Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

It looks like we are coming to the end of this trip at last. F or those who have just discovered these photo blogs, the previous posts about my trek through the Everest Region in November 2021: Kathmandu Part I: Lukla to Namche Part II: Namche to Khunde Part III: Khunde to Pangboche Part IV: Ama Dablam Basecamp to Dingboche Part V: Chukkhung Part VI: Kongma La Part VII: Everest Base Camp Part VIII: Cho La Part IX: Gokyo Part X: Renjo La Trekking Nepal, Part XI: The Thame Valley and home Day 19 After our afternoon hiking in the thick (and cold) fog, we woke as usual to bright sunny skies. There was scenery in all directions. We came from somewhere up there. The little building was labeled "Hot Shower," but it wasn't even a shower, let alone hot. The Thame valley leads to the Nagpa La, the pass that provided one of the traditional trading routes to Tibet. International politics have led to the closure of that route, but it was the way the Sherpa people came into the Khumbu

  F or those who have just discovered this, the previous posts about my trek through the Everest Region in November 2021: Kathmandu Part I: Lukla to Namche Part II: Namche to Khunde Part III: Khunde to Pangboche Part IV: Ama Dablam Basecamp to Dingboche Part V: Chukkhung Part VI: Kongma La Part VII: Everest Base Camp Part VIII: Cho La Part IX: Gokyo Trekking Nepal Part X: Renjo La, the last pass Day 18: Thursday, Nov.  25 The morning of departing Gokyo was as beautiful as the rest of the time there. Though the wind picked up in the afternoons, it was calm at night. My efforts to photograph the mountain and stars reflected in the lake of course failed, but it was also beautiful under the morning light. Gokyo Lake (#3) with (I think) Pharilapche beyond. The breeze is just starting to pick up as we head out. We climbed around the right side of the lake, skirting the base of Gokyo Ri, with the first part of our route visible and daunting. This is a rough trail, and some of our guides had b

  F or those who have just discovered this, the previous posts about my trek through the Everest Region in November 2021: Kathmandu Part I: Lukla to Namche Part II: Namche to Khunde Part III: Khunde to Pangboche Part IV: Ama Dablam Basecamp to Dingboche Part V: Chukkhung Part VI: Kongma La Part VII: Everest Base Camp Part VIII: Over Cho La Day 14: To Dzonglha kharka Naturally, after our snow-day issues the previous day on Kala Patthar, the sun was shining and the weather perfect as we moved on.  The sun hitting Taboche Peak as we leave Lobuche We hiked down the Khumbu valley until it met the next valley, and turned right. Looking back where we'd been days before. The trail on the left is the one used by those who didn't do Kongma La. We all came up the valley to the bend. Rounding the corner, we encountered fantastic views of Taboche, Cholatse, and Arakam Tse (peaks from left to right), the Chola glacier, and Chola Tsho (the green glacial lake). By this point I was hiking in sh