Day 8: Chhukhung to Island Peak Base Camp

Distance: 6.5 km
Time: 3 hours
Night: Island Peak Base Camp

Start elevation (Chhukhung): 4,729 m
Max elevation (Island Peak Base Camp): 5,119 m
End elevation (Island Peak Base Camp): 5,119 m
Total ascent / descent: 428 m / 38 m
Elevation gain: 390 m

Anna and Subindra are accompanying me to the base camp, and will go back to Chhukhung in the afternoon.

Majestic vistas all around.

Here comes the base camp.

Bird view with Island Peak high in the background.

Base camp mess tent, still virtually empty.

My base camp home for this night, with my rented plastic boots in front of it.

And with my climbing buddy Alex inside now.

How did he get here?

Funny story - as it later turned out, we had "met" before online on TrekkingPartners.com, both of us looking for a partner to climb Island Peak, but seeing our slightly different planned summit dates we decided not to pursuit it any further. As luck had it, we ended doing it together after all.

Alex was climbing Island Peak for National Autistic Society, to help autism families and raise autism awareness. You can read the full story in The Westmorland Gazette.

Quick alpine refresher on a slope just above the base camp.