As Matt and I filled up on pancakes and hash browns this morning, we reflected on how fast this trek has flown by.
Now just two days from Everest Base Camp, we’re feeling both relieved and a little sad—our time together is almost up. Our last big adventure together was Shanghai in 2019, and this one has taken us to new heights. (No pun intended😁)
We’ll reach Base Camp Wednesday afternoon. Matt will likely fly back to Kathmandu late Thursday or Friday, and I’ll join the Mountain Professionals summit team to begin the next phase—training and acclimatizing at altitudes up to 23,000 feet.
Today’s trek took us from Dingboche across the Khumbu plateau, passing Pheriche where helicopters buzz in and out ferrying climbers and gear. The valley views were stunning—cathedral-like peaks surrounding us: Ama Dablam, Lobuche, and Pumo Ri.
We had an early ramen lunch in Tukla, then ascended steeply to a plateau lined with stone memorials honoring lost climbers. I paused at Scott Fischer’s—his story etched into history by Into Thin Air.
We arrived at our stop for the night: the Pyramid International Laboratory, a hotel and research center shaped like its name. Tomorrow, the final approach.
Today we trekked for Hopecam child Ariel. Ariel’s mom told us that Hopecam has made a difference. Ariel can see her friends and teacher when she can’t go to school. She wants to be a doctor or nurse when she grows up. Her favorite activity with Hopecam is playing Roblox with her friends.
“Len, I enjoy painting and that I am going to beat this cancer!” - Ariel