Amazing day! Today wake up tea was especially nice, because it’s pretty cold here at 17,000 feet! There is nothing quite like getting up to hot tea served by my new Sherpa friends! Today we had breakfast at 8 a.m. and then we were off toward Kala Patthar (18,200 ft) by 9:30 a.m. Ed and I took off ahead of the group and we summitted by 11 a.m. 5 of our group decided to stay behind. The rest made the summit by noon. Bob Veno and Quincy Hill made it with the main group and got some great pictures. Ed and I got to sit on top for an extra hour taking it all in and taking a few photos. Words can’t describe the enormity and the beauty of these mountains. We just sat and stared at clear views of Everest, Nuptse, and Pimori, with Ama Dablam in the distance. It really is a religious experience. I am so fortunate to have seen this in person.

Once everyone got their pictures, we were off toward Everest base camp. This hike was pretty long and arduous, with many large rocks and slides and many areas of uneven footing. Once we were about an hour out from base camp, some of our Sherpa friends were waiting for us along the trail, with hot tea and cookies. We missed lunch, so I was quite thankful for this very thoughtful touch. Once rested, we trudged along again. All of the hiking became worth it when we finally made it to the glacier. What a sight!

Base camp is huge! Once we got to the edge, we still had a 30 minute hike to our camp. Peak Promotion had an incredible set up for us, with our camp sitting close to the Everest ER and David Breashears’ display of his project, River Works. We get to tour his project tomorrow. We have our own dining tent, and our two- person tents are spread about the rocks on the glacier. What a scene! We had bean soup waiting for us when we arrived. We unpacked, and sat down for a hearty dinner of momos and baked lasagna. Our Sherpa cook is fantastic! We listened to a hypothermia lecture by the HRA physician and then we were off to bed early. I listened to the sounds of the surrounding avalanches and cracking glacier as we were tucked in to our sleeping bags. We are actually here at Everest base camp, sleeping on a glacier. Pretty cool!

Another Blue Sky Happy Day in the Khumbu