It was supposed to be an autumn climb, but it turned out to be more like a climb in the winter. The weather was good when we started our trek from Lukla to Thengboche.

Everest view point near Namche

Clear day at Thengboche (3860m a.s.l.)

When the cyclone hit the Bay of Bengal which affected the eastern parts of Nepal, we had arrived at Pheriche (4200m a.s.l). According to the reports from The Himalayan Times , ” It rained at some places in the eastern Nepal, and the Kathmandu Valley also witnessed a drizzle this morning and afternoon.”  The lower lands experienced long hours of rain, while at the Everest region, we experienced two full days of snow that painted the villages white. It was like a dream winter-land overnight and, Christmas arrived earlier than expected!

Pheriche on 14th Oct 2013, after more than 12 hours of snow fall.

Team posed outside the Himalayan Rescue Association and the Everest Memorial Monument at Pheriche (4200m a.s.l)

The journey after Pheriche was tougher than my previous climb. It was colder, and the trail was covered with icy snow that made every steps heavier on the legs. Our team wore the double boots to trek from Dingboche to the base camp. 

The trail in Chhukung leading to Island Peak base camp

Trekking to the base camp

When I saw the snow field near Chhukkung, my heart sank. I had suspected that the summit climb could be impossible to even attempt. That night, a team that went ahead of us to the base camp had turned back to Chhukung, in view of that, we stayed at Chhukung for another night. When we eventually made our way to the base camp, we also met many disappointed climbers moving out of the base camp, most had barely gone beyond the high camp on their summit attempt.

Nevertheless, we made use of our rest day at the base camp to practice some rope works like abseiling and handling the ascenders.

Abseil practice at the base camp (5007m a.s.l.)

The base camp that filled with knee-deep snow, some of the tents were still buried in it.

The mood at the base camp was gloomy; we saw teams leaving with heavy hearts, and new teams arriving with much less hope. We certainly felt the depressing atmosphere, however, we still prepared ourselves for the not-so-hopeful summit attempt.

We left the base camp at 2.30am, aiming to get as far as we could.

The air was still, but it got colder as we moved away from the base camp. It was in fact a perfect morning for a summit climb. As we climbed towards the high camp, we noted that the teams ahead of us were not progressing any further. At this point, my hands were freezing cold; I had to change to my down mittens. I decided to turn around as I felt excruciating pain on my chest earlier, and as I ascent, the pain became more apparent and unbearable. So, I turned around while the rest proceed.  After 30mins or so after I made my descent, our team also decided to return to the base camp as the teams ahead were making no progress. Our climbing guides eventually brought news to us that a team had arrived at the “crampon point’ but could not establish a decent trail up the glacier.

We gathered back at the base camp at 6am, after some rest and food, we made our way back to Dingboche. For me, it was a relieve to be able to descend soonest as I had feared that my chest pain would deteriorate if I stay any longer at that elevation.

Base camp at dawn after returning from the high camp

A group shot at the base camp before descending to Dingboche.

As we left Pangboche, the snow on the trail were melting and it brought out a majestic Ama Dablam in the background.

We stopped at Khumjung and Namche, then to Lukla to catch our flight back to Kathmandu. Though we did not get close to the summit, the trek had given my team the opportunity to practice snow walking with crampon and abseil on snow slopes, and to experience the extreme weather patterns in the Himalayas. There will always be another climb, because the mountain is always there.

View of Khumjung and Kunde

Khumjung Gompa

The newly wed couple jumping for joy!

 NAMASTE.