“It suddenly felt dark and cold as the air got thinner. We soon reached Lobuche and began gathering at a place that claimed to be the highest bakery on the planet.”
The initial part of the hike was gradual and we passed an expansive valley featuring incredible views of cathedral like peaks of Ama Damlam, Lobuche and Pumo Ri. Pumo Ri showed up for the very first time. It is a popular climbing peak in the region and has a distinctly tall pyramid-like conical shape. It’s located close to Mt. Everest a little to its west.
We then ascended steeply up Thukla pass to an area lined with stone memorials and prayer flags honoring and paying respects to lost climbers. It was truly moving to see so many people who had lost their lives to the spirit of mountaineering expedition. One of the most important aspects of this memorial is paying homage to all the Sherpas who have dedicated their lives working as guides and in supporting the goals of so many climbers. Thousands of people have been able to make their dreams come true because of the Sherpa community’s contributions to climbing. This memorial is a reminder of their sacrifices.
Amongst these memorials, you’ll also find stones engraved with names of the one of the climbers – Scott Fischer, who led the disastrous 1996 expedition to Mount Everest along with Rob Hall, in which 8 climbers lost their lives. The book ‘Into Thin Air’ was written based on this expedition and several movies were made about it as well. This story is considered one of the most controversial and tragic and changed the history of climbing Everest.
Walking through Thukla pass was a solemn experience. Several prayer flags flutter in the wind and remind you of the risks and dangers of mountaineering, the dynamic weather conditions in the Himalayas and the harsh realities of climbing the world’s tallest mountain.
On the way further up, you could see Lobuche base camp far away with little yellow tents and the bubble domes with people preparing to summit Mt. Lobuche.
From across the expanse of a valley I could see a trail, just close to Lobuche base camp that would lead to Dzongla on the way back from base camp. Dzongla is the place to go and rest before hiking the Cho La pass (one of the 3 mountain passes in the Everest region). The Cho La pass is considered a challenging trek that connects the Everest base camp region to the Gokyo valley to the west going across the Cho La glacier.
The wind had picked up, as we ascended to new heights, clouds gathered and we had to put on extra layers to beat the cold. It suddenly felt dark and cold as the air got thinner. We soon reached Lobuche and began gathering at a place that claimed to have the highest bakery on the planet.
Stats: Distance and elevation profile
Distance: 5.66 miles | Elevation gain: 2,032ft | Elevation loss: 74ft
Wanderlust On Foot 
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