Location: Gorak Shep

Altitude: 5165m

Hi its Lindsay here at Gorak Shep. Thursday 30th Sept started like every other trekking day - the entire team perched eagerly at the breakfast table patiently waiting for the Sherpa guides to wake up. Richard Heath had made them a fresh hot cup of tea and gently knocked on the doors of their 2 X 2 meter rooms each containing 2 beds hard enough to be a park bench.
I'm currently writing this post from Gorak Shep, nearly 5200 meters above sea level and only 2 1/2 hours walk from Everest Base Camp. Indiana, who is lying on a bed next to me is suggesting that the altitude has affected my memory of this morning's departure. Actually the team as usual was awoken by our Sherpa guides at 5.45am in a nice little village on an icy river. Lobuche hosted not only the Leprosy Mission trekking team but also a large trekking team bravely camping on the banks of the river. Leaving Lobuche we made our way closer to Everest via an Italian research station. Having visited the Louvre in Paris this identicak structure looked like an alien ship had landed in the Himalaya. This important facility conducts research on climate related issues effecting the region.

The next 2 1/2 hours trekking followed the huge Khumba glacier. This slow moving serpant of solid ice scars the landscape so significantly it's 2 km width denudes the mountains of everything living. In it's wake there is nothing left except a lunar surface of gravel and ice. If you listen closely it creaks and groans like some old pre- historic dinosaur.

When we arrived at Gorak Shep a small group headed for the summit of Kala pattar... 5550 meters for a view of Everest.

Tonight we are recovering our strength for our 7hr return walk to Everest Base Camp tomorrow.
Thank you all so much for your posts, they really do lift our morale. Ps, biki of the trek so far is a local small, round, coconut number... great dipping, 7/10 and only 15 seconds to reach consensus.

Cheery Regards Lins and the team.