Day 5 | Tengboche Monastery

Mani Rimdu Festival

A fortunate alignment of timing and trail

I arrived without knowing anything was happening, but the Mani Rimdu festival was underway. It is a multi day Buddhist ceremony marking the triumph of compassion over negativity, celebrated with masked dances, chanting, and ritual performances by the monks.

The courtyard was full of movement and sound with drums echoing through the mountains and figures in elaborate masks moving in slow, deliberate rhythms. It felt like stepping into something that had been unfolding long before I got there and would continue long after I left.

It was one of those moments you don’t plan for, but end up carrying with you.

Day 6 | Ama Dablan Basecamp

I started early with a plan to stop at Ama Dablam Base Camp. I dropped my gear in Pangboche, which is a small village at the foot of the climb, and headed straight up.

It was steep from the start, but my legs felt good and I settled into a steady pace. Ama Dablam stayed directly in front the whole way. It looked sharp and almost unreal.

I reached base camp quicker than expected. There was no rush so I just sat for a bit to take it in before heading back down.

Back in Pangboche, I had a potato pancake and decided to keep moving instead of staying the night. What was meant to be a short day stretched out. The climb to Dingboche felt longer than it should have, but I made it in by late afternoon.

Day 10 | Kala Pathar + Everest Basecamp

Everything clicked that day. Breathing felt easy and my legs felt light, allowing me to move quickly without really trying.

I climbed Kala Patthar first and stayed up there for a while. It was the best view of the trip with a clear look at Everest without anything in the way.

From there I dropped down and pushed on to base camp. The place itself was quieter than expected and almost underwhelming, but standing there shifted the scale of everything. You realize how much further the climb actually goes from that point.

I headed back to Lobuche before dark. It was a long day, but it never really felt heavy.

Day 12 — Cho La Pass + Ngozumpa Glacier

I started early with the plan to combine two days into one. The climb up Cho La was gradual at first and then turned into a long stretch of ice. I kept my crampons on the whole way to maintain my grip.

I reached the pass in the late morning and stayed for a bit before heading down. The descent was steep but manageable. After reaching Dragnag, I decided to keep going and cross the Ngozumpa Glacier. That part of the trek felt different because there was no clear path. It required a lot of backtracking and constantly adjusting the route as I went.

The final climb out toward Gokyo was loose and exposed. By then the sun was dropping and I just focused on getting through the section cleanly.

I came up over the ridge right at sunset and saw the Gokyo lakes spread out below. I stayed there for the next two nights to take it all in.

Day 17 - Renjo La Pass

I started the last pass, but it did not feel easy because my legs were worn down by then. The climb was steady but slow as I found myself stopping more often and just managing my effort.

The final stretch took longer than expected. There was nothing technical about it, it was just pure fatigue.

At the top, the feeling was more like relief than anything else. I sat for a bit to take it in and then started the descent.

I dropped into quieter trails on the other side where there were fewer people and less movement. I made it down to Thame by the evening and decided to stay for a extra day to recover.