Dispatches tagged "altitude".
Permit changes, route conditions, post-walk dispatches, ops decisions. Written by people who walked the route last month, not last decade. Dated, signed, no SEO.
Kala Patthar at sunrise (5,545 m): hour-by-hour from 03:30 at Gorakshep
The full Kala Patthar morning, minute by minute — 03:30 wake at Gorakshep, summit by 06:30 for the Everest sunrise photo. Why headtorch batteries die, why most trekkers fail at 5,400 m, and the acclim decisions that decide whether you make it.
Crossing Thorong La (5,416 m): hour-by-hour from a guide who's done it 70 times
The full Thorong La day, minute by minute — 03:30 wake at Phedi, summit by 10:30, Muktinath by 16:00. AMS, hypothermia, scree falls — the four failure modes and the acclim decision that decides whether you make it.
Crossing Larkya La (5,160 m): hour-by-hour from a guide who's done it 50 times
The full pass day, minute by minute — 03:30 wake at Dharmasala, summit by 10:00, Bimthang by 16:00. Failure modes, kit list, and the single acclimatisation decision that decides whether you make it.
Tilicho Lake side trip on the Annapurna Circuit: should you add the 3 extra days?
The honest answer to "should I add Tilicho Lake?" The 3-day detour profile, the exposed traverse that scares people, the lake-day sunrise routine, and the acclim benefit that improves your Thorong La success rate.