DAY -11
17 October 2022 Monday, Lobuche to Gorak Shep (5,164m) to Everest BC (5,364m)
5.2 km hiking for 5 hours with total ascent of 70 meter to Gorak Shep
It was really a long cold night! During breakfast, we had an important meeting as one of our team members (and maybe) myself was not quite fit to continue the journey. We discussed and evaluated the situation, AMS is not a joke! One of our hiker friends has a knee problem and AMS at the same time. The best possible option was for him to go down to a lower altitude to recover - Periche.
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| High motivation - today is the day |
After breakfast, he made his decision to go down due to health and safety reasons. Therefore, we proceed our journey for the next 3 - 4 hours to Gorak Shep. This is the last stop before Everest BC. The trail was not much different compared to Lobuche - a dusty and rocky trail surrounded by white mountain’s peak. However the trail was a bit flat, not much up and down - that’s really helpful. Hope we can reach by lunch time, quite bite and continue all the way to Everest BC.
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| So near yet so far |
After 3.5 hours hiking, at the end of the hills we saw a small settlement that sat on the edge of a frozen lakebed covered with sand. The elevation was 5,168 meters. This is the last point for hikers to stay overnight as typically our trekking permit does not allow us to camp at Everest BC. We learned that you need another special permit to camp at Everest BC - typically for mount Everest climbers.
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| I called this broken ankle trail |
We walked down the hill to the Teahouse called Everest Inn. We took a quick lunch and headed straight to Everest BC. We were informed to be extra careful due to the rocky trail and need to be back at Gorak Shep before dark. After eleven days on this journey, I was really exhausted but super excited - the next 2 hours maximum, I will be at Everest Base Camp.
The final attack to Everest BC at 5,364 meters, 6.3 km and 4.5 hours from/to Gorak Shep and total ascent 222m.
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| Golden peak in the evening |
I can’t go more than twenty or thirty steps without resting for a while. Need to take a short rest before continuing again! At this point of time, my mind keeps pushing my body to continue walking with thousands of motivations and reasons why we do this in the first place. Sometimes I just stare at the mountain peaks - adore their majestic height, gasp for air and push my strength to get back on my feet.
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| I am not lost, EBC is that way |
According to our guide, it should take around 1.5 to 2 hours to reach Everest BC, but I took nearly 3 hours to hike there. I don't know why I was so weak despite the fact that I have done more than a year training for this expedition. After I reached Kathmandu, I was confirmed positive Covid19 - that is the reason why I got sick at Deboche and since then I was really weak but mentally I am not easily give-up. Ha ha ha even I told myself, if you want to die, die up there. I don’t really mean it, but to motivate myself that I can definitely reach my goal here.
Being the person who spent the entire life near the Equatorial, we are not used to cold weather. I think today is the coldest temperature that I have experienced in my entire life around - 16C. As long as we keep walking, we are fine but the moment we stop to rest, it bite us very fast. Just imagine, you are so tired, need a short break but yet too cold - really a mental warrior game! At this moment I don’t really care, my goal is clear - reach Everest BC first, the rest we face later!
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| Congrats to Affizan |
Today is the moment that I have been waiting for years and embarked on this expedition for the past 11 days. The rocky trail was the last challenge that we needed to get through - I called the ankle breaker trail. One mistake, you might break your ankle or even your leg. The trail up and down on the unstable stones makes it scary to make stupid mistakes. Eventually I can see Everest BC from far away even 45 minutes before on the right hand side, so near but yet so far. We needed to descend down from the higher valley to the rocky sides at sloop before climbing back to Everest BC.
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| Congrats to Faiz |
Almost cried when I realized my journey had finally come to the end. Continued hiking slowly and surely - the famous Khumbu Icefall came to view. Everest BC is within reach but yet I need to be careful putting my step on the rocky trails.
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| Err Proud to myself |
I have successfully reached Everest BC with a big smile on my face on 17 October 2022 3.45 p.m. Congratulations to Romme, Nazim Salleh, Amir Hamzah, Affizan and Faiz Amar - the #KoyokAdventureTeam. Everest BC is marked with piles of stones, prayer flags and written “Everest Base Camp” with the elevation mark. Suddenly all the tiredness and struggle just went away like a wind. I felt so motivated, proud and accomplished even though some part of me still does not believe I am here at Everest. This is the highest point on earth that I ever stand on. It is the magic of the Himalayas.
