5/4/13 Lukla to Kathmandu: The morning began with lots of excitement getting ready to head to Lukla Airport for our flight to Kathmandu. On arrival at the airport it appeared like organized chaos with lots of Trekkers heading home.  After sitting around the airport for 2 hours our first of 3 flights took off.  When we landed in Kathmandu  after our 30 minute flight we found out that Lukla Airport closed down and there would be no more flights out due to  winds  greater than 10 mph. This left 12 of our group stuck on the mountain. 

Jiban, our Outfitter, was in constant communication with the airport, his office and our head Sherpa, Lalit, trying to figure out how to get the rest of the group off the mountain. He waited until 3pm to see if the airport would re-open and it did not. Negotiations took place with Jiban and Reed on whether or not we should hire a helicopter to bring the others down.  Two helicopters were hired and 9 of the group made it down with the other 3 to hopefully get flights out in the morning.

While in Kathmandu Reed, Hans and I took a tour to Pashupatinath. This is Nepal's holiest Hindu pilgrimage site. It has temples, Sadhus (holy men),  and public cremation. For dinner Jiban treated Reed, Hans, Todd and I to dinner at Villa Everest Authentic Korean Cuisine.

Upon my return to the Yak & Yeti Hotel in the afternoon I ran into none other than Peter Hillary, Sir Edmund Hillary's son. He is here for the 60th Anniversary of his father's summit of Mt Everest and to  check on the schools and hospitals.

5/5/13 Kathmandu: The morning news from Jiban is that the scheduled trekkers for today were able to make it out of Lukla, but our 3 trekkers were put on a wait list for a flight out. Again the winds did not cooperate to allow them to arrive by plane and a helicopter has to be hired to get them off of the mountain. With each of the 3 helicopter's hired and the helicopter needed at the onset of the trip has increased the cost of the trek per person about $235.  

The group that is already in Kathmandu will go on a City tour and go to Swayambhu (Monkey Temple), Boudhanath (one of the worlds largest Boudha Stupa).

What Goes Up Must Come Down!!

5/2/13 Deboche to Namche Bazaar: The trek started with a steep uphill climb and then a steep drop until we crossed the Dudh Kosi river and again repeated a steep climb.  The rest of the trek  seemed to be endless winding and going up and down trails.  We were about 3 hours into the trek and Mario says to our Head Sherpa "are you sure we are going in the right direction? We are supposed to be going down and we keep going up!" The trek took about 6 hours and we covered 5-6 miles. The decrease in elevation was 1000 ft.  The scenery with the flowers in bloom is just amazing. 

I have to admit this is the first day that my body is screaming in pain. With all of the downhill my right knee is hurting, I have blisters on both feet and my baby toenail is jamming into my boot. All I can think is that I only have one more day to trek and we're almost home. To help alleviate my agony I took a long FREE shower (all other tea houses charge or don't have one). Then I treated myself again to a Trekkers Massage!

5/3/13 Namche Bazaar to Lukla: Today's trek is the final of our trip, I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to arriving in Lukla.  The trek took 10 hours and we went 8-10 miles going up and down the mountain crossing 6 suspension bridges over the Dudh Kosi river.  I was sore yesterday, but I could barely make it to the hotel today on our arrival into Lukla. 

We had a wonderful farewell dinner with our Sherpas and  Porters that included cultural music and dancing. It was a wonderful celebration. Our Sherpa's are the most kind, helpful, friendly, motivating, patient people I have ever met. They also kept us safe in a very unpredictable environment. 

This trek is the 2nd greatest accomplishment of my life. The first is raising 4 of the most amazing children.  My hope is to inspire my children to shoot for the stars and to know that they too can accomplish any goal that they put their mind to.

Tomorrow we fly to Kathmandu and spend a couple days touring and recovering!

We Made It!!! April 29, 2013

4/28/13 Dingboche to Lobuche: This morning one member of our group had to descend due to Acute Mountain Sickness. She developed symptoms of high altitude cerebral edema (HACE). We were very fortunate to find out later in the day that all of her symptoms resolved at the lower altitude.

The trek started with an immediate 15-20 minute strenuous uphill climb out of the village. We then trekked through rolling hills and some flat areas. Midway through the trek we climbed Thukla Pass, a 650 ft elevation in about 45 minutes to arrive at a memorial site for those who have died on Mt Everest. The site was very nicely displayed with prayer flags upon entry, rock mound memorials with name plates and information about the fallen. 

As we arrived into Lobuche another member of our group had to be assisted by 2 Sherpas to make it to the Tea House. She had been suffering from a spasmodic cough since prior to the onset of the trip. She has now decided to stay back and not go on to Base Camp tomorrow and her husband is staying with her. Reed had stated earlier in the trip that on average 10% usually don't make it.

Reed is conducting a study on predicting the success of achieving goal altitudes while doing high altitude treks. We have been monitoring our oxygen saturation almost daily. The entire groups levels have dropped into the low 80's which is within an acceptable range at our current altitude of 16,240 ft.

4/29/13 Lobuche to Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp to Gorak Shep:: 

Let me first start out by saying "I MADE IT!!  As usual, I was the last one in our group, as I didn't want to push it. All I wanted to do is make it.  I found the trek quite challenging as we started at 16,240 ft and ended at 17,550 ft.  We trekked to Gorak Shep for tea. From Gorak Shep onward we trekked along the Khumbu glacier moraine and climbed over the boulder fields and glacial debris to then return to Gorak Shep for the night. The trek was about an 8 mile 8 plus hour trek. Upon return the entire group was totally exhausted.

As we were approaching EBC we could see scattered red and yellow tents along side the glacier. Upon entry into EBC there were prayer flags lined up and a banner that said "Everest Base Camp 2013." One can only imagine all of the preparation going on for that amazing climb to the summit.  A few members of our group continued to the Eddie Bauer Camp for lunch which was another 45 minutes into the camp, while some explored the glacier and others went back.

A few of our group members are having symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness to varying degrees. Symptoms include headache, nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, dizziness/ lightheadedness and difficulty sleeping.  A couple other members are having mild symptoms of High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE). Their symptoms include cough, shortness of breath, low pulse ox, headache, rapid heart rate and loss of appetite, no rales at present. All these people increased their Diamox dose and those with HAPE symptoms were started on Decadron.

While on the trek we passed up a few people that were having severe symptoms of mountain sickness . One person had flown by helicopter to EBC from Kathmandu without coming up gradually to acclimatize.  He and his friend were informed that they needed to descend quickly or he/they could die. A few minutes later they stopped a Sherpa and offered to pay to have him brought down by his pony. He was spotted by another member of our group almost falling onto his head off the pony. During the short time we were at Gorak Shep for tea there was a helicopter evacuation and when returned from EBC we saw another evacuation.

4/30/13 Gorak Shep to Kala Patthar (optional) to Lobuche:

In the morning ten of our group went on the trek to Kala Patthar. The trek was a steep climb to 18,450 ft with fabulous views.  Needless to say  i did not go. I'm on my 3rd day of a headache and am still so fatigued from yesterdays trek.  

We now are starting our descent.  Today's trek took 2.5 hours over boulders and glacial debris. When I arrived back into Lobuche I immediately took a power nap, woke up for lunch and then back to sleep again.

5/1/13 Lobuche to Deboche: Our trek started at the normal time of 7:30am. The member of our group who took time off because of her cough rejoined the group along with her husband when we returned to Lobuche. Most of the day we re-traced our path from on the way here.  We dropped our elevation by 3500 ft and covered 8 miles. There are definite notable differences in going up hill with the lower elevation. For the last hour of the trek we are again below timberline. We could see evergreens, rhododendron and lichen hanging from the tree branches. 

 We stopped at the Himalayan Rescue Association  Nepal Pheriche Aid-post and met with the doctor who is doing a 2 month voluntary  rotation in the clinic. He said this clinic averages one helicopter every 3 days. He also said that the Tea Houses will call a helicopter on their own and will get a financial kickback. Another interesting thing is once a person is placed in the helicopter they are not accompanied by any medical personnel. It would be the pilot and the patient.

There has been a lot of discussion amongst the group of what we were going to eat upon our return home. I can't wait to have a Big Mac and BBQ ribs from the patio. The food substance I enjoy most is the candy bar that they provide us for our morning snack while on the trek.

Again today we saw a Yak who had fallen off of the cliff. It appears the ritual is to cover them with a blanket and provide hay.

Onward and Upward...No Pain, No Gain

4/24/13 Namche Bazaar to Khum Jung. Today Kevin taught us a step to use while climbing hills and steps. It incorporates a rest step and allows time for the muscles to have a rest period.  My friend Cindy had shown me this on the steps of the ship while we were working, but it was a bit different putting it to real use. Let me tell you, I climbed amazing heights without huffing and puffing or taking many rest breaks. 

