Dispatch 13: Trek from Doban Kharka (8268ft/2520m) to Italian Base Camp (12,008ft/3660m)

The route to Italian Base Camp
Nick in Italian Base Camp

Today, we woke up at 5:00am, packed up our things, had breakfast at the teahouse, and began the trek to Italian Base Camp. The temperatures were cool for most of the day and we made good time as we climbed through lush dense bamboo forests. We stopped in Sallaghari (11,392ft/3445m) where we had lunch and charged up our equipment, taking advantage of the sun before the afternoon rain began, then continued on through drier terrain to Italian Base Camp. Here, we got a view of the Dhaulagiri’s rocky west face, which made an appearance in the late afternoon when the clouds cleared. We took advantage of the nice weather and paid 300Rs each for a hot shower. We set up our camp, ate dinner, and went to sleep, excited for tomorrow when we will reach Dhaulagiri Base Camp.