Start: Dingboche, 4,410m above sea level
Destination: Nangkartshang, 5,083m above sea level
Date: 17.03.2023
Start in Dingboche: 09:06 AM
Distance: 7.29 km
Duration: 5:11 hours
Elevation Gain: 725m ascent, 725m descent
Highest Point: 5,083m above sea level
Change in elevation for sleeping: -
Trail Profile: Simple path uphill. The last meters led over larger stones.
Accommodation: Hotel Countryside, Dingboche
Weather: Fresh snow, cloudy, cool
Temperature: 11°C according to the display in Dingboche, felt around 3°C on Nangkartshang
Fauna: -
Food: Warm porridge with cinnamon and tea for breakfast

Elevation profile Dingboche - Nangkartshang (own tracking via Garmin)

Heavy are my eyes as I open them at 07:00 AM. Headaches plagued me through the night, waking me up multiple times. As soon as I put on my glasses, my gaze lazily drifts out the window. It's not an uplifting sight, yet I can't help but smile. A yak sits outside in the snow, covered in the white powder, probably wouldn't mind a few rays of sunshine. I hope it's at least comfortably warm with its dense fur coat. Grateful for my warm sleeping bag, I turn around in it once again, trying to go back to sleep. However, half an hour later, when that doesn't work, I quickly slip into my clothes and check in at the lodge's common area. The cold is penetrating in here. I should have stayed in my sleeping bag. I order a large pot of tea and hot porridge with cinnamon.

The bad weather comes at a not-so-bad time. I plan to stay another night in Dingboche for acclimatization. Therefore, today, I don't need to pack my backpack, rush, or worry about having a clear view. The only goal for today is Nangkartshang at 5,083 meters above sea level. This ascent is intended to further acclimatize my body to the altitude. So far, I've been successful, aside from headaches at night and in the morning.

When the clouds finally begin to clear a bit after 09:00 AM, I start my hike. Dingboche is right at the base of Nangkartshang, and the ascent begins on the side of the village. Flags and prayer flags every hundred meters above 4,500 meters mark the achieved height. Initially, I encounter some groups, but all guides end their trips at 4,600 meters. I don't understand why. I hear some people would like to go higher, but the guide always declines. It doesn't bother me if they stay below.

I deliberately walk very, very slowly. With each step, I breathe deeply through my nose into my chest and exhale through my mouth. I try to maintain my slow pace but still need a short break regularly. My head hurts, and I struggle to breathe deeply. Ama Dablam briefly shows itself before the clouds make it disappear again. Fresh snow covers the ground from around 4,650 meters. The wind blows icy across the path. After what feels like an eternity, I see prayer flags fluttering in the wind, climb the last meters over larger stones, and arrive content on the summit. Matt, Monic, the two guys from Spain I met in Monjo a few days ago, and Till all gather at the summit. A man from Poland also joins us and talks about his plan to climb the Island Peak in a few days. I will meet him again a few days later.

On the summit, it is freezing cold, windy, gray, and cloudy. Today is no beautiful view. Nevertheless, I stay up there for about 35 minutes to challenge my body with the altitude. The descent is quick, and breathing becomes a bit easier again.

Back in Dingboche, I first do my icy-cold wash, change into my 'fresh' clothes, and return to the bakery. Unfortunately, it's not as warm there today. So, I order three liters of tea right away. I'm incredibly grateful to have this heat source and will fill a liter of it into my own bottle in the evening so I can take it as a hot water bottle into my sleeping bag. In the bakery, I enjoy the time I find for reading. At 5:30 PM, I go back to the room where the stove is just being heated with yak dung. The room quickly warms up. The same people from different corners of the world who were there last night take their places in front of the stove. Everyone is acclimatizing, and since it's not yet the peak season, we are a very small group getting along very well. It's a really nice circle, and I enjoy the exchange with these people enormously. For dinner, I don't order Dal Bhat for the first time but a vegetarian burger with potatoes. Dal Bhat would probably have been the better choice. Unfortunately, the burger has several unidentified hard pieces in it that significantly diminish the enjoyment. After a few more cups of tea, it's bedtime at 8:00 PM. In the cold, we brush our teeth before each person disappears into their room to quickly snuggle into their sleeping bag. It was a challenging day with the headaches, and yet I close my eyes with great satisfaction and even greater anticipation of the next stage.