Everest Base Camp - Drive back to Shigatse

After a breakfast of a wok-fried thin pancake made from barley flour and a similarly fried egg, we hope to begin our quest. Unfortunately, the weather is not our friend today. It’s cloudy over the peaks and raining. We spend the morning in the tent, drinking green tea and playing cards. The rain changes to an ice storm. We continue to wait it out. Finally, at about 10:00 a.m., it’s clear enough to move out.

The tent in the ice storm:


Staying warm:

Base Camp headquarters:

Feeding the fire:

Finally, after all this time of planning and traveling, and now waiting on weather, we make it to Everest Base Camp! It’s quite an experience being here. We explore around, but constantly find ourselves staring into the clouds, hoping beyond reason that the summit will appear. It’s not going to happen for us, as it doesn’t for most people this time of year. It's a disappointment, but we are so thankful for this experience of being here.

On the trail to Base Camp. Buddhists believe that the towers of rocks will bring luck:

The end of the trail. This is as far as we are allowed to go. The climbers heading for the summit go on from here:

At the base camp marker:

Hoping to see the summit:

We come across a dozen mountain goats on the way back down:

We have seen so much here and have been immensely moved by this experience. It’s time to go back to the tents, get in our vehicle, and make the seven hour drive to Shigatze.

Leaving the Base Camp area. This is a common sight for us, waiting for a herd of something or other to clear the road

On the road back to Shigatse:

A typical Tibetan home:

Working together: