Puja!

Today is an auspicious day on the Tibetan calendar.  We're having our traditional Puja blessing and celebration here in base camp.  The ceremony is conducted by a Lama invited from Pangboche with the Sherpa guides assisting with various aspects throughout the ceremony.  All in all, it takes over an hour with a variety of rituals and chanting.

At the end, we celebrate with homemade Sherpa beer called Chang and some rice wine even though it's only 10:30 in the morning!  Sherpa climbers will not climb big mountains without having this ceremony, and once it's done everyone is in high spirits and ready to begin the work of mountaineering on Ama Dablam.

The rest of the day is spent organizing gear, doing laundry and taking bucket showers.  The warm sunshine keeps the shower tent toasty and dries our clothes at the same time, both of which are appreciated.  We're heading up the mountain tomorrow (Monday, October 28) for three nights and everyone is excited! 

In order to make the most of our private base camp tents we're turning in early.  Up on the mountain it will be much colder, and we will have to sleep two or three to a tent. 

Getting Ready to Climb

It is Saturday, October 26 and we awake to fresh snow, clouds and a slight breeze.  Today is a rest day but I'm up early after a solid 10 hours of sleep, and I'm heading out for a short hike.  Lethargy is a problem in base camp so one needs to balance resting and acclimating versus being lazy.  A little hike first thing in the morning helps to wake up the bones. 

By mid-morning the day begins to turn nice with clearing clouds and the sun peeking through.  At 15,200' the sun is strong and a few of us move outside for some morning reading.  The weather forecast calls for continued improvement with full sunshine for the next few days.  Our team spirit improves with this news since the good weather corresponds with our schedule for climbing. 

The major activity today is practicing with ascenders, traversing techniques and rappelling in situations similar to what we'll encounter on the mountain.  There's a large boulder near base camp that's about 20' tall and perfect for this activity.  Anchors and ropes are set up and we proceed to climb all over this rock in succession.  It feels good to be climbing and to clean out the cobwebs that have formed since the last time each of us has worn a harness.

It's a stunning setting to be having fun together and doing a little work.  What a great day!

Before dinner a few of us hike down to the lodge for a beer.  I found this place during one of my solo walks and lead the group.  It's a nice evening and the walk does us all a bit of good as well as fostering team spirit. 

By evening, the sky clears completely, and it begins to get cold.  We have a celebrity climber in base camp who joins us for dinner.  Anna Pfaff is a professional climber sponsored by The North Face, and has been climbing in this region for a month.  She attempted a solo climb of Ama Dablam the day before but the new snow and high winds created unsafe conditions so she turned back at Camp 3.  Dinner and tea afterwards are filled with climbing stories, and while some of us try to participate, we're outgunned by Anna, Andy and Phunuru when it comes to tales of high adventure.  The day ends with a magnificent sunset and everyone drifts off to their tents and the warmth of sleeping bags inside.

Ama Dablam Base Camp!

We had a couple of beers hanging out in the tea house last night to celebrate the end of the trek and I'm pretty sure that helped me crash hard in my sleeping bag. 

Nine-and-a-half hours of sleep later and I'm energized for the hike to Ama Dablam Base Camp.  I peek through the curtains and can't quite get a feeling for what the weather looks like until I realize there's frost on the glass.  Removing the frost I see that we've had a couple of inches of snow overnight.  The flags outside are fluttering as well, so it looks like we'll have an interesting hike down the valley.

Abiding by the adage, "Be bold, start cold" I start off with my usual trekking attire.  I'm expecting that we'll move quickly since it's only our small group of overachieving climbers.  That plan is foiled because the trail is slippery from the snow and our pace becomes moderated.  It's about 45 minutes until the breeze abates and I warm up.  We're heading down valley past Dingboche in the river bottom where we pass a stone building with a spinning prayer wheel inside.  We figure out that the wheel is being powered by the river, spinning out its prayers continuously.  Very ingenious!

Our hike turns a bit adventurous as our guide tries to find a "shortcut" trail low enough to keep us from dead-ending into the glacier above but high enough to keep us out of the low valley that leads to Pangboche.  After some bushwhacking, we find a well-traveled trail just at the point where the river drops precipitously.  At this point we begin to gain elevation again and the views open up.

At one point along the trail just as we're beginning to bend away from the river and towards base camp, we get an amazing view of Pangboche, Tangboche, Khumjung and most of the valley as we ascended last week.  What a great spot to stop and rest.

The trail continues to climb and the view of Ama Dablam begins to open up.  As we hike we see a group of trekkers on the ridge above, and we realize we're merging into the main trail between Pangboche and base camp.  Another 20 minutes and we enter a large flat spot situated directly at the foot of Ama Dablam which will be our base camp for the next few weeks.

