Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Hi everybody, this is Casey checking in from the Cho Oyu Expedition. Sorry about the lack of dispatch yesterday. We have been under constant snowfall since we arrived at Advanced Basecamp (ABC). We wore out all the batteries around camp. Finally today we got a little break and some sun for a few hours and were able to charge some things. Everything is back up and operational.
Two days ago the team had a rest day here at ABC. We relaxed around camp and packed up a few things for the upper mountain. Started dividing up our loads and food that we will distribute at Camp 1, Camp 2, and Camp 3. We also reviewed our oxygen masks, nozzles and regulators. Everyone got that pretty well dialed in. That was pretty much it for the day.
Yesterday we got up early and went for a nice little hike. Managed to go all the way to Camp 1, just over 20,500'. Everybody did great. Took us almost six hours to get to Camp 1 and about three hours to descend back down. It was a good day- long and hard with snow falling sporadically all day. When we arrived back to ABC, we were welcomed by Kumar and some wonderful hot food for dinner.
Today has been a lot like two days ago. It has been nice and relaxing on our rest day here as we prepare to move to Camp 1 for our first rotation sleeping over 20,000' tomorrow. The team has again been relaxing and enjoying the little bit of sunshine that we had for a while today. Laundry was done and a few bird baths were taken.
All-in-all everybody seems like they are doing really well. The snow is back as I send this dispatch. It seems like every evening we are getting snowed on. Hopefully we are going to get a break here in the weather pretty soon and have some nice, warm and enjoyable temperatures.
That's it for now. We'll check in again from here in another day or two.
Hello everybody this is Casey checking in from Cho Oyu.
A lot has happened in the last few days. First off, we left our Interim Camp and have safely arrived at Advanced Base Camp where we will be based out of for the remainder of the climb. It was a beautiful hike across the moraine to reach a moderately flat spot which sits at 18,500' and makes it one of the highest Base Camps in the world.
The team pulled into camp and immediately began working hard to get camp set up. After most of our yaks arrived, we collected our things and got settled in for the night. It snowed most of the night and we woke up to warm, sunshine this morning which was welcomed by all.
Today we had our Puja ceremony which is a Buddhist ceremony where we ask for safe passage and for a safe climb. A Buddhist holy man, called a lama, presided over our ceremony. It was very surreal to hear the lama chanting while we sat looking up at the mountain we hope to climb. We made some small offerings to the mountain mostly food and drink which the local birds happily cleaned up. It snowed during the ceremony which the lama said was a good sign.
It continued to snow for the rest of the day and we spent time resting and acclimatizing to this new altitude.
Everyone is doing great and we are having fun too.
Hello everybody back home. This is Casey checking in.
Yesterday we spent some time hiking around Cho Oyu Basecamp. Fair amount also doing some training and getting some of our gear ready to move further up the mountain, which we did today. We left early this morning and hiked for several hours to our interim camp at 17,500'. One more day to reach Advanced Basecamp, which we'll be based out of basically for the rest of the expedition. It'll be our home for the next month. Everybody's doing well. We just finished a Nepalese meal prepared by Kumar. Currently we are settling into our tents, which are surrounded by all of the yaks that have carried all of our group gear, food, and supplies for this trip. Everybody's down for the night.
Everything is looking good for us. We got our first snow, just a light dusting but it was nice to see it.
We'll check in again tomorrow after we reach Advanced Basecamp.
Hope you guys are doing well back home,
We finally after many days of travel, have safely arrived in the Cho Oyu Basecamp at just over 16,000'. We were happily welcomed by our wonderful support team of Lama Babu, Tendi and our cook Kumar. When we pulled into camp, we had a nice lunch with the crew, got reacquainted with all of our gear and settled in to our tents.
This afternoon we went for a nice hike to just over 17,500'. The weather is great and the conditions look good. Everybody is incredibly excited to be here- finally out of the city life and into the mountains. All is well and everyone is in great health. Looking forward to spending a couple days here continuing our acclimatization.
We'll check in another day or two.
Our northerly latitude was evidenced by the long evenings last night, even at this time of year. Dawn broke early but we were in no rush to greet it, enjoying the opportunity to sleep in a bit. After breakfast we walked down the canal outside of the hotel to St. Isaac's Cathedral, the 4th largest cathedral in the world, where we climbed its winding staircase to the colonnade that offers expansive views of the St. Petersburg skyline. Afterwards we made our way across the historic center to the Church of the Savior on the Spilled Blood, a stunning classical Russian Church built upon the cobblestones where Tsar Alexander II was assassinated. Finally, we ended at the Hermitage Museum, an expansive collection of artwork spreading out over five buildings of St. Peter's palaces. With only 5% of it's collection displayed, it would still take days to fully explore the museum, much less appreciate the thousands upon thousands of pieces of art.
After several hours of sightseeing we had some time in the afternoon to relax and explore the city on our own. After dinner, with the evening sun spreading across the sky, we boarded a boat and took a tour of St. Petersburg's canals, watching the city go from evening to night from the water.
Tomorrow we all head home, ending our journeys in Russia. It is difficult to imagine a better group of people to share the challenge, excitement, and adventure of Elbrus' North Side with. It has been a fantastic trip and we are sad to see it end.
