First things first, check out yesterday’s post because I finally got the pictures uploaded and they are worth checking out!

Today’s Fun Fact: Beyond Tengboche, there is absolutely no cell service, only a service called “Everest Link” that costs $6 for 200 MB, hence the reason that I was unable to upload photos yesterday. I hope you enjoy these posts because they are going to cost me from here on out 😉

Alright, let’s talk about today… The plan today was to move from Pangboche to Dingboche, a wind swept village that sits at 14,250 ft. Before hiking to Dingboche, we visited the home of the Lama of Pangboche, Lama Geshe. We brought Kata’s (Nepali Ceremonial Scarves), prayer flags and prayer beads for him to bless. He spent time blessing each item, our Expedition, and each member of the team. He was very reverent but also had a good sense of humor. It was an incredible experience!

Lama Geshe explaining the purpose of his blessings.

Lama Geshe tying my blessed Kata around my neck. 

We spent the next few hours hiking along the canyon, weaving through yaks and porters, and had some incredible views. We eventually passed the tree-line, which is the point at which no more trees grow, due to the altitude. So I guess I won’t see a tree for a month and a half.

Once we reached Dingboche, we had a quick lunch but the Father/Son teams hadn’t had enough. Despite gaining 1,500 feet on the trek in, we wanted to do some additional acclimatization, so we decided to hike another 1,000 vertical feet. Anytime your body feels good and you can gain some altitude, it is smart to do so because it speeds up your body’s production of red blood cells, which carry oxygen and allow you to perform at a higher level at altitude. We pushed up the trail quickly, gaining 1,000 ft and reaching 15,200 ft in only 30 minutes… not a bad pace at altitude. Halfway up, Dad reached his own personal record for altitude, which had previously been on Mt. Whitney (14,500 ft). He was all smiles and I was pretty damn proud of him!​​

View from our hike to 15,200 ft.

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After hiking down, we grabbed some coffee at the bakery in Dingboche, then had a delicious dinner. Now, I’m trying to get this post out before the tea house manager shuts down the Everest Link… Hope you get it!