Elevation: 4873m (Zhong La) to 5280m (EBC) to 5177m (Gorak Shep)
Total Ascent: 801m
Distance: 11.3km (Dzong la to Gorak Shep), 6.9km (Gorak Shep to EBC and back)
Hiking duration: 5h 35min (Dzong la to Gorak Shep), 3h 41m (Gorak Shep to EBC and back)
The day has finally come! Today was the day we finally hiked to EBC! We didn't feel as excited as we should have been at the start, as we felt that we were still so far away from our destination. Our day started with a good mood because we had just conquered one of the toughest sections the day before. We knew that whatever was before us would be a breeze compared to yesterday. In addition to that, it was snowing outside! it was the first time we experienced snow on this trek and it made us doubly excited to hike in it!
The snow was a blessing for us, as we now had a very different scenery to enjoy. Although it was quite foggy as well, it was so fun to hike with a light snow. It was very peaceful and tranquil to hike in the snow. Perhaps it's due to the snow's ability to dampen sounds and make everything seem quiet. We passed by several lakes on our right side. The trail from Zhong La was quite gradual, having a very gentle incline which was easy to traverse.
After some time, our paths eventually merged again with the main EBC trek path. The difference was stark. On the Cho La Pass trail, we would sometimes hike for 1 or 2 hours without seeing any other people on the trail. But on the main EBC path, it was very busy and you could always see other hikers ahead or behind you at all times.
We soon made it to Lobuche and took a short break there. The food and snack selection was amazing! They had everything that you'd typically find at a snack shop in Kathmandu.
Not wanting to rest too long, we continued on to Gorak Shep, our accoms for tonight. Going to Gorak Shep was a bit tougher than going to Lobuche. The elevation started to rise again and the trails were slightly steeper. But it was nothing we hadn't done before. After 2 more hours or so and crossing another glacier, we finally reached Gorak Shep!
We checked into our accommodations there to drop off our heavy backpacks and had a light lunch, ready to tackle the final trek to EBC!
The lodge that we stayed at was much larger than any we had stayed so far! It had 3 stories worth of rooms and ours was on the 3rd floor (more stairs to climb!). Even the dining hall had 2 separate areas! It seems like it was made to accommodate lots of people since all EBC trekkers come by here eventually.
After a quick lunch, we soon left for EBC with light backpacks. It took a whole lot The path to EBC was relatively short, with only about 200m elevation gain. Without our bags, we felt like we suddenly had super speed and went really fast! we reached the EBC rock in about 1.5 hours!
The path was mainly flat, with a little elevation gain. we hiked with a glacier on our right and eventually, we got onto the glacier as that was where EBC was.
Although stated to be 5364m, the real elevation of the "EBC" rock that is normally the final destination is only about 5200+m in elevation. This is because the actual campsite for the Everest summiters is actually about 500m more of trekking through the glacier. My Garmin watch tracked a peak elevation of about 5280m.
The place was really crowded as everyone who had made the journey wanted to take pictures. Some emotional speeches were given, with laughter and tears as well. Although heavily commercialized, the EBC trek is a dream trek for many and it's not easy for the average person. Many people train and work hard to achieve their dreams of coming here and it's very respectable.
We soon got our turn to take our pics!
Matien joined us slightly later, so we didn't have any pics with him on the rock. It was such a waste, looking back we should have just took another group photo there. We only took a group photo with the 4 of us beside the rock as the queue was too long and we were getting cold and tired.
Going back was even faster as the roads were much less congested this time. We got back around 3 pm and the round trip from Gorak Shep to EBC took less than 4 hours!
We had dinner after that and slept early as the next day, we would be going to Kalapathar!
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