"Climbing is the only cure for gravity." - Unknown
Arrived in Dingboche around noon after a 3 hour hike from our previous camp at the junction of the trails to Island peak base camp and Ambulapcha La. It was an uneventful hike although we did encounter some yaks and naks (yaks are male, naks female). We also got caught in a yak traffic jam on the narrow streets of Dingboche, Kaji and I had to scramble up a large boulder in the middle of the path to let the hurrying yak pass. After lunch Kaji and I hiked up some of the near by hills NW of town to visit some old chortens (chorten, according to Kaji, is the sherpa term for stuppa). While in need of modest repairs the chortens were in the perfect location over looking the valley that Dingboche occupies and the valley that leads to Everest base camp as well as looking up at the towering peaks, the most notable of which being Ama Dablam. Today was the first day I was able to properly observe Ama Dablam in all its magnificent glory. The eastern ridge it forms with Ombigaichan is an impressive wall of ice and snow and appears very much impregnable, it must be seen to be believed, I spent a good 15 mins just staring at this ridge.
I finished reading the 2 books I had brought along with me: Shackleton's South: The Endurance Expedition and Dostoyevsky's Notes from the underground and The double) on my last rest day and so now I am finding it a bit difficult to occupy my leisure time. Luckily today Kaji found me a copy of Hemmingway's Old man and the sea, unfortunately I enjoyed it too much and devored every word in 3 hours.
After lunch Kaji and I discussed our plans for the remainder of our trip as we are 3 days ahead of schedule. We will be staying at Namche Bazaar for 2 nights which was not on the original itinerary and basically visiting most of the small villages between here and Lukla. We will be heading back to Kathmandu a day early, I'm glad to have an extra day in KTM as I feel like I barely scratched the surface at the start of April.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Friday, May 18, 2007
April 27, 2007
"Maybe true. Maybe not true. Better you believe." — Sherpa saying
Today was quite the day! We aoke at 3:30am for tea and breakfast, after what for me was a restless night. We were off for the summit of Island peak at 4:30 am and it was immediately clear the summit was going to be a busy place. Unfortunately unlike Mera where only a short section of fixed line was needed, several long pitches of fixed lines were needed to be set up, hence Kaji and I couldn't make a mad dash for the summit. It also became evident early on that this was going to be a much more technical ascent then Mera. We had to cross couple of precarious snowbridges and even climb down into a shallow crevasse (the crevasse of course was plugged, who knows how deep it really was). The real difficulties began with a 300ft ice ramp that had to be climbed to gain the summit ridge. As no fixed ropes were in place so Kaji and the guides from a British group had to fix them. This took quite a while and during the fixing and Italian group showed up and butted in front of our 2 groups to use the lines, that was really not cool! Ascending these lines was extremely fatiguing and still left you a couple of hundred feet shy of the summit. I thinik I incured a repetitive use strain in my left knee ascending this slope, which likely played a role in my mishap on the descent (~80% of accidents happen on the way down). After the ramp more fixed lines ascended to the summit over a rather narrow and harrowing ridge, in places no wider then the width of both feet, this was less stressful than on the descent. The summit, while providing great views was exceedingly small so I only waited to for Kaji and descended. Just below the summit on a narrow section of ridge I mis-stepped and fell off the ridge (the snow I stepped on had given way beneath my weight). I fell perhaps 20 ft before I was able to arrest my fall in some soft snow. I was likely not in any real danger as I secured to the fixed line, but you never know what shape the rope is in. After that incident I decided to rappel the rest of the way to the bottom of the ice ramp, and other than the sore knee it went smoothly. I think Kaji was more afraid then I was, I didnt have time to be afraid during the episode.
So I managed to scale 2 6000m peaks and a 5800m pass, and now if I can only spot a yeti I will consider this expedition 100% successful. And now we begin the trek back to civilization, back to Lukla, starting with Dingboche.
Today was quite the day! We aoke at 3:30am for tea and breakfast, after what for me was a restless night. We were off for the summit of Island peak at 4:30 am and it was immediately clear the summit was going to be a busy place. Unfortunately unlike Mera where only a short section of fixed line was needed, several long pitches of fixed lines were needed to be set up, hence Kaji and I couldn't make a mad dash for the summit. It also became evident early on that this was going to be a much more technical ascent then Mera. We had to cross couple of precarious snowbridges and even climb down into a shallow crevasse (the crevasse of course was plugged, who knows how deep it really was). The real difficulties began with a 300ft ice ramp that had to be climbed to gain the summit ridge. As no fixed ropes were in place so Kaji and the guides from a British group had to fix them. This took quite a while and during the fixing and Italian group showed up and butted in front of our 2 groups to use the lines, that was really not cool! Ascending these lines was extremely fatiguing and still left you a couple of hundred feet shy of the summit. I thinik I incured a repetitive use strain in my left knee ascending this slope, which likely played a role in my mishap on the descent (~80% of accidents happen on the way down). After the ramp more fixed lines ascended to the summit over a rather narrow and harrowing ridge, in places no wider then the width of both feet, this was less stressful than on the descent. The summit, while providing great views was exceedingly small so I only waited to for Kaji and descended. Just below the summit on a narrow section of ridge I mis-stepped and fell off the ridge (the snow I stepped on had given way beneath my weight). I fell perhaps 20 ft before I was able to arrest my fall in some soft snow. I was likely not in any real danger as I secured to the fixed line, but you never know what shape the rope is in. After that incident I decided to rappel the rest of the way to the bottom of the ice ramp, and other than the sore knee it went smoothly. I think Kaji was more afraid then I was, I didnt have time to be afraid during the episode.
So I managed to scale 2 6000m peaks and a 5800m pass, and now if I can only spot a yeti I will consider this expedition 100% successful. And now we begin the trek back to civilization, back to Lukla, starting with Dingboche.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
April 26, 2007
"No one is completely useless — They can always serve as a bad example." — Anonymous
We are in place for a summit bid on Island peak tomorrow morning. We are camped at a place I call high high camp as we are at least 100m above high camp which leaves ~ 500m to scale tomorrow. I was joking with Kaji about whether we were going to camp on the summit as we kept climbing well after passing high camp. I'm estimating a return trip of about 6 hrs tomorrow, we have less altitude to climb but the climb will be much more technical. We can then begin the long march back to Lukla. Not really much to write about except I'm quite lethargic and want to nap.
I love down, so comfy and warm and compressible and light weight. Another reason I love down? My jacket smells like jalopeno nacho cheese, yummm. I think I must spend about 1/4 of my time thinking of food.
Kaji and the porters (hey that would make a great band name!) are certifiably insane, they're all running around up here bare footed like hobbits. The temperature at best is 0 and there is snow on the ground, nuts! My feet are cold and I'm wearing my mountaineering boot liners, inside my cozy tent, just nuts!
We are in place for a summit bid on Island peak tomorrow morning. We are camped at a place I call high high camp as we are at least 100m above high camp which leaves ~ 500m to scale tomorrow. I was joking with Kaji about whether we were going to camp on the summit as we kept climbing well after passing high camp. I'm estimating a return trip of about 6 hrs tomorrow, we have less altitude to climb but the climb will be much more technical. We can then begin the long march back to Lukla. Not really much to write about except I'm quite lethargic and want to nap.
I love down, so comfy and warm and compressible and light weight. Another reason I love down? My jacket smells like jalopeno nacho cheese, yummm. I think I must spend about 1/4 of my time thinking of food.
Kaji and the porters (hey that would make a great band name!) are certifiably insane, they're all running around up here bare footed like hobbits. The temperature at best is 0 and there is snow on the ground, nuts! My feet are cold and I'm wearing my mountaineering boot liners, inside my cozy tent, just nuts!
April 25, 2007
"Climbing would be a great, truly wonderful thing if it weren't for all that damn climbing." — John Ohrenschall
I got to sleep in today until 7:30 and its hard to describe a greater feeling of bliss then knowing there is nowhere to go today, no passes to cross, no mountains to scale, don't get me wrong I love doing these things thats why I'm here, but occassional break does the body and mind a world of good. I feel almost like a new man today as it was warm enough to wash my hair. Its amazing how something so simple can feel so great. It had been ages since I last lathered up my hair because its always been subzero temperatures when the opportunity has arise.
My face is in a perpetual state of crispiness, I apply sunscreen but I guess the solar radiation is too intense for the frequency with which I apply it.
I was startled last night while answering the call of nature by a herd of yaks, how many people can say that?