Our climb today was 1600 ft and took took us 3.5 hours. The views as always are spectacular.  Our morning tea was at the Everest View Hotel.  During the trek we had intermittent spurts of snow.  Our final destination for the day was in Khum Jung, the biggest village in the Khumbu region. As you are walking down the mountain towards the village you can see rock walls all over. These walls separate gardens and family plots. One of the first sights upon entering the village is the Edmund Hillary School.  We visited the school and viewed an art classroom. Children were heard in the classroom,  but were unable to enter.

4/25/13 Khum Jung to Deboche The weather was perfect all day.

We trekked  2000 ft down to the river, crossed a suspension bridge and then climbed back up 2000  Feet.  The mantra of the day was "slow and steady."  The trek was 3 miles and again I can't thank Kevin and Cindy enough for teaching the rest step, it has been a lifesaver! The trek was up twisting and winding trails. When I asked Lalit when it would become flat, he said " it is flat, Nepalese flat!"

We visited the Tengboche Monastery and spent the rest of the day in Deboche.

As most of you know, I have never camped a day in my life. Life in Tea Houses with Sherpas is still a luxury compared to having to set up my own tent, cook my own food, blah, blah, blah. But for me, there still are challenges;

cold bedrooms with no heat, some have sitting toilets and others just a hole in the floor to squat over, many dinners consist of a potato dish, pasta and vegetables. They use yak dung to fuel the fire pit in the dining hall/common room. They dry the yak dung on the walls of their houses or buildings. Shower facilities are not available at all tea houses, some bedrooms have lights, others do not.

4/26/13  Tengbuche to Dingboche Today we will have a 2000 ft elevation gain and end at 14,800 ft. Our group has been experiencing isolated gastrointestinal problems, but today we have had the most people sick at one time, 25% of our group. 

Throughout the trek we had views of Lhotse, Everest and Ama Dablam.

Part of our group saw a yak that fell off of a cliff. The Sherpas left hay and placed a blanket over him. 

We had our Wilderness ortho lecture by Reed and some fine demonstrations by Reed, Bob an Kevin on how to fix a dislocated hip! In attempts to get warm in the cold Dining Hall the group sat around the chimney to get warm.  Dinner was ready and chairs were moved to the tables. As Andree went to sit down Lalit started to pull out the chair from behind her. Luckily they both noticed and she didn't fall to the ground!

4/27/13 Dingboche:  Today is a Rest day. Most of the group went on a hike, but 5 of us chose to just relax and start feeling better. During the middle of the night I woke with a headache which can be a sign of altitude sickness. I have increased my dose of Diamox and am taking my favorite drug (other than Jack Daniels) Ibuprofen.

Mount Everest Base Camp Here We Come

4/21/13 Lukla to Phakding: We started with an early flight to Lukla with 20 Trekkers and 6 Sherpa. Our group was split into 3 planes with the last group of 4 not able to fly out due to weather.  After hours of waiting and no flight for the last 4 an opportunity came up to fly them in a helicopter to Lukla. Again due to poor weather they had to land in a field quite a distance from the airport and start their trek and sleep at a different Tea House.  Our group had a shorter trek (5mile) due to the delay in the pouring rain stepping over yak dung and rivers of yak dung flowing down the stairs.

4/22/13 Phakding to Namche Bazaar. We were able to meet up with the other 4 at lunchtime! Today's trek was extremely rigorous with the last 1600 ft of the 2800 ft climb was going up hill and again the later half was in the pouring rain.  Walking down uneven rock trails, mud and steps with sporadic yak dung is a challenge, I  was so fearful of slipping and falling. Again I keep thinking how did I get into this mess? As I forged my way forward being the last in my group I did have my Sherpa bodyguard, Lalit, constantly by my side. There were a couple times that I was pinned in a corner trying to avoid being speared on the horns of a passing yak.

I know I knew I was climbing a mountain, but let me tell you, I really had no idea what it entailed. We are following the Dudh Koshi river and had to cross a suspension bridge over the river 4 times. Doing that consisted of going up and down hill each time, exhausting! There were boulders laying close to the river that we had to pass over or around. I was hoping that nothing would break from the mountain as I passed.

There were points I didn't think I would make it, but my bodyguard, Lalit was by my side encouraging me all the way. I can't tell you how relieved that I was to arrive at the Namche Hotel Tea House in Namche Bazaar!  The most surprising thing was that I was only 5 minutes behind the rest of the group.

4/23/12  Namche Bazaar: Today is for rest and acclimatization.  Rest included a 2 hour hike with spectacular views. We were able to see the peaks of Tabuche, Mt Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam,  Thamserku. The viewing site was called Chorcamp and had a nice Sherpa Museum. We increased altitude about 500 ft and returned to Namche Bazaar. The rest of the afternoon was for whatever you cared to do. I went for a massage!