Day 5 - Khumjung to Dole

Rob McCarthy
Oct 22, 1988
2 min read

It is another beautiful bright morning as we head east from Khumjung on the route to Dole. We join up with the main trail from Namche Bazaar to Everest near Sanasa, where a short distance off the track is a location with truly spectacular views and we stop here for an extended photo break. To the north Lhotse is in full view, with Everest peeking over its left flank. To the north east, lies stately Ama Dablam, and to the south east the more jagged peaks of Kangtega and Tamserku.

Shortly after leaving Sanasa, we take a left fork, away from the main trail which continues to Tyangboche. This trail contours round the east side of Khumbila, and then picks up the the Dudh Kosi river that descends from the Ngozumpa Glacier near Gokyo. The trail does not drop right down to the river, but remains high above it on the western side. There are relatively few trekkers on this route in comparison to the main trail to Everest and it is both peaceful and enjoyable.

We stop for lunch across the valley from Phortse, a quiet village, away from the normal trekking routes, perched on a broad ledge above the valley, before continuing northwards towards Dole. We are gaining altitude only slowly, and I am starting to feel well acclimatized. We are now at roughly 13,000 feet and the vegetation is thinning out into sparse scrubby bushes. We arrive at Dole, a small village with only a handful of buildings, and make camp for the night.

Two of our porters are girls, and one of them has her baby with her. In addition to the 30 kg of our gear that each one carries (15 kg for each trekker), each porter also has their own gear to carry. The mother caries her baby, which seems to be very happy, in a basket perched on the top of her load. The porters are amazing in the loads that they can carry, supported on a broad band round their forehead, but remain incredibly light on their feet.