Thursday, November 6, 2014

Home - (belated!)

Its now 11/6 and I've been home since last Tuesday, October 28th but I'm just now getting the back into the local time zone.  An 11 hour time change is a tough hurdle to adjust back to and having a bit of a cold only helped to prolong it.

Well, 9 airplane flight, 1 helicopter ride, 2 crazy bus rides, 5 "taxi rides" and 11 time zones and now i'm safely back in Minneapolis.  Getting home and reunited with Cathy and the girls is simply the best.  They did amazing in my absence but I know we are all happy to be back in our normal routines.

 The Nepal Jamba Juice.

After a few days of being in Pokhara and some amazing mountain biking and one last night in Kathmandu I was back on my way.  Here are a few fun photos from the last few days.


Here is our Heli landing at Lukla airport  -








Well - thank you for reading my boring posts and feel free to reach out.

Derik

Monday, October 27, 2014

One word: Lukla


Lukla is the gateway to the Khumbu/Everest region. Because of the remoteness of the area, there are only two ways to get here one is to fly or the other is to hike up.  The hike from the nearest road is through the village of Jiri and can take anywhere from 4 to 7 days hiking to get to Lukla.  The flight takes a little less than 30 minutes from Kathmandu and closer to 40 by helicopter which offers greater flexibility when the winds or clouds close Lukla which it often does.

Lukla airport

The runway is super short and its angled at 12 degrees to help slow planes when they land, and to help them gain speed in the take off.  The runway is only 450 yards long and there is really no option to go around as there is a mountain rising up at the top.

My plane getting loaded up.

In the morning if the weather is good there is a siren that goes off around 6:30 which signals the first plane taking off from Kathmandu and its imminent arrival.
This is also used to get animals and people off the runway also.

Once the plane lands, there is a quick taxi to the terminal building and they get the plane unloaded of people and gear and reloaded in about 5-10 minutes.  Very fast.  Then a quick taxi and the plane is bac enroute to Kathmandu.  There is always a push to keep things moving as the airport can shut down and sometimes for days on end if the weather really digs in.

Very luxurious interior of Lukla airport check in.

We had to wait a few hours but we we're finally airborne and made it to Kathmandu without incident.  

Thick air (albeit dirty) and warm temps greeted us.

A view of Kathmandu Valley from the plane.


Sunday, October 26, 2014

Teahouses and homes along the Everest trail


 Every few hours one walks into / through a tiny village of maybe a few homes and a teahouse or two.  It is what makes reeking in this part of the Himalaya unique in that most of the big treks can be done with little to no tent camping.  

That said,  the Hughe one goes the more basic are the accommodations. Most teahouse have several sleeping rooms and almost all have a main dining area with the focal point being a cast iron stove.

 The center point of heat on cold nights 
In the lower areas (below the tree line) mostly wood is burned as fuel. 

Once you are above the tree line the tea houses collect yak dung and make pancakes out of them and then set them out to dry in the sun.  After a few days of sufficient drying, they are loaded into the stove along with a cup of kerosine and it burns for several hours.  Surprisingly there is not sent of yak dung at all.

Hundreds of yak "patties" drying in the sun.

A normal day on the trail has you getting to the tea house mid to late afternoon. Grab a hot drink and then put in an order for dinner.  The options are pretty basic. Mostly soups and noodles along with  rice dishes and vegetables.  They occasionally would have a sweet.  

Curry vegetables with rice 

Post dinner is usually occupied with congregating around the stove for heat and drying out equipment. The fire runs down around 8 and its best to be in your sleeping bag for the rest of the night.  No late nights in the mountains. 

Breakfast is between 6:30 and 7:30 and my go to is usually porridge (sticky outmeal or a few eggs and bread.  Lots of black tea to go with everything.

That is a day in a nutshell!




Friday, October 24, 2014

Interesting reactions to altitude

Altitutude can do some strange things to your body and can be deadly if not managed and controlled. 

That said, I always am reminded how my body reacts each time I go above 12,000ft.

Here are some of the fun things to expect or to at least be aware of when going high:  headaches, lower appetite, nauseous feelings, light headed, tingly finger, nose, chin, toes. Super weird dreams or bad sleep in general.  Waking up from a sound sleep feeling like you are totally out of air and gasping to catch up.  Sound fun right?

This time around I monitored my resting heartbeat at various elevations. Here are the results: (normal resting HR 48)

Kathmandu: 52 going to go with all the pollution in this one
Lukla (9,380ft) 62
Namche Bazaar (11,290) 75
Macherna (13,450) 80
Gokyo (15,350) 89
Gokyo Ri (17,000) 102 (not a true resting measurement 

Incredible how much harder the system has to work to maintain a healthy oxygen level at altitutude. 