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| Congrats to Amir Hamzah |
For the last 11 days we have trekked through the most amazing and intimidating landscapes around the Himalayas with additional challenges of stranded, unplanned route with additional 35 km hiked, the dark sky & rain, landslides and many other unpleasant news early in the expedition. I was sick at Deboche (later found positive Covid19), dehydrated and all sorts of mild symptoms of AMS really make this journey tougher. No pain no gain! Sometimes I don’t believe that I have reached Everest BC - it is Magic!
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| Congrats to Nazim |
Really piss-off with some people who had vandalized the Everest BC stones with their names. No brainer! For others, please do not vandalize nature.
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| For UNN and Negara Brunei |
The first part of reaching Everest BC was successfully completed and the second part was to walk back to Gorak Shep. When we hiked to Everest BC we took nearly 3 hours and the time now is 4.30 p.m. We have around 1 hour and 15 minutes before the sunset, which means we need to walk faster before dark or face the freezing cold (-20C). I worried about the freezing cold, so I walked fast like flying on the rocky trail back to Gorak Shep in just 1.5 hours.
We entered the Teahouse and went straight to dining areas - felt a bit warm with a centralized heater with quite a number of hikers inside. I ordered my dinner - Egg Fried Rice with black tea, unfortunately I don’t have an appetite to enjoy my meal even though I felt very hungry. I can see some of my friends looked very exhausted. It is really an altitude challenge that causes an uncomfortable situation. Not a surprise as we were at above 5,300 meters altitude.
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| Mission accomplished |
It is another freezing cold and long night! It is hard to breathe normally with this kind of temperature. I put on layer after layer of thermal, fleece jacket, down feather and wind breaker jacket to get through the night. I do not know how many times I woke in the middle of the night and felt thirsty but it was hard to drink the freezing cold water. It is a nightmare!
Somehow, I don’t really care as I have reached Everest BC, now is time to think about how to go home. Remember we were delayed for 4 days and there is no way we can go to make up the lost time. It is time to fly - let's think about it tomorrow’s morning.
Everest BC is a dream come true
DAY -12
18 October 2022 Tuesday, Gorak Shep to Pheriche (4,371m) to Lukla (2,860m)
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| 1st lag to Periche |
The night before we can’t celebrate our Everest BC success as everyone is really exhausted. At 6 in the morning, I went down to the dining areas and hoped the heater could help to reduce the cold. Unfortunately, they are not put on fire. Quite a number of hikers inside the dining area, I think they also have the same intention. I ordered a hot coffee and ate my biscuit.
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| Helipad |
I saw a few hikers just entered the dining area, they looked freezing. The water bottle that they carried turned to ice. I can imagine how cold it is at the top of Kalapathar right now. Then Amir Hamzah came in with a trekking stick - I thought that he just completed Kalapathar hill 5,550 meters this morning. Ha ha ha he just came from his room, like me looking for coffee at a warm place. Congrats to Nazim Salleh and Romme for making it to the peak of Kalapathar.
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| I saw this pilot in Discovery Everest Rescue |
During breakfast we were advised to take the helicopter back to Lukla due to time constraints. Our ticket flight from Lukla to Ramachep is scheduled tomorrow 19 October 2022 7 a.m. Therefore we need to be at Lukla by the end of today. We preferred to hike down, unfortunately the time is not on our side. We were brief to standby at the helicopter pad at the top of the hills near the teahouse. Due to the altitude the helicopter will take three persons at the time to Periche. And from Periche, the helicopter will take five at the same time to Lukla airport. This cost USD500.
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| Freezing cold -16C |
By 10.30 a.m. most of us were at Periche and met the other friend who had reached Periche a day earlier. Periche 4,371 m is a village above the Tsola River and is a popular stop for the trekkers.
Finally we flew in two helicopters back to Lukla and this was the best heli-rides in my life. The magnificence of the mountains is breathtaking and the amazing journey that we had away from the world that we know makes it an epic adventure for us.
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| Back to Lukla airport |
Thank you to all my hiking buddies, the #KoyokAdventureTeam - Affizan Rahman, Amir Hamzah, Faiz Amar, Nazim Salleh, Romme, Yukhairi SingaUtara and Dr Paul Cawte. We have hiked a few mountains together as an amazing team.
Thanks to Dr. Mohd Yusni Mohd Yasin, UNI Clinics Sg Hanching, BSB for medical consultation before, during and after the expedition.
My UNN colleagues - Uwe Beydemuller (always follow up on my situation), Adi Rani & others who are also praying for my success.
All my friends and family members around the world who followed my Epic Journey and prayer for our success.
For the special one - my lovely & beautiful wife Zazah Chomel who is continuous gave motivation and wonderful support in my life. Trust that if no news is a good news!