After a nice hot drink and lunch, we each gather our gear and set up our tents.  It's been 21/2 years since I've been in my base camp tent on Everest.  While still needing a few refinements, my new home comes together nicely.  I feel comfortable here.  "Welcome back" the Eureka tent seems to say to me as I settle in for a short rest.

Chukhung Ri

Today is Wednesday, October 23 and we're up early for our climb of Chukhung Ri.  I peeked out of my window at 5:26am from the comfort of my sleeping bag and saw a couple of stars.  This was great news since poor weather was predicted for today.  Excited for the climb, my pack and I are ready early!

Chukhung Ri is a mountain just outside of town, which tops out at about 18,200'.  Right behind it looms the broad ridge of Nuptse and at the furthest end on the right even higher is the summit of Lhotse, Mt. Everest's closest neighbor.  Today's foray looks to be 5 or 6 miles round trip with an elevation gain of of at least 2,700'.  By itself, those stats aren't impressive but climbing up over 18,000' brings a new level of acclimatization.  It's expected that everyone will feel poorly at some point today.

We're off just after 8:00am and are immediately faced with the crux of the day, crossing a partially frozen glacial creek about 8 feet wide.  Most of our team make it with dry feet but a couple aren't so lucky.  The next two hours are basically an uphill slog on a rounded mountain with few features to help pass the time.  Reaching the ridge and a saddle, we're greeted with a sea of cairns.  It's not clear whether these are memorials to those who have passed on or just creations by hikers passing this way before us.

Above the saddle and to the north, the mountain takes on a completely different look.  Instead of a rounded hillside,we're presented with a crumbling rocky ridge line extending to the summit 700' above us.  It's a fun scramble with lots of heavy breathing as the elevation takes its toll.  We reach the summit around 10:35am, and congratulate ourselves on a strong pace.  A few selfies and our focus turns downhill and the cappuccinos waiting for us at the bakery in town.

Tomorrow morning our group will split up.  We climbers will head directly to Ama Dablam base camp, and the trekking group will remain in Chukhung for one more day before continuing their adventure.  The climbers are all ready to transition from trekking to expedition climbing.  We've looked at, studied, hypothesized and are generally in awe of this beautiful mountain called Ama Dablam.  Now we want to begin the serious business of climbing it!

Chukhung

We awoke to a bluebird day in Pheriche and the mood is high among our team.  We'll be leaving town this morning and hiking over a ridge to Chukhung.  I get up early after a great night of sleep and go outside to walk around town with a hot cup of coffee.  The yak dung fires are cranking and smoke drifts around town.

Up and over the ridge and we're in the Imja Valley now.  Dingboche is just below us, and we traverse down into town.  Continuing our walk north, we pass homes and fields and then we're on the open trail again.

After a couple of hours on the trail, we rest at a nice open spot in the sun with a fantastic view of the north face of Ama Dablam.  The seven person climbing team has been coalescing this week and our collective excitement continues to grow as we study the mountain from various perspectives.

We arrive in Chukhung just before 11:00, and the first order of business is finding a cup of coffee.  This is a serious coffee drinking group and cappuccinos are our favorite!  It's a long-shot at 15,500' but Chukhung is located on two popular trekking routes so we remain hopeful.  After an exhaustive search through town taking at least five minutes, we find a suitable looking establishment.  The crux appears to be getting past the 600-pound doorman.

Freshly caffeinated, a few of us head back to the "resort" for lunch.  After eating, we receive our room keys.  Hauling my duffel upstairs, I feel at least a 10 degree temperature difference.  The building is warm and seemingly well-constructed.  Opening the door, I'm greeted with an amazing wall of windows looking directly at Ama Dablam!  Another room with a fantastic view.

After getting settled in, I couldn't stay inside with such a beautiful day waiting for me outside.  I grabbed my book and went for a walk along the trail which leads to Island Peak.  Gaining about 500' on the trail, I found a great little side ridge on which to sit in the sun and read.  What a magnificent place to relax, surrounded by huge mountains in all directions.  Gradually relaxation takes over and I decide to take a power nap enjoying the solitude of this place.

Pheriche

A leisurely three hour walk brings us from Pangboche to the town of Pheriche on Sunday, October 20.  The town sits adjacent to a huge glacial out wash and is surrounded by massive peaks.  We're well above tree line now, and the clouds are moving in which brings even more of a chill over this normally cold settlement.

