Elevation: 4740m to 5308m (Gokyo Ri) to 4691m (Thanak)
Total Ascent: 615m (Gokyo Ri), 166m (Gokyo to Thanak)
Distance: 2.12km (Gokri Ri), 3.42km (Gokyo to Thanak)
Hiking duration: 4h 30 min (Gokyo Ri), 2h 53min (Gokyo to Thanak)
Gokyo Ri is but a hill among mountains here, but it still stood at 5357m, the same height as EBC. There would be an altitude gain of about 600m in just a short 2 hours. This was, for us, an acclimatization climb to let our bodies adapt to the high altitudes. However, having faced altitude sickness the night before, I wasn't 100% certain about my shape for Gokyo Ri.
We left in the early morning at about 4 am. The altitude sickness was gone, slept off. But internally, I was kinda nervous about the hike. 600+m of ascent in a short 2 hours was a lot at this altitude. We hydrated as best we could and began hiking. The first 5 minutes of it were flat going towards the hill. But at one part, we had to tread carefully as we crossed using some rocks over a wide stream. It was relatively easy, but one miss-step and you'd have a soaked foot. At these sub-zero temperatures I'd imagine that it can cause hypothermia quite easily if your foot was soaked. The stream, which was partially frozen fed into the Gokyo lakes from glaciers above.
The incline began as soon as we reached the base of the hill and as you can see from the elevation recording, the incline was as steep throughout the hike. Our paths zigged and zagged across the hill to reduce the inclination that we hiked. Warm water and some chocolates kept me going. after an hour or so, we could see the line of mountain range behind us, illuminated by the soon rising sun. It was quite a sight to behold after seeing nothing but darkness in front of us. It gave us some hope and morale to keep pushing onward.
The cold was another enemy to deal with. It was already way below freezing weather at Goyko. Up Gokyo Ri was even colder. We were lucky the winds were still forgiving to us as we hiked. As the sun rose further, its rays shined on the opposing mountain face like a spotlight and it was beautiful. Even taken with just a phone camera, the stars are clearly visible in the backdrop.
By the time we were nearing the summit, the sun had already risen fully and some of the first hikers were on their way down. As we reached the peak, we were greeted with a stunning 360 view of the surrounding landscape! In particular, Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Town was spectacularly beautiful as the suns rays shone upon them. Behind Gokyo, we could see the vastness of the Glacier that we were to cross in the afternoon. A long stream of greyish-white rocks, and beyond that was Thanak, the town where we would be staying that night.
Although, not a significant achievement to many, summiting this was special to me. You see, I always had a problem with altitude. In 2018, I felt it first on Mount Kerinci at a measly altitude of 3300m at the camp site. In 2019, again on Mount Semeru at 3000+m I vomited on the way down. and in June 2019, I had failed to summit Mount Haba in China, I vomitted halfway up the summit push and could not push further without risking my health. I had only reached an altitude of around 5200m. I had begun to think that maybe for me, my body was just not meant to come to overcome such altitude and I simply couldn't do it. So when I got to the top of Gokyo Ri, it was a moment of relieve and rejuvenated morale inside me. It was proof that I could indeed conquer such altitudes!
After some time taking in the views there, we started our hike down. We took the same way down. The view of the turquoise lake unde the morning sun was amazing. Though it can get abit glaring as the lake reflects off the sun's rays onto our faces directly. After reaching, we had a nice breakfast back at our lodge.
We were really exhausted from the Gokyo Ri hike. Although quite short, it was demanding due to the high elevation and elevation gain. The cold during the starting hours also made it more tiring than usual. We rested at the lodge's dining place and played cards.
The worst of this day was behind us, but we still had a journey to go before our day was over. After resting for an hour, we packed our bags and began our journey to Thanak.
Feeling already accomplished for completing Gokyo Ri, we left in high spirits! The way to thanak began with a steep climb up to the hill behind Goyko, after that, we had to descend down into the rocky glacier. The descent was quite steep and at sections, involved scrambling over rocky terrain which was kinda sketchy. After that, we crossed the glacier.
Although called a glacier, the whole terrain of it was covered in rocks and not ice. You could see some pools of melted ice and some sections with exposed ice near the pools sometimes. The glaciers were quite dangrous, as it constantly shifts at a very slow pace. Sometimes rocks could be heard falling or dropping into one of the pools. Hence we tried to cover the ground quickly.
About 1.5 hrs later, we finally reached the othe side. The exit point was marked by a flag so that people could navigate towards it. It felt good to be out od the glacier. After exciting, we were back on earthy soil terain. It took just a short 20 min from there to reach Thanak our stay for the night.
The Inn which we stayed in at Thanak was one of the best ones ever, it was called "Mountain Paradise Lodge". The rooms where big and clean, the toilets were very clean and the whole inn in general was vey pleasant to stay in. Which was very nice as we had a big big day ahead tomorrow, the Cho La Pass.
One of the biggest obstacles in our journey was Cho La Pass. Even in guides that I previously found online, they recommend that we cross the Cho La Pass anti clock wise. But due to our final target being Island Peak, it would only make sense to do it clockwise and cross it from Thanak to Zong La. The pass itself ascends to an altitude of 5420m, higher than EBC which was at 5364m. Hence, it would be the 2nd highest point in our whole trek, 1st being Island Peak summit. The past 2 days of Trekking were all around 4700 - 5300m altitude to let our bodies acclimatize to the low levels of oxygen in our body. Having conquered Gokyo Ri today, and having our bodies well acclimatized, I was confident that we could take on Cho La Pass.
