Tibet 2016 - High Himalayas

2016-10-15 Xigaze to Everest National Park, elevations up to 5253m

that's not a pass - THIS is a pass!

We travelled from Xigatse to Basum today. Basum is within the Mt. Oomolangma National Park (Mt Everest). En route we passed over several high passes: Tsou La pass (4530m); Gyatso La (5253m), which gave the first glimpse of the high himalayas; and Kya Wu Lha pass (5202m), the first sight of Everest and other major peaks.  Basum is a small Tibetan village (4370m) only 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Everest Base Camp. We stayed with a local Tibetan family in their traditional home.

The peaks shown in this gallery include five of the top 15 highest peaks in the world. The first 14 of these are all over 8000m. On a clear day, which we had, they combine and conspire to provide opportunities for photographs that almost take themselves.

2009-06-03 Katmandu - London

Flew back today, with all the hassles and fun and games of long distance air travel.

2007-05-31 Thursday Katmandu

Sanjay took me sightseeing for more or less the whