Author: bartw55

This morning we’re off to Lobuche at 16,200. That’s where tent camping starts and Judy is so excited!  No, not really.

Yesterday was a rest and acclimatization day. We had a fun hike up to about 15,000 feet. Three years ago Judy wasn’t really interested in doing this, so I went up as high as possible with Tom Calton. This time around we didn’t go as high, as the guides are taking care that we not stress our bodies at these higher altitudes too quickly.  I enjoyed having Jude with me, and we had fun mingling with the other trekkers and climbers and taking pictures.

There will be no wi-fi at the Lobuche camp, so I will likely be updating the blog by satellite phone. We’ll be spending three nights there to continue our acclimatization before continuing on to EBC!

We left beautiful Tengboche today on our way to Pherishe, about seven miles farther up the valley, and we gained another 1500 feet.

The first stop along the way is Pangboche where the Lama Geshe resides; he offers a blessing of safe passage on the mountain to any climber or trekker who desires one.  A small tip is much appreciated.  It brought back memories of watching Tom Burton and Will Calton receive it when we were with them three years ago. I was jealous, wishing I was also receiving the blessing of safe passage high on Mt. Everest. My wish came true as I received the same blessing today.  It was a very nice event and we all liked the old Lama who is witty and fun and reminded me a little of the Dali Lama.  This was actually the second of three blessings.  The first was a special one I received from my father, and the third will be the Puja ceremony at Everest Base Camp before we start the climb up through the Icefall.

By the way, I’m posting lots of pictures on Instagram under bartw55, and Alan at alanarnette.com has posted a picture of the new route through the Icefall.  Also, IMG at their website, mountainguides.com, has posted several pictures of our group, including Judy and me.

From Pangboche we quickly entered a moon-like landscape, leaving behind the beauty of spring in the lower Khumbu. The winds picked up and the temperature dropped and I realized things start getting a bit more serious now.  We’re in Pherishe at nearly 14,000 feet.  We’ll have a rest day here but will do an acclimatization hike tomorrow where we will have beautiful views of Ama Dablam.

Continue reading Judy Shines

We finally caught a break in the weather!  The third time was a charm, and at last we escaped Kathmandu!

Yesterday, we came so close to getting out!  We actually had our boarding passes in hand, but all flights were cancelled once again due to windy weather conditions at Lukla.  We were all so disappointed!  Our hopes had been high because the weather in Kathmandu had been beautiful all day.  Over a three-day period we spent nearly 15 hours in the dark and depressing Kathmandu airport before finally taking flight and heading to Lukla this morning.  This three-day setback to our schedule won’t necessarily affect the climbers, but may affect the trekkers. They could be shorted a day or two at EBC (Everest Base Camp).

It was a glorious flight to Lukla, making the delay seem worth the wait.  Clouds developed as we approached the Himalayas, but, luckily, it remained clear enough for our pilot to make a perfect landing on the steep mountain runway.  Even though we were all somewhat apprehensive about the flight, especially Caroline and Kara (a Delta Airlines pilot), the entire plane erupted in cheers as we landed safely! After leaving the plane we made our way to a nearby tea house to wait for our duffel bags.  A bakery is part of the lodge, and Judy and I shared a delicious piece of chocolate cake.  We met five of our climbing Sherpa, then started our trek to Phakding.  Interestingly, we hiked down to begin with.  Phakding is about 600 feet lower than Lukla in elevation.

We both kept our fingers crossed and, thankfully, Judy had no knee issues, not even a twinge of pain.  What a great relief!  Judy is ecstatic!  We’ll be staying tonight at the Sunrise Tea House.  It is very close to where we stayed before and is quaint and cozy.  We both like it better, because it’s warmer!

Shades of trying to get out of Lukla three years ago!  This time, weather prevented us from getting in.  So, we got lots of third world airport time.

After several hours of waiting, we ventured outside on the second level for some fresh air.  To our surprise there were several monkeys hang’n out there also. We were initially intrigued but soon forgot about them. We were engaged in a conversation when suddenly a monkey rushed Judy and stole some crackers she had clutched to her chest.  It quite alarmed us, but fortunately no scratches or bites.

That was the high point of the day, as the weather was unrelenting; we were forced to abandon the effort to fly into Lukla and find a hotel for the night.  Hopefully we’ll have better luck tomorrow, but so far it doesn’t look too promising.  Needless to say, I’m itchy to get started but still in good spirits and exercising patience.

Boudhanath is the largest, most impressive stupa in Nepal.  Nepalese Buddhists believe the winds blow the prayers on the prayer flags to heaven.

We spent an hour here today, after the team meeting, contemplating our own hopes and prayers.  Most of these for our loved ones at home and for safety on our flight and trek to Mt. Everest.

Jude and I made our final preparations to begin the trek tomorrow.  We’re looking forward to our early morning flight to Lukla, one of the most dangerous airports in the world.  It’s a thrill I look forward to with great anticipation!  I will be unable to use wi-fi or satellite phone for the next two or three days, so remember no news is good news.  Also, IMG updates their website on the internet frequently at mountainguides.com.

After arriving safely in Kathmandu, we had an acceptable night’s sleep.  Greg Vernovage, the expedition leader, instructed us to take some Melatonin as we went to bed last night to speed our body clock and sink with the 12-hour time difference.  We are now a half day ahead of Utah.

Greg spent about two hours with us this morning doing gear checks.  We passed!  Our trekking duffels average 32 pounds while the my climber’s duffel, going directly to Base Camp, weighs about 50 pounds. We are staying three nights here at the Hotel Tibet before flying to Lukla to start the trek.

I’ve met eight of the 12 climbers in my group so far.  They all seem nice, but our favorites are an energetic Canadian married couple, who are both medical doctors. Caroline is a OBGYN and Jason is a Naturopath specializing in sports medicine in Calgary where many Olympic athletes train.  They both hope to summit together.  To my knowledge there has been only one other married couple do this.

We spent part of the day walking around the tourist district of Thamel, an interesting area full of small shops.  The majority seem to cater to the mountaineering crowd, whether trekkers or climbers.

There is another IMG group of climbers that arrived a day before us and will continue to be a day ahead of us.  They are the Hybrid group.  They share a guide between four climbers. My group, the more experienced Classic group, will use mostly Sherpa support.  The Hybrid group were denied a flight to Lukla yesterday due to weather, but were able to fly up today by helicopter. The weather looks better for the next few days, so hopefully we’ll stay on schedule to fly up Sunday and start the trek.