Hello, I am back home in Edmonton, Canada, after returning from Nepal and my trek with Dol from Lukla to Gorek Shep and Kala Patthar, near Everest.
It was quite the adventure, and I wanted to pass on my thanks for the great service I received and the great guidance provided by Dol. It was a unique experience, which would not have been possible without the trek management by Dol.
We encountered a very untimely and unusual winter snow storm at Dingboche and had to spend an extra day there on the way up. Given the amount of snow that came down, 40 cm in Dingboche, more at higher elevations, I really thought that was the end of our trip. We heard that many groups had to turn back at Duglha and Lobuche, never making it to the end.
However, Dol managed our time very well, determining that we could get from Dingboche to Dughla the following day and that we would see how things were with the trail after that. From Dughla Dol learned that the trail to Laboche was open, so we managed another section. At Laboche, after a lunch break, Dol said that it was possible to get to Gorak Shep if we wanted to continue, the trail was passable. So we did. We arrived at Gorek Shep in the afternoon and still had time to go up Kala Patthar to see the sunset on Everest. I never thought we would have the time to make all this possible, but Dol’s careful attention to the weather conditions, the trail conditions, and our ability to cope allowed us to complete the trek objective. We heard we were the only one of 14 groups from Himalayan Glacier on the route those days to make it to the end.
This is a testament to the management skills of Dol, to take some inexperienced trekkers, of varying fitness and capability, and get them to the end. Please pass on my thanks to Dol.
Thank you,
Helmut Mach
