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Day 9 Pyramid - Kala Pattar - Gorak Shep (5140m/16,864ft)) April 13, 2000
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Fill up the water
bottles Ramesh!! Up at 4:30am, -15C, perfect beginning for one of our most challenging days, to summit Kala Pattar! (a 2.5 hour trek away) |
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Sara defrosting her hands....warming up at a Gorak Shep teahouse just before the assault on Kala Pattar. I believe it's around 8:30am.
photo courtesy of Ron Hudson |
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After a hot tea break in a teahouse in Gorak Shep we began our ascent of Kala Pattar. ..................................................................... The triangular mass of black rocks in the center of the picture is Mt Kala Pattar (appropriately Kala Pattar is Nepali for "black rock"). Doesn't look like much in this photo, particularly with Pumori in the background but Kala Pattar, 18,504ft / 5640m would be the 2nd highest mountain in Canada |
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Joe and Melissa quickly put some space between themselves and me as I struggle and hyper-ventilate my way up the mountain. Next time I'll bring a tether. |
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Looking back during the ascent |
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Just a bit to the left-of-center you might be able to see people at the summit of Kala Pattar. |
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View of the summit of Everest and its west shoulder from the top of Kala Pattar. |
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Joe, Dev and myself at the top of Kala Pattar. We ascended the higher of its two summits. 5640m/18,500ft vs 5545m/18,200ft. The little mountain in the background is called Sagarmatha (Everest) If my face looks a bit round and puffy that's because I'm experiencing Pheriperal Edema - swelling of the skin due to the low atmospheric pressure. |
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Another view of Everest showing the Khumbu icefall and Nuptse25,500ft / 7800m at the top right. I think the mountain at the far left is Changtse. |
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Looking down the Khumbu glacier valley ...the perfectly triangular Ama Dablam just right of center |
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