Pikey Peak Trek | Solukhumbu, Nepal | January 2023

The road to Pikey Peak is seldom trod by westerners. Edmund Hillary, the first to ever summit Mount Everest, gave Pikey Peak the honor of having the best panoramic view of the Himalayas with the ability to see seven of the world's 14, 8,000m peaks: From East to West - Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Lhotse, Everest (Sagarmatha), Cho Oyu, Manaslu, Shishapangma. On a clear day, Annapurna may also be visible with Dhulagiri out of view farther to the West. This 5 day trek can be done in a number of variations to make it longer but not much shorter. I highly recommend a winter trek in Jan/Feb. I was the ONLY trekker on the route and I felt completely immersed into local Nepali culture. Winter can be very cold. This was a particularly dry period but there can often be a lot of snow this time of year. It is crucial to have winter trekking experience and the right gear for the conditions you will face. Essential items that I didn't end up using were microspikes. I carried them anyway. Make sure they fit your boots. Rather than trail runners I opted for a light weight winter trekking shoe/shoe hybrid which insulates more and resists weather better. Thank you Projwal Malekoo and Dawa Tamang! SIGNATURE TOURS https://tours-signature.com/about-us/ Dawa IG: @DAWA7265 0:00 Intro 1:24 Preface 8:35 Signature Tours 10:45 Day 1: Jeep ride from Kathmandu to Dhap Bazaar with two or three stops. Travel Time: 10hrs 19:25 Day 2: First Day of trekking. Dhap Bazaar to Japre. 12km (6.5 miles) at around 9,500ft (2,500m). Undulating road walking. Can be very dusty during dry season. Panoramic views of the Himalayas and the lower Khumbu region. Japre is a very small village with a special monastery. Visiting for evening prayers is not to be missed. 31:06 Day 3: Japre to Pikey "Base Camp" (Chhyadingma, Likhupike-1, Solukhumbu) Shangri-La Lodge. The trek becomes much more remote and the route becomes proper walkng paths rather than roads. After Bhubulee, the ridge walking is stellar and you enter the alpine zone climbing from about 9,500ft to over 12,000 feet throughout the day. You will definitely feel the altitude on this day as you approach the "Base Camp." Overall, aside from summiting Pikey Peak, this was my favorite day. The build up is awesome, tough and long but oh so spectacular. If trekking in winter, it is crucial to bring warm and windproof gear. 35:54 Day 4: Summit Day. Early 4:30am wake up. 5:00am departure. 6:00am sunrise atop Pikey Peak 13,336ft (4,065m). After a ~1000ft ascent, panoramic views of seven of the worlds highest mountains. My outer shell layers did a great job at keeping the wind at bay but the sustained Westerly winds were 50mph+ (100km/h) at least. 3,000ft+ descent down to Junbesi where we visited the Thuten Choling Monastery. Do not skip this. Junbesi is a lovely village. I would almost compare it to the Zermatt of Nepal. I don't recall seeing any vehicles there. Beautiful scenery, clean, happy and accommodating. A great place to visit. I wish I could have stayed longer. 57:34 Day 5: Junbesi to Phaplu. A fairly easy day. Not as scenic but lots of fun after two demanding days. The final hour up to Phaplu was a bit on the uphill after walking all day, but it wasn't very sustained. Phaplu felt like a return to the hustle and bustle. After several days in the mountains, motorcycles and trucks filled the air with a familiar din. While still far away from the city, there were more shops and amenities. A nice mountain town. 1:02:15 Day 6: The long drive back to Kathmandu. Great views navigating out of the valley and dropping away from the high country. Gear Used on this trip: Pack: Superior Wilderness Designs Big Wild 70 Sleeping Bag: Feathered Friends Snow Goose (overkill for this trek, brought for Everest Base Camp for sleeping at basecamp) Base Layer: Burgeon Sunseeker Hoody Fleece: Senchi Designs Wren (Polartec Alpha Direct 60gsm) Mid Layer: Big Agnes Porcupine Down Jacket: Mountain Hardwear Phantom Hoody Shell: Mammut Masao Light HS Goretex Pants: Mountain Hardwear Exposure 2 Goretex Active Boots: Salewa Alpmate Trek Winter Trekking Poles: Black Diamond Expedition 3 WR Beanie: Burgeon Outdoor Microfleece Glove Liners: CTR Gloves: Outdoor Research FireBrand GoPro: MAX Camera: Sony A6600 Drone: DJI Mavic Mini 2 Water Purification: Platypus Quick Draw + CNOC 2L. #diwoodoesthings #eatyourcrust #pikeypeak #nepal #nepaltrekking #treknepal #trekkit #trekking #dalbhat #wintertrekking #himalayas #himalayan #himalaya #khumbu #everest #kanchenjunga #makalu #lhotse #chooyu #manaslu #shishapangma #mountainhardwear #blackdiamond #superiorwildernessdesigns #bigagnes #sony #sonyalpha #sonya6600 #gopro #gopromax #dji #djimavicmini #mavic #mavicmini #outdoorresearch #salewa #burgeonoutdoor #mammut #senchidesigns #featheredfriends #adventure #everestbasecamp #everestbasecamptrek #kathmandu #hiking #backpacking #adventure #travel #travelvlog #vlog #asia