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Gorakshep - the last village on the route to Everest Base Camp

Episode 11

Gorakshep - is the last village on the route to Everest Base Camp - lying above a frozen lake covered with sand at an altitude of 5146 m.

You can see in the pictures how the Everest Base Camp or Gorakshep looks like today - the last inhabited village before reaching to the Everest Base Camp, where all the trekkers spent a night and ascend to Kala Pattar - 5550 m above sea level on the next day for the wonderful view of Mt. Everest - 8848 m above sea level and Nuptse 7861 m and many other stunning snow capped peaks staying surrounding as chain.

Gorakshep today is a place where you can buy the most necessary things and also try different dishes - even from the world cuisines???? In Gorakshep you can eat pizza and spaghetti even though you are already at an altitude of 5164 m above sea level. Currently in Gorakshep there is no more trouble with electricity because of solar energy and there is a constant access to the Internet and telephone communication which may sometime affected by weather. However, there is still the problem with water supply. At this altitude, it is hard to get running water. It is taken from the glacier lake - close to ascent starting trail towards Kalapattar. In order to obtain water besides the glacier lake, snow are collected and used too

Today, climbers are passing Gorakshep, going straight to Everest Base Camp, but they come here often for resting a get relief from the freezing staying in tents at Everest Base Camp. What was there in the 1950s? Nothing! Emptiness, only rock, snow, ice and glacier. How did the climbers manage to survive in such situation? Really appreciable for their braveness.

These days, it is from Gorakshep that you will set off for the last part of trekking to Everest Base Camp. It will take about 3 hours - depending on the weather and your condition. Until recently you could not see Everest from Everest Base Camp, but today - in 2019 - the place of Everest Base Camp after avalanches, movements of the glacier has changed and Mt. Everest is already visible from the Everest Base Camp.

 

While writing this episode of the blog, we were wondering if there was anything else in place at Gorakshep? If so, what? Maybe the old Everest Base Camp, the first Everest Base Camp? We will check it for sure and then we will share this knowledge with you. But so far we can imagine that tea house over Gorakshap should have been started by late 1970's or 1980 even which can be the curiosity for many of you who are keen in history of Himalaya lodges.

Publication2019-02-14 15:00:29