Acclimatization is complete and off we go higher and higher

It's May 2 and we are headed to Tengbouche.  Today's trek is about 6 hours and we walk the well-worn Everest trail high above the Dudh Kosi river.  As we follow the path, we get our first really good views of the great peaks of the Khumbu range:  Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam.

That's Everest in the upper left corner background.

We pass by several villages and numerous tea houses.

We cross the Dudh Kosi River again

passing by beautiful rhododendron trees

and make a steep climb to Tengbouche, home of an impressive and recently rebuilt monastery. 

Tengbouche is where we spend the night at 12,795 ft..

 The accommodations are now getting a little rough.  We have no showers or toilets in the rooms.

Dining hall

The next morning we start our trek to Dingbouche, about 5 hours of trekking. The trail crosses an airy suspension bridge...you can see a yak crossing it in the upper left corner of the photo below.

 We walk toward Pangboche, the home for the Sherpas who work on the mountain each post-monsoon season.

We have excellent views on this beautiful morning of Ama Dablam (Mother's Charm Box).

We continue our hike along the valley and...

 recross the river.

...bringing us to the farming village of Dingboche at 14,465 feet above sea level. which is the highest I have ever trekked.

 We stay 2 nights in Dingboche, again going on hikes up to 16,076 ft to acclimatize and enjoy the views.  We are preparing our bodies for the low levels of oxygen.

And then we reach the point that I have been looking forward to...
First Pasang shows us how to take the perfect photo...

Then I try it....

Oh, yeah!!

And our team all take their turns for photos at this most awesome point.

Our group photo

This day will be burned in my memory forever!

The next day is May 5, and we are getting ever so much closer to Everest Base Camp.  Today we trek toward Lobuche.

Ahead of us is the trekking peak of Lobuje East (20,075 ft) and to our left is the north face of Taweche, where many ascents took place in the 1980s and 1990s.

 I thought the stone houses we passed were very picturesque against the gigantic mountains.

After three hours we reach the small collection of lodges at Thukla (15,153 ft), where we have lunch.

We cross the river, this time over stones.

We then continue the walk up to the Everest memorials.

Dedicated to people who lost their life while attempting to summit Everest.

We have a great views of Ama Dablam, Cholatse and Taweche mountains.

From Thukla the trail starts to climb steeply up beside the glacier moraine and we arrive in Loboche, where we spend the night in the tea houses at 16,207 ft.

We are up early the next day (May 6) to start our trek to Gorak Shep.

 It is a steep climb to 17, 126 ft.

Gorak Shep is the site of the 1953 Everest Expedition's base camp.

After lunch and a little rest, we set out to climb to the summit of Kala Pattar (18,514 ft) in time to watch the sunset.  The climb takes at least 3 hours.

Along the way we have great views of Everest and the Khumbu Icefall..

 as well as Lhotse, Nuptse, and Pumori.

But, as is typical in the mountains, the clouds move in and cover the view in the afternoon.

 Soon, we could hardly see anything...

 ...but we still enjoyed every minute at 18,514 ft.

We headed back to Gorak Shep to spend the night, and along the way we saw our first glimpse of Everest Base Camp and the Khumba Icefield way in the distance.

Tomorrow we reach our goal...Everest Base Camp!

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