Day 7: Ama Dablam.
We did the Everest Lodge-to-Lodge hike in the spring of 2025. (Well, technically, we were on the Everest Private Journey, but the itinerary is basically the same) Wilderness Travel did a great job of organizing it!
A good time was had by all!
May 4: Ama Dablam Base Camp
Today we climbed up Ama Dablam! To base camp, not the summit, but still!
We started early. We descended to the river, crossed the little bridge over the Dudh Khosi, and then started climbing. We followed the trail that all climbers attempting to summit Ama Dablam take.
The morning had started partly cloudy, and fairly quickly became completely cloudy. We reached a “viewpoint” at the moment the clouds closed over Nuptse and Lhotse; we never seen Everest at all.
As we climbed further, the cloud cover turned into cloud immersion. We walked through a gray mist in a landscape of big rocks.
By the time we reached base camp, it had started to snow. We couldn’t even tell where the main peak of Ama Dablam was. I had no idea which way people walked to head toward the summit.
Bala of course knew all the porters and guides in the camp. They invited us into the kitchen tent for tea.
From camp, we walked the short path to Mingbo La pass, where we ate our packed lunch in a teahouse.
It was still snowing as we headed back down the path toward Pangboche. I broke out the Lexi cane I’d been carrying just in case; I really don’t get what trekking poles were for, but this little cane provided some extra physical data for walking on particularly steep or slippery terrain, especially for stepping down large steps. (Was it essential? Who knows, but I doubt it, since I almost never use a stick of any kind and generally do fine.)
One thing I did regret was that I hadn’t brought along my rain pants. This is the one day they would’ve been useful. Well, the also would’ve been nice to have the day we walked up to Khunde and Khunjung. I ended up never breaking them out at all this whole trip, and Mila Dai carried them everywhere. I made it up to him by giving them to him in Lukla at the end of the trip–he was delighted with them.
I entered our room looking forward to another hot shower, but alas! It was not hot! Apparently the maids had messed with one of the knobs we’d been strictly instructed not to turn, resulting in a heavier flow of water and thus less heat per water molecule. I had to take a nap with the electric blanket to get warm again. At least Chris got a hot shower after the owner fixed it.
The dining room was cold when we entered before dinner. Like, down jacket on top of fleece cold. The proprietor stoked the yak-dung stove, and the room gradually warmed up.
We had another early night. This evening, after the sun set on Ama Dablam, there was nothing to see, and we were tired. It was good to sleep!