Nine-and-a-half hours of sleep later and I'm energized for the hike to Ama Dablam Base Camp. I peek through the curtains and can't quite get a feeling for what the weather looks like until I realize there's frost on the glass. Removing the frost I see that we've had a couple of inches of snow overnight. The flags outside are fluttering as well, so it looks like we'll have an interesting hike down the valley.
Abiding by the adage, "Be bold, start cold" I start off with my usual trekking attire. I'm expecting that we'll move quickly since it's only our small group of overachieving climbers. That plan is foiled because the trail is slippery from the snow and our pace becomes moderated. It's about 45 minutes until the breeze abates and I warm up. We're heading down valley past Dingboche in the river bottom where we pass a stone building with a spinning prayer wheel inside. We figure out that the wheel is being powered by the river, spinning out its prayers continuously. Very ingenious!
Our hike turns a bit adventurous as our guide tries to find a "shortcut" trail low enough to keep us from dead-ending into the glacier above but high enough to keep us out of the low valley that leads to Pangboche. After some bushwhacking, we find a well-traveled trail just at the point where the river drops precipitously. At this point we begin to gain elevation again and the views open up.
At one point along the trail just as we're beginning to bend away from the river and towards base camp, we get an amazing view of Pangboche, Tangboche, Khumjung and most of the valley as we ascended last week. What a great spot to stop and rest.
The trail continues to climb and the view of Ama Dablam begins to open up. As we hike we see a group of trekkers on the ridge above, and we realize we're merging into the main trail between Pangboche and base camp. Another 20 minutes and we enter a large flat spot situated directly at the foot of Ama Dablam which will be our base camp for the next few weeks.
After a nice hot drink and lunch, we each gather our gear and set up our tents. It's been 21/2 years since I've been in my base camp tent on Everest. While still needing a few refinements, my new home comes together nicely. I feel comfortable here. "Welcome back" the Eureka tent seems to say to me as I settle in for a short rest.
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