Paul's Cho La Pass Trek Summary- Nov. 2023

 



On November 8, 2023, I will depart again for Nepal for my second Himalayan trek in 2023. This trek will be similar in scope but a bit higher, 2 days longer and with a very different route. The first three days of the trek will be the same as my April trek. Lukla to Phakding and Phakding to Namche Bazaar with an acclimatization day in Namche. From there, instead of turning North as before and climbing up the Gokyo Valley, we head East and then North towards Mount Everest with stops in Tengboche (12,697'), Dingboche (14,469') and Dzongla (15,748'). From there, the trek turns West and crosses the iconic Cho La Pass at (17,782') heading towards Gokyo and Gokyo Ri.  The Cho La Pass crossing will be a challenging, 10-hour day and is scheduled to take place on November 18th.  Stay tuned....


My Trek itinerary looks like this:
Nov 8th        Day 1- Leave JFK at 8:20 PM (terminal 8) for Kathmandu
Nov. 9th       Day2- Air travel to Doha and Kathmandu
Nov. 10th     Day 3- Arrive Kathmandu at 1:05 AM
Nov. 11th     Day 4-1:30 AM Drive to Manthali Apt.-Fly to Lukla-Trek to Phakding
Nov 12th      Day 5- Trek from Phakding to Namche Bazaar
Nov. 13th     Day 6-Acclimatization day in Namche
Nov. 14th     Day 7-Trek from Namche to Tengboche
Nov. 15th     Day 8-Trek from Tengboche to Dingboche
Nov. 16th     Day 9-Acclimatization day in Dingboche
Nov. 17th     Day 10-Trek from Dingboche to Dzongla
Nov. 18th     Day 11-Trek from Dzongla to Thagnack through Cho La Pass
Nov. 19th     Day 12-Trek from Thagnack to Gokyo crossing Ngozumpa Glacier
                     (with luck, Summit Gokyo Ri)
Nov. 20th     Day 13- Heli back to Lukla & Kathmandu
Nov. 21st     Day 14-Free day in Kathmandu (extra time in case of bad weather in Gokyo
Nov. 22nd    Day 15- Depart KTM at 2:35 AM Arrive JFK at 2:45 PM

Altitudes and Distances: (updated w/actual data)
Lukla (9,383') to Phakding (8,563')                4.6 miles    2-3 hours
Phakding (8,563') to Namche (11,286')          7.86 miles    6 hours
Namche (11,286') to Tengboche (12,697') 10.82miles    4-5 hours
Tengboche (12,697') to Dingboche (14,469)   10.48 miles    5-6 hours
Dingboche (14,469') to Dzongla (15,748)       10.4 miles    5 hours
Dzongla (15,748') to Thagnak (15,715')          9.19 miles     11 hours
    *Note: Route crosses Cho La Pass at 17,782"
Thagnack (15,420') to Gokyo (15,715')           2.7 miles    3 hours
 We also summited Gokyo Ri (17,575')          5.5 hours      6.59 miles

Including acclimatization hikes, our total distance trekked was 73.92 miles

To follow my daily progress via GPS maps visit:
https://share.Garmin.com/ChoLaPassTrek



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