FKT: Erin Ton - Three Passes Trek - 2024-11-26

A classic trekking route in the Himalaya! Chris, Tyler, Jim, and I had spent the prior couple of weeks hiking this, so I was familiar with the route and snow conditions on the passes. I left Namche a little after midnight and made it to the start of the climb up Kongma La around sunrise. I was stopped for a few mins by a guard at the National Park checkpoint. Chukkung was very cold and I was tempted to go inside good ol Yak Land lodge to warm up. Put my spikes on at the top of Kongma La and headed down. Then it got very warm and I changed into shorts and a tank top. I stopped at the lodge in Dzongla for a refill on snacks and carried on. I felt really bonk-y on Cho La Pass and in the glacier moraine before Gokyo. By the time I reached Gokyo I was so tempted to get a room for the night and continue the next day. But, I got a pastry at the bakery and texted everybody. Thank you Chris, Ty, and Jim for encouraging me to continue on even though my body and mind did not want to cooperate. Renjo La pass was a struggle and I think it was here where I started to feel the effects of being at altitude all day. I also stopped on the way to put my layers back on before the sun set and it got cold. Even though I felt like crap here, the views of Everest on top of Renjo La were amazing. It was my favorite pass of the whole trek. Going down, I was treated to an epic inversion in the valley. I reached Lungdhen at dark and stopped in a tea house for some coffee. It helped give me a boost of energy for the remaining hours! Route finding got a little tricky going though the small towns in the dark, but I didn’t make any mistakes that cost me too much time. At this point, it was very hard to run so this consisted mostly of power walking. The final few miles into Namche felt like a never-ending death march. I was so excited to see the lights of town, but I had to climb a few hundred more feet to where I started in the morning to complete the loop. Chris met me there and I was so grateful to see him. We went back to Namche Terrace, where I quickly ate the veggie burger he had ordered me and passed out. I’m also thankful for the hospitality of Namche Terrace, which provided great food/ shower the next day.