It was another wonderful day here in Tibet. We woke to a light drizzle so we put the hike on a rain delay. Just a few miles from here is the Shegar monastery, so we decided to pay a visit and are we glad we did. It is an amazing sight to behold. It was built in the 12th centry on a steep mountain side, and it looks like something out of the "Lord of the Rings". We spent a few minutes exploring the grounds and even got a quick view of Mt. Everest. After our exploring we headed to the main temple of the monastery for a quick look. To our surprise we found that the monks were still in their morning prayer session and were chanting, playing horns, and beating on drums. It was a very special moment for everyone to say the least. A few team members said it was the highlight of the trip so far.
After our adventure we headed back to the hotel for lunch then went out on a hike. There is a nice hill right behind where we are staying and the team made good time getting to the top. It only took about an hour to reach the summit that was just over 15,000'. Along the way we saw several mountain goats and a bunch of strange yet beautiful rocks. I even found a small stone with some crystals on it. All in all it was a great day. We will get an early start tomorrow as we have one last drive to reach Cho Oyu base camp.
We left Kislovodsk early this morning, making the 45 minute drive north out of the foothills and into the farmland to the Mineralnye Vody airport. Getting checked in was a smooth affair and before long we were airborne, heading northward to St. Petersburg.
We touched down in the early afternoon and navigated the mayhem of the Pulkovo domestic terminal to retrieve our baggage and drive into town. The difference between St. Petersburg and the Caucasus as well as Moscow is striking. Built by Peter the Great and modeled after European cities, wide boulevards are neatly aligned through rows of classically built buildings, painted in shades of pastel colors. Constructed on swamp land, miles of canals help drain the city and water is everywhere with bridges and waterways weaving throughout, giving the city the reputation as the "Venice of the North".
Our hotel sits right on the banks of the Moikya Canal, a few minutes stroll from the historic center of St. Petersburg. We arrived early enough to have some time to explore the city on our own before our tour tomorrow. It was another long day of traveling and after an excellent dinner we are turning in for the evening.
Its been a busy last few days here in Tibet, and we have logged some serious car time. Yesterday we left Lhasa around 9am and drove until 8pm to reach Xigatse (sha-got-see). It was an exhausting, but beautiful drive across the Tibetan Plateau. There were hundreds of small villages scattered across the countryside. Most of the homes are handmade from stone and are inhabited by Tibetans that live very simple lives. Most of the Tibetans are farmers and raise livestock in this stark environment. The terraced valleys are evidence of the centuries of farming. We visited several monasteries along the way and drove over a few paved passes that reached as high as 17,000'. Today was more of the same and we have finally reached our last town before we head into the mountains. We are currently in Shegar or also known as New Tingri in a hotel with other climbers and trekkers from around the world. We will spend two nights here to continue acclimatizing. Shegar sits at just over 14,000', nearly as high as Mt. Rainier. We are thankfully going on a hike tomorrow and everyone is excited especially after so much sitting in the car.
All is well and we'll check in again soon.
With fresh sheets and comfortable beds we slept soundly last night, enjoying the luxuries of town after being in the mountains for so long. After breakfast we headed out to explore Kislovodsk, walking through its broad pedestrian area and wandering in the large parks that cover town. Kislovodsk is known throughout Russia for its many mineral baths and is experiencing a rebirth in domestic tourism. The grand old buildings are being renovated and small touristy shops built of shiny glass and decorated with all sorts of neon lights line the streets of downtown. The parks and plazas were busy with sightseers, browsing the stalls of goods or getting their photo taken with eagles and owls now domesticated by enterprising locals. The contrast of Russia's past and present continues to show itself in this town and is a fascinating occurrence to be watching unfold.
We were all much in need of a mellow day to rest a bit after Elbrus and most of us took advantage of the rainy afternoon to sort our gear and sneak in a nap. Tomorrow morning we head back to Mineralnye Vody to catch our flight to St. Petersburg to visit the city before ending our adventures in Russia. We will check in tomorrow evening from the banks of the Neva River.
The thick air of Elbrus Base Camp, the same air that felt so thin a mere 8 days ago, put us into a deep slumber. With a casual breakfast in the morning we gradually packed all of our gear in preparation for the van rides out of the mountains. By midmorning we were snuggly sitting in the back of our vehicle - a Russian interpretation of a '60s VW van with 4 wheel drive. Although lacking in certain onboard amenities (cup holders, anyone?), the vehicle performed its task of getting us out of the Caucasus admirably.
We returned to Kislovodsk around 4 in the afternoon and immediately jumped into the hot showers. Emerging clean and sporting a new change of clothes, we headed to dinner at a nearby cafe, mystifying the waitress with multiple orders of appetizers and entrees per person. But she rose to the challenge and brought a fantastic meal to the table, all the more enjoyable due to the 8 days on the mountain.
Tomorrow we will remain in Kislovodsk, exploring the city and relaxing a bit. We are hoping to visit some of its renowned mineral baths in the afternoon before repacking all of our gear for Thursday's flight to St. Petersburg.
Previous Page
Next Page
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
