Day 6- Our last acclimatization day



Hello all from Dingboche! Today, we “rested” for 6 hours climbing a nearby mountain to prepare our bodies for the next two days. In climbing, the saying is, “Climb high and sleep low.” This is exactly what we did, but the “climb high” was much more than I expected. We left Dingboche at14,400 feet at 8:00 AM. The trail was very steep and long and 4 hours later we found ourselves at 16,670 feet. Gaining this much altitude was a real challenge for our hearts and lungs and a large group celebrated reaching the summit. A few folks were not able to make the climb and turned back. At 16,670, there is 50% less oxygen than at sea level and it is very hard to walk. As you can guess, the views were incredible and after about a million pictures we made our way down. The descent took 2 1/2 hours and was punishing on our legs and knees. Nevertheless, I did it and this will prepare us for our push up Chola Pass to 18,000 feet on Saturday. Tomorrow, we’re off to Dzongla. Stay tuned. 

About half-way there. Very slow going.

Ama Dablam from the top.

Met a friend along the way.

We made it!

This is where we are going tomorrow.

Incredible views no matter where you turn.

Dingboche far below.

Looking back at how far we have come. 

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