30 Apr - Back at Everest Basecamp

Well, we're back from our sourjourn on the mountain.

The first day was our first time up the icefall; as series of ropes to be clipped and ladders to be negotiated across crevasses and around seracs up to camp 1.

The glacier evens off to camp 1 which we stayed at for 2 nights, the day spent reading and lazing in progressively hotter tents, while it was too windy to leave the doors open without being covered in spindrift, which actually became welcome as the afternoon progressed, and myself and Susan who I was sharing with were down to our underwear and the tiny ice ice particles on our skin were both shocking and refreshing.

The important thing is to avoid dehydration, so we were melting snow on our little gas stove much of the time, and, in the evening trying to heat up boil-in-the-bag meals which are never more than lukewarm, as the water boils at lower temperatures high up.

The following day, the sun hit the trail early and we found ourselves slogging up the shallow-angled glacier to camp 2 with the blazing sun reflected onto us by the snow-bowl of the Western Cwm.

Camp 2 is pretty luxurious for over 6400m; we have a cook stationed there, so we don't have to spend hours melting snow or cooking and can rehydrate with ease.

We also have a mess-tent with a table fashioned from rocks, with a tarpaulin lashed round it, and similar for seating, but very comfortable given the circumstances!

We had planned to stay there for 2 nights, perhaps climbing some of the way up the Lhotste face towards camp 3, but the next morning saw us hurrying down the hill in the teeth of rumours of bad weather coming in for several days; much better to be stranded at basecamp than higher up.

Down through the icefall was hot, hot, hot, and even though it was much quicker down than up, we arrived back at BC pretty bushed, but in time for lunch.

We are all delighted at the effect of our acclimatization, meaning that it is no longer the long puff-&-pant getting between our tents and the mess-tent that it was, and our bodies are adapting as they should. After great night's sleep, interrupted only by the numerous avalanches all around which sound perilously close, but are in fact a way away, we're all in good spirits and looking forward to a couple of rest days before going up the mountain again....

23 Apr - EBC

Today everyone woke in high spirits, looking forward to finally getting to basecamp, and settling in. The long walk over the morrain ended in bad weather, so the massive sea of ice looked flat and uninviting, and the little yellow tents looked pretty insubstantial and chilly.

Camp itself was a welcome site, with the luxury of a heated mess-tent ( a gas heater beneath the table) which banished the misery of cold feet every evening, and proper plastic chairs. Most welcome as this will be the place we come tyo recover after our forays higher on the mountain.

The camp is actually on the glacier, though the ground is covered with rocks and gravel, it's easy to slip and expose the white ice underneath.

Tomorrow is a day for sorting out the kit that was sent straight to bacecamp, and the day after we will venture out for a play on the icefall to get our ladder-crossing technique perfected.

After that we will be up to camp 1 for 2 nights then, depending on how we are feeling altitude-wise, up to Camp2 for a night before coming down to recover.

21 Apr - Kongma La

We camped by the lakes below the Kongma La pass at around 5400m, ready to go up Pokalde the next day.
The lakes were frozen to around 5 inches thick and covered with snow; perfect for snow-graffiti!
The night drew cold and the familiar dual discomforts of cold feet and sore back from sitting on stools drove us all to our cosy sleeping bags early. The moon not yet up revealed a sky so packed with stars that there did not seem to be empty spaces between the familiar constellations, and the milky way flung like from horizon to jagged horizon.
Pokalde is basically a big pile of steepy dipping schist, which, after the initial snowfields proved to be a dusty slog up variously loose rock shining silvery in the sun , and gullies full of mica dust which covered our clothing like slightly glam glitter, but probabaly didn't do too much good to the lungs. The top required us to fix a rope, as it was a bit of an exposed scramble, falling away literally km's on all sides.

20th Apr - Kongma La

Well, after a lovely 2 days rest at Dingboche, we ascended towards the Kongma La pass, only to be caught in a bit of a snowstorm. We camped by a lake, but no views!

Fortunately, the morning dawned blue skied and we continued up to our high camp, where I'm writing this. A stunning spot with views of Ama Dablam and Lhotse to name but a few.

