Three Passes Itinerary and Questions

Hello everyone,
Despite combing through previous threads, I still have some remaining questions. My itinerary is largely thanks to many of the posts here, including Petrus, but especially thanks to Rdccomments.

All times are without breaks.
Day 1: Bus to Shivalaya, 9 hours
2: Shivalaya (1770m) to Bhandar (2190m) 4 hours
3: Bhandar (2190m) to Sete (2580m) 6.5 hours
4: Sete (2580m) to Junbesi (2670m) 6.5 hours
5: Junbesi (2670m) to Nhuntala (2230m) 6.5 hours
6: Nhuntala (2230m) to Puiyan (2770m) 8 hours
7: Puiyan (2770m) to Phakding (2610m)
8: Phakding (2610m) to Namche Bazaar (3440m) 5 hours
9: REST DAY. Khumjung and Khunde (3840m). Stop for apple pie in Everest Bakery in Khumjung.
10: REST DAY.
11: Namche Bazaar (3440m), lunch and view monastery at Tengboche (3860m) 4 hours
12: Tengboche (3860m) to Dingboche (4240m) 3.5 hours
13: REST DAY.
14: Dingboche (4240m) to Chhukung (4730m) 3 hours
15: REST DAY.
16: REST DAY. Side trip to Chhukung Hill (5833m), not Chhukung Ri.
17: Chhukung to the Khongma La pass (5535m), and the Khumbu glacier to Lobuche (4910m). 6.5 hours
18: Lobuche to Gorak Shep (5140m) 2.5 hours, and to Base Camp 6 hours return.
19: Gorak Shep (5140m) to Kala Pattar (5545m) - 2 hours - and back to Lobuche (4910m) - 3 hours - to Dzongla (4830m).
20: Dzongla (4830m), over the Cho La pass (5330m), to Tagnag (c. 4700m)
21: Tagnag (c. 4700m) via the Ngozumpa glacier to Gokyo (4800m). After lunch, day walk up Gokyo Ri (5483m) – 3 hours to top and back.
22: REST DAY. Side hikes to Gokyo Lakes.
23: Gokyo, over the Renjo La pass (5340m), via Langden and Maralung to Thame (3820m) 8 hours
25: Thame (3820m) to Namche Bazaar (3440m) 3 hours
26: Namche Bazaar to Lukla (2840m) 7 hours
27: Lukla to Kathmandu (early flight)

I will be hiking beginning in mid-November with a friend. I have hiked quite often and in many countries, but this is my friend's first multiday trip. We are both fit women in our mid 20s. I have added a lot of rest days for acclimation, but also in case of itinerary changes. I plan to do the trek independently, and I'm not sure how well my friend will manage, especially in the beginning.
For this reason, in case the passes prove to difficult, is it still possible to make a full loop? I forgot which thread it's from and who said, perhaps Petrus, but "If Cho La is not passable the Pangpoche - Phortse - Na hike around is a perfectly good alternative, safe and takes just one day longer. In case one is truly interested in visiting Gokyo Valley and maybe crossing Renjo La to Thame." Is there any additional alternatives for the other two passes?
Also, how necessary are microspikes? It seems about half of the people carry them and the other half do not. I would like to take them anyways. I read on one person's trip report that at Khongma La the microspikes were not long enough to make a difference, though. Do you think this is possible to rent in Thamel? I haven't read anywhere about this.
Also, the lack of sleep above Gorak Shep concerns me. Would it be safe to take sleeping pills, or would this make the situation worse?
If anyone has additional tips or suggestions, I'd be very grateful, thank you!

If your friend has not done much hiking before the Shivalaya - Namche part might be on the hard side. Be mentally prepared to spend one more day on that leg. Otherwise the plan looks good with rest/acclimatisation days.

If you want/need to skip Kongma La just take the normal route to Gorak Shep from Dingpoche, Chukhung is a nice side/acclimatisation trip anyway. Cho La can be circumvented by going via upper Pangpoche - Phortse - Nha - Gokyo, going up the east side of the valley instead of the normal Gokyo route. Renjo La has no real alternatives, the best you could do is to go to Khumjung and Thame from there, so you would not need to go Namche-Thame-Namche twice.

