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Last Day in the Khumbu

April 27, 2012 by 4 Comments

Today we started our final trekking day in the Khumbu, leaving Namche and headed for Lukla. Today’s hike was supposed to be a mellow one, but most of our group was pretty tired after the two previous long days. We took our time today, with many of us stopping to take pictures and soak in the last day in the mountains. Once we got to Lukla we pooled our money for tips for the Sherpas and porters who made this trip a wonderful experience. During dinner, all the people that helped us during this trek were called up individually and thanked. Everyone was very pleased with our success, with all of our trekking members making it to base camp (one that was sent down made it up to base camp and caught us on the last day). Both Wongchu and Tony Islas (WMS president) said a few words. We are all thrilled that we got to know these wonderful, patient, kind, and happy people. Our lives have been changed forever, thanks to these mountains, and more importantly, thanks to the incredible human beings who live and work in these here. They served as our guides, friends, and caretakers every step of the way.  Because of them, we were worry free in a potentially harsh environment. Thank you Sherpa team. You know who you are.

In the morning, we catch the first flight out of Lukla for Kathmandu. We have a farewell dinner tomorrow night and then many of our team leave Nepal the following day. Lucky for me, I get to head to the jungle for a few days! Who knows what experiences that will bring!

Another Unbelievable Day in the Khumbu

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Trek Down The Mountain

April 23, 2012 by 4 Comments

Today we started our trek back down the mountain. We leave 2 of our colleagues at base camp who are climbing up to camp 2. A third member became ill, so he is headed back down the mountain with the group. The trek down is much faster than up because we are acclimatized. Today our hike is to Pheriche, which is about 12 miles in distance with a loss of 3,400 ft in elevation. Along the way, we took a short break in Gorakshep, where there was a group of climbers from India who were waiting for Wongchu to start a ceremony that was meant to be a blessing on a project to improve the trail to Everest.  Both Wongchu and Tony spoke during this amazingly detailed ceremony. In fact, Wongchu was delayed so Pasang Sherpa lead us the rest of the way. This was a nice change of pace for some of us, since Pasang takes fewer breaks!


It is amazing how great I feel at 14,200 ft! At Everest base camp, just trying to get out of my sleeping bag made me out of breath. Now, I feel like I could go for a run! My Spo2 is back up to 92%. It was down to 84% at base camp .

Today was a pretty long day on the trail. Many of us have developed the Khumbu cough, which is from the extreme cold and dry air. The cooking smoke hasn’t helped either! Despite all of that, everyone remains in good spirits and we look forward to the hike down to Namche, where there are showers in the room and risers instead of long drops (toilet instead of hole in ground)!

Can’t wait until Namche!

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Gorakshep, Kala Patthar, and Everest Base Camp!

April 22, 2012 by 9 Comments

Amazing day! Today wake up tea was especially nice, because it’s pretty cold here at 17,000 feet! There is nothing quite like getting up to hot tea served by my new Sherpa friends! Today we had breakfast at 8 a.m. and then we were off toward Kala Patthar (18,200 ft) by 9:30 a.m. Ed and I took off ahead of the group and we summitted by 11 a.m. 5 of our group decided to stay behind. The rest made the summit by noon. Bob Veno and Quincy Hill made it with the main group and got some great pictures. Ed and I got to sit on top for an extra hour taking it all in and taking a few photos. Words can’t describe the enormity and the beauty of these mountains. We just sat and stared at clear views of Everest, Nuptse, and Pimori, with Ama Dablam in the distance. It really is a religious experience. I am so fortunate to have seen this in person.

Once everyone got their pictures, we were off toward Everest base camp. This hike was pretty long and arduous, with many large rocks and slides and many areas of uneven footing. Once we were about an hour out from base camp, some of our Sherpa friends were waiting for us along the trail, with hot tea and cookies. We missed lunch, so I was quite thankful for this very thoughtful touch. Once rested, we trudged along again. All of the hiking became worth it when we finally made it to the glacier. What a sight!

Base camp is huge! Once we got to the edge, we still had a 30 minute hike to our camp. Peak Promotion had an incredible set up for us, with our camp sitting close to the Everest ER and David Breashears’ display of his project, River Works. We get to tour his project tomorrow. We have our own dining tent, and our two- person tents are spread about the rocks on the glacier. What a scene! We had bean soup waiting for us when we arrived. We unpacked, and sat down for a hearty dinner of momos and baked lasagna. Our Sherpa cook is fantastic! We listened to a hypothermia lecture by the HRA physician and then we were off to bed early. I listened to the sounds of the surrounding avalanches and cracking glacier as we were tucked in to our sleeping bags. We are actually here at Everest base camp, sleeping on a glacier. Pretty cool!

