Day 8: 2025/4/23 Chukung (4,740m) to Lobuche (4,940m)
Last night, the sky was filled with stars. I had a fitful sleep, and my watch recorded a body battery of 15. That’s not unusual-it’s hard to recharge at high altitude.
After a meager breakfast of two scrambled eggs, we set out at 6:35 a.m., knowing a tough day lay ahead. We started on a packed dirt road up the hill. I enjoyed the gentle slope; it wasn’t too hard or dusty, and my knees didn’t complain much. Soon, we reached 4,900 meters, and the path turned rocky. Jungbu gave me a break every 100 meters of elevation gain. Each time we stopped, I looked back and took photos of Ama Dablam across the valley-it seemed to grow larger with every step.
When we reached 5,000 meters, we still had over 500 meters of vertical ascent left. It was daunting to think about, but focusing on the next plateau, the big rock ahead, or even just the next 100 steps made it manageable. If you’re unfamiliar with this mindset, I recommend reading or watching “Touching the Void”-an ultimate survival story beyond my imagination.
At 5,100 meters, everything above was uncharted territory for me. I tried to keep a slow pace; whenever I forgot, I felt the strength drain from my legs. I had to slow down to recover and remind myself to not only breathe in, but also breathe out.
The trail was quiet. We encountered a few groups, including a large group of young people from Israel. Although they moved faster, they took frequent breaks. We weren’t competing, but we passed each other several times-just like in the fable of the hare and the tortoise. You can probably guess who was the tortoise.
Along the way, we saw a dozen or so mountain goats. Unlike the lighter-colored goats in Colorado, these were brown and blended into their surroundings. We also passed some icefalls-frozen waterfalls left from last year, which might melt completely by next month. The valley looks brown now, but in summer it turns green. Jungbu told me that animals graze all the way from here to Namche.
Before reaching the pass, we stopped for lunch at 5,400 meters. I ate an egg sandwich and French fries packed from the last lodge. On the trail, it’s important to take care of your body: I sipped water at every stop, ate energy bars when we sat down, and drank from my Nalgene with electrolytes. However, the wind kept our noses running all day like a trickling faucet.
The final stretch was a winding, rocky path, reminding me of the 99 switchbacks on Mt. Whitney-except this was 1,100 meters higher. We took more standing breaks. The view was worth every step: a clear blue lake below and the Himalayas as a backdrop-a hard-earned sight.
We finally reached the top, around 5,550 meters. Looking back, I saw Nuptse, Lhotse, Makalu, and Ama Dablam; ahead lay another range of mountains. We spent nearly half an hour taking in the million-dollar views.
The descent was steep and rocky, requiring some scrambling, followed by a slippery, dusty section where I slipped a few times. After descending, we faced another 200-meter climb. Climbing uphill at high altitude was tough, but we finally made it to the top, where we saw the Khumbu Glacier and a couple of jade-green lakes. At first, the glacier looked like a pile of rocks, but the ice was visible in places. The glacier moves every year, so the trail changes annually. The lakes were so beautiful that I have no words to describe them.
We finally arrived in Lobuche at 4940m. The higher we go, the more basic the lodging, but the views make it worthwhile. I’m happy to have finished the hardest pass-my legs are sore, but otherwise, I feel fine. Of course, it’s nothing compared to what the climbers face-their hills are my mountains, their base camp is my destination. In the meantime, I can’t be too optimistic; tomorrow we head to base camp and stay at Gorakshep, which is over 5,000 meters high. Still, today was a great day!
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