I reached our lunch point Gorak Shep after 1:50min (5km, 250m ascent). All of us quickly made use of the not so quick 3G network before we moved on to Everest base camp a further 5km (well, we are at the very back of the camp). The trail remained busy.
Right at the first heliport at EBC entrance a trekker was flown out (I presume altitude sickness) and we got some good footage of heli start/landing.
Base camp itself is surreal. Many, mostly yellow/orange, tents planted right on the glacier. The icefall with its ice towers right next to the camp. And the icefall is massive!
After a tea, it was time to say goodbye to some of the base camp trekkers – see you in London Jo, Mike, Sami, Berny & Luka (they are by virtue of a chopper already back in Kathmandu).
Then it was time to move into my tent. It will be my home for the coming 4-6weeks. Nice and cosy. Every so often the surrounding mountains remind of the danger – I counted 3 avalanches before nightfall. And then heavy snow kicked in covering the the whole camp in white. Beautiful!
The evening I spent mostly in my new home. Lying in my new RAB 1400 expedition sleeping bag (-40 degrees) and reading book number 4 – ‘In den Wäldern Sibieriens’. I was outright happy. This is the real deal now!