This afternoon Kaji and I will hike upto Island peak basecamp if the weather cooperates, shouldn't take more than 1-2 hours as there isn't any real change in elevation nor is the distance great. Every thing in my tent is covered in a fine layer of dust. I really should shut my tent door to prevent this invasion but it has been days since we've been able to lounge about in such warm fine weather that I can't bring myself to do it.
As of today I only have 13 days left in Nepal and roughly only 10-11 days left on this expedition. It has gone by entirely all too fast. If I can swing it I will definently return to Nepal, possibly to climb Cho Oyu. I love Nepal and Kathmandu. Lovely, now my lemon tea is covered in dust, well I suppose I've got my mineral intake for the day covered.
To anyone who has or had concerns about my asthma acting up in this rarified air you can rest easy as I have suffered no ill effects.
The situation here has turned suddenly dire, we are down to our last four tea bags after which I will be forced to consume "coffee". The "coffee" I speak of is quite dreadful and hardly deserves classification as anything other than black bitter acidic liquid. It makes me long for a cup of Maxwell house instant decaf, now perhaps you can see how dire things have truely become. With any luck the weather will hold and we can procure more tea in a few days.
Lips are in a bad way having been over exposed to the sun and wind, constantly cracking, a lesson to always use ample chapstick. Tongue is similarily in bad shape with all taste buds seemingly gone off the fron tip and only sensation felt is pain. Its amazing how slow the body seems to recuperate.
I got to sleep in today until 7:30 and its hard to describe a greater feeling of bliss then knowing there is nowhere to go today, no passes to cross, no mountains to scale, don't get me wrong I love doing these things thats why I'm here, but occassional break does the body and mind a world of good. I feel almost like a new man today as it was warm enough to wash my hair. Its amazing how something so simple can feel so great. It had been ages since I last lathered up my hair because its always been subzero temperatures when the opportunity has arise.
My face is in a perpetual state of crispiness, I apply sunscreen but I guess the solar radiation is too intense for the frequency with which I apply it.
I was startled last night while answering the call of nature by a herd of yaks, how many people can say that?
This afternoon Kaji and I will hike upto Island peak basecamp if the weather cooperates, shouldn't take more than 1-2 hours as there isn't any real change in elevation nor is the distance great. Every thing in my tent is covered in a fine layer of dust. I really should shut my tent door to prevent this invasion but it has been days since we've been able to lounge about in such warm fine weather that I can't bring myself to do it.
As of today I only have 13 days left in Nepal and roughly only 10-11 days left on this expedition. It has gone by entirely all too fast. If I can swing it I will definently return to Nepal, possibly to climb Cho Oyu. I love Nepal and Kathmandu. Lovely, now my lemon tea is covered in dust, well I suppose I've got my mineral intake for the day covered.
To anyone who has or had concerns about my asthma acting up in this rarified air you can rest easy as I have suffered no ill effects.
The situation here has turned suddenly dire, we are down to our last four tea bags after which I will be forced to consume "coffee". The "coffee" I speak of is quite dreadful and hardly deserves classification as anything other than black bitter acidic liquid. It makes me long for a cup of Maxwell house instant decaf, now perhaps you can see how dire things have truely become. With any luck the weather will hold and we can procure more tea in a few days.
Lips are in a bad way having been over exposed to the sun and wind, constantly cracking, a lesson to always use ample chapstick. Tongue is similarily in bad shape with all taste buds seemingly gone off the fron tip and only sensation felt is pain. Its amazing how slow the body seems to recuperate.
Monday, May 14, 2007
April 24, 2007
"Why ? Why, why, why do I do this ???" — Chuck Pratt.
Long day today, didn't set up camp until 3pm and we started at 8am. Today we crossed Ambulapcha La and it is easy to see why attempting a crossing after heavy snow would
be dangerous. After scrambling up perhaps 300ft of scree slopes we started climbing up fixed ropes up the face of the glacier. I enjoyed this stage of the climb quite alot, especially seeing
the all the different layers of ice each representing a year of ice and the various blue and greenish tints of the ice. After a couple of pitches we switched to mixed climbing followed by
a long gradual snow slope to the top of the pass. Most of the mixed climbing was on what I think was yellow marble much like that which makes up the imfamous yellow band on Everest.
The snow slope though not of incrediblly steep grade was a bit hairy as my ascender iced up and stopped catching meaning any fall would have been quite long as few anchors had been fixed. The top of the pass didn't feel like a typial pass, it felt more like we were simply crossing over a ridge. The way down from the pass was less omfortable, although the technical part was only 200-300 ft at most. The most difficult and intimidating part was a short rappel which was complicated by the fact I was still wearing crampons and the first half of the rappel was rock. Once I got the first 3 or 4 foot holds figured out things got easier. As stated earlier today was a long day, this was mostly due to the fact that like on Zatrawa La I was forced to do a lot of waiting (at least 3 hours this time) as Kaji had to retrieve all of the fixed lines once all the porters and trekkers had descended from the pass. It seems that Kaji always takes on more than his fair share of the work load, hopefully the other teams compensate him. I got my first glimpse of Island peak today although I was unaware of it at the time. We travelled along side lateral moraines standing a good 150ft tall, very impressive. This was where the Lhotse, Lhotse Shar, Imja, and Ambulapcha glacirs merge to form a super glacier. You can see Island peak from our campsite and hopefully tomorrow I will spy Ama Dablam. 2 days hence I should be at Island high camp preparing for an alpine start for the summit. We are foregoing basecamp as it is usually crowded unattractive and in the case of heavy snow fall prone to avalanches. Tomorrow will be a much needed rest day.
Long day today, didn't set up camp until 3pm and we started at 8am. Today we crossed Ambulapcha La and it is easy to see why attempting a crossing after heavy snow would
be dangerous. After scrambling up perhaps 300ft of scree slopes we started climbing up fixed ropes up the face of the glacier. I enjoyed this stage of the climb quite alot, especially seeing
the all the different layers of ice each representing a year of ice and the various blue and greenish tints of the ice. After a couple of pitches we switched to mixed climbing followed by
a long gradual snow slope to the top of the pass. Most of the mixed climbing was on what I think was yellow marble much like that which makes up the imfamous yellow band on Everest.
The snow slope though not of incrediblly steep grade was a bit hairy as my ascender iced up and stopped catching meaning any fall would have been quite long as few anchors had been fixed. The top of the pass didn't feel like a typial pass, it felt more like we were simply crossing over a ridge. The way down from the pass was less omfortable, although the technical part was only 200-300 ft at most. The most difficult and intimidating part was a short rappel which was complicated by the fact I was still wearing crampons and the first half of the rappel was rock. Once I got the first 3 or 4 foot holds figured out things got easier. As stated earlier today was a long day, this was mostly due to the fact that like on Zatrawa La I was forced to do a lot of waiting (at least 3 hours this time) as Kaji had to retrieve all of the fixed lines once all the porters and trekkers had descended from the pass. It seems that Kaji always takes on more than his fair share of the work load, hopefully the other teams compensate him. I got my first glimpse of Island peak today although I was unaware of it at the time. We travelled along side lateral moraines standing a good 150ft tall, very impressive. This was where the Lhotse, Lhotse Shar, Imja, and Ambulapcha glacirs merge to form a super glacier. You can see Island peak from our campsite and hopefully tomorrow I will spy Ama Dablam. 2 days hence I should be at Island high camp preparing for an alpine start for the summit. We are foregoing basecamp as it is usually crowded unattractive and in the case of heavy snow fall prone to avalanches. Tomorrow will be a much needed rest day.
April 23, 2007
"One method of getting loved ones to look more fondly on your climbing is to tell them that since you've started climbing you hardly do drugs anymore." — David Harris.
Dear lord do my socks smell, hmmm... smell is too delicate a word to describe the rank and foul nature of the odour eminating from my feet. I pray that in 2 days time I will be able to do some 'laundry' for humanities sake. I have learned that there are several rarely discussed skills that simplify a mountaineers life if they can be acquired: 1) using a squat toilet (more about
possessing strong upper leg muscles), 2) being able to bathe using a bowl, water and hanky, and 3) I thought there was a third skill but I forgot it, although possessing only short term memory when it comes to pain definently helps. Oh #3 just came to me, being able to cleanly use a pee bottle.
We made good progress early in the morning and could see the 'hill' behind which lay our destination Panch pokari. We took several little breaks along the way to bask in the sun
and enjoy our last full day in the Hunku. The afternoon was not so pleasant, a stiff wind picked up an it started to snow dropping visibility down to ~20 ft, this in itself would have been
ok but it started to appear that Kaji had lost his bearings and thus our progress slowed substantially. We were definently headed in the proper direction but whether we would be close enough to camp to spot it or imply pass right by it was a bit up in the air. Luckily we were headed into a dead end valley so the worst that could happen would be camping at
a virgin camp site. I think the whole episode was more bothersome for me as I didn't have a good idea of where we were going before hand, I knew geographically but without
major landmarks that appear on the map I was 'lost'. We did eventually find the proper camp site after an hour or so, and as iis usual the clouds rolled out shortly there after and we
started the process of establishing camp which was a bit more difficult then usual as we had to 'landscape' a bit.