There is also an interesting alternative from Thame to Lukla bypassing Namche: straight trail from Thame to Yeti Mountain Lodge Kongde 4250m, then dropping steeply to Phakding. The downside is that this would take 2 days and room in the said lodge costs $250/night.

http://yetimountainhome.com/ymh-lodges/ymh-kongde

If everything goes as planned I might be in Namche and vicinity starting November 20th, we might see each other there!

Thanks again for all your help, Petrus. That'd be lovely, hope to see you there!

Hello

Just two short observations:
- on day 21 you planned an after lunch hike on Gokyo Ri. When I was there I started around 2-3 am to catch the sunrise on top of it - quite worth it in my opinion, though a bit cliche.
- On the topic of micro spikes I personally see no use for them but your mileage may vary. Also sleeping pills at high altitude is not a good idea in my opinion but it depends on your metabolism - you should consult a doctor.

Enjoy the trip.

Is there any additional alternatives for the other two passes?

Dingboche to Lobuche is an easy 3:30 hrs and 8.3 km.

Also, how necessary are microspikes? Do you think this is possible to rent in Thamel? I haven't read anywhere about this.

In Kathmandu you can purchase fake copies of Kahtoola MICROspikes for about 1000 NPR. There are a few different models, look for the ones with the most robust chains. 1200-1500 NPR in Namche.

Of course the real Kahtoola have superior quality, but the knock-offs will do the job for a high pass or two (and break after a day of walking on rock/gravel mix).

http://kahtoola.com/product/microspikes/
www.trailspace.com/gear/kahtoola/microspikes/

Also, the lack of sleep above Gorak Shep concerns me. Would it be safe to take sleeping pills, or would this make the situation worse? If anyone has additional tips or suggestions, I'd be very grateful, thank you!

I would NOT take sleeping pills at 5100 meters. If you're happy to skip EBC (nothing there), you can sleep in Lobuche and walk up to Kala Patthar and back.

Forgot to comment on sleeping pills: NEVER! Breathing difficulties are a part of AMS. Cheyne-Stokes respiration is one common problem. With sleeping pills you might no wake up to breathe.

Jeesus . Is it really necessary to plan every single detail ? Seems a rather strange way to go hiking in the hills .

Hello, to hike in from Shivalaya is great! Maybe you could add a restday on this stretch? Junbesi is lovely, nice to spend a leisurely day after the first three tough (!) days.

It's very easy to hike the Three Passes Trek from behind the computer. Especially if you're new to multiday trekking, spending 14 days above Namche seems quite ambitious. Everybody adapts to the altitude, low temperatures, lack of creature comforts in a different way. I would just set of from Namche and see what happens. I did the same in November 2013, hiked from Shivalaya to Gokyo and then back to Lukla (in 18 days). Enjoyed it immensely, so I'm planning to return this year to repeat and add the high passes (like you), so we might meet on the trail somewhere (although I'll probably set off from Jiri or Shivalaya somewhere around 5 November.
Maybe you've discussed this before, but you could consider the Annapurna Circuit..... Did this trek twice (spring 2007 and late autumn 2009). In my opinion the AC would be THE choice for someone doing a first trek in Nepal, it has a more gradual elevation profile, there is also less chance of getting AMS (just crossing one very high pass and going down below 4000 m the same day. And the variation in landscapes is just magnificent.

Happy travels! Frans

A few thoughts, suggestions - and thanks for the comments.

I have posted up the actual itineraries for the first 2 times I did the 3HPs (Jan 2010 and Dec 2010 - Jan 2011). Did you have a look through both - the second one includes walking in from Jiri. I will try and post up the actual itinerary for my third 3HPs trek this weekend (which will be getting on for 2 years since I actually did the trek - I make brief notes as I trek, and have lots of photos).

