Day 23 -- October 20 => Dughla to Chhukung

Joe Sr. & Joe Jr. in Dughla (4630m/15,190')

I took Joe Sr. up on his gracious offer to let me keep using his spare camera for the rest of my trip (I would send it back to him when I returned home). Our group was splitting in two today. Those headed for Island Peak would go to Chhukung via Dingboche while the other group was headed back down to Lukla via Pheriche. Kul and Paddam were also headed down to Lukla after being with them since day one of the trek.

Pumori (7145m/23,442')

Just before 9am, we left Dughla under chilly but sunny skies. Last night had been one of the coldest nights of the trek, probably with an overnight low of -5C/20F. The MEC and North Face tents from Canada and the USA though kept us pretty snug. We passed Ester and Kaji who were headed back to Lukla on a modified itinerary. We would see Ester again on October 27 in Lukla.

Lobuche East (6119m/20,075')

After my altitude problems two days ago, I took the trail at a slower pace today even though we would actually descend to Dingboche. Trail traffic was moderate with several groups of Westerners and individuals passing us on their way up to Lobuche and beyond.

Chorten above Dingboche

The last part of the trail to Dingboche is a quick ascent to the top of a ridge with a chorten, followed by a similar descent into Dingboche. I arrived in Dingboche (4252m/13,950') around 11am. Sarah rejoined us in Dingboche after her recovery in Pheriche. Lal, now head cook, made his first lunch for us: soup, french toast (with Canadian maple syrup), french fries, tuna and some kind of veggie (I skipped it). We had to contend with a ocassional blast of blowing dust and debris while having lunch. Catalino had one of his more unusual positions beside a small trench while eating lunch that day.

North and West faces of Ama Dablam (6856m/22,493')

Leaving Dingboche around 1pm, we made the gradual ascent to Chhukung (4730m/15,518') arriving at our campsite at 3:30pm. Trail traffic had been lighter on this section. We met some people doing an acclimization hike to Chhukung; one even wearing just shorts and a t-shirt when the temperature was perhaps 10C/50F at best. The Nuptse wall, Island Peak and the north face of Ama Dablam provide the best scenic distractions. After becoming accustomed to the spectacular south face views of Ama Dablam, you had to do a double take of the north face before realizing it was Ama Dablam.

Day 22 - Dughla recovery Day 24 - Chhukung to Island Peak base

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Created: December 26, 2002