In the early evening Kaji, Dindy and 1 other person went off to scout our route up through Ambulapcha La tomorrow. I could see three wee specks up high on the glacier, I knew this pass was to be technical, but I didn't know our route would be taking us climbing up the face of the glacier. Anyways tomorrow looks like it will be a challenging but entertaining day.
I offered and poured Kaji some more today, he and the porters got a real kick out of this and were having a really good laugh. When ever I do what they perceive as their chores they seem to find it very odd and funny, I guess most trekkers treat it like a master-servant relationship.
Dear lord do my socks smell, hmmm... smell is too delicate a word to describe the rank and foul nature of the odour eminating from my feet. I pray that in 2 days time I will be able to do some 'laundry' for humanities sake. I have learned that there are several rarely discussed skills that simplify a mountaineers life if they can be acquired: 1) using a squat toilet (more about
possessing strong upper leg muscles), 2) being able to bathe using a bowl, water and hanky, and 3) I thought there was a third skill but I forgot it, although possessing only short term memory when it comes to pain definently helps. Oh #3 just came to me, being able to cleanly use a pee bottle.
We made good progress early in the morning and could see the 'hill' behind which lay our destination Panch pokari. We took several little breaks along the way to bask in the sun
and enjoy our last full day in the Hunku. The afternoon was not so pleasant, a stiff wind picked up an it started to snow dropping visibility down to ~20 ft, this in itself would have been
ok but it started to appear that Kaji had lost his bearings and thus our progress slowed substantially. We were definently headed in the proper direction but whether we would be close enough to camp to spot it or imply pass right by it was a bit up in the air. Luckily we were headed into a dead end valley so the worst that could happen would be camping at
a virgin camp site. I think the whole episode was more bothersome for me as I didn't have a good idea of where we were going before hand, I knew geographically but without
major landmarks that appear on the map I was 'lost'. We did eventually find the proper camp site after an hour or so, and as iis usual the clouds rolled out shortly there after and we
started the process of establishing camp which was a bit more difficult then usual as we had to 'landscape' a bit.
In the early evening Kaji, Dindy and 1 other person went off to scout our route up through Ambulapcha La tomorrow. I could see three wee specks up high on the glacier, I knew this pass was to be technical, but I didn't know our route would be taking us climbing up the face of the glacier. Anyways tomorrow looks like it will be a challenging but entertaining day.
I offered and poured Kaji some more today, he and the porters got a real kick out of this and were having a really good laugh. When ever I do what they perceive as their chores they seem to find it very odd and funny, I guess most trekkers treat it like a master-servant relationship.
April 22, 2007
"If climbers used the word 'beta' the way most software houses do, we'd all be dead." - Unknown
I'm actually writing this entry on the 23rd as I was exhausted on the actual 22nd and only managed to read a bit before passing out. From here on out I'll use present tense. It snowed a few inches last night so I wore my plastics with over gaiters and was glad I did as I often post holed in the snow to a depth of up to 2 feet deep. It was a long day, perhaps not so much in terms of trekking time (~ 6 hours) but definently the longest day in terms of distance covered. We finally entered the Hunku valley which is entirely uninhabited except during the monsoon season when sherpas travel here to grazetheir herds. I must say that this is by far the most stunningly beautiful valley I've seen in the Himalaya, exceedingly barren, yet green, massive mountains rear their heads up on either side of the valley and its ends creating almost complete isolation, simply stunning. There are only two exits/entrances for this valley, 1 at south end and 1 at north end and both beome extremely dangerous if there is a heavy snowfall, you become essentially imprisoned in the valley, the only way out is by helicopter evacuation. Originally we were scheduled to spend a rest day at Panch pokari, but Kazi decided it best to forego the rest day and cross Ambulapcha La as soon as possible to minimize our risk of being caught. I whole heartedly agree, but that doesn't lessen the disappointment of leaving this valley so soon.
I spent 750 NR on a coke and a box of imitation Pringles. I'm not going to do the conversion for you as it is so absurd as to almost merit institutionalization (if you wish to do the math 1 USD = 65 NR). But before you commit me I do have some valid and one may even argue reasonable arguments for such an expenditure: 1) this was likely to be the last teashop I would see for at least 1 week and I desperately craved pringles, 2) the cost of 'importing' goods to this rediculously remote location (I thought I was seeing things when I first spotted the teahouse) dictate an outrageous cost and 3) I was supporting the local sherpa community (which consisted of this one individual), who knew when the next trekkers would pass by? I am pleased to say that I am extremely pleased with my 'pringles' purchase, the coke, not so much.
Our party now consists of 7 members, I hadn't realized but one of our porters returned home due to AMS, meaning that there was an extra load to carry and thus I was finally allowed to carry something more than my daypack, although this load consisted only of about 10-20 lbs of rope. Tomorrow I will carry my expedition pack instead and carry my share of the load, if I'll be permitted to.
I'm actually writing this entry on the 23rd as I was exhausted on the actual 22nd and only managed to read a bit before passing out. From here on out I'll use present tense. It snowed a few inches last night so I wore my plastics with over gaiters and was glad I did as I often post holed in the snow to a depth of up to 2 feet deep. It was a long day, perhaps not so much in terms of trekking time (~ 6 hours) but definently the longest day in terms of distance covered. We finally entered the Hunku valley which is entirely uninhabited except during the monsoon season when sherpas travel here to grazetheir herds. I must say that this is by far the most stunningly beautiful valley I've seen in the Himalaya, exceedingly barren, yet green, massive mountains rear their heads up on either side of the valley and its ends creating almost complete isolation, simply stunning. There are only two exits/entrances for this valley, 1 at south end and 1 at north end and both beome extremely dangerous if there is a heavy snowfall, you become essentially imprisoned in the valley, the only way out is by helicopter evacuation. Originally we were scheduled to spend a rest day at Panch pokari, but Kazi decided it best to forego the rest day and cross Ambulapcha La as soon as possible to minimize our risk of being caught. I whole heartedly agree, but that doesn't lessen the disappointment of leaving this valley so soon.
I spent 750 NR on a coke and a box of imitation Pringles. I'm not going to do the conversion for you as it is so absurd as to almost merit institutionalization (if you wish to do the math 1 USD = 65 NR). But before you commit me I do have some valid and one may even argue reasonable arguments for such an expenditure: 1) this was likely to be the last teashop I would see for at least 1 week and I desperately craved pringles, 2) the cost of 'importing' goods to this rediculously remote location (I thought I was seeing things when I first spotted the teahouse) dictate an outrageous cost and 3) I was supporting the local sherpa community (which consisted of this one individual), who knew when the next trekkers would pass by? I am pleased to say that I am extremely pleased with my 'pringles' purchase, the coke, not so much.
Our party now consists of 7 members, I hadn't realized but one of our porters returned home due to AMS, meaning that there was an extra load to carry and thus I was finally allowed to carry something more than my daypack, although this load consisted only of about 10-20 lbs of rope. Tomorrow I will carry my expedition pack instead and carry my share of the load, if I'll be permitted to.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
April 21, 2007
"He who dies with the most toes, wins." — Greg Mushial
Today was a hard day, a painful day, an incredibly rewarding day. I didn't sleep much last night, whether due to anticipation or altitude I do not know. We started off at 4am the last group to leave high camp. Right off the bat as usually seems to be the case I was dragging ass, but as always I came into my own after 1/2 hour or so. It was a surreal feeling climbing in the dark, I could see the light from the headlamps of the other teams off in the distance and I was secured to Kaji by a short section of rope, but I was very much alone. Everyone is in a zone, nothing else really seems to exist, just darkness all around, you might as well be on the moon. It is an awesome experience to climb in the dark, one that I always cherish, the surrealness and utter peace and calmness of it all. All morning I felt like I was running a marathon (same exertion just in slow motion). I felt like puking and my helmet felt 3 sizes too small. Every little pain seem to be magnified 10x, at one point I feared I had severely sprained my wrist simply by turning it akwardly, the pain was that intense.
