Dingboche to Thokla Pass (4830m) to Lobuche (4910m)

It is a steep but beautiful climb through the mountains to the small lodge at Thokla, where there are hundreds of memorials to those that have died in their attempts to climb the big mountains in this part of Nepal.

As we had lunch in the lodge at Thokla, it was clear that Mueen was becoming too sick to carry on up the mountain. We suspected that he had a virus or tonsilitis and that this, combined with the effects of altitude, would make carrying on up the mountain difficult. I decided that he should descend to the medical post at Pheriche and spend the night there. Shortly before getting to the lodge, Ashley slipped and twisted his ankle. He didn't feel able to continue and so John Power and a porter escorted both students down to the lodges in the small village of Pheriche whilst the rest of the party continued to climb up to the Khumbu Glacier and Lobuche.

The Eco Lodge at Lobuche was by far the best place we had stayed in. It had a great atmosphere but the rooms were so cold that my water bottle froze.

The following morning Josh was suffering from very painful ribs, an effect of breathing heavily at altitude. We decided that it would be difficult for him to climb higher without a further rest day, so Scott escorted him down to Pheriche to join the others. Actually, they passed on route. Mueen and Ash were both feeling much better and John was bringing them back up the mountain.