Base Camp, 25 April
25 April: Firstly, best wishes for ANZAC Day (for those outside of Australia this is Australia and New Zealand’s version of Remembrance Day). Our thoughts were with the diggers when we climbed Kala Pattar at dawn this morning. Kala Pattar is a peak just behind Gorak Shep standing at 5,600 metres. It was another spectacular morning, crisp with brilliant blue skies. We had a light fall of snow overnight and woke to a beautiful white landscape. Everest dominated the skyline. While it was quiet and still where we were, 3000 metres up it was clearly not the case. A long ice plume streamed off the summit.
After breakfast we struck out for Base camp paralleling the Khumbu Glacier. It was a spectacular walk in. Perfect conditions with magnificent views. As we approached Base camp, we heard the rumblings of several avalanches making us all too aware of the recent tragedy.
Base camp is all we expected and more. The amphitheatre of the highest peaks in the world we find ourselves in is humbling to say the least. Out of this world!