I think Kaji and I were men on a mission as we caught up to and blew by every other team on the mountain. I use the term 'blew by' as a relative term, much the same as an old man with a cane blows by a one legged old woman with a walker. We were the first team to summit reaching the top at 7:30am and every single moment of those 3 1/2 hours was exquisite (lets forget the constant suffering) from the spectacular sunrise, first sighting of Kanchenjunga, crossing an exposed ridge, ascending the fix line to the summit, those last few steps to the top and the VIEW! The view from the summit was nothing less than breathtaking (after accounting for the altitude of course). All 5 of 8000m peaks in the region were basking in the early morning rays and the shear size of Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu from that perspective, simply stunning. After perhaps 1/2 hour on top spent with only 2 other climbers we headed down before the masses arrived. While I wish I could say the descent was peachy as well, it wasn't. The views were still incredible by the heat was incredibly oppressive, even after shedding layers I still felt like I was being cooked alive, luckily the descent to high camp took only 1 1/2 hours, for a total trip time of 5 1/2 hours, which seems quite fast, another group took 10 hrs and none of the groups we passed on the way to the summit had returned when we left high camp an hour later for Mera base camp. I'm still feeling lingering effects of the altitude and sun 7 hours later but it was all worth it, and I would do it all again and in fact I will in about a week on Island peak, which although lower altitude is more technical climb.
Of curious note the one part of my body that I thought safe from the cold, my feet, were the coldest part of my body. I was wearing my Arctic expedition boots rated to -40 , heavy mountaineering socks, vapour barriersand overgaiters (insulated), if anything I thought they would be too hot. Must have been due to the lack of oxygen which hinders circulation to the extremities.
It was blizzardly for the past several hours now and temperature has dropped quite considerably along with an accumulation of several inches. I hope no one was caught on the trails in this weather, especially on Mera where with trails covered and its broad featureless slopes it would be easy to get lost. At anyrate I intend to remain as snug as a bug in my tent until tomorrow.
Today was a hard day, a painful day, an incredibly rewarding day. I didn't sleep much last night, whether due to anticipation or altitude I do not know. We started off at 4am the last group to leave high camp. Right off the bat as usually seems to be the case I was dragging ass, but as always I came into my own after 1/2 hour or so. It was a surreal feeling climbing in the dark, I could see the light from the headlamps of the other teams off in the distance and I was secured to Kaji by a short section of rope, but I was very much alone. Everyone is in a zone, nothing else really seems to exist, just darkness all around, you might as well be on the moon. It is an awesome experience to climb in the dark, one that I always cherish, the surrealness and utter peace and calmness of it all. All morning I felt like I was running a marathon (same exertion just in slow motion). I felt like puking and my helmet felt 3 sizes too small. Every little pain seem to be magnified 10x, at one point I feared I had severely sprained my wrist simply by turning it akwardly, the pain was that intense.
I think Kaji and I were men on a mission as we caught up to and blew by every other team on the mountain. I use the term 'blew by' as a relative term, much the same as an old man with a cane blows by a one legged old woman with a walker. We were the first team to summit reaching the top at 7:30am and every single moment of those 3 1/2 hours was exquisite (lets forget the constant suffering) from the spectacular sunrise, first sighting of Kanchenjunga, crossing an exposed ridge, ascending the fix line to the summit, those last few steps to the top and the VIEW! The view from the summit was nothing less than breathtaking (after accounting for the altitude of course). All 5 of 8000m peaks in the region were basking in the early morning rays and the shear size of Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu from that perspective, simply stunning. After perhaps 1/2 hour on top spent with only 2 other climbers we headed down before the masses arrived. While I wish I could say the descent was peachy as well, it wasn't. The views were still incredible by the heat was incredibly oppressive, even after shedding layers I still felt like I was being cooked alive, luckily the descent to high camp took only 1 1/2 hours, for a total trip time of 5 1/2 hours, which seems quite fast, another group took 10 hrs and none of the groups we passed on the way to the summit had returned when we left high camp an hour later for Mera base camp. I'm still feeling lingering effects of the altitude and sun 7 hours later but it was all worth it, and I would do it all again and in fact I will in about a week on Island peak, which although lower altitude is more technical climb.
Of curious note the one part of my body that I thought safe from the cold, my feet, were the coldest part of my body. I was wearing my Arctic expedition boots rated to -40 , heavy mountaineering socks, vapour barriersand overgaiters (insulated), if anything I thought they would be too hot. Must have been due to the lack of oxygen which hinders circulation to the extremities.
It was blizzardly for the past several hours now and temperature has dropped quite considerably along with an accumulation of several inches. I hope no one was caught on the trails in this weather, especially on Mera where with trails covered and its broad featureless slopes it would be easy to get lost. At anyrate I intend to remain as snug as a bug in my tent until tomorrow.
April 20, 2007
"Life is brought down to the basics: if you are warm, regular, healthy, not thirsty or hungry, then you are not on a mountain... Climbing at altitude is like hitting your head against a brick wall — it's great when you stop." - Chris Darwin
My HANS has subsided, perhaps it only occurs at mid altitudes, must research further.
We are now at Mera high camp, quite a desolate place perched at the bottom of a rock face (from time to time you'll hear stones hitting the tents) and on the edge of a 300-400 ft drop to the glacier below, quite literally between a rock and a hard place. As space is at a premium people go to the bathroom where they can and leave their trash just about everywhere else. In some ways the most unattractive spot in Nepal that I've been to and yet if you don't look at the ground your standing on the view is breath takingly beautiful. Mera seems to be quite similar in technicall difficulty to the Disappointment Cleaver route on Rainier except you go a lot slower and don't feel very well doing it. I caught my first sight of 3 other 8000m peaks today: Everest, Lhotse and Makalu. I felt like a school girl who has just seen her favorite boyband for most of the climb along Mera glacier. I was just overcome with an indescribable elation everytime I glance over my shoulder. On several occasions Cho Oyu also put in an appearance. When I first saw Everest I mistook it for Lhotse (as did Kaji) as the peak appeared to be part of the Lhotse-Nuptse ridge, I couldn't actually see another big peak and thus assumed Everest was hidden behind the ridge, and the peak lacked the black rock which typically gives Everest away. I should ahve known however as the peak was the right shape and was between swept by the jet stream. Makalu is a stunning peak, especially in colour, a yellowish tint to the rock.
We will be setting off for Mera Central at 4am, hopefully sunrise will not be interefered with by clouds. We will not try for Mera North as Kaji says its too far, so I am not sure how I feel about saying I climbed Mera, perhaps I should put an asterix next to it like the did with Roger Marris. In any case I should know by this time tomorrow whether I have climbed my first 6000m peak, asterix or not.
My HANS has subsided, perhaps it only occurs at mid altitudes, must research further.
We are now at Mera high camp, quite a desolate place perched at the bottom of a rock face (from time to time you'll hear stones hitting the tents) and on the edge of a 300-400 ft drop to the glacier below, quite literally between a rock and a hard place. As space is at a premium people go to the bathroom where they can and leave their trash just about everywhere else. In some ways the most unattractive spot in Nepal that I've been to and yet if you don't look at the ground your standing on the view is breath takingly beautiful. Mera seems to be quite similar in technicall difficulty to the Disappointment Cleaver route on Rainier except you go a lot slower and don't feel very well doing it. I caught my first sight of 3 other 8000m peaks today: Everest, Lhotse and Makalu. I felt like a school girl who has just seen her favorite boyband for most of the climb along Mera glacier. I was just overcome with an indescribable elation everytime I glance over my shoulder. On several occasions Cho Oyu also put in an appearance. When I first saw Everest I mistook it for Lhotse (as did Kaji) as the peak appeared to be part of the Lhotse-Nuptse ridge, I couldn't actually see another big peak and thus assumed Everest was hidden behind the ridge, and the peak lacked the black rock which typically gives Everest away. I should ahve known however as the peak was the right shape and was between swept by the jet stream. Makalu is a stunning peak, especially in colour, a yellowish tint to the rock.
We will be setting off for Mera Central at 4am, hopefully sunrise will not be interefered with by clouds. We will not try for Mera North as Kaji says its too far, so I am not sure how I feel about saying I climbed Mera, perhaps I should put an asterix next to it like the did with Roger Marris. In any case I should know by this time tomorrow whether I have climbed my first 6000m peak, asterix or not.
