EBC Day 10/ Back to Namche Bazaar

Combined two days into one and hiked 28km in 7 hours from Periche to Namche Bazaar.

I crawled out of my sleeping bag at 6 and stumbled into the dining room for cornflakes. We set out for a long day from Periche to Namche Bazaar (normally a two days hike). I bundled all the way up and stepped out onto the frosty ground to begin the hike.

We started by going up and over this pass. As each hour passed and we got lower the temperature rose. Frequent stops were required to remove layers. After four hours of hiking I was left with a t-shirt, rain jacket and long underwear. It became unbearably hot so I swapped my long underwear for my hiking pants at lunch.

With my stomach refilled with Dal Bhat we set back out for another three hours of hiking. The afternoon began with lots of uphill and ended with mostly flat trail which I was grateful for. We also made it back under the tree line and were surrounded by more than just bushes and rocks.

At one point we were inside a cloud that was raining and it was the strangest experience. Instead of being rained on we were walking through rain. Throughout the trek we had yet to be rained on which I was thankful for, and walking through a rain cloud was a lot better than walking through the rain.

Once we arrived at Namche Bazaar we sat down for a cup of tea and then went back to the German bakery for chocolate carrot cake to celebrate the 28km we completed today. I connected to the wifi and texted my momma and friends that I was alive and well.

I was happy to put my phone back on airplane mode and stash it in my pocket when I was done updating family and friends. I was so used to using my phone for pictures and a morning alarm and maybe music. It seemed strange to connect to the internet and message people.

At dinner I had another yak cheese pizza which was delicious again and went off to read before bed. Tomorrow we finish the hike and end up back in Lukla!