April 8,2023 – Arrived in Tengboche, 12,683 ft

20 became 19 today as we waved goodbye to Cheryl and wished her well on her journey back to Kathmandu. We are in awe of her strength and tenacity and it was an honor to trek with her to Namche Bazaar.

The hosts of our teahouse sent us all off with a Buddhist blessing, presenting us each with a khada (white scarves decorated with Buddhist prayers) to wish us all good luck on our trek.

As we stepped foot onto today’s trail, we set our sights on Tengboche. The morning began with a mellow rolling hike to a scenic lunch overlooking the next leg of our trek; a long series of switchbacks leading up to Tengboche. There were certainly moments of stuggle as the trail led us higher in elevation and there were times in which the team was silent as we focused on our breathing as we continued putting one foot in front of the other.

I felt a pressing desire to replenish myself with music, so in went the earbuds and out came the motivating tunes. Between songs, all I could hear was my pulse in my ears and my (at times) labored breathing. But I did not despair as these observations reminded me of why we are here.

Because we can be.

Because we choose to celebrate being survivors, caregivers and life givers.

We do it for those that are no longer here to do it themselves. We do it to feel the breath in our lungs and the beating of our hearts.

We do it to remind ourselves that we are still alive.

And then I looked skyward to see stunning mountain peaks shimmering through a break in the clouds; another reminder to look up.

Look up to see the beauty we are surrounded by. Look up to see the support of both old and new friends walking alongside each other in solidarity.

Look up to remember your why.

It is truly a blessing being here with these new friends of mine. Those that understand me in a way no one else ever will. We celebrate our shared experiences and will continue to hold each other up along this journey.

Today’s Stats:

Starting point: Namche Bazar @ 11,286 ft elevation
Destination: Tengboche @ 12,697 ft
Overall elevation gain: 1,400 ft
Steps: 25,432

Thanks to Mandi for writing the blog tonight!