It was also interesting to note that the readings on the way back down were consistently 5 to 10 beats lower based on better acclimatization. 

I guess it's sort of boring for most but I find it very interesting.


Lukla airport

Thursday, October 23, 2014

A long way down

After maxing out on Gokyo Ri we scrambled, slipped and once landed on my backside in a very precarious spot due to the ice, slush, and melting snow.  It made for some very challenging footholds.  I was glad to have he assistance of a walking pole for a third point of contact and leverage.

We got down in time for a quick lunch,  quick pack and we were headed downhill. We spent a leisurely 3 days getting back to Namche.

The last view of the lakes and river in Gokyo Valley

 My guide Kewal.  Finally below the snowline but above the tree line.

As we descended we had sunshine, clouds, rain and snow.  A little bit of everything.

In fact the clouds decided to join us as we walked through them. 

Namche Bazaar is considered the Capitol  of the Sherpa people and it truly is an amazing little metropolis at 10,000 ft+

Spicing prayer wheels as we enter Namche.

Namche Bazaar.

We got to Namche mid day, three days after being at Gokyo and it was a huge thrill to have a few creature comforts namely hot(ish) water and the ability to actually get warm.  I also was able to a get something that closely resembled coffee!

As much fun as it is going up and suffering, it's an interesting switch when you are now headed down and see the twisted faces of those who are on their way up.  What was once thin air and hard to breath, is now the thick air compared to where you once were.  All things are relative I suppose.

I am constantly reminded that more often than not your body can accomplish much more than your mind might think. 

The body is capable of amazing endurance if the mind is strong enough to will it....


A cute little mountain kitty in Namche.

Tired and really, really,really, dirty.  I mean like really dirty.


Next...to Lukla





Sunday, October 19, 2014

Gokyo RI (peak)

After spending the night in the village of Gokyo, we woke up and had a quick warm drink we were the trail by 6:45.  The sun was up but was obscured by the mountains so we were in the shadows for the first bit.  This wasn't necessarily a bad thing as the snow from days earlier that had been melting, was now refrozen and much easier for getting good footing.

The morning was picture perfect weather wise.  Not a cloud in the sky.  We were very blessed to have such a great day in light of previous storms that have wreaked havoc across the Himalaya this week.

What is unfortunate is that photos won't do justice to the views.

A lake at the base of Gokyo Ri

I felt great the whole way beyond the normal lack of oxygen, tingly fingers, shortness of breath, and the thought that my heart was about to beat out of my chest!  

We finally made it to the top and the views were 360 degrees incredible.  It's a pretty unique spot, in that you can view 4 of the world's 14 8,000+ meter peak.  (Choyo,  Everest, Makalu, and Lhotse)

Everest over my right shoulder and Makalu over my left. The tallest and fifth tallest mountains in the world.

My guide and great friend Kewal.  Happy he didn't have to carry me...


Omnipresent prayer flags at the top.

All in all it was an amazing day which I won't soon forget.   Probably the best mountain vistas I've ever experienced.

Slider with Mrs Ward-Elser class card and the infamous travel monkey.

The other side.


One last photo from the top. 

Many more when I get home when the connection is a bit more reliable.


 

Friday, October 17, 2014

Macherma to Gokyo

Wow wow wow.  How about one more wow.  The sun was shining bright and warm in a relative sense today as we hit the trail by around 7:30.  I slammed down some bread and fried eggs with some tea and we were off.  

Lots of sunscreen and buff coverage keep the sun at bay.  There wasn't a cloud in the sky all day which is a little unusual as most days usually cloud up mid to late afternoon.  Not today. 

We were in the snow all day today which mad for some slippery conditions in some areas but we used caution and went slowly. 

The whole way up you are surrounded by massive peaks 360 degrees.  The tallest of which is Choyo which is one of the 14 peaks in the world over 8,000 meters.  We had a view of it almost all day.  It is also similar to Everest in that one side is in Nepal and the other Tibet. 

I am convinced that the color blue was invented in the himalayan sky.  You honestly cannot put into words how truly spectacular it is.  



We passed three of the Gokyo lakes and are in the small village of Gokyo that has about 7 teahouses.  


Tomorrow morning we will get an early jump and summit Gokyo Ri.  Really looking forward to some amazing views.

-
Callie's class card with on of the tallest mountains Cho yo in the distance.


Slider too