Portse to Khumjung

Sunday, June 3rd departed Portse at 0830.

Last night after dinner, our host, Lhakpi Dorji Sherpa, owner of the Namaste Lodge, where we stayed, told us a little about himself.

He summitted Everest in May, 1983, with an American party and almost lost his life when he became separated from the group during the descent. He worked as a guide for many more years on many mountains in Nepal.

After injuring his knee a few years back, he had to retire from guiding and has concentrated on operating the guesthouse since.

He has a son who is a guide and who is supposed to be leading a party up another peak today.

He has made eleven trips to America visiting friends made during his guiding years. He especially enjoyed telling us about one trip to visit a friend who flies an airplane. They visited many places in the western states over a period of two months.

He and his wife donated half the land being used for the new buildings for the Khumbu Climbing School. The grand opening of the new school is scheduled for June 15th of next year.

As we got ready to go, this gentleman asked me how old I was.  I told him 79 and he congratulated me. He said he was 86 so I congratulated him. He said he had been a guide in his younger days. He still had a firm grip and spoke decent English. We wished him well as we started our daily walk.

Started today in bright sunshine descending to the river, across a small bridge then up the other side.

"Up the other side" took us all morning navigating a steep but beautiful climb through evergreen trees, rhododendrons and different wildflowers at the different elevations.

Several times the distinctive smell of evergreen trees and wild rose blossoms blended by the early morning sun evoked memories of my youth on Orcas Island, walking in a completely different environment but smelling the same smell.

We worked through many switchbacks up the face of the mountain.  One place reminded me of El Capitan in Yosemite with its huge rock face.

No one climbing here today but we did see some abandoned climbing bolts on one face where a crew had anchored themselves while repairing the rock wall that supported the skinny trail.

We were relieved to finally reach the crest and have lunch at the Viewpoint Guest House.

After lunch we walked down, up and across through more grand scenery to arrive at our teahouse at 1445 and 12,398 feet.