Friday, May 11, 2007
April 19, 2007
"Because it is there." — George Mallory
Its snowy and windy so everyone is staying in their tents, I'm getting a bit of cabin fever despite the supposedly soothing bright yellow colours of my tent. To combat my fever I faced the storm and built an Inukshuk, my biggest yet. He's on a ledge over looking camp. As a sign of solidarity to my inukshuk I stayed out side sitting next to it for a half hour before retiring. We are now at Mera base camp ~5315m. I'm quite glad as I had originally thought we'd be losing altitude at this camp relative to Khare which didn't appeal to me in the least. I'm still feeling strong (well as strong asa one can feel with only 50% O2) and I'm quite certain that we'll make the summit if the weather permits. I'm a little concerned about Kaji today and yesterday, but especially today, he seems to have slowed down quite considerably and takes many stops (more than necessary). I think he may have come down with something but won't tell me,
hopefully if this is the case it will clear up quickly. I've come down with a strange affliction myself, it seems every morning and occassionally in the afternoon my nipples hurt like hell, I think I shall name this affliction HANS (high altitude nipple soreness).
This is quite strange it is snowing and yet there is thunder, I was under the impression that thunder was a warm weather phenomenon.
We finally put our crampons to use today as we travelled across Mera glacier, it was great to kick those metal teeth into some ice. The glacier is our highway to the top, a long way
to the top though as it seems to be a rather gentle incline until just below the summit.
It has gotten bloody cold outside mostly due to the biting wind. I ventured outside for another 20 min or so to fight of boredom and with the exception of my hands was as warm as a clam in clam chowder.
Who ever thought it would be a good idea to have a spare water bottle for peeing in was a genius, Nobel material if you ask me. The reason being that while windchill doesn't exist when
your wearing gore-tex, you can't pee through gore-tex (or at least hygenically and easily).
Its snowy and windy so everyone is staying in their tents, I'm getting a bit of cabin fever despite the supposedly soothing bright yellow colours of my tent. To combat my fever I faced the storm and built an Inukshuk, my biggest yet. He's on a ledge over looking camp. As a sign of solidarity to my inukshuk I stayed out side sitting next to it for a half hour before retiring. We are now at Mera base camp ~5315m. I'm quite glad as I had originally thought we'd be losing altitude at this camp relative to Khare which didn't appeal to me in the least. I'm still feeling strong (well as strong asa one can feel with only 50% O2) and I'm quite certain that we'll make the summit if the weather permits. I'm a little concerned about Kaji today and yesterday, but especially today, he seems to have slowed down quite considerably and takes many stops (more than necessary). I think he may have come down with something but won't tell me,
hopefully if this is the case it will clear up quickly. I've come down with a strange affliction myself, it seems every morning and occassionally in the afternoon my nipples hurt like hell, I think I shall name this affliction HANS (high altitude nipple soreness).
This is quite strange it is snowing and yet there is thunder, I was under the impression that thunder was a warm weather phenomenon.
We finally put our crampons to use today as we travelled across Mera glacier, it was great to kick those metal teeth into some ice. The glacier is our highway to the top, a long way
to the top though as it seems to be a rather gentle incline until just below the summit.
It has gotten bloody cold outside mostly due to the biting wind. I ventured outside for another 20 min or so to fight of boredom and with the exception of my hands was as warm as a clam in clam chowder.
Who ever thought it would be a good idea to have a spare water bottle for peeing in was a genius, Nobel material if you ask me. The reason being that while windchill doesn't exist when
your wearing gore-tex, you can't pee through gore-tex (or at least hygenically and easily).
April 18, 2007
"The mountains will always be there, the trick is to make sure you are too". - Hervey Voge
Today was a rest day and I was quite glad for it, mostly due to a time consuming misadventure. I decided after much internal debate that it was a good day to have my one and only shave of the trek. The single razor I had brought along became dull after having only finisihed the right side of my face, it was clearly not up to the task of handling a week and a halfs worth of stubble, piece of crap! I continued trying to shave with it for a 1/2 hour but to no avail, the blades wouldn't have cut though butter. Believing it unlikely that any of the tea shops would sell razors I gave into the fact that I was going to have to look like an idiot for the remainder of the trek, or at least till we reached Namche Bazar and its many shops. My only hope for redemption was that the other trekkers would assume that I was being avant garde and setting a new fashion trend. Dindy and I then went for a short hike up the hills above the village, after he and the other porters had a good laugh at my expense, who could blame them? On return from our foray Kaji presented me with a razor blade, I was so happy and touched by his gift, it gave me hope of better looking days ahead. I made steady but painful progress as I was operating with the blade only and more often than not the hairs that were removed were done so by being pulled out as opposed to cut, at this point hope was starting to dim again and I decided that I would sport a goatee, situation was better than 2 hours earlier but I would still look rediculous. And then Nima came to the rescue with a shaver and new blade, I was so thankful I could of kissed him. So in the end, after 3 hours of shaving I was left with a clean shaven yet painful face.
After lunch Kaji set up a fixed line and we practiced ascending and descending the line, it was great to finally break out the climbing gear and put it to good use, it also got me quite
pumped up for the days ahead when we would finally step onto the glacier at the foot of Mera and begin our ascent. We were also supposed to practice self arrest but it started to snow and get cold so Kaji decided to call it a day.
Hail and snow today, same as yesterday, same as tomorrow.
I started taking my altitude sickness meds (acetozolmide), hopefully they'll help. It would have been nice to have some for Island peak as well, but at least this way I can see if I can handle the altitude on my own. We start climbing tomorrow, we'll establish high camp and then the following morning we'll make our summit push. I'm unsure as to whether we will only be climbing Mera central or Mera North as well. If we ascend only one peak I hope its Mera North as its the true summit, roughly 15m higher.
There has been another change of plans, instead of heading to high camp tomorrow we will spend the night at Mera base camp on the otherside of Mera La and then head up to high camp. I hope this doesn't mess up the meds as it states to take for 2 days after ascent and now I only have enough for 1 day after.
Today was a rest day and I was quite glad for it, mostly due to a time consuming misadventure. I decided after much internal debate that it was a good day to have my one and only shave of the trek. The single razor I had brought along became dull after having only finisihed the right side of my face, it was clearly not up to the task of handling a week and a halfs worth of stubble, piece of crap! I continued trying to shave with it for a 1/2 hour but to no avail, the blades wouldn't have cut though butter. Believing it unlikely that any of the tea shops would sell razors I gave into the fact that I was going to have to look like an idiot for the remainder of the trek, or at least till we reached Namche Bazar and its many shops. My only hope for redemption was that the other trekkers would assume that I was being avant garde and setting a new fashion trend. Dindy and I then went for a short hike up the hills above the village, after he and the other porters had a good laugh at my expense, who could blame them? On return from our foray Kaji presented me with a razor blade, I was so happy and touched by his gift, it gave me hope of better looking days ahead. I made steady but painful progress as I was operating with the blade only and more often than not the hairs that were removed were done so by being pulled out as opposed to cut, at this point hope was starting to dim again and I decided that I would sport a goatee, situation was better than 2 hours earlier but I would still look rediculous. And then Nima came to the rescue with a shaver and new blade, I was so thankful I could of kissed him. So in the end, after 3 hours of shaving I was left with a clean shaven yet painful face.
After lunch Kaji set up a fixed line and we practiced ascending and descending the line, it was great to finally break out the climbing gear and put it to good use, it also got me quite
pumped up for the days ahead when we would finally step onto the glacier at the foot of Mera and begin our ascent. We were also supposed to practice self arrest but it started to snow and get cold so Kaji decided to call it a day.
Hail and snow today, same as yesterday, same as tomorrow.
I started taking my altitude sickness meds (acetozolmide), hopefully they'll help. It would have been nice to have some for Island peak as well, but at least this way I can see if I can handle the altitude on my own. We start climbing tomorrow, we'll establish high camp and then the following morning we'll make our summit push. I'm unsure as to whether we will only be climbing Mera central or Mera North as well. If we ascend only one peak I hope its Mera North as its the true summit, roughly 15m higher.
There has been another change of plans, instead of heading to high camp tomorrow we will spend the night at Mera base camp on the otherside of Mera La and then head up to high camp. I hope this doesn't mess up the meds as it states to take for 2 days after ascent and now I only have enough for 1 day after.
April 17, 2007
"Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible." — Doug Lawson
So there was a change of plans last night, instead of staying in Tangnag for a rest day today as had been planned we continued with our trek and headed to Khare. Our next scheduled rest day will thus be tomorro in Khare which Kaji intends to use to refresh our mountaineering skills. I think Kaji is becoming more confident in my fitness level, when we first started our trek when ever I would ask for an estimate of how long a given leg would be he would over estimate by about 50% and now his estimates are more or less on the money. I'm happy with the change of plans as the only thing we were schedule to do today was visit the glacial lake of Sabai which we did anyway on our trek today. It was a quite impressive scene with Kyshar (sp?), a stunning unclimbed peak providing the back drop for the lakes emerald green water. Perhaps even more incredible is the fact that this is but a shadow of the lake that existed here 10 years ago. During the monsoon the terminal morain which provided the southern bank of the lake burst unleashing what must have been an awe inspiring flashflood that erased Tangnag from the map, luckily it was during the monsoon season when Tangnag is uninhabited as none would have survived.
