Kala Pattar - 18,210 Ft.

PERFECT weather today!!! Planning a trip to Everest Base Camp during the monsoon season in Nepal and then getting perfect, sunny weather on just the right day is about like putting all your money on the Los Angeles Clippers and then watching them win an NBA championship. I just cashed in big time.
Min knocked on my door at 3:30 this morning and the two of us headed to Kala Pattar, a small peak that offers some of the best views of the Himalayas in the entire Everest region. The combination of the altitude and hiking in the cold at 3:30 AM really got to me today. As I climbed up the mountain I'd take nine or ten lethargic steps, lean over and pant for a few minutes to catch my breath, and then take nine or ten more. As we began the hike there was a thin layer of clouds covering Mount Everest and Mount Nuptse, but I could clearly see the entire length of the Khumbu Glacier below me. Slowly, though, the clouds filled in until there was a thick fog covering everything. I could see a few hundred feet into the distance and after that everything was a grey mist. I was sure that that there would be no views from the top of Kala Pattar this morning and that the day was ruined.

While hiking during the past few days I've asked people coming the other direction what they saw from Kala Pattar. About half of the people got up early in the morning, made the long, strenuous hike, and saw nothing but fog. Some people watched a few clouds clear away and were fortunate enough to see bits and pieces of the mountains until all the small openings filled in again. One or two very lucky people got crystal clear weather and saw everything. At the top of Kala Pattar I met up with a few of the American travelers who I talked with last night. The five of us sat for a couple of hours in the fog and cold and discussed the situation. We all felt the same way and were sure that the views this morning would be of nothing but grey mist. Of course I was disappointed. I talked with Min and arranged to stay in Gorek Shep for another day to try for one more view before rushing back down to Lukla.
The sun peeked through the clouds at about 6:30 in the morning. Somehow it felt stronger today than usual and the entire peak of Kala Pattar was instantly filled with heat and light. Within five minutes the clouds began to melt away, revealing massive mountains surrounding us on all sides. Mount Pumori was so close that I felt like I could touch it, and it rose thousands of feet above us to the North. Mount Everest and Mount Nuptse were completely lit up in the East by the rising sun, and behind me I could see an incredible panoramic view of Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Makalu, and several other well known Himalayan peaks. It's no exaggeration to say that this morning I saw one of the most incredible sights of my entire life. While heading back down Kala Pattar, a few more clouds cleared away from the base of Mount Nuptse. I sat down directly across from the snowy behemoth and enjoyed the scenery for another hour. From where I was sitting I had a picture-perfect view of Nuptse on the right, Everest on the left, and the Khumbu Glacier down below snaking along the edges of the mountains, then curving upwards towards the summit of Mount Everest. ... The following two pictures are of the summit of Mount Everest, for those who are dying to know what it looks like...
The view today made my entire visit to Nepal well worth it. Completely satisfied with my Kala Pattar experience, I packed my bags, had a breakfast of potatoes and eggs, and headed with Min and Pemba back down the trail towards Lukla.

Today's hike was a long one. Originally I was going to stop at Pheriche, about a four hour hike down the trail. To make a long story short, we skipped past Pheriche as well as a few other small villages and finally stopped at Pangboche, where I stayed last Friday. It was amazing to me that a five hour hike was all it took for the scenery to change from rocky, lifeless trails to raging rivers, colorful wildflowers, and fields of grazing yaks. Tonight I had another dinner of rice and dahl and watched “Spiderman 3” with a few other travelers in the lodge. We had to stop the movie halfway because the tiny TV came from China and becomes dangerously hot after only an hour, but it was entertaining anyway. It feels great that the Base Camp trek has worked out so well. The monsoon season is really hit-and-miss in Nepal, but mostly miss. I just got incredibly lucky.