EBC Day 5: Lunch in Domare...

As we neared our lunch break in Domare, it was threatening rain but luckily cleared up so I only had to wear my goofy poncho for a few minutes.

We passed this house drying what looked like some sort of peppers and mushrooms...

 ...and this one with a large bucket of potatoes.

Unfortunately, Rosie wasn’t feeling well and hardly ate a bite at lunch after getting nauseous from taking Diamox, the high altitude sickness medicine that Terri, Carlin and Qudeer had all been taking for the last three days.

Kent was thrilled to meet the mountaineering guide that would be bringing him up Island Peak. We were all impressed when we learned that he had summitted Everest twice―once from Nepal and once from Tibet. The plan is for one of our porters to split off with Kent (although we’re not sure how our one remaining porter is supposed to carry the remaining three duffels) after we return to Pheriche on our journey back down and bring him to his mountaineering guide. After he summits, he would then meet us further down the mountain.

EBC Day 5: Pangboche Farms and a Tea Stop...

 The terrain changed as we went from forests...

 ...to our first sightings of farms in Pangboche at 12,815 feet (3,906 meters) high.

 We stopped in Pangboche for a tea and to relax in the sunshine.

 We saw the remnants of religious paintings on some of the rocks.

Our lunch stop was in the village shown here.

EBC Day 5: Deboche to Pheriche...

We followed the river the entire day...

...with many incredible views of major peaks...

 ...and yet more waterfalls.

We were super lucky with the weather. I started in short sleeves and shorts.

 We passed yet another stupa.

 It was nice that Ishor and Chandra had each other to hang out with.

EBC Day 5: A Beautiful Morning...

It was another long day, but luckily the trail was not as steep as the day before.

We started at 12,525 feet (3,820 meters) and ended up at 13,950 feet (4,250 meters) for a gain of 1,425 feet (430 meters). As usual, we had plenty of downhill thus our true net gain was much more than the 430-meter difference between the two villages.  

We crossed a suspension bridge with even more amazing views than previous bridges. Terri and I let a large group of porters pass us and get almost all the way across before setting off ourselves as they caused the bridge to sway a lot. It was especially cool to see our own porters pass us.

EBC Day 5: Early Morning Peeks at Peaks...

Ishor knocked on our door at 6:45 a.m. to inform us that the sky was clear and there were several peaks visible. We quickly put on our boots and dashed outside.

The sky was an intense blue and the peaks towered over us. 

While Terri and I slept well with the added warmth of electric blankets, Carlin was awoken by rodents scampering around in the walls.

I had a chocolate pancake for breakfast, which was a mistake. It was tasty, but all carbs with no protein; I vowed not to make that mistake again.

 This was one of the rare chances I had to take a reflection photo.

After taking even more photos of those beautiful peaks, we set off at 8:15 a.m.

EBC Day 4: Rivendell Lodge...

The last part of our route took us down from Tengboche to Deboche at 12,525 feet (3,820 meters) for a net gain of 1,050 feet (320 meters). When we arrived at the Rivendell Lodge, the front yard was full of yaks.

At this elevation, there was no more regular WiFi available. We were supposed to be able to buy prepaid Internet cards, but the system was down. Little did we know at the time, but we wouldn’t have WiFi access again until Day 16.

I had an emotional moment that evening, but first a bit of background. Eleven days before my trek began, Ashlynn gave Veronica a necklace for her birthday with a key engraved with the word “Believe” from The Giving Keys, a social enterprise encouraging people to Pay it Forward in an effort to transition employees out of homelessness. Veronica immediately gave it to me so that I could believe in myself. It quickly became my mantra:

I believe. I believe. I believe I can trek all the way to Everest Base Camp.

At dinner that night Carlin realized that the chain was staining my clothes. I got teary-eyed as I considered just carrying the key instead of wearing it. Carlin then came to the rescue by taking a bauble made of rope off her day pack and turned it into a chain. Of course, I gave her a giant hug for saving my day.

We all paid extra for upgraded rooms with ensuite bathrooms. Our upgrade also entitled us to a power strip in our room, so we could charge our devices, and electric blankets.

Due to today’s rain, there wasn’t enough solar powered hot water to heat the water for our shower, shown here. Instead we took a shower in the hallway with gas heated water.

EBC Day 4: Tengboche Monastery...

Our good luck with the weather eventually ended and it sprinkled for a couple of hours. I put off wearing my lovely poorly fitting hot pink poncho for as long as possible to minimize how long I looked like a complete goofball. It was hot, but at least helped keep me dry.

As slow as I was, we met our goal of arriving at Tengboche Monastery by 3 p.m. so that we might be able to see the Buddhist monks chanting. Although their service was postponed, we still got to visit the temple.

This Tibetan Buddhist monastery was originally built in 1916 and rebuilt in 1934 after a devastating earthquake; it was again repaired after the 2015 earthquake.

Unfortunately, photography wasn’t allowed inside, so I have no photos of the amazingly vibrant murals covering the walls painted by the monks. The Buddha in the front was massive and also very colorful.

EBC Day 4: Not Your Average Porter Sighting...

We were rather shocked when we came across this fellow carrying mattresses up the mountain. 

His load was bigger than he was.

Of course, it was important to give him a wide berth.

Just like our trekking porters, he only used a strap across his head to balance this giant load.