We arrived in Khare relatively early, ~12, and I felt ok but after lunch I took a nap as I started to develop a bit of a headache, once I woke up a drank some water and tea and felt much better. I even went on a short climb by myself. I am becoming quite miffed with my altimeter, despite unchanging weather and frequent resetting it is always off by a fair margin, and now I can't even set it to the proper altitude, it gets within 300m and reverts to default setting, very frustrating. I'm forced to use it now as only a relative guide. On the otherend of the spectrum I love my hankie, great and highly underrated piece of gear. It functions as a kleenex, washcloth (after proper washing), neck cover for the sun, filter, etc... extremely multifunctional.
It snowed and hailed again today, starting to get cooler as we camp progressively higher. Khare will likely be the last village/tea houses I'll see for at least a week. 1 more day and the game will be a foot!
So there was a change of plans last night, instead of staying in Tangnag for a rest day today as had been planned we continued with our trek and headed to Khare. Our next scheduled rest day will thus be tomorro in Khare which Kaji intends to use to refresh our mountaineering skills. I think Kaji is becoming more confident in my fitness level, when we first started our trek when ever I would ask for an estimate of how long a given leg would be he would over estimate by about 50% and now his estimates are more or less on the money. I'm happy with the change of plans as the only thing we were schedule to do today was visit the glacial lake of Sabai which we did anyway on our trek today. It was a quite impressive scene with Kyshar (sp?), a stunning unclimbed peak providing the back drop for the lakes emerald green water. Perhaps even more incredible is the fact that this is but a shadow of the lake that existed here 10 years ago. During the monsoon the terminal morain which provided the southern bank of the lake burst unleashing what must have been an awe inspiring flashflood that erased Tangnag from the map, luckily it was during the monsoon season when Tangnag is uninhabited as none would have survived.
We arrived in Khare relatively early, ~12, and I felt ok but after lunch I took a nap as I started to develop a bit of a headache, once I woke up a drank some water and tea and felt much better. I even went on a short climb by myself. I am becoming quite miffed with my altimeter, despite unchanging weather and frequent resetting it is always off by a fair margin, and now I can't even set it to the proper altitude, it gets within 300m and reverts to default setting, very frustrating. I'm forced to use it now as only a relative guide. On the otherend of the spectrum I love my hankie, great and highly underrated piece of gear. It functions as a kleenex, washcloth (after proper washing), neck cover for the sun, filter, etc... extremely multifunctional.
It snowed and hailed again today, starting to get cooler as we camp progressively higher. Khare will likely be the last village/tea houses I'll see for at least a week. 1 more day and the game will be a foot!
April 16, 2007
"1 - High pain threshold 2 - Bad memory 3 - I forget the third." — The three attributes of a good mountaineer. - Unknown
I just spent about 5 CAD on Pringles and I'm in heaven, each chip is utter rapture! Enjoying simple pleasures 10 fold more than you would otherwise is one of my favorite things about trekking. The common place becomes a delectable treat worthy of the greatest kings. Similarly the coke I purchased is liquid heaven, pure ambrosia... who needs drugs? I have yet to try chang (locally brewed rice beer, low in alcohol content and tastes similar to cidar), I definently will before the trek is over with, but I think I shall wait until the peaks are over and done with, I shall remain dry until the work is done, no point in possibly having the alcohol interfere with acclimitization.
Today's trek to Tangnag followed the Hinku river the entire way, quite otherworldly especially in the afternoon mists, essentially it is a large flood plain filled with enormous boulders. Today's trek was filled with firsts: I saw my first avalanche of the trip (hard to miss as it was preceeded by a thunderous boom), came across my first mani stones, and witnessed or partook in my first puja. Puja is a buddhist ceremony where blessings are given, the monk sprinkled us with what I assume is the equivalent of holy water, then blessed Kaji and I and our expedition. The monk also blessed some prayer flags that Kaji had brought to place on the summits. We then lit some butter lamps and continued on our way.
Apparently word spreads quickly through the little Mera peak climbing community as several people I have said hi to know that I am a Canadian without us having met priorly, and I know its not because of the accent as much to my chagrin I'm usually mistaken for an American based on accent.
The weather has changed rather abruptly, it is now quite cool and has hailed twice today, the wind has also consistently sent shivers down my spine. I have seen several sherpas sporting down jackets, perhaps that is a sign that I should heed... but I steadfastly refuse to wear my down jacket until I encouter snow at higher altitudes. Besides the cold is a nice change of pace from the heat experienced lower down.
Tonight we're camped at 4356m, the highest I've slept yet and if my current condition is any indication, my acclimitization is working well, how well? We'll see on Mera. I'm actually feeling strong as can be expected, and without trying to sound to egotistical I think Kaji and I are the strongest group headed to Mera that I've encountered, is that high praise for us or just a poor reflection of the others? I'm hoping luck is on our side if we need it, I've spun dozen of prayer wheels, was blessed by a holy man in Kathmandu, saw the Kumari, and was blessed again today by the monk. I think we've got some good Karma due our way.
I made a friend in the village we stayed at yesterday. Ours was an odd sort of relationship, he would mostly sit in my tent doorway staring at me and occasionally turn on a music player with a 30 sec snippet of a pop song, occassionally he would get up and do a little dance then return to my door way. Attempts to communicate or interact didnt bear any fruit. He couldn't have been more than 4 or 5, otherwise the whole episode would have been quite weird and creepy.
I'm not looking forward to using the squat toilets here, they are quite terrifying affairs, essentially two solid planks covered with what appear to be paper thin planks that could barely support the weight if a kindergartent student over an eight foot deep pit which would be bad enough if you didnt know what was down there. And the piece de resistance as a door that swings inward and thus requiring mangoose like agility to extricate yourself, fun fun!
I just spent about 5 CAD on Pringles and I'm in heaven, each chip is utter rapture! Enjoying simple pleasures 10 fold more than you would otherwise is one of my favorite things about trekking. The common place becomes a delectable treat worthy of the greatest kings. Similarly the coke I purchased is liquid heaven, pure ambrosia... who needs drugs? I have yet to try chang (locally brewed rice beer, low in alcohol content and tastes similar to cidar), I definently will before the trek is over with, but I think I shall wait until the peaks are over and done with, I shall remain dry until the work is done, no point in possibly having the alcohol interfere with acclimitization.
Today's trek to Tangnag followed the Hinku river the entire way, quite otherworldly especially in the afternoon mists, essentially it is a large flood plain filled with enormous boulders. Today's trek was filled with firsts: I saw my first avalanche of the trip (hard to miss as it was preceeded by a thunderous boom), came across my first mani stones, and witnessed or partook in my first puja. Puja is a buddhist ceremony where blessings are given, the monk sprinkled us with what I assume is the equivalent of holy water, then blessed Kaji and I and our expedition. The monk also blessed some prayer flags that Kaji had brought to place on the summits. We then lit some butter lamps and continued on our way.
Apparently word spreads quickly through the little Mera peak climbing community as several people I have said hi to know that I am a Canadian without us having met priorly, and I know its not because of the accent as much to my chagrin I'm usually mistaken for an American based on accent.
The weather has changed rather abruptly, it is now quite cool and has hailed twice today, the wind has also consistently sent shivers down my spine. I have seen several sherpas sporting down jackets, perhaps that is a sign that I should heed... but I steadfastly refuse to wear my down jacket until I encouter snow at higher altitudes. Besides the cold is a nice change of pace from the heat experienced lower down.
Tonight we're camped at 4356m, the highest I've slept yet and if my current condition is any indication, my acclimitization is working well, how well? We'll see on Mera. I'm actually feeling strong as can be expected, and without trying to sound to egotistical I think Kaji and I are the strongest group headed to Mera that I've encountered, is that high praise for us or just a poor reflection of the others? I'm hoping luck is on our side if we need it, I've spun dozen of prayer wheels, was blessed by a holy man in Kathmandu, saw the Kumari, and was blessed again today by the monk. I think we've got some good Karma due our way.
I made a friend in the village we stayed at yesterday. Ours was an odd sort of relationship, he would mostly sit in my tent doorway staring at me and occasionally turn on a music player with a 30 sec snippet of a pop song, occassionally he would get up and do a little dance then return to my door way. Attempts to communicate or interact didnt bear any fruit. He couldn't have been more than 4 or 5, otherwise the whole episode would have been quite weird and creepy.
