After a few extra days in Macchermo after getting violently most likely from the water, we made a move for the highest point of the trek in the Gokyo Valley. The small town of Gokyo was approximately a half day hike from Macchermo, with great views of the monsterous wall of Cho Oyu in Tibet right in front of us, and the twins of Kangtega and Thamserku behind us. I was praying for a clear morning they following day or two so that we could climb Gokyo Ri to 5,300 metres and take in the most incredible view we will likely ever witness, outside of taking a ride on Virgin Galactic, some time in the future!
We were in luck, and hit the trail early morning. It was still nearly 8am by the time we got to the top after almost 2 hours of climbing (its slow going as it is steep, and the altitude really gets your lungs and heart working hard). 360 degrees of Himalayan peaks can have you spinning with disbelief, and the view to the East of the mighty Mt Everest is something that quite literally put me on my arse. I was cursing that we were not up there earlier as the sun is already high in the sky at this time of morning and perfectly angled to cause lens flare, even with a hood. But if you want to be up here for the first hour of light, you have to leave Gokyo in the dark, with no idea if the weather is going to reward you, or shoot you down.
Regardless, we were there, the skies were clear, and we had reached the pinnacle of our Himalayan adventure. After years of desire, I was finally there, and the moment I shared with Tara will live forever in my heart and mind.
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| Tara and I on Gokyo Ri, looking out over the Glacier below and towards Mt Everest, just left of centre. |
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