu’s pacing suits me so well. Of course, he walks slowly, but his steps are also shorter since he’s not much taller than I am. Today, Dawa the porter walked with us, right behind me. Even though he carried a heavy load with both my luggage and his own, he walked so lightly I often couldn’t hear him at all. He truly is a “gentle” man-always smiling and doing whatever Jungbu asks. I also noticed that neither of them drinks much water. Jungbu carries just a 500ml Nalgene bottle, which I thought was too small, but I recently learned they share that one bottle!
After descending about 460 meters to the river, we reached another checkpoint. From there, it was a 600-meter climb. I noticed that whenever we started going uphill, Jungbu immediately slowed his pace to something like a meditative walk, which suited me perfectly. My legs felt fine, but my breathing was heavy and my heart was racing. For every 100 meters of elevation gain, Jungbu would stop to give me a short break. Climbing uphill on a cloudy day has its benefits-you don’t get too hot while exerting yourself. Before I knew it, we saw a monastery ahead and arrived at our lunch spot, Tangboche.
We went into a restaurant and ordered lunch. It was the first time I saw noodle soup on the menu; before, it was always chow mein or rice dishes, neither of which satisfied my craving for something warming and nutritious. Today, I happily settled for Korean noodles with egg for a change.
We weren’t completely out of luck with the weather. While waiting for my noodle soup, Jungbu said, “Look, you can see Mt. Everest now.” I followed his pointing finger and saw a white mountain range in front of us. In the middle was Everest, with just its peak sticking out a tiny bit. At first glance, you’d think it was just another peak in the range, but you realize it’s Everest only because it’s so tall! To the right was Lhotse, the world’s fourth-highest mountain at 8,500 meters-equally beautiful and majestic. To the left was the relatively lower Nuptse, at over 7,000 meters. The mountains were white, beautiful, and formidable all at once. Ama Dablam still hid its majestic figure from us; otherwise, it would have towered above since it’s so close.
Back at the restaurant, my noodles were waiting. They were nothing more than instant noodles you’d find at home, but here they cost 1,000 Rs. I enjoyed them anyway. Honestly, the food we’re getting is less than what each day requires. Climbers usually lose a lot of weight during their expeditions; I think trekkers do too. As the days go by, we’ll all get more haggard and thinner. For those who succeed in their missions, they gain darker skin and a Himalayan glow. The mountains will shape you-one way or another.
After lunch, we continued on. As we descended deeper into the valley, the mountains became less visible. In the flat part of the valley, I saw a dzopkyo (a yak-cow hybrid) walking alone. It turned out his companions were all ahead of him. He seemed to know his way and walked unhurriedly. I guess he was a slow hiker, just like me.
After a while, the weather turned bad again. Clouds rolled in and covered the mountains, and it got chilly. After crossing another suspension bridge, we followed the trail up to Pangboche, perched high at 3,950 meters, where we would rest for the night. Tomorrow, we will officially go above 4,000 meters.
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