I'm not looking forward to using the squat toilets here, they are quite terrifying affairs, essentially two solid planks covered with what appear to be paper thin planks that could barely support the weight if a kindergartent student over an eight foot deep pit which would be bad enough if you didnt know what was down there. And the piece de resistance as a door that swings inward and thus requiring mangoose like agility to extricate yourself, fun fun!
Sunday, May 6, 2007
April 15, 2007
"Climbing may be hard, but it's easier than growing up." — Ed Sklar.
Not sure where I am, not sure where I was yesterday. Of the 2 maps I have in mypossession only one covers the most southern portion of my journey and it is very small scale hence this village and yesterdays don t appear on the maps. All I do know is that i am in the Hinku valley. Where ever I am it is quite beautiful with an amazing waterfall on the one side and the Hinku river on the other, it is also the largest settlement since Lukla. I can see the afternoon mist rolling in through my tent door. It never seems to fail (in fact this cycle would occur every day of my trek) in the Himalaza, the morning dawns clear, afternoons are extremelz foggy (visibilitz often less then 10m) and early evening it clears up again. I think the fog is the mist that shrouds Kathmandu in the morning and rises up into the mountains in the afternoon.What is most surprising is how quicklythe clouds roll in, one minute all the surrounding peaks are in view and 30 seconds later nothing beyond your camp is visible. The trek today was relatively short so Kaji and I took several long breaks to bask in the warm sun and the beauty of the surrounding valley. I got mz first glimpse of Mera todaz (and the real Mera) and it is big! like Moby Dick big! I can t wait to set foot on its flanks, but that is still several days away. While the Mera we are climbin g is the highest trekking peak it is not the real Mera, the real Mera (generally refered to as peak 41, such a lovelier name!) is about 200m taller and much much more technical. also of curious note in the mountain names category is Island peak. Island peak is refered to on many maps and sources as being called Imja Tse, yet the Nepalese are unaware of this name, Kaji has never heard it and it is supposedlz a sherpa name. Oh and just in case the Mera/real Mera situation wasn[t complicated enough there is also a Mehra peak. Not much else of note today, mostlz hiknig through some stunning rhododendron and Himalazan pine forests and basking on top of some Maoist grafiti.
Not sure where I am, not sure where I was yesterday. Of the 2 maps I have in mypossession only one covers the most southern portion of my journey and it is very small scale hence this village and yesterdays don t appear on the maps. All I do know is that i am in the Hinku valley. Where ever I am it is quite beautiful with an amazing waterfall on the one side and the Hinku river on the other, it is also the largest settlement since Lukla. I can see the afternoon mist rolling in through my tent door. It never seems to fail (in fact this cycle would occur every day of my trek) in the Himalaza, the morning dawns clear, afternoons are extremelz foggy (visibilitz often less then 10m) and early evening it clears up again. I think the fog is the mist that shrouds Kathmandu in the morning and rises up into the mountains in the afternoon.What is most surprising is how quicklythe clouds roll in, one minute all the surrounding peaks are in view and 30 seconds later nothing beyond your camp is visible. The trek today was relatively short so Kaji and I took several long breaks to bask in the warm sun and the beauty of the surrounding valley. I got mz first glimpse of Mera todaz (and the real Mera) and it is big! like Moby Dick big! I can t wait to set foot on its flanks, but that is still several days away. While the Mera we are climbin g is the highest trekking peak it is not the real Mera, the real Mera (generally refered to as peak 41, such a lovelier name!) is about 200m taller and much much more technical. also of curious note in the mountain names category is Island peak. Island peak is refered to on many maps and sources as being called Imja Tse, yet the Nepalese are unaware of this name, Kaji has never heard it and it is supposedlz a sherpa name. Oh and just in case the Mera/real Mera situation wasn[t complicated enough there is also a Mehra peak. Not much else of note today, mostlz hiknig through some stunning rhododendron and Himalazan pine forests and basking on top of some Maoist grafiti.
April 14, 2007
"I've climbed with some of the best climbers in the world, more importantly, to me, they are some of the best people in the world. That's another reason why I climb." — Jim Wickwire
In response to a post I recieved from my eldest brother I cannot post any photos until I return home on Wednesday as the internet connection here is too slow to post any.
We started early this morning which was fine by me as I was wide awake at 5 30. Today we were headed for Zatrawa La, 4600m which would be the highest altitude we will reach for a week or so.The climbing felt a bit slow and on several occassions Kaji actually told me too slow down, I m not sure if this is because he thinks I ll get AMS or we just don t have very far to hike. I guess the rate of ascent wasn t to bad as we managed a pace of about 1000 ft per hr which is on par with the typical pace we manage in the dacks, although there that 1000ft also includes a lot of horizontal distance as well. My altimeter was quite a bit off which meant I reached the pass some 450m sooner then expected. The views from the pass were quite incredible, but unfortunately I was forced to spend 2 hours at this high point waiting for Kaji as he had to set up and take down fixed lines used to help the porters ascend to the pass. While at the La I built an Inukshuk as I occasionallzy do on myjourneys in the mountains. I got mz first glimpse of an 8000m peak today, Cho Oyu (8201m), it looked huge in terms of volume but given the distance between us not so much in height. I started to suffer a bit from AMS on the way down as I got bored waiting and so ran around up top exploring and exerting myself more than I should have during those 2 hours of waiting. In oredr to combat the AMS I have been consuming copious amounts of water which has had the effect of turning me into a human sprinkler, thank god for the pee bottle, never leave home without it!
I have been appointed a tent all to my own which I rather enjoy as I can lounge about and have all my gear lying around, speaking of which I brought several pieces of gear that I didnt need to (sleeping mats, bowl, spoon, and cup (other items such as sleeping over bag, vapour barrier, down jacket... would be added to this list by the end of the journey)). While I dont carry these items anyways, the porters carry everything that doesnt fit in my daypack, it would have simplified packing. The one piece of gear I am most glad to have brought along is my MP3 player, its great to be able to listen to bit of music before drifting off to sleep.
I have a bit of a feeling that some people are underestimating my abilities and fitness, especiallz when in Lukla when man seemed to imply that Mera would prove to difficult to me. I know that I can accomplish what I ve set out to do otherwise I would have set my sights lower.
In response to a post I recieved from my eldest brother I cannot post any photos until I return home on Wednesday as the internet connection here is too slow to post any.
We started early this morning which was fine by me as I was wide awake at 5 30. Today we were headed for Zatrawa La, 4600m which would be the highest altitude we will reach for a week or so.The climbing felt a bit slow and on several occassions Kaji actually told me too slow down, I m not sure if this is because he thinks I ll get AMS or we just don t have very far to hike. I guess the rate of ascent wasn t to bad as we managed a pace of about 1000 ft per hr which is on par with the typical pace we manage in the dacks, although there that 1000ft also includes a lot of horizontal distance as well. My altimeter was quite a bit off which meant I reached the pass some 450m sooner then expected. The views from the pass were quite incredible, but unfortunately I was forced to spend 2 hours at this high point waiting for Kaji as he had to set up and take down fixed lines used to help the porters ascend to the pass. While at the La I built an Inukshuk as I occasionallzy do on myjourneys in the mountains. I got mz first glimpse of an 8000m peak today, Cho Oyu (8201m), it looked huge in terms of volume but given the distance between us not so much in height. I started to suffer a bit from AMS on the way down as I got bored waiting and so ran around up top exploring and exerting myself more than I should have during those 2 hours of waiting. In oredr to combat the AMS I have been consuming copious amounts of water which has had the effect of turning me into a human sprinkler, thank god for the pee bottle, never leave home without it!
I have been appointed a tent all to my own which I rather enjoy as I can lounge about and have all my gear lying around, speaking of which I brought several pieces of gear that I didnt need to (sleeping mats, bowl, spoon, and cup (other items such as sleeping over bag, vapour barrier, down jacket... would be added to this list by the end of the journey)). While I dont carry these items anyways, the porters carry everything that doesnt fit in my daypack, it would have simplified packing. The one piece of gear I am most glad to have brought along is my MP3 player, its great to be able to listen to bit of music before drifting off to sleep.
