Everest Base Camp Trek Day 8 Lobuche To Gorak Shep

My Everest Base Camp trekking guide Ram and porter Suzan, as we headed towards our final town along the trail at Gorak Shep.

Intro: While the trek from Lobuche to Gorak Shep was a relatively short one, it proved to be one of the most challenging for me with altitude sickness finally kicking in, making every step and increase in altitude that much more difficult.

It was an incredible start to day 8 on my Everest Base Camp adventure at Mother Earth House in the town of Lobuche. I woke to an absolutely gorgeous morning and high spirits knowing that today I was not only going to reach the final town along the Everest Base Camp trail of Gorak Shep, but also trek on to Everest Base Camp itself.

When I started out on this trek, I knew that there were really no guarantees that I would make it all the way to Everest Base Camp. I could have encountered any range of health difficulties or physical problems on the route up, or even inclement weather that could have brought our trek to a standstill. But now we were just a half day’s trek away from Everest Base Camp itself – my destination was well within sight!

After breakfast, my trekking guide Ram and I headed out of Mother Earth House to be greeted by the absolutely breathtaking landscapes that provided a backdrop to Lobuche, and I felt completely ready for the day that lay ahead. We were now starting each day a little earlier than most trekking groups, as I was keen to be on the trail before the crowds and have clear landscapes for photos.

The early morning sunlight hitting the rocky slopes along the trekking route to Gorak Shep from Lobuche.

For the first hour of the trek I felt relatively ok, but by around 8:30AM a pounding headache kicked in and I suddenly felt dizzy and breathless. We had just passed over the 5,000 meter mark and I knew that altitude sickness had finally taken hold of me. Although I was really struggling, Ram stayed right alongside of me and knew exactly what I was going through.

This was one of the great things about taking a private guided tour to Everest Base Camp. Not only could I take my time with photography, but when altitude sickness kicked in, I could go at my own, slow pace, without feeling like I was holding others back.

The sun rising high above the surrounding Himalayan Mountains on day 8 of my Everest Base Camp trek.

Altitude sickness affects plenty of trekkers along the Everest Base Camp trail, with everybody susceptible at different elevations and under different conditions. I was kicking myself that I hadn’t started taking Diamox, a preventative medication, earlier on, having only taken my first tablet earlier that day.

It was only around 4 1/2 kilometers from Lobuche to Gorak Shep, but it took me around 3 1/2 hours due to my condition, and I didn’t take a single photo after the altitude sickness took hold. It really was just taking all my concentration and energy to continue with each step, and when we arrived at our tea house in Gorak Shep in the late morning, I was so thankful to have pushed through the challenging morning.

Heading towards the town of Gorak Shep before the final trek to Everest Base Camp.

But now I was faced with a decision to make. Was I going to succumb to the altitude sickness and forego my one and only opportunity to trek on to Everest Base Camp that afternoon? Despite feeling absolutely awful, I hadn’t come this far for nothing.

EVEREST BASE CAMP TREKKING DETAILS
Day: 8 of 12
Start: Lobuche (4,940 meters)
End: Gorak Shep (5,164 meters)
Elevation change: +224 meters
Distance: 4.4 kilometers
Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes

TOP THREE TIPS

• 1: This is the day you’ll visit Everest Base Camp trek, so you want to start early (around 7AM) so you can go slow and steady to Gorak Shep.
• 2: Take lots of break and hydrate yourself often, you don’t want to suffer from altitude sickness after making it this far.
• 3: Have good trekking boots, preferably water resistant with a good grip on the bottom as you’ll be walking on snow.