Tommorrow we will nip up Pokalde and camp here for a second night, at aroun 5550m, which is higher than basecamp.

We're all itching toi get there now, even though we've bumped into some dubious characters on their way there who we will be trying to avoid at all costs on the mountain.

18th April - Dingboche

Well, we came over the Cho La pass in beautiful weather to stunning views all round. The glacier was a bit tricky for the porters but with extra poles and Chris (one of the team) cutting a few steps and a bit of load-slidding we all managed to get safely over to drop back into the Khumbu valley by the afternoon. It was bizzare to be back on the main trail with it's many, many trekkers. We were actually going in the opposite direction to most of them as they headed to basecamp as the culmination of their trek; we will be camping below another high pass and doing a little peak called Pokalde on the way for extra acclimatization. Today is a lovely rest day, spent here in the internet cafe and in the bakery for some rather lovely cakes to make a nice change from the predominantly egg-based diet that we have been enjoying up to now. And then there's the yak burgers at the lodge.......mmmmmmm. Our last lodge; it's all tent's from tomorrow on in.

13 April - Tagnag

Up on Nobby's view yesterday, on a day walk from Gokyo. Good acclimatiozation at 5500m, but unfortunately no views. On a clear day these are spectacular, but not for us!
This morning we dropped slightly in a 'rest' day; over the huge glacier covered in rocks looking more like apocalyptical carnage than the pristine white ice of the glaciers higher up.

12 April - Gokyo

We camped at the lake last night on the way to Renjo La. A lovely frozen lake with a soft coarse sand beach.
The cook tent is astonishing, everything on the ground, half the kerosene stoves not working, and yet the most delicious food being produced.
The following morning a leisurely start, with around 500m of ascent up to the pass with stunning views of both valleys, but Everest itself in cloud.
The pass is at around 5300m - the same as Basecamp. Our idea is to be well acclimatized by the time we get to BC rather than (as other groups tend to do) spend 9 or 10 days getting to BC, then sit there feeling grim for a few days before maybe descending to do a further small peak.
We should arrive at BC good to go straight up to camp 1 and sleep there, and maybe even touch camp 2.

12 April - Gokyo

We camped at the lake last night on the way to Renjo La. A lovely frozen lake with a soft coarse sand beach.
The cook tent is astonishing, everything on the ground, half the kerosene stoves not working, and yet the most delicious food being produced.
The following morning a leisurely start, with around 500m of ascent up to the pass with stunning views of both valleys, but Everest itself in cloud.
The pass is at around 5300m - the same as Basecamp. Our idea is to be well acclimatized by the time we get to BC rather than (as other groups tend to do) spend 9 or 10 days getting to BC, then sit there feeling grim for a few days before maybe descending to do a further small peak.
We should arrive at BC good to go straight up to camp 1 and sleep there, and maybe even touch camp 2.

10 April - Arya

We continued up the side valley to a tiny place called Arya. The valley has become drier and bleaker as as we progressed. It has it’s own harsh beauty, with dry stone walls and tiny stone-built shacks, and the dusty earth peppered with rocks and th odd mani stone. We seem to be the only trekkers in the valley – people only come to go over the Renjo La pass like us, and they are few, hence the accommodation becoming more and more basic. We’ll be in tents tomorrow. Yesterday we wandered further up the valley towards the Cho la pass into Tibet as a bit of acclimatization. This is well off the beaten track as it is past the turn-off for the renjo La, and the only company we had were yaks nibbling at the thin short vegetation and a solitary trader making his way back down from Tibet, heavy load on his back, and in his hand dangling a spool; spinning wool as he walked. Today we have another aclimatization day, and tomorrow we will be moving up to camp just below the Renjo La pass to give us a good slieeping altitude gain, befor e going over the pass the next day and dropping down into Gokyo with it’s lakes and teahouses.

