Trek to Everest 2017 Day 11 : 08-12-2017

Today was the day. With the group in relatively good health and even better spirits, we were all pumped to climb the big hill we came to see; Gokyo Ri. Our 7:45 departure made for a calm and cool beginning to the day. As we ascended, the landscape opened up. Views of yaks, glacial lakes, and Everest kept us motivated. The steep, rocky walk up, and high altitude, made reaching our high point the most challenging leg of the trek, but the view from the top was rewarding to say the least. It was exciting to see the entire group reach the summit. We spent about an hour up there, taking heaps of photos and appreciating the effort put in over the last week and a bit to make it this far. The descent was a much quicker walk (run for Mick). Lunch was ready soon after our return to the Fitzroy Inn at Gokyo. Great entertainment was provided by a large group of yaks running down Gokyo Ri. We spent the afternoon relaxing and recovering from the big morning. Tomorrow we have another day to explore Gokyo.