Lunch is the usual French fries and rice with vegetables.  It's amazing how much food we're eating now after moderate exercise.   Except for evenings in the tearooms, the tea houses are unheated so our bodies are continuously making heat just like when tent camping.  At 14,000' our bodies are not only working hard to keep us warm but also to acclimatize to this elevation.  

Our afternoon is spent quietly reading, resting and hydrating in the tearoom.  Eventually the wood stove gets lit and the burning yak dung eases our chill.  We slowly peel off layers as the temperature inside increases until it's warm and we're down to shirtsleeves.  I'm enjoying this reprieve from the cold, all the while knowing the trip to my room and speedy sleeping bag setup will be done at a temperature around 30 degrees!  Dinner and conversation done, I'm off to bed at 7:40 zipped up and cozy within ten minutes.

On Monday, October 21, we wake up to a fresh coating of snow.  It's still lightly snowing and pretty darn cold, probably 25 degrees or so.  We've got a casual morning schedule with late breakfast and an acclimatization hike up to the ridge behind the hotel.  At this elevation, it's helpful to hike or climb up higher than where we sleep.  This effort makes the body think it must survive at the higher elevation, and therefore makes more red blood cells to scavenge as much oxygen as possible from each breath of rarefied air.

We begin our day hike up the hill above Pheriche and quickly gain elevation.  Within an hour we've reached 15,000' and the views are opening up.  The snow has mostly stopped, and the clouds are thick overhead.  Fortunately there are still great mountain views in every direction.  We can see way down the valley toward Pheriche and Tengboche.  The views up the valley include Lobuche Peak which, at 20,000', is commonly used as an acclimatization climb prior to an attempt on Everest.  To the right of Lobuche is the terminus of the Khumbu Glacier, and beyond that is Everest Base Camp.  Looking east, we get a fantastic view of the west face of Ama Dablam with the Dablam glacier in profile just below the summit.  The north ridge is a less frequently traveled route to the top and we discuss how "sporty" it looks.  

Tomorrow we head up a valley to Chukkung where we will spend two nights and hike up to Chukhung Ri's summit at over 18,000' for further acclimatization.  

Within a few minutes the fog rolls in and engulfs us in a white cloud.  We continue to climb up the ridge to a final elevation of 16,144' before calling it good and heading back down.  Before long we're in a tearoom drinking coffee and talking about our hike.  It was a good morning, and the remainder of our day is spent lounging around reading, writing, eating and drinking.

Pangboche

The hike from Tangboche to Pangboche is a short two hours with the route continuing up the Khumbu Valley.  We traversed through the woods down to the river and back up the other side into town.  Pangboche is situated at just about treeline with many juniper bushes scattered on the hillsides.

We're staying at the Highland Sherpa Resort (!) which has a great tearoom with windows on four sides providing views up and down the Khumbu as well as a unobstructed view of Ama Dablam.  Displayed within the tearoom is a wooden gear crate from the 1953 Everest expedition.  Also displayed are oxygen bottles from 1952, 1952 and many other succeeding years.  It's a great a place to spend a few hours during an active rest day.

In the afternoon we made a visit to the local Lama to receive a blessing for the climb.  This is an important traditional event that I really look forward to.  We climbed way above town to a small house where he lives, and filed in to the main room.  Our group of 18 filled the space and we listened quietly as he prayed over the prayer flags which will hang at base camp after the Puja ceremony.  After the general blessing we each approached the Lama in turn offering a donation and receiving a blessing.  We also each had a colored string tied around our necks to wear as a talisman for our adventure. 

Tengboche

It's Friday, October 18, and we're headed to Tengboche.  I'm pretty excited for this village because we skipped it last time.  There's a large monastery, and rumor has it a good bakery as well.  The trek is a few hours to the river and lunch then another couple of hours up a steep hill to town.  When we get into town, we're greeted by an amazing view of Ama Dablam.

The village is dominated by the large monastery, and we had a chance to attend a ceremony inside.  The story panels, decoration and colorfully painted interior is absolutely amazing but unfortunately no photos are allowed.  The exterior entrance however can be photographed and it's really amazing in person.

Namche Bazaar continued

Late in the afternoon of Wednesday I went out of the Khumbu Lodge for a walk around town, and saw a friend from 2017.  Tsering's mom own the shop directly across the road from our lodge, and we got to know each other during the time when I was waiting for a clear summit window on my Everest expedition.  He's been studying in India ever since then and only just came back to help mind the shop and then move it to a new location.  It was great to see him, and we spent a few hours visiting, eating cheese and drinking rum in the shop.

