Satphone report from our Everest base camp trekkers

The Everest base camp leader Kathy left a phone message to say that they are now at Pherichie (4200 meters) and are doing fine. Pherichie is one of the larger villages in the Khumbu surrounded by flat fields, dry stone dykes and grazing yaks. It can be a bit windswept at times but there are no tumble weeds rolling down the main street! Although you are likley to encounter the occasional stray yak and local kids with running noses chasing home-made hoops!
The group have had a wonderful walk from Namche ( Sherpa Capital village) up to Phortse and stayed the night there for acclimatisation purposes. Today they walked from Phortse and stopped at Pangboche for lunch and enjoyed good views of Ama Dablam. They then continued on up the Khumbu to Pheriche where they will spend two days acclimatising. Nelson has decided to wait at Namche Bazzar with his own private Sherpa and porter and do some day walks from there and perhaps continue along the trail towards Everest base camp at his own steady pace. The very fit "Girls" are all doing fine, although some head colds are developing. Those of you who know the Khumbu may be wondering why they have taken the path via Phortse rather than the traditional route via Thangboche monestary. Kathy answered taht by telling me that the himalayan suspension bridge normally bedecked with colourful prayer flags which crosses the turbulent Dhud Kosi (Milk river) at Phunki Kola has been swept away by the monsoon floods and will be repaired eventually.The detour is unavoidable.
Trekking up the Khumbu via Phortse is a wonderful trip and many would argue that it's a more interersting route to take as Phortse is off the regural tourist route and therfore retains more of the original sherpa culture. The trip is going to schedule and I hope to get another telephone brief from Kathy in a day or two.