MOUNTAINEERING NEPAL - OCT-NOV 2000
Our team assembled in Kathmandu over the last week of October to make the much anticipated trip to Mt Ama Dablam.
We had flown into Tribhuvan Airport on the daily Thai Airways flight from Bangkok. Sitting on the right hand side of the plane, we were lucky to have an incredible view of the giant Himalayan peaks, including Mt. Everest. We spotted the snow covered peak of Ama Dablam rising majestically through the clouds and the reality of what we were attempting really hit home!
This was my first time in Nepal so initially I found Kathmandu with its combination of noise, traffic, people and animals completely overwhelming. The Tibet Hotel near Thamel was a pleasant haven though and after a few days I learned to love the city, seeing vibrancy and colour where at first I'd just seen squalor and chaos.
Eating out was another pleasant surprise. I expected to get sick at least once, but we ate really well and no one in our party had any problems. I also had a lot of fun shopping. There are some great shops, especially if you like Buddhist artifacts and costume jewelry.
Of course we weren't there to shop and eat out! This trip was a very important part of the BASEClimb II project. Marta and I would be learning to mountaineer with Russell Brice, one of the world's most experienced climbers and mountain guides. Russell and Glenn are old friends, having worked together on the Ballooning over Everest project in 1991.
We were scheduled to leave Kathmandu for Lukla, the gateway to the Khumbu, very early in the morning. The domestic airport is chaotic. Having someone with you who knows how to negotiate the system is invaluable. As it happened the airport was fogged (or polluted) in and we waited (and waited) sitting on the floor of the airport with hundreds of other people from all over the world until it cleared. This is a regular occurrence so if you go to Nepal be prepared to be on Nepali time (relaxed and flexible).
The flight into Lukla is worth waiting for. The twin otter aircraft flies through a corridor of mountains, makes a sharp right hand turn and lands on the side of a cliff. There are people, animals and gear everywhere. Amidst all this, planes and helicopters land and take off frantically, showering everyone and everything with dirt.
We met up with the final members of our team for the trip, Phurba Tashi Sherpa and Karsang Namget Sherpa who work with Russell on his Everest expeditions. Also new to our team was Ken Bailey, a talented documentary cameraman from Telluride in the USA. Adam Darragh joined us again on sound.
DAY 1
- Lukla to Toktok
From Lukla
(2810m) we walked to Phakding, then on to Toktok where we stayed in a Sherpa
lodge for the night. This is totally spectacular walking, but hard. The trails
are often very steep, either up or down, and rarely flat. There are plenty
of tea houses along the way. Drinking and eating regularly makes the going
easier. Again we had no problems with the food. Big favorites with our team
were traditional Nepali "momos", fried rice, soup, lemon tea (we
drank buckets) and noodles.
DAY 2
- Toktok to Namche Bazaar
Another spectacular days walking. The trail was very busy with trekkers, porters
and yaks. Our first view of Mt. Everest took what was left our breath away.
Not a cloud in the sky, the mountain looked idyllic from the top of the hill
above the Larja Dobhan suspension bridge. The steel cable and wire bridge
is slung across the raging Dudh Koshii River. It's narrow, often rocks violently
and is adorned with hundreds of Tibetan prayer flags. Marta peered over the
edge and declared it a "good BASE jump, but lousy landing area".
We arrived in Namche Bazaar (3440m) after a very steep uphill section in time
for lunch (food became a central theme in our lives for the next three weeks).
Namche is the main town in the Solu Khumbu region. There are many good lodges
and restaurants including an excellent bakery that serves croissants and cappuccino.
The town has lots of shops for last minute supplies, electricity, hot showers,
a post office, bank and Internet cafe. Many people get AMS (Acute Mountain
Sickness) on the trek to Namche. It's a good idea to spend two days there,
making a day trip to higher altitude then coming back to Namche for the night.
Our schedule allowed us only one night in the town, but some members of our
team became sick as a result.
DAY 3 - Namche Bazaar to Khumjung
From Namche we climbed the very steep slope to Shyangboche Airstrip which services the Everest View Hotel. This luxury Japanese Hotel has had mixed success. The rooms are oxygenated but many guests still become sick (and miss the amazing walk in). We got our first breathtaking view of Ama Dablam from Sanasa. The top looked very promising, clearly overhanging. The ridge we were planning to climb looked impossibly steep and I wondered how I would ever get up there. This is a beautiful spot, the rhododendron trees, Mani (prayer) Walls and Stupa are all lovely. Luckily it was down hill from there to my favorite Khumbu town - Khumjung (3780m). We headed straight for the bakery where Marta and I tucked into Spaghetti & Sauce, while the guys had pizza. Bliss!
DAY 4 - Khumjung to Pangboche via Tengboche
This was one of our hardest days. The trail is spectacular but very long and very, very steep. We fortified ourselves with lots of water, chocolate bars and vigilant application of sunscreen. When we arrived at Tengboche for lunch most of us were too tired to eat (and that's saying something). Tengboche is famous for the Buddhist Monastery. We didn't have time to see it though as we had to get to Pangboche (3930m) before dark.
DAY 5 - Pangboche to Dingboche
Another beautiful walk, tempered by the debilitating affects of altitude. I was particularly impressed by the Mani Stones (prayer walls) with their intricate carvings that stretched out extensively along the trail. From the tea house at Orsho we had a good view of the standard route on Ama Dablam. Using binoculars we could see someone climbing high on the South Face . The weather was perfect, a mild cloudless day. We all felt envious of the climber. We arrived in Dingboche in time for a late lunch. Again there are many lodges in town and the food is good. We stayed in our tents for the first time here. The toilets were the biggest problem for Marta and I. They are usually stone huts with holes in the ground. Often the mountain of poo is level with the floor and the odor is something else! We tried a few counter measures including incense sticks behind the ears, but eventually just got proficient at doing 'the business' as quickly as possible. Ken had become quite sick with AMS, and we were all (except Russell, Phurba and Karsang) feeling affected to some degree. This was my lowest point, I was exhausted, home sick and fed up. Not good when we hadn't even got to the mountain yet!
DAY 7 - Dingboche to Chhukhung
Chhukung (4730m) is a remote and comparatively uninspiring village. The gateway to many of the trekking peaks, it got our vote for the worst toilet. Ken had not improved and made the hard decision to head back to Dingboche to recover.
DAY 8 - Chhukhung to Ama Dablam
The rest of us continued up, leaving the tea house trail to make for the bottom of Ama Dablam's North Ridge. Our camp on the edge of a glaciated lake was dwarfed by Ama Dablam towering above us. Ice cliffs ringed us, offering excellent cramponing and ice climbing opportunities. The stars were the only night time entertainment so we were all tucked up in our sleeping bags by 6.30pm for the endless night ahead. It was cold, but we were well equipped. Sleeping bags and down jackets made by Mountain Designs kept us warm and cozy.
For me learning to mountaineer was the highlight of the trip. Russell is a meticulous and patient teacher. He showed us how to walk in crampons, how to move safely in a crevasse field, mountain rescue techniques and most fun of all - ice climbing. We climbed using ice axes, hammers, ice screws, crampons and a rope. The ice cliff we practiced on was short but steep. It was exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. Rusell was happy that Marta and I handled it well and pronounced that with a bit more practice we'd be ready to climb the real mountain!
DAY 14 - Begin our return journey home via Lukla, Kathmandu and Bangkok.
If there is anything you would like to know that is not covered here please feel free to E-mail us.