7th April; - Rest Day at Thame

This morning we walked up to the monastery above Thame where we’d arranged to have an expedition puja ceremony (blessing) by the local monks. The room in which it took place was a riot of colour; painted cieling, painted walls, hangings, effigies of buddha, photographs of important monks, flowers, candles.......The whole of the wall behind the monks was made up of little painted boxes, each containing an incantation. Presumably the appropriate one was chosen for our trip, and as we sat round on the floor, four monks in their burgundy robes, one topped off by a matching puffa jacket, began to chant. After a while of this chanting, one of those wonderfully evocative horns was blown, and the instruments were introduced; a pair of carved cymbals with semi-hemispherical middle sections, played horizontally, and a large, brightly-painted circular double-skinned drum that hung from the cieling producing a deep, beautifal cadenced sound. The result s were amazing; kind of tuneful, yet atonal, slightly soporific rhythmic and soothing all in one. This continued for about half an our, so I guess we got well & truely blessed, then the head monk (who looked well-hard, a bit like Bullet Proof Monk in th movie), blessed the kharta (scarves) we’d previously been given, along with, in my case, a lucky charm I’d been given by a friend before I left. That afternoon we went along to a small village nearby where a local artist lived in pretty basic style. He’d been caught out on a pass trading with Tibet and had been trapped in a snow-hole for four days wrapped only on the blankets he’d come to trade. He emerged with terrible frost-bite in his hands and feet. After a year in hospital he is left with stumps for all 4, but he’s learned to paint the most beautiful pictures; scenes of the valley and buddhist symbols. Tomorrow, we will be moving upwards again.......

5th-6th April - To Thame

6^th April – to Thame

We’ve been here less than a week and it already feels like ages. The routine of early wake-up, followed by packing the bags so the porters can get off with them early, breakfast, walk, tea, walk, eat, walk, eat, sleep is becoming familiar again.

Later we will be camping, but for the next few days we will be staying in the ubiquitous tea-houses; stone-built lodges that are dotted along the trails with imaginative names like ‘Everest View, ‘Valley View’ & ‘Sunshine Lodge’.

We left the main Khumbu valley yesterday, and headed up the thame Valley. The usual bustle of yaks with their drivers & porters carrying unfeasibly large loads of anything from bottled gas to eggs, chickens, pringles or coke in wicker baskets stacked high above their heads has fallen away and we’re in a much less well-trodden valley with more in the way of agriculture, and even a yak nursery.

It seems to be potato planting season, and the little walled fields are now all turned brown earth. We’ve seen a family of 4 witha team of 2 yaks ploughing, 2 potato-droppers and a stamper-inner. These are the lucky ones; we’ve also seen lone, bent old women in their traditional skirts creeping round their suddenly enormous-looking plots, bending and reaching slowly, one potato at a time to fill it.

The weather has fallen into apattern of glorious sunshine in the mornings , clouding over in the afternoons with usually a little snow; and cold! Also dry, despite the frequent rain & snow. I’m told that here the snowfall doesn’t melt, but simply sublimatres into the thirsty air and dissappears in a matter of hours.

Monday 4th April

Well, we just made it to Namche Bazarre as the snow started.....
The flight in was as spectacular as ever, and the trail pretty empty; it's not optimum trekking weather at this time of year, so it's nice and quiet.

We gained a bit of elevation today, so we'll be staying at a lodge a bit higher than we are now for a couple of days get our bodies used to the altitude, then we'll be going off up the Thame valley for a bit of trekking to higher elevations.

I doubt I'll be able to update this from there, but I'll see what I can do. Anyway, nothing exciting is really happening yet - just a normal trekking holiday!

I'll try to put up some photos next time.

2 April

Arrived in Kathmandu yesterday evening and got ourselves installed into a nice little hotel near enough to the centre to walk in. Today will be all about those last-minute purchases, so we'll take ourselves off to Shona's, which is a bit of a tradition before any expedition, it being an Aladin's cave of kit. Stuff is crammed into every piece of wall and floorspace of a tiny shop in the Thamel district of Ktm. Here you could kit out anything from a 2 week trek to an everest summit; some of the kit is even genuine (and just as costly as at home). For me, though it will be just one or two bits and pieces. We'll be trying for the first flight to Lukla in the morning. I just wish I hadn't seen that '10 Most Dangerous Airport's in the World' programme on TV. I think Lukla was about number 2. Hmmm