It was a beautiful Sunday morning with no rains. We had decided on a late start, the plan was for a sumptuous breakfast and a trek to Nagarjuna peak, at an altitude of 5100 m. We started out at 830 am after a leisurely breakfast of pancakes, fresh bread, eggs and milk tea. We headed out of Dingboche village and set out in the direction of Lobuche. There was a route to Chukung, which trekkers planning to summit Island Peak (6165 m) take. I was hoping I could come back some day and attempt to climb Island Peak, but I knew a lot would depend on how well my body could take the altitude on the Everest base camp trek.
It was a steep climb immediately after we took the left turn towards Lobuche, up until we reached the stupas. The trail to Lobuche was down hill from there and the one to Nagarjuna peak went further up. On the trail down to Lobuche, we could see a trekking group making their way through the vast wilderness accompanied by a herd of yaks.
The trail up to Nagarjuna peak was pretty steep and rocky. We reached what is called as summit 2 which had a lone prayer flag and several rock monuments. We had climbed about 300 m in the process. Another 300 m would have taken us to the summit but the trail was almost non existent and visibility was very poor.
We had climbed more than 300 m and I wanted to make sure my body was comfortable with the altitude. We were told that both summit 2 and Nagarjuna peak offered great views of several Himalayan peaks in the region, but we just got a glimpse of Ama Dablam.
It had started off as a bright and sunny day but true to this region, the weather changed quickly and it got cloudy and there was a slight drizzle. We could see the entire village of Dingbouche; it was a beautiful aerial view of the village.
I and one of my group members decided against going all the way up to the peak; the visibility was poor and it was drizzling and we were worried that a further ascent could bring in symptoms of altitude sickness. We wanted to stick to the golden rules of high altitude climbing. Two of my other friends decided to attempt the peak; Nima our guide was not keen on going further up considering both the weather and an nonexistent trail.
We decide to climb down and head back to the tea house; the climb down was not easy and one had to be very careful to avoid injuries as the rain had made the trail slippery. We were back at our tea house a little before noon. It had started raining heavily now and we were worried for our group members who had decided to go all the way up to Nagarjuna peak. It was time to have some hot tea and wait for the two of them to return.
We had just about ordered lunch when our the two other members of the group returned. It had become very cold and visibility was very poor with the rain and mist and they could not go all the way up. In addition, on person had minor symptoms from the altitude and hence they had not ascended all the way up to the peak. Lunch consisted of garlic soup and Dal bhat. I was keen to try the hot sea buckthorn juice and loved its taste. In the last few days, our trail was lined with sea buckthorn shrubs and I was interested in hot version of the juice made from berries of this shrub.
The weather cleared a bit in the afternoon by about 2 pm and I decided to enjoy the luxury of a hot shower. I was pretty sure we would not have the option of a shower until we returned back to Dingbouche! A short siesta and I was back in the dining room sipping tea, writing this blog and watch the clouds fly past the mountains. There was so much peace and calm; one wondered what life would be like if one decided to stay here permanently, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. In staying in a place like this, one realizes the importance of basic food, water and several amenities of life that we often take for granted; flowing water in bathrooms, electricity, heating and so on.
We were waiting for our friend with the ankle injury to join us at the tea house. She had started earlier in the day from Rivendell and was going to walk it slowly to Dingbouche with help from our guide Minmar. It was getting dark and they had not arrived. The mobile phone connectivity was poor and we could not call anyone to figure out what the status was. The only option was to drink more tea and wait. Finally by about 6 pm, they arrived and we were relieved. Our friend was in pain as there were a lot of ascents and descents and the benefit of a rest day at Thegbouche had eroded.
Soon, it was dinner time and dinner consisted of Sherpa stew and fried rice which was a big change from the garlic soup and Dal bhat. Tomorrow was another day, we would ascend another 400 m to reach Lobuche (4940 m).
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