Another Blue Sky Happy Day in the Khumbu

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Lobuche to Gorakshep and Kala Patthar

April 20, 2012 by 6 Comments

Today we continued our trek towards Everest Base Camp, with today’s goal being Gorakshep. We had a nice easy trek today, as many people are feeling the altitude. We had to send one trekker back down to Pheriche due to Acute Mountain Sickness. Otherwise, everyone is making reasonable progress. I feel quite well, I am happy to report. We passed the glacier and had great views of Pumori, Lola, and Nuptse along the way. We made Gorakshep (16,900 ft) for lunch, which was more fries and rice. No meat! We then unpacked and prepped for our afternoon hike to Kala Patthar.

The yak, pictured, is very valuable here. They are a source of wool, cheese, fuel (yak dung is burned, you get used to the smell, sort of) and are used to carry loads. We have both yaks and porters carrying the gear for the Wilderness Medical Society team. We are all extremely thankful for the yaks and porters! They are lifesavers!

Our afternoon hike to Kala Patthar was shortened due to weather. Wongchu turned us around at 17,500 ft or so due to winds and hail. As soon as we made it back into the tea house, the snow started. Wongchu is always watching out for us. If the weather agrees, we will try Kala Pathar again in the morning, as the best views of Everest and the surrounding peaks are seen from this peak. Fortunately, the snow stopped and we were able to get a few pictures of Nuptse at sunset. Everest was hiding behind the clouds, but we are hopeful for some good shots tomorrow.

An HRA doctor from Pheriche trekked up today to meet us and gave a hypothermia lecture. She will trek up to base camp with us tomorrow. Tonight, fries and eggs, lemon tea, and bed by 830. Tomorrow, Everest base camp!

Blue Sky Happy Day!

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Pheriche to Lobuche

April 19, 2012 by 9 Comments

Today we had a later start. Morning tea was at 7am, so we had a leisurely morning. After a usual breakfast for me, chapati with jam and a cheese omelette, we were back on the trail towards Lobuche. It is bright and sunny this morning! Unfortunately for some, the rescue helicopters have been pretty active already, bringing altitude sick people down the mountain. Fortunately, we are all fit and healthy thus far in this group. We had a great hike to Dugla for tea and lunch. After lunch, we stopped off at chorten hill, where there were multiple manis, chortens, and memorials of deceased Everest climbers, to include American Scott Fischer. There were several picture opportunities as the views were spectacular.

The hike before and after lunch was moderately strenuous for most, so we took our time at this elevation and reached Lobuche (16,200 ft.) at about 4pm. After a brief rest and some lemon tea (my new favorite altitude drink), we went on a short hike above Lobuche. There were great views of many peaks, to include Lobuche, Nuptse, Pumori, and the backside of Ama Dablam. After the hike, we had a great round table CME discussion about avalanches. Dinner for me was french fries with eggs. Wongchu says no meat the rest of the way up. His rule of thumb is “you looking at river, meat is ok, you looking at mountain, no meat!”

For those of you medical people, my Sp02 at this elevation is 92%. Many people are in the mid-80s. Wongchu’s was 83%, which proves that Sp02 at this elevation means very little, since he is kicking my butt up this mountain! Tomorrow we are off to Gorakshep and Kala Patthar!

Another Great day in the Khumbu!

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City Life, Bhojhan Griha, the Kama Sutra and the Yeti

April 10, 2012 by 11 Comments


Great day! 11 of us tourists along with our Peak Promotion guide, Ganesh Sharma, walked around the city for some shopping and sight seeing. The city was busier on Tuesday. More people, more chaos, and more entertainment! The city continues to surprise us all, with the constant stream of people, cars, motorcycles, and rickshaws down the narrow streets and walkways. It struck me today that while there is constant honking and frequent near misses, the Nepali people never appear upset. They simply go with the flow of the chaos. What a wonderful people!

We were able to see dozens of the shops in Thamel, with many of us buying beads, prayer flags, and other cultural items. The afternoon consisted of a briefing by Wongchu about our trek, a visit from David Breashears, a lecture on travel medicine, and a quick walk before dinner. We’ve been busy! The highlight of the day was dinner at Bhojan Griha, which is the 150-year-old home of the Royal Priest. This was an amazing dining experience where we were treated to many of the Nepali staples while enjoying cultural music and dancing. The band was an interesting mix of a flute, tambourine, drums, and a harmonium. It wasn’t quite Treefort, but it was pretty cool.

After dinner, my new friend Ganesh took me to see the bar in the next room at Bhojan Griha. Ganesh seems to giggle at me frequently as I butcher the language and ask silly questions, but it didn’t take long for me to realize that he was laughing at my reaction to what I was seeing. The intricate carvings in this bar, represented the Kama Sutra! We were standing in a Kama Sutra bar!

Tomorrow is the big tour for much of the day, visiting the temples and enjoying more of this fantastic culture! And in case you all were wondering, Wongchu has made it official. I am now, the Yeti (Laugh it up Wound Healing Gang).

Another Blue Sky Happy Day Here in Nepal

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Kathmandu Here I come!

April 7, 2012 by 5 Comments

It’s official. I’m off to Nepal! Boise to Salt Lake City to New York to Doha to Kathmandu!

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Filed Under: Medicine, Travel
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