We've got a 5am, 3 hour trek up a "straight forward, but steep climb" up to Gokyo Peak. We've been discussing what to wear (always a fashion dilemma, does blue clash with mud?), but also what layers do we wear, it's gonna be cold, but we will be working hard.
I tend to overhead quickly, so I try to ensure I can drop the layers quickly. I've generally been wearing just a base layer top, with my light weight jacket on occasionally when it's windy. It can be 5°C and I'll be too hot with the jacket done up. Tomorrow I may end up using my GoreTek rain jacket - I hope so, the general sentiment from many of us is "we've lugged half this stuff up here, we better use it at some point". (And for the record, the rain jacket has always been in my day pack, so I, not the porters, have lugged it up).
Day packs are a dilemma, the longer the trek, and the greater the altitude increase, the more you need to take, but equally the less weight you want to take.
Tomorrow's trek will be a good test for EBC and Kala Patar, both of which have similar very early starts with long haul hikes.
Dinner tonight was a jovial affair, we had almost everyone at one table (unfortunately it's not quite big enough for all, and Holi and Andrew dined next to us). Liam gave us a few more riddles, and JB gave us one of his own.
We're all in optimistic and high spirits for the morning trek, though most of us agree we will be taking a long slow walk up. Personally I'll have my pirate buff, so therefore be fine.
There was a beautiful sunset tonight, I am sure it's a good omen.