I have a bit of a feeling that some people are underestimating my abilities and fitness, especiallz when in Lukla when man seemed to imply that Mera would prove to difficult to me. I know that I can accomplish what I ve set out to do otherwise I would have set my sights lower.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
April 13, 2007
"You climb for the hell of it." — Edmund Hillary
Today is Friday the 13th a most auspicious day to start my trek. I started my day with wakeup tea (the cooks bring tea to your tent to wake you up) which is a great way to start the day and quite a novel experience. I then went out to purchase a rainfly and hopefully divest myself of one of my many 1000 NR notes which are unlikely to be accepted at rural tea houses, and I was successful on both accounts. I also met members of a french party also destined for Mera, so with any luck I will be able to enjoy their company for the first leg of my journey. It figures I travel half way around the world and I still end up speaking french :P We finally left Lukla ~ 9 and arrived at Chuttanga, our destination, ~ 2. The hike up was quite pleasant, I finally saw my first yaks (their identity confirmed by Kazi), plenty of bamboo, rhododendrons in bloom, and passed through several samll settlements. While it was all quite beautiful I can't imagine what it must have been like 10-20 years ago as there has been substantial deforestation. Chuttanga is at 3245m and I think I may be experiencing slight effects of altitude, I was wheezing a bit earlier and from time to time have a slight headache. There is only ~66% of O2 here that there is at sea level. Tomorrow we climb to 4600m where O2 is only about 57%, hopefully I won't put up too pathetic a display.
Kazi ate part of his supper with me tonight which was quite nice as sherpas and porters tend to eat separate from their clients. He was a bit quite when we first met (but so was I I guess) and now we are talking more and getting along famously, I like him quite a bit, I definently lucked out here. I guess the only other comment I have tonight is the amount of food the cooks try to feed me, it is all very tasty but I can only eat so much, I think they suffer from the 'Nanny syndrome' (my grandmother always prepares 3 times as much food as necessary and then tries to force it upon you, oh we refer to her as our Nanny (dont ask me why I have no clue)). Oh, and the french team has a toilet tent! Obsurd! Definently not ultralite : )
Today is Friday the 13th a most auspicious day to start my trek. I started my day with wakeup tea (the cooks bring tea to your tent to wake you up) which is a great way to start the day and quite a novel experience. I then went out to purchase a rainfly and hopefully divest myself of one of my many 1000 NR notes which are unlikely to be accepted at rural tea houses, and I was successful on both accounts. I also met members of a french party also destined for Mera, so with any luck I will be able to enjoy their company for the first leg of my journey. It figures I travel half way around the world and I still end up speaking french :P We finally left Lukla ~ 9 and arrived at Chuttanga, our destination, ~ 2. The hike up was quite pleasant, I finally saw my first yaks (their identity confirmed by Kazi), plenty of bamboo, rhododendrons in bloom, and passed through several samll settlements. While it was all quite beautiful I can't imagine what it must have been like 10-20 years ago as there has been substantial deforestation. Chuttanga is at 3245m and I think I may be experiencing slight effects of altitude, I was wheezing a bit earlier and from time to time have a slight headache. There is only ~66% of O2 here that there is at sea level. Tomorrow we climb to 4600m where O2 is only about 57%, hopefully I won't put up too pathetic a display.
Kazi ate part of his supper with me tonight which was quite nice as sherpas and porters tend to eat separate from their clients. He was a bit quite when we first met (but so was I I guess) and now we are talking more and getting along famously, I like him quite a bit, I definently lucked out here. I guess the only other comment I have tonight is the amount of food the cooks try to feed me, it is all very tasty but I can only eat so much, I think they suffer from the 'Nanny syndrome' (my grandmother always prepares 3 times as much food as necessary and then tries to force it upon you, oh we refer to her as our Nanny (dont ask me why I have no clue)). Oh, and the french team has a toilet tent! Obsurd! Definently not ultralite : )
April 12, 2007
"A climber's day always starts at the crux: getting out of bed." - Unknown
So my epic journey has begun, although quite slowly at first. Kazi and I left for the airport at 6am as we had a scheduled 7am departure. Unfortunately there was quite a substantial delay likely due to the weather in Lukla and we weren't in the air until 9:15. From what I've read this delay actually is quite minimal for flights to Lukla and trekkers can often be stranded for days. The plane was quite small and rediculously packed, the first 3 rows of seats were stuffed with baggage that wouldn't fit in the cargoe holds, the plane felt a little like a clown car with all the passengers and baggage. I would like to say that it was a comfortable flight, but then I would also like to say that I climbed Lhotse and Everest on this trip! The flight despite being cramped was uneventful until we approached the Himalayas... I sat shell shocked for the first several minutes watching the towering snow capped giants pass by, they were massive beyond all comprehension... and then I realised that these were really only the vanguard and that the true giants lurked behind and as of yet unseen.
Lukla is an interesting little town and the arrival there is no exception with only a couple of hundred meters of runway on which to stop if your not interested in a very up close and personal look at the mountain face at the end of the STOL. I saw my first yaks today at the tea house I will be camping at tonight and I think they are quite beautiful creatures. They share those doopey innocent eyes with their North American cattle cousins (turns out they weren't yaks but rather zho. Even at the end of my journey I still can't tell a yak/nak from a zho).
I am currently at 2,840m (~ 9100ft) and feel no worse for wear, hopefully this trend will continue at higher altitudes. This afternoon Dindy took me on a guided tour of Lukla, it is a lot bigger than I had anticipated and then it appears. We wondered along many foot paths and vistited the market (which was very uninspiring especially compared to Kathmandu's or even St-Chrosotome's), the monastery which has not yet been completed (but the artwork already created is exquisite) and the school located high above town. Finally to close off the day we wandered along 'main' street which felt a bit like Thamel, shops lining the streets and selling every type of wares imaginable. Lukla seems to have a very lucrative counterfit economy based on North Face and Mountain Hardwear apparel, everyone in town seems to sport a jacket by one of these two companies and seeing as how I can scarcely afford MH I fail to see how they can afford authentic apparel. Tomorrow my trek begins in earnest as we head for Chuttanga.
So my epic journey has begun, although quite slowly at first. Kazi and I left for the airport at 6am as we had a scheduled 7am departure. Unfortunately there was quite a substantial delay likely due to the weather in Lukla and we weren't in the air until 9:15. From what I've read this delay actually is quite minimal for flights to Lukla and trekkers can often be stranded for days. The plane was quite small and rediculously packed, the first 3 rows of seats were stuffed with baggage that wouldn't fit in the cargoe holds, the plane felt a little like a clown car with all the passengers and baggage. I would like to say that it was a comfortable flight, but then I would also like to say that I climbed Lhotse and Everest on this trip! The flight despite being cramped was uneventful until we approached the Himalayas... I sat shell shocked for the first several minutes watching the towering snow capped giants pass by, they were massive beyond all comprehension... and then I realised that these were really only the vanguard and that the true giants lurked behind and as of yet unseen.
Lukla is an interesting little town and the arrival there is no exception with only a couple of hundred meters of runway on which to stop if your not interested in a very up close and personal look at the mountain face at the end of the STOL. I saw my first yaks today at the tea house I will be camping at tonight and I think they are quite beautiful creatures. They share those doopey innocent eyes with their North American cattle cousins (turns out they weren't yaks but rather zho. Even at the end of my journey I still can't tell a yak/nak from a zho).
I am currently at 2,840m (~ 9100ft) and feel no worse for wear, hopefully this trend will continue at higher altitudes. This afternoon Dindy took me on a guided tour of Lukla, it is a lot bigger than I had anticipated and then it appears. We wondered along many foot paths and vistited the market (which was very uninspiring especially compared to Kathmandu's or even St-Chrosotome's), the monastery which has not yet been completed (but the artwork already created is exquisite) and the school located high above town. Finally to close off the day we wandered along 'main' street which felt a bit like Thamel, shops lining the streets and selling every type of wares imaginable. Lukla seems to have a very lucrative counterfit economy based on North Face and Mountain Hardwear apparel, everyone in town seems to sport a jacket by one of these two companies and seeing as how I can scarcely afford MH I fail to see how they can afford authentic apparel. Tomorrow my trek begins in earnest as we head for Chuttanga.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Success times 2
"I didn't actually want coffee, but I poured myself a cup, just because the pot was there. I guess I'm a lot like George Mallory, who had similar motivation for climbing Mount Everest." —Chuck Bonner.
Met with success on both Mera and Island peaks, although I had a bit of a misstep on the latter (got to love those fixed lines). I'll be back in Kathmandu in a couple of days and will update my blog then with all the journal enteries I kept along the way as internet is a bit too expensive in Namche Bazar. I just wanted to let everyone know that despite a near miss I am alive and well and look forward to sharing all my harrowing tales with you.
Met with success on both Mera and Island peaks, although I had a bit of a misstep on the latter (got to love those fixed lines). I'll be back in Kathmandu in a couple of days and will update my blog then with all the journal enteries I kept along the way as internet is a bit too expensive in Namche Bazar. I just wanted to let everyone know that despite a near miss I am alive and well and look forward to sharing all my harrowing tales with you.
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