Junbesi: I really like J - in Dec 2015 we took the "jeep" to Phaplu, then walked up to J the next day, even though this is not the most direct route to the 3HPs. From J we walked up to the Tibetan monastery which is about 2 hours north east of J - this is well worth doing. BTW my guide said everyone spoke a Tibetan dialect/language - he struggled to understand the monks and nuns. I will definitely do this again, if I have the time to walk in from Jiri or Phaplu (this winter I may not have enough time).

The walk above Namche, to Kunde and Khumjung, I really enjoy. I also like to visit the little museum in Namche - it has some great photos of N before the tourists started coming in large numbers, and lots of information about local culture, flora and fauna (I am very ignorant about both), the geological history (the area now occupied by the Himalayas was a sea c. 40 million years ago - quite a thought).

In Dec 2015 we stayed towards the east end of Pangboche, and the next day walked to Ama Dablam Base Camp and then onto what we think was AD Camp One. Latter is some way round AD, and more of a wilderness, and very windy by the time we got there (2pm). This was the first time I had been to ADBC - I think this walk is also well worth doing. ADCO is more for keener trekkers - there may be climbers there in season. ADBC is about 4,400m, ADCO about 5,100m - probably more. Either helps acclimatisation - backpacks can be left in the lodge (so we spent 2 nights in Pangboche). The start of the trail to ADBC is a bit confusing, as there are several trails, but I was with my main guide, who has done this with many clients. If you get the start point, the trail is then pretty obvious.

I prefer Dingboche to Pheriche, but there is a great walk up the hill east of Ph - lovely views, and again this helps acclimatisation. We went up Christmas Day 2010 - great.

All 3 times I have done the 3HPs we have spent 3 nights at Chhukung - as well as really building acclimatisation, there are some great day walks that can be done from Ch.

Re Ch Ri: there is an error in the 2nd of my 3HP itineraries, and some of my posts from that time. The first trek we went up the lower side or CR - this is about 5,546m. The second trek we went up what I had thought was Ch Tse, which is 5,833m. However on my 3rd trek, my guide, whom I have done all 3 of my 3HP treks with (and 3 other treks), said that this is not Ch Tse, but the higher or east side, of CR, which is about 5,650m. Ch Tse is a little further east/north, and can be clearly seen from CR. So I have been up the lower side of CR once, and the higher side, which is much more of a scramble, twice. We did ask the lodge owner about Ch Tse in Dec 2015, but he said he was not aware of an easy route to get to it, and from what we could see the most obvious route was full of big boulders, which would be slow to cross. I think that if a route to Ch Tse can be found, ascending it would not be too difficult as the slopes do not look too steep, or rocky. There is a ridge from CR to Ch Tse, but this is for braver and more skilled (climbers) people than me.

You can walk round Khongma La and Cho La fairly easily - in 2015, we could not cross Cho La as the ice at the top had moved, and we needed crampons, which we did not have, and could not hire (long story). The weather was perfect, which made it even more frustrating for me.

There is no real way of walking round Renjo La, but if you did not cross this pass, if you have time, you could still walk to Thame from Namche - this is quite an easy walk (for people seriously contemplating doing the 3HPs). I really like Thame, and there are some great day walks that can be done from there.

I am thinking about doing the 3HPs again this Dec - Jan, if I can get enough time off from work. Or possibly Langtang - Gosainkunda - Helambu, which I have done twice, but not since Nov 2012 - we were thwarted by snow in Jan 2015. I want to do Manaslu, but 2 people, or sets of passes are needed.

Re micro spikes: I have not used them, but towards the end of Annapurna Circuit in early Feb 2016, we had to descent a lot, and this was, most unusually, on very slippery ice - it was a real nuisance, even with 2 trekking poles. I will seriously look at getting some micro spikes, for my net trek in Nepal.

Do be aware of the risks of bad weather on the high passes, and especially the Ngozumpa glacier.

As alternative to micro spikes consider yaktax. They are lighter and cheaper. I used them on 3HP in late November and they did the job very well.

Post 9: thanks for the suggestion - I will look into these.

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