Today we climbed 1,500 ft to the Mt. Everest View Hotel as part of our Aclimatization process. Our 4 hour hike is considered our rest day, but it is very important as everyone is feeling the altitude including the folks that are summiting. We climbed up to the hotel which is at 12,700 ft and then back down to Namche bazaar where we will stay the night again. It was a fun trek with some great views. In places it was very important to watch your step as it was probably a 2,000 ft fall if you tripped. We had some yaks pass too as they always do so we really hugged the mountain as you don’t want to get knocked down the mountain.

We got our daily brief in the morning from our lead guide Eric Murphy. Today was all about altitude sickness. Understanding the signs, how to prevent it, and how to treat it. It is the most important thing we need to monitor and control. You feel a bit helpless with it, but if we go slow, breathe properly, drink lots and lots of water, we should be fine. As I write this blog I actually have a altitude headache that I hope will go away.

Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day so we did not get the view of mt. Everest. But, you take what the mountain gods give you. The weather has been nice though. Today was probably in the mid 40s, but at night the temperature drops quickly. We have no heat in our rooms so you pretty much only go there to sleep and get in your sleeping bag. It will get much colder as we continue to increase our elevation above 13-14,000 ft.

The days prior have been sunny and warn. Probably in the 50s. When the sun is out it is hot and especially since we were at lower altitude. Some people hiked in shorts, but you have to be careful as the Sunnis much stronger due to the altitude and the weather change change quickly. You are constantly putting layers on and off to keep you body temperature right and to keep from sweating.

Namche will be the last major village we pass or stay. From here it will get pretty rustic, but that is fine. It is hard to believe but we still have a week to go before we get to base camp.