Day 17 - Chukkung

Chukkung is the aim of today’s trek. Chukkung sits at the head of the Imja Khola valley at the base of the glaciers descending from Nuptse, Lhotse, Baruntse and Ama Dablam. It is a steady climb up the valley, as we have roughly 1,500 feet in altitude to gain, with fine views back down the valley towards Taboche and to the north where the steep wall of rock and ice joining Nuptse and Lhotse towers above us.

We arrive at Chukkung in time for lunch. Yak herders and their children greet us as we arrive. Like many of the people we met in Khumbu, they have very little, but seem happy in their lifestyle and happy to share it with the trekkers that come their way.

I find the Sherpa people to be intelligent trustworthy and hard working. Nima, our head guide or Sirdar, is fluent in English (and probably other languages too) and is obviously very familiar with the area and is very competent in running the various parts of the trekking machinery. Nima has worked with Alfred Gregory Photo Treks for many years and was Sirdar on the foothills trek I went on in 1985. His staff is predominantly young and often comprised of family relatives. Some of the younger Sherpas are still in school and bring work with them. At night they sometimes ask us to help them with their English. These are not uneducated locals from the middle of nowhere in the mountains. They are bright and ambitious, and many will become businessmen and women running trekking operations. There seems to be a reasonable degree of sex equality. We have both female Sherpas and porters, who carry out the same duties and carry the same loads. Everyone expects spectacular mountains when visiting the Khumbu region of Nepal, but the culture and people are perhaps a more unexpected delight, and I have nothing but admiration for them.

We return to Dingboche along the same trail by mid-afternoon.

Elevation Profile

Friendly locals at Chukkung

Nuptse Lhotse Wall from Chukkung

Taboche from the trail to Chukkung