The evening was relaxing, with a nice dinner in the Lodge, and a beer at "the first bar in Namche Bazaar", where we met the new owner; Dawa.  Of course, Dawa is a friend of Tsering's so we got the local's discount.  Even in Nepal, it helps to know people!

Thursday, October 17

Today is an active rest day with a day hike up to the Everest viewpoint where a statue of Tenzing Norgay is framed by the Himalayan giants Everest, Lhotse and our objective, Ama Dablam.  It's a bluebird morning and the mountains are out in full force.  Looking at Everest now is somehow different than when i stood in the same place 2.5 years ago.  The mountains look the same but I'm the one who's changed.  I've been up there, breathed the rarefied air, felt its chill and felt the warmth of success on the summit.  The noise and talking around me fades away as I look at that beautiful mountain replay memories of the times we were physically connected.  I was living on its flanks and climbing on its shoulders, all the while knowing how tenuous that relationship was and that my existence mattered not to this massif which will stand for eternity indifferent to the will of man.

Coming back to the present, my focus returns to the task at hand.  The other climbers and I begin to study Ama Dablam, looking for the route and admiring the amount of snow on it this year.  More snow means easier and more secure traveling as we climb.  We all start getting excited to see more of it as we get closer during the next few days.

The rest of the day is spent hiking over to the village of Khumjung where we will eat lunch at the home of our trekking guide Pasang.  After lunch we visit the local monastery and take a look at the Hillary School which serves children ages 4-16 from Khumjung and surrounding villages.  Last time I was here, the monastery was being repaired from damage due to the 2015 earthquake.  Now it looks like the work is finished.

Clouds roll in and our walk over the ridge to Namche Bazaar takes on an eerie look.  We're walking on the trail through fog and mist when out of the murky air rises a large stupa (Buddhist shrine) with penetrating Buddha eyes.  It's one of the more interesting moments of our day and a good way to end the hike.

Namche Bazaar!

Wednesday morning started with a bright blue sky and a big breakfast.  Today we have a long hike from Phakding to Namche Bazaar.  It's about a 3,000 foot elevation gain with a big part of that on Namche Hill leading into the village.  We pass through small villages along the way as we settle into the rhythm of the trek.

We made great progress up the hill and rounded the corner to see the beautiful town of Namche Bazaar.  This is one of my favorite places in the world.  Such a stunning setting and a fun place to spend a couple of days.  We'll hang out here until Friday morning, and the first stop I want to make is the German bakery for some chocolate carrot cake and a latte; two of my favorite food groups!

A Room with a View

Well, the alpine start occurred as advertised.  After a fitful 4 hours of sleep, I got up at 12:15am just before the alarm and gathered my things for our departure.  It’s Tuesday the 15^th and I haven’t had a good night of sleep since last Thursday.  Our possessions were to be sorted into four bags; base camp duffel, trekking duffel, trekking backpack and things that stay in Kathmandu until we return for the trip home.  Thankfully I got organized yesterday because between the jet lag and lack of sleep, my brain is working at about 30% capacity.  The team hauls everything down to the hotel lobby and it looks like a gear explosion until we get sorted out and duffel bags are loaded onto the bus.

Somehow, I anticipated a bus ride where we could sleep in relative comfort and rest up a bit before the flight to Lukla and trek to Phakding.  The reality was quite a bit different since we were basically driving on one-lane roads in a large bus through remote villages in mountainous terrain.  It was really more like a 4-hour roller coaster ride where the track was bumpy and the horn and brakes competed for equal time.  During the last hour, when the dawn started to break, it became more apparent why the bus was rocking and rolling all night.  Then a little concern took over when we could actually see the winding, limited visibility roads adjacent to steep drop-offs combined with the speed at which we were traveling.  At least it wasn’t a boring ride.

Finally, at the airport in Manthali, it was obvious that the flight changes from Kathmandu have overwhelmed this small facility.  Apparently, construction at the Kathmandu airport has taken longer than anticipated to complete so many domestic flights have been diverted to other airports including this one.  As always in developing nations, you have to take everything in stride and somehow in the end it all works out.  We got our bags sorted, weighed and checked in then were ushered into an outdoor “gate” prior to getting onto the twin turboprop.

The flight was a short half-hour or so and then we landed at the infamous Lukla airport. Short and steep, this beauty adds the spirit of adventure to any visit here.  Gathering up again, we headed to the Paradise Lodge for some breakfast and much needed coffee.  When our host asked whether we wanted a latte or cappuccino, I knew that all would be right with the world.

Fueled and caffeinated, we enjoyed the leisurely half-day trek to Phakding.  The Sunrise Lodge sits in an idyllic setting at a bend in the river.  We’re now in the Khumbu region where nature overpowers the hand of man and the views get better and better. 

