Awesome Ama Dablam

To Pangboche, Nepal -- 4000m (13,120ft)

It’s definitely getting colder. There was frost on the ground and ice on some puddles -- Dex unequivocally refused to wash at the cold water, outdoor sink. We had high hopes for the breakfast pancakes given the delicious apple pie at the attached bakery.  The overpowering, bitter aftertaste of baking powder, however, was hard to get around, even after slathering them with jam.

Sink.  No hot water.

There were a surprising number of hikers on the trail today. The guidebook had recommended staying in Tengboche for a rest day, but we figured it would be just as good to split the next day in half and hike two hours up the trail to Pangboche. Both Dex and Kylie did great. We stopped and chatted with a big group from Denmark and commiserated about the election (one guy joked that his life will be affected too, but he didn't get a vote!) Another said the US ("we") just failed the IQ test! I get the distinct impression that the rest of the world is wondering what we are doing.

Danish hiking group

Looking back at Tengboche

We had some awesome views of Ama Dablam throughout the hike. It is certainly one of the more picturesque mountains (particularly when compared to Everest), which explains the large number of landscape paintings featuring it in Namche and Kathmandu.

River and Ama Dablam

Gomba and Ama Dablam

Us in front of Ama Dablam

Meg and Ama Dablam

The good news was, by 11 AM, we’d achieved our goal and settled into the Trekker’s Holiday Inn, apparently run by a sherpa that had summited Everest 12 times!  Meg, Kevin, and I got busy washing a few things in a bucket and our hair in the freezing water.  Craig, however, was just getting going. He wolfed down some lunch before heading out for the Ama Dablam Base Camp.  It may have been a little more than he bargained for, as he wasn’t back until after dark at 6 p.m.

Brrrr.

Laundry

The rest of us had a low-energy day after a nice lunch on the sunny patio.  It was fun playing with the little boy wandering around with his grandmother.  Dex and Kylie donated a couple of their less-used toys for him to play with.  We figured the potatoes were a good bet when we saw the grandmother in one of the lower terraces with a bucket full.  

Fishing for KinderMen

Today, unfortunately, was Kylie’s turn for a headache, and Meg’s again.  I finally left for a short hike at 3:30 and simply found the first trail heading up.  That’s the good thing around here, you can almost always go up and for as long as you’re willing to.  I came across a freshly painted Gomba at the ridge above the lodge.  Since I couldn’t see a trail, I just started climbing past a lounging yak. Unlike the last four days, there were now clouds among the highest 20,000+ ft peaks.  One minute they were completely obscured and the next they were shining in the sun.  I set my sights on the last dwarf tree I could see before turning back.  What an amazing view!

Dinner was in the toasty warm lodge, thanks to a generous addition of yak dung to the cast iron stove in the center of the room.  I’m not sure about tomorrow yet since Kylie, Meg, and I all had headaches today. We’ll just have to see what the morning brings.