Day 9: Thanga to Dzongla via Cho La Pass
Distance: 5.58 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,479 ft
What. A. Day.
This was one of the most intense—and rewarding—days of the entire trek. Cho La Pass is exactly what sets this route apart from the standard EBC path. It’s steeper, more remote, and far more physically demanding.
From the very start of the trip, our guide Ratna strongly suggested for us to consider switching the order of our trek—doing Base Camp first, Cho La Pass second. Why? Because so many trekkers are unable to complete the pass, and he wanted us to hit our main goal before risking a turn-back. He also warned us that the approach from the Gokyo side is significantly steeper than from the other direction.
We wrestled with the advice for a while. But in the end, after speaking with the manager of the company, we decided to stick with our original clockwise plan. And I’m so glad we did. (More on that in a bit.)
Into the Ice
We were up at 5:00 AM for the big day. Eating at that altitude, at that hour, is never easy—but we managed to force down a bit of food and were on the trail by well before dawn.
The approach to the pass is itself a steep climb, and the early hour ensured that the path was still quite icy. We reached the top just as the sun rose over the peaks and were elated. Surely we had made significant progress in tackling the pass
That is… until Ratna cheerily informed us:
“We descend a bit now—then the real pass begins.”
Sigh…
The Climb
The actual Cho La Pass climb is no joke:
676 feet of elevation in 0.3 miles, on a mix of icy rocks and boulders. Think scrambling up a frozen boulder field, using fixed cables bolted into rock walls for support. If you’ve ever done Aasgard Pass in the Enchantments, it’s a very similar elevation profile, but enhanced with ice and the thin air at nearly 17,000 feet above sea level.
Every step was hard-won. But when we crested the top of the pass at 10:00 AM, it felt like we’d conquered something monumental. There was a real party atmosphere at the top—trekkers laughing, hugging, posing for group photos. Someone had even constructed a charging station (?!), which made us laugh out loud.
We scarfed down our ultra-glamorous packed lunch of two hard-boiled eggs and a handful of nuts, then began our descent on the other side.
The Descent & Reflection
Compared to the climb, the way down into Dzongla was glorious—wide-open landscapes surrounded by snow-dusted peaks, and far less technical terrain. It finally felt like we could go into autopilot and just enjoy the scenery.
And about Ratna’s original advice? In hindsight, I completely understand where he was coming from—but for me, descending the icy steep side would have been far more terrifying than climbing it. Going up allowed me to feel in control, despite the difficulty. Going down would have been a slip-and-slide nightmare.
If you’re reading this while planning your own trek, my suggestion is this:
Talk to your guide company early about the route, your fitness level, and your comfort with technical climbs. A good company will help you make the right choice for you.
Day 10: Dzongla to Lobuche
Distance: 4.01 miles
Elevation Gain: 845 ft
After the intensity of Cho La Pass, today was our reward: a shorter, easier walk through some of the most beautiful mountain scenery I’ve ever seen. The legs were tired, especially Karin’s, so we gave ourselves full permission to go slow, enjoy the views, and just be in the Himalayas.
And oh, the views.
We were deep into the mountains at this point with glacial lakes of the most amazing turquoise color. We also rejoined the main EBC route which meant people. So. Many. People. Plus helicopters. They were buzzing overhead constantly. I don’t know what it is about me and helicopters, but I am physically incapable of not watching them as they pass overhead.
We made it to our teahouse for the day by noon. It felt wonderful to take our lunch in the outdoor courtyard, just soaking in the sun, knowing we had nothing more to do that day. I even got to have pizza, which although it didn’t really taste like what we think of as pizza was still delicious! The rest of the day was napping and chilling because we knew the following day would be big.
Day 11: Lobuche to Gorak Shep & Kala Patthar
Distance: 5.45 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,469 ft
Most trekkers follow the standard itinerary: hike to Everest Base Camp (EBC) today, then summit Kala Patthar the next morning for sunrise views of Everest. But we decided to flip the script.
Instead of rushing, we gave Karin one more day to recover. So today, we made the short trek to Gorak Shep, and in the afternoon, I would summit Kala Patthar solo—a sunset attempt instead of sunrise. I had heard whispers that sunset from Kala Patthar is something truly special. Spoiler: it was.
The hike to Gorak Shep was slow, mostly due to bottlenecks of trekkers squeezing through the narrow trail. It felt like being in a conga line of altitude-hazed, trekking pole-clinking humans. Still, the views remained jaw-dropping, and the excitement in the air was contagious.
Gorak Shep itself is tiny—a handful of teahouses on a patch of dusty rock tucked below Everest’s shoulder. Our teahouse was packed, but the crowd helped keep the common room warm. And at these temperatures, you take every degree you can get.
The Sunset Summit
That afternoon, around 2PM, Ratna and I set out to summit Kala Patthar. He was moderately insistent that we could leave around 3:30-4, but my ever present fear of being late was in overdrive. In this instance the fear of lateness was that we would miss the sunset. The hike up was tough, but we had plenty of time to spare so we took it easy. We even got to watch a minor avalanche coming off one of the nearby mountains which was very impressive.
Of course, by ignoring my guide we arrived at the top super early. But I didn’t mind in the slightest. The view was absolutely incredible. This is the highest point of the Everest base camp trek at 18,500 feet and provides the best views of Everest on the trek (the views from basecamp are almost completely obstructed). There came a moment, when despite probably 20 people being at the top everyone fell dead silent and all that could be heard was the wind. It probably only lasted a minute or two but I think that instance of sharing the amazing scenery in total silence with so many strangers was perhaps the most magical of the trip for me.
Then, the sun began to set. The colors were never extreme, but instead the mountains changed a muted shade of gold. The very last mountain to lose its color was Mount Everest, as its height held on to the last rays of sun.
As Ratna and I descended I continued to stop as the dusk set in. The sky was muted shades of blue and purple and gold. I was footsore and weary, but it was still a magical night.
Up next: goal complete! We make it to Everest Base Camp then all the way back to Kathmandu. For more photos see my Instagram page The_NomadsWay