Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Linden checked in from Everest Base Camp today. They spent some of the early afternoon in the lower Kumbu working on cramponing, fixed line travel and self and team arrest getting ready for the upcoming climb of Island Peak. They also were able to witness first hand the work of the legendary Ice Fall Doctors as they worked to put in a route on the Khumbu Ice Fall preparing it for the upcoming climbers.
The team enjoyed some company at Base Camp this evening as RMI's Jeff Martin and Mark Tucker (RMI Everest Basecamp Manager) joined the team for dinner. Jeff and Mark will be putting the finishing touches on Everest Base Camp prior to the climbing team's arrival in a few days. This will be the climbers home base for the next two and a half months.
Tomorrow the Island Peak team will leave the comforts of Everest Base Camp and climb to the Summit of Kala Patar, a small peak across the valley from Everest on the lower slopes of Pumori. Tonight they enjoyed the views from Base Camp, and although they are sad to leave the comforts of camp, they are looking forward to what is ahead...reaching the summit of Island Peak.
(Voicemail from Linden)
Hello, this is Linden calling. It is Sunday evening our time and we are calling from Everest Base Camp. We left Lobuche this morning with our nicest weather yet. We stopped in Gorak Shep for morning tea and continued through the glacier, ice and morraine to arrive at Base Camp by mid afternoon.
Our Sherpa team has been working really hard up here these last few weeks and have established our camp and been getting things ready for our Everest Expedition team.
We enjoyed lunch and a relaxing afternoon here at Everest Base Camp looking back through the valley where we have just traveled.
Our team is doing well and feeling very strong. We made great time today. We plan to do some training tomorrow at Base Camp in preparation for our Island Peak Climb. We will check in again tomorrow.
Hi all,
We woke to another beautiful day in the Khumbu. Crystal clear skies and surrounded by magnificent mountains, including Ama Dablam in the morning light. What a sight!
It was our second night in Deboche, and the group is doing really well. After breakfast we started hiking along the Imja River, following its banks until the valley walls narrowed and we began the climb up to Pangboche. Pangboche is a small village, but a very important stop on our trek to Basecamp. It is here that the Lama Geshe gives his blessing for a safe expedition. Each climber receives a "kata" and blessing card and this is followed by his blessing. The tradition is for the climbers to take a picture holding the blessing card while on top of Everest and then mail it back to him. One whole wall is covered with pictures of climbers, spanning many years. To take part in this ceremony is an honor and gives valuable insight into the Sherpa culture.
After leaving Lama Geshe's house, it was a short walk to the oldest monastery in the Khumbu. Though simple and basic, it has been standing for over 400 years!
Still traversing above the Imja River, the valley opened up and a junction in the trail marked the way to Pheriche. We are now all settled in for the afternoon at our tea house. Some are reading and playing chess and the rest of the team is playing Texas Hold'em. Tucker has been cleaning up the last few nights with the card games, but he is about to run out of luck...
(Voicemail from Linden)
Hey, this is Linden calling. We are checking in from Lobuche. We had a very relaxing rest day today. We took a stroll up valley a little way to the Italian Research facility. We took a tour of their facility and got updated on the climate studies in this area.
We had spectacular views of the whole panorama of the upper Khumbu. It was a gorgeous day with light winds. We returned to Lobuche in the afternoon and enjoyed the sunshine, rested, read and got caught up on our journals. Tomorrow we will walk the final stretch to Everest Base Camp. We will check in from the glacier at 17,575'. Hope everyone is doing well and surviving the snow storm there. We will talk to you soon.
Good Friday to one and all.
A beautiful sunny rest day here in Deboche with just a bit of wind. The team has been doing some short hikes to near by ridges and the Tengboche Monastery. Views of Everest show its not the day to be on top with winds creating a plume off the summit that streches for miles.
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Tomorrow we move up from 12,300' to Pheriche at just over 14,000'. Which in this part of the world means good by to trees. By the time we get to basecamp not even a bush will be present. I look forward to eight weeks from now when we return to this beautiful forest, but can't wait to get to the base of the Khumbu Icefall and spend time on the glacier.
Wishing you a Happy Easter!
(Voicemail from Linden)
We left Pheriche early this morning and trekked our way through Thokla, this sits on the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. We climbed to the top of Thokla Pass to view the climbers' memorials draped in prayer flags. By midday we had arrived at our tea house in Lobuche.
We spent the afternoon relaxing and acclimatizing at our new altitude of 16,200'. Everyone is acclimatizing very well. We will spend one day here hiking and relaxing and enjoying the great views.
As we move through Lobuche and onto Everest Base Camp, communication can be difficult but we will do our best to keep in touch. Tell everyone at home "Hello" we are having a great time and are very excited to be so close to EBC!
