Chukhung Ri is a mountain just outside of town, which tops out at about 18,200'. Right behind it looms the broad ridge of Nuptse and at the furthest end on the right even higher is the summit of Lhotse, Mt. Everest's closest neighbor. Today's foray looks to be 5 or 6 miles round trip with an elevation gain of of at least 2,700'. By itself, those stats aren't impressive but climbing up over 18,000' brings a new level of acclimatization. It's expected that everyone will feel poorly at some point today.
We're off just after 8:00am and are immediately faced with the crux of the day, crossing a partially frozen glacial creek about 8 feet wide. Most of our team make it with dry feet but a couple aren't so lucky. The next two hours are basically an uphill slog on a rounded mountain with few features to help pass the time. Reaching the ridge and a saddle, we're greeted with a sea of cairns. It's not clear whether these are memorials to those who have passed on or just creations by hikers passing this way before us.
Above the saddle and to the north, the mountain takes on a completely different look. Instead of a rounded hillside,we're presented with a crumbling rocky ridge line extending to the summit 700' above us. It's a fun scramble with lots of heavy breathing as the elevation takes its toll. We reach the summit around 10:35am, and congratulate ourselves on a strong pace. A few selfies and our focus turns downhill and the cappuccinos waiting for us at the bakery in town.
Tomorrow morning our group will split up. We climbers will head directly to Ama Dablam base camp, and the trekking group will remain in Chukhung for one more day before continuing their adventure. The climbers are all ready to transition from trekking to expedition climbing. We've looked at, studied, hypothesized and are generally in awe of this beautiful mountain called Ama Dablam. Now we want to begin the serious business of climbing it!
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