Today was a rest day in Dingboche, which doesn’t actually mean that I did any resting.  Rather, the team hiked from town to Nangkar Tchang, the hike ended on a rocky outcrop at 16,200 feet, higher than any place in the continental US.  

Hike to Nangkar Tchang
Photo:  Lisa White

A rest day does mean that we will spend one more night in Dingboche which affords me the time to do some much needed laundry and to wash the dirt out of my hair.  As we move closer to Everest base camp, services naturally become more sparse and more expensive.  I splurged and spent 500 rupees (about $5) for a proper shower, as opposed to a five gallon bucket of hot-ish water for 300 rupees.  While I waited for my turn in the shower - a yak had kicked the pipe requiring a repair - I sat on a stone bench and spoke to Chhiring, the proprietor of the Yak Lodge that I'm staying at.  Chhring has attempted Everest nine times and now owns multiple lodges in the Khumbu.  He told me that summiting Everest is "very easy", and advised me to breathe every time I take a step and not to "pant like a dog".  

Most of the villages along our trek end in “buche” or “bouche”, which signifies that Buddha walked through them many, many, many years ago.  Tomorrow we will move to Lobuche, our second-to-last stop before base camp.