We enjoy a beer on the patio and some good conversation with the team.  It’s a good group of people and the stories flow naturally around the table.  After an early dinner it’s time to settle into our rooms and finally get a good rest.  I drift off with the sound of the river in one ear and snoring from the adjacent room in the other.  My neighbor Dan has beaten me to sleep but I’ll be joining in the snore fest soon enough.

Flying and Flying

Even though we have access to the best jetliners in the world with options of airlines to maximize our frequent flyer programs, the trip to Kathmandu is long!  I left Denver International Airport at 7:30 pm Friday, October 11^th and landed in Los Angeles a few hours later.  No big deal right?  After a reasonable layover, the next flight took off at 11:30pm headed to Guangzhou, China.  During that 14-1/2-hour flight, the entire day of October 12^th disappeared, and we landed in China at 4:55 am the morning of the 13^th.  The original itinerary included a 2-1/2-hour layover before heading off again to Kathmandu but as luck would have it, the President of China, Xi Jinping, decided to visit Nepal at the same time, so our flight was delayed until 3:05 pm.  That’s more than a 10-hour layover for those of you doing the math.  Pretty rough but thankfully I connected with my pal Andy and we drank a few coffees and ate a couple meals together to pass the time.

The flight to Kathmandu was uneventful and (gasp) I even did some Pipestone work sitting at a bulkhead seat with nobody next to me.  Pretty luxurious considering most flights are jam packed these days.  We finally landed at 6:35 pm after circling for 90 minutes and then the real adventure began.  It seems that all of the planes headed to Kathmandu were delayed until the departure of the Chinese dignitary.  Once the coast was clear, the day’s travelers were allowed to land and the crush at the customs and immigration counters was amazing.  When we finally got our bags and went outside, another couple of hours had passed.  Door to door from home to the hotel was about 41 hours of travel.  I’m definitely feeling stiff at this point. 

The plan was to meet the rest of the team at the hotel and have dinner but due to the delays, it was more like catch a quick meal in the hotel, and hit the sack.  The Hotel Le Himalaya is comfortable, and I was happy to wash off the two days of travel and get a decent night of sleep.

On Monday morning, we had a team meeting after breakfast and reviewed the plan for the next week.  Our group is roughly split between Ama Dablam climbers and Khumbu Valley trekkers.  After introductions, we found out that our departure time for the drive to a different airport would be 1:00 am!  The alternate airport is about 4 hours away and we want to catch the first flight to Lukla.  That’s a pretty rough alpine start so soon after all the travel we just finished.

Most of the day was spent checking and sorting gear, exchanging money, buying a few things and figuring out a plan for technology.  It would be easy if there was no cellular or internet access but that’s not the reality in this part of the world anymore.  At least I should be able to get some blog posts out during the trek and at Ama Dablam base camp.  Hopefully the burner phone I purchased will work up there and I’ll be able to make a few calls home as well.

The best part of the day was seeing an old friend from my 2017 Everest climb.  Sherpa Fura came to the hotel with the wife and sons of another friend and employee of Pipestone, Ngima Karma Sherpa.  We had a great visit and enjoyed catching up on each other’s lives.  It’s a blessing to have Sherpa people in my life and I am thankful for it.

Going Back to Nepal!

It’s been 2-1/2 years since Everest and I miss the Himalayas.  It's time to go back for an expedition to climb Ama Dablam.  The image of this beautiful peak has been imprinted on my mind since March of 2017 when our climbing team stared at it for a few days during the trek to Everest Base Camp.  What a striking mountain it is, looming over the trail like a guardian of the upper Khumbu Valley.  Sometimes called the Matterhorn of the Himalayas because of a similar steep shape and multiple ridge lines, Ama Dablam is a far greater challenge than the Swiss peak.

Besides the planning, the first step in any expedition is making gear lists, sorting gear and refining your “kit” until the balance between comfort, weight and preparation is made.  Here’s what mine looks like for this trip:

The Ama Dablam expedition is much shorter than Everest, only lasting for about a month.  It also tops out at a summit of 22,494 ft versus 29,029 ft so the amount of gear can be pared down to save weight and bulk.  It’s worth leaving a few items behind to go lighter and faster.  After careful deliberation of each piece of gear, clothing and food my kit only weighs 100 pounds!

Tomorrow begins my journey to Nepal, and a new mountaineering adventure.  As before, I don't know what will happen during this expedition or how successful our team will be, but I do know that I will come back home different than when I left.  

Thanks for joining me on this next chapter of my life!