Day 9 - Gokyo to Dragnag

Today is a fairly short route over some difficult terrain. It is not steeply uphill, but we cross the Ngozumpa Glagier, the largest in Nepal.

After leaving the camp site at Gokyo we briefly climb about 100 feet up the lateral moraine on the western side of the glacier. From the top of the moraine we get our first good look at the surface. It is what Jacko describes as a rocky road glacier. Most of the surface is covered in rocky debris that hides the ice underneath. The surface is extremely irregular and rugged with large boulders and pools of meltwater to navigate around, making progress slow. There are small patches where the ice below is exposed, but I do not see any crevasses that would be a concern, and there is no need for us to rope up.

We are heading to the mouth of a small valley that joins the main valley from the east. This valley will eventually take us up toward the Cho La Pass that provides a link between the valleys of the Ngozumpa and Khumbu glaciers. We climb up over the eastern lateral moraine to exit the surface of the glacier, and soon arrive at our camp site at Dragnag, where little more than a few low dry-stone walls mark it as a place on the ground.

Elevation Profile

Crossing the Ngozumba Glacier below Cholatse

Crossing the Ngozumba Glacier

Campsite at Dragnag