Kalapattar (13 Oct 2006)

13 Oct 2006, we woke up at 4.30am. After having some simple breakfast, we started our trekking to Kalapattar(5545m) around 6.00am. It was very cold early in the morning. Hai Poh told us that the temperature drops to -7 degree Celsius last night. The ascent was very steep. The weather was extremely cold. My body was shivering. I almost can’t feel my fingers. Dee also felt the same but she still gave me another pair of gloves and shawl to keep me warm. She is a very kind girl.

Mt. Pumori was clearly seen from the Kalapattar trail. On the way up, I looked at the mountains that slowly brighten up by the sun. The view was wonderful. However, I still have half way to go. I was hoping that I can trek faster to the ground that had received the morning light. The coldness demoralized me. I was extremely slow. It took me 2.5 hours to reach summit. Usually, others will only take 1.5 – 2 hours to reach.

The sky was clear. No cloud is hanging there. We get the most magnificent mountain panorama. We are very excited. We shout, laugh, and keep on pressing shutter of the digicam. When playback the photos taken, they seems unreal. It’s like those in the postcard or magazine. I couldn’t believe that I am seeing it with my eyes.

Kalapattar is a peak in the centre of snowcapped mountains like Everest, Nutpse, Lhortse, Pumori as well as hundreds of other beautiful peaks. We were amazed by the majestic view surrounding Kalapattar. We stayed in the summit for almost an hour before made the way back to Gorak Shep. It was almost 10.00am when I reached the lodge.

Hai Poh and Teck Long started to complain headache. Teck Long wanted to get down and out of Gorak Shep as soon as possible. He describes it as “escape from 5180”. (Gorak Shep is at height 5180m). We packed our things and trekked down to Lobuche after lunch. Teck Long disappeared in just a short while. I think he really afraid that AMS will hit him.

1.30pm, we arrived Lobuche(4930m). Hai Poh and Teck Long seem better. We saw the message left by Peng Meng, told us that they descended to Dhuglha(4620m). After having the most expensive Vege + Egg Nara noodles (240 Rupees = RM 12.50), we trekked down to Dhuglha. Nara noodle in other word is instant noodles. We were regret that we didn’t bring Maggie mee cups from Malaysia.

After half an hour trekking, I saw a familiar face from far. It was Kok Ming! We are so glad to hear that Foung Yee was recovered after a day rest. Kok Ming was very “busy” today. He went down to Pheriche(4243m) with Peng Meng to ask about Kok Yuen’s condition. He was told that Kok Yuen had descended to Pangboche (3985m). Then, he trekked towards Lobuche to find us.
We continue to go downhill, to the steep hill behind Dhuglha. I refresh the memory of the difficult climb 2 days ago. The descent is much easier. Photo on right is the lodge that we stayed at Dhuglha. I reached there around 4.30pm.

A meeting is carried out to discuss about our schedule on the following day. Team mates are considering of crossing Cho-La pass. The pass is very steep and involves glacier crossing. It required us to hike up faster to height 5400m, and then go down. According to the guide, the pass is quite dangerous at some point and will trek on the barren area. There will be no village for rest between Zongla and Thagna. It will be at least 7 hours trek.

Since some of us are not doing well, we had made the decision of not crossing the Cho-La pass. We will separate into 2 groups. Foung Yee, Peng Meng and Kok Ming will made their attempt to Gorak Shep and Kalapattar again. Hai Poh, Dee, Teck Long, Sui Jing and I will go down to look for Kok Yuen. We will then meet up again after 2 days at Pangboche. After that, we will continue the trek to Gokyo - the west part of Khumbu region via Pangboche.

However, there are 2 things that still bothering us :
1) Our flight from Lukla to Kathmandu is scheduled at 21st Oct. We need to re-schedule it in order to have time to go Gokyo. Our guide told us that he will try but couldn't promise anything.
2) We have no idea how's Kok Yuen doing and the exact location of him. Hopefully will be able to locate him tomorrow.


This is definitely unforgettable day for me. All the way up, my stamina is the weakest among the team. I couldn’t believe that I was able to make it to Kalapattar. I am very tired but also excited and satisfied.