30 years ago: 22 April 1982, Everest Trek day 3, Namche Bazar to Thyangboche

Thursday 22nd April 1982:  Namche Bazar to Thyangboche Monastery (7 miles)
A clear morning and I left the lodge soon after 06:00.  I climbed out of Namche onto a small hill to the east (National Park HQ) for my first reasonable views of Everest, Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Nuptse.  Although much lower than the others, at 22,348 ft, Ama Dablam is a most distinctive mountain, much like Machupuchare (Fish-tail) on the Jomson Trek.  Ama Dablam means 'Mother's Necklace', the ridges each side her arms and the hanging glacier the necklace.  Lhotse, "South Peak" in Tibetan, is the fourth highest mountain on Earth (27,940 ft) while Nupse, "West Peak", is 25,790 ft.  Everest, or Chomolongma/Eath Mother, is 29,029 ft.  The mountains remained in view until 09:00 when it started to cloud over.  I dropped down to the Dudh Kosi (10,600 ft) and crossed it on a slightly scary bridge before the long steep climb up to Thyangboche (12,700 ft) where I arrived at 13:00.  So much for this being an easy day with ‘just’ a 1,400 ft increase in altitude!  If I’d checked the trekking map more carefully I would have noticed the drop down to Punkl and the steep 2,000 ft climb.  I dumped my bag in the Thyangboche Hotel and had a plate of cold boiled potatoes before wandering around in the nearby forest.  I found and released a Black-throated Laughingthrush from a snare, it seemed unharmed, but was surprisingly small in the hand.  It was very cloudy and later snowed but it started to clear at about 17:00 and I took the best part of a film wandering around in a daze as absolutely stunning views of the peaks were revealed by parting clouds.  What a truly magical place!

Birds seen:  Lammergeyer 1, Himalayan Griffon Vulture 5, Goshawk 1, Steppe Eagle 1, Kestrel 4, Impeyan Pheasant 5 males and a female, Snow Pigeon 3, Rufous Turtle Dove 3, Little Swift 20, Asiatic House Martin 10, Olive-backed Pipit 5, Grey Wagtail 1, Rufous-breasted Accentor 1, Red-flanked Bluetail 4, Blue-fronted Redstart 8, Grandala 5, Red-throated Thrush 1, Orange-barred Leaf Warbler 5, Lemon-rumped Warbler 15, Tickell’s Warbler 1, Goldcrest 1, Rufous-gorgetted Flycatcher 1, Black-faced Laughingthrush 6, White-browed Fulvetta 4, Grey-crested Tit 4, Black-crested Tit 4, Coal Tit 4, Stoliczka’s Treecreeper 3, Chough 2, Large-billed Crow 30, Hodgson’s Mountain Finch 60, Beautiful Rosefinch 8, White-browed Rosefinch 2, White-winged Grosbeak 6.

Kwagde from above Namche

Phortse from north of Namche

Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam from north of Namche

close-up of Everest (and slide mistreatment)

trail north of Namche with Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam dominating the skyline

firsr distant view of Thyangboche, on the ridge in the middle distance

Everest hidden by cloud, by now I was beginning to realise today's walk to Thyangboche (in the middle of the shot) would involve a lot more climbing than I'd initially thought

trail north of Namche - very easy walking when its flat!

the bridge across the Dudh Kosi at Punkl

Punkl

looking back towards Namche during one of my many rest stops on the steep climb up to Thyangboche

arriving at Thyangboche

Thyangboche from the west

looking down on Thyangboche from the west

Black-faced Laughingthrush released from a snare

Large-billed Crow

Thyangboche in the clouds

Thyangboche, the nearest white building was my hotel

Thyangboche yaks and prayer flags with Ama Dablam clearing behind

Thyangboche yaks and Ama Dablam

wall of prayer stones at Thyangboche and Ama Dablam

Thuyangboche hotel, prayer flags and Ama Dablam, the purple haze wasn't my tea being burned or to herald the announcement of a new Lama but a chemical degradation of the original slide. 

prayer stones at Thyangboche

Thyangboche prayer flags and a clearing Ama Dablam

 

Thyangboche chorten and prayer flags, strange sky effets due to degradation of original slide

Kantega from Thyangboche

Thyangboche chorten and Kantega