On waking again in Namche, a hint of snow outlining our tents gives evidence of another overnight dusting, a snow shower not indicated at all by the surrounding clear blue sky. And perhaps with our day of acclimatizing, Namche’s air (64% sea level oxygen) doesn’t seem quite at thin as yesterday. By the end of the day we will gain another 1,214’ of elevation, but much of our early path is nearly level as we hike high above and parallel with the Dudh Koshi.

Our first stop is a break at the stupa dedicated to Tenzing Norgay on the 50th anniversary of his Everest climb. With the mountains as a backdrop, it is a magnificent setting, and ten camera shutters go into overdrive trying to capture the very special scene. Shortly afterwards, the path divides, with one branch going downhill to cross the river at Phunki Tenga before climbing up to the Tengboche Monastery. (This will be our return route, after we spend a night at Tengboche.) We follow the other branch, uphill to the village of Mong, where we take a break in the bright, warm sunlight. We then descend to cross the Dudh before climbing again to Phortse, our stop for the day.