Linden
Today we awoke to a blue bird sky and prepared for another day of trekking. After three nights at Namche Bazar (11,300 ft.), the team was feeling good and it was time to continue on towards Basecamp. As we hiked above Namche and wrapped around the hill side, the major peaks came into view. With the clear skies, we had magnificent views of Ama Dablam, Everest, Nuptse and Lhotse. The hiking was great and I was amazed at how well maintained the trails were. We passed many locals working on breaking rocks and stacking them into place, creating the feeling of cobblestone streets in many places. As we continued on the trail we eventually dropped down into the valley floor where we stopped and had lunch in Phungi Thanga (10,662 ft.) which Dave Hahn jovially refers to as "Funky Town"! After yet another gluttonous meal in the sunshine watching yaks, porters and trekkers go by, we decided it was time for us to continue on as well. After a river crossing on a swinging wooded style bridge, we slowly made our way uphill to Tengboche where the Tengboche Monastery is located. After resting and drinking Fanta's, Coke and water (with some making a quick dash to the local bakery for chocolate cake!), we hiked a short distance downhill thru a Rhododendron forest to arrive in Deboche (12,533 ft.). Now in Deboche, we are staying at the Ama Dablam Garden Lodge where we will spend two nights. Once again, things have gone smoothly and everyone is having a good time and staying in good health.
Late yesterday evening we were treated to a spectacular moonrise over the Ama Dablam massif here in Pheriche. The very full moon bathed the surrounding peaks in a brilliant light, the glaciers glowing so strongly that after retreating inside I was obliged to pull my curtains closed to cast extra darkness into my little room. Luckily, the clear skies persisted through the night and we awoke to another crystal clear morning, with only the highest peaks sporting their jet stream plume of clouds far above us.
Leaving our bags in the teahouse, we set off up a small trail above Pheriche, climbing quickly we passed several stray yaks and decaying chortens as we climbed higher. With the weather staying clear and the team climbing strongly, we made good time up the ridgeline, soon gaining the summit of Nangkar Tshang, a rocky outcropping around 16,500' standing proudly above the confluence of the Imja Khola Valley - coming from Island Peak - and the Dudh Kosi Valley - coming from Everest. Along the way we had excellent views of our climbing destination, Island Peak, which we will return to in a few days after visiting Everest Base Camp. Standing by itself at the head of the valley at well over 20,000', the peak does indeed resemble an island, surrounded with a backdrop of some of the world's highest peaks including Nuptse, Lhotse, and Makalu.
After enjoying the views from the summit of Nangkar Tshang, we headed back down the trail, quickly losing the elevation that we worked so hard to gain. Before returning to Pheriche, we walked down to the the sister village of Dingboche, visiting a small building built high into the cliff face above the valley on our way. Returning to Pheriche, we returned in time to sit in on the HRA Clinic daily Altitude Talk, listening to Dr. Barb Jones from the US give us the latest briefings on altitude science and demonstrating the use of a Gamow Bag, or portable hyperbaric chamber, for us.
Tomorrow we climb higher towards Everest, bound for the small herding village of Lobuche, situated just past the terminus of the Khumbu Glacier. Communication from Lobuche is difficult but we will do our best to keep everyone up to date with our progress.
Namaste everyone,
Today was our third and final day in wonderful Namche Bazaar. We had an early breakfast and headed out the door for a hike that was part exploring and part acclimatization. The weather was calm and clear and allowed us some of our first views of Everest and other Himalayan giants. It was breathtaking to say the least. Even though Mt. Everest is still miles away it looks really BIG! We climbed up to somewhere around 12,000' so that's only 17,035' more to go.
Our adventure took us to two villages called Khunde and Khumjung. Khumjung is famous from Sir Edmond Hillary having built one of the first schools in the Khumbu Valley and their delicious bakery. Along the way we stopped off at the Everest View Hotel and had a quick drink and enjoyed the view the hotel is famous for.
Everyone is doing great and we are looking forward to moving further up the Khumbu Valley.
We awoke to an amazingly clear morning with the surrounding peaks dusted in a fresh coat of white from yesterday afternoon's snowfall. We hit the trail early, weaving our way out of Deboche's rhododendron forests, across a soaring bridge high above the Dudh Kosi, and then gradually climbing up the western side of the valley, soaking in the morning sun. Taking a side tour from the main route, we climbed up past several rows of mani stones to the village of Upper Pangboche. There we visited Lama Geshe, a well known and respected spiritual leader of the area. After paying our respects to him he proceeded to lead our small climbing team through a blessing ceremony, requesting safe passage from Chomolungma, the goddess of Everest and the Khumbu area, for our trek and climb ahead. Amidst chanting, throwing of rice, the burning of incense, and many hearfelt laughs, Lama Geshe gave a letter to each of us to carry with us on our climb, draped a kata scarf over our heads, and tied a small red string around our necks. A very geniune and happy person, it is difficult to leave the presence of Lama Geshe not feeling calmed, refreshed, and excited about the adventures ahead.
After saying goodbye, we continued out of the small cluster of buildings of Pangboche, gradually ascending higher up the valley, past more mani stones, chortens, and a beautiful mural of Guru Rinpoche, the Buddhist lama credited with bringing Buddhism to the area, painted onto a cliff face. The team is clearly acclimatizing well and walking strongly because we arrived at our destination - the small village of Pheriche - by midday, even with our long stopover at Lama Geshes.
We have spent the afternoon relaxing in the comfortable dining room of our teahouse, chatting with fellow trekkers and the doctors of the nearby Himalayan Rescue Association (HRA) Clinic, and getting comfortable in the thin air of 14,000'.
We will stay another day in Pheriche tomorrow, going for a day hike above the valley and continuing to prepare our bodies for higher altitudes. We will check-in tomorrow when we return.
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