Day 12: Gorak Shep → Everest Base Camp → Pheriche
Distance: ~12 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,627 ft
This was it. The goal we had been working toward for nearly two weeks: Everest Base Camp. And, for me at least, it was by far the most exhausting day of the entire trek.
We left Gorak Shep at 5 AM, stepping out into 1°F (-17°C) air, bundled tight but still groggy and aching. No breakfast—just the promise of finally reaching EBC and coming back for food later. At this point, both of us were completely worn down. The trek wasn’t hard in a technical sense; it was just a slow, heavy plod through thin air and biting cold.
A little over a year before this moment I submitted Kilimanjaro. I was warned by multiple sources how rough summit night was, and that once I got to the summit I would smile weakly for a few photos and then immediately want to head down. On that occasion nothing could have been further from the truth. Yes, the climb to the summit was hard but once we arrived both my uncle and I felt great and spent at least half an hour on the summit, running around and taking photos.
Now, back to Everest. I feel like reaching base camp ended up being the reaction I had been told to expect for Kilimanjaro. I knew from research that base camp was underwhelming as a location. You can’t even see the mountain from the base, just dirt and rock covered glacier. But, even with that expectation in mind, when I got there I was surprised by how little emotion or excitement I felt. Karin and I had the place to ourselves thanks to the early hour so we didn’t have to wait in line to take photos at the iconic rock. Looking back on my photos my face says it all: I was done.
Still, I wandered a bit past the rock to where the real expedition camps are set up in climbing season (March–April). Standing there, imagining the energy of that place when climbers from around the world gather to attempt the summit—that was powerful. But the emotion I had expected at Base Camp itself? It never really hit.
We returned to Gorak Shep for breakfast, collapsed into chairs, and asked Ratna how much further we had to go that day.
“About eight hours,” he said.
We laughed, thinking he was joking. He smiled, so we thought joke confirmed. We were wrong…
So, off onto the trail once more. We were heading into lower altitudes so we both offloaded our packs of our heavy warm gear to make things easier in any way we could. This was a big mistake. Never trust mountain weather to behave. Perhaps we had misheard Ratna but we thought he said that we would be stopping for the day about an hour after lunch. So, despite seeing the clouds rolling in and feeling the chill in the air I decided not to try and get my warm jacket back from the porter. After lunch we set off again and the cold quickly became uncomfortable. And remained that way as we trekked for the next 5 hours.
But there was one highlight that made everything pause.
We came across the memorial hill, a haunting site filled with miniature stupas (Buddhist monuments) honoring climbers who’ve lost their lives on Everest. While many visitors clustered around memorials for famous Western climbers like Scott Fischer (who died in the events that were covered in Into Thin Air), I found myself deeply moved by the less-photographed section—a quiet hillside filled with monuments to Sherpas. I wandered alone through dozens of crumbling monuments and it was an incredibly touching and peaceful moment.
We finally rolled into our Pheriche guesthouse around 4 PM, hands numb with cold, and dreams of warmth dancing in our heads. The yak dung stove hadn’t been lit yet, so we just huddled by it waiting for even a flicker of heat.
Goal reached. But at that moment, all I could think about was a hot shower.
Day 13: Pheriche → Namche Bazaar
Distance: 12.6 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,122 ft
Elevation Loss: 2,700 ft
Home stretch mode: activated.
Despite the long mileage, this day felt lighter. Maybe it was the drop in altitude. Maybe it was the solid night of sleep. Or maybe it was just knowing we were on our way home. For most Everest Base Camp trekkers, this part is familiar terrain. But for us, having taken the loop route, it was all new—and it was gorgeous.
We passed through forests again (trees! I missed them!), tiny villages, and stretches of trail that felt positively lush compared to the high-altitude moonscapes we’d been in. Wildlife even made a cameo: we found a gorgeous golden hued weasel in the forest and finally saw the striking blues and purples of a Himalayan Monal—Nepal’s national bird.
By midday we reached Tengboche, home to one of the most famous monasteries in the region. I was tempted to go in for a look, but the pull of Namche Bazaar and hot food was stronger. We stopped for lunch at a cozy lodge, and I had egg biryani—the first unique meal in a week. I even got to wash my hands in lukewarm tap water. Luxury on a Himalayan scale.
We reached Namche around 4PM and immediately returned to the souvenir shops we’d scoped out earlier. One day left.
Day 14: Namche Bazaar → Lukla
Distance: 11.86 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,427 ft
The final day of trekking. Still stunning. Still scenic. But I had exactly one thing on my mind: being done.
We powered through the miles with determination. Two weeks earlier, we’d watched people dragging themselves up the final stairs into Lukla and thought, Wow, those poor souls. Now, we were those poor souls.
When we finally reached Lukla, we were beyond ready.
Our guesthouse had carpet. Power outlets. A private bathroom. I could have cried. Karin took the first shower and almost scared me off when she said it was lukecold at best. I didn’t feel like I had truly warmed up since the hike to Periche. But she convinced me it was worth it and boy was she right!
Best decision of the day.
That shower didn’t just clean off dirt—it washed away two weeks of dust, sweat, cold, and fatigue. It felt like a reset.
Day 15: Lukla → Kathmandu (by Helicopter)
We had splurged on a helicopter flight back to Kathmandu, hoping to skip the chaos of commercial flights and glide into the city by mid-morning for a day of luxury. Naturally, Nepal had other plans.
Our 8 AM flight didn’t leave until 1:30 PM, because…Nepal.
But eventually we were airborne, and soon the snowcapped peaks gave way to the chaos of Kathmandu. That night, after the first truly hot shower in two weeks we sat down for some of the best Japanese food I’ve ever eaten.
But that’s a story for another time.
And that’s it! In the future I hope to make more posts about this trip, aimed at people like me who like to research and know in advance what to expect and what to bring. Check out additional photos on Instagram at The_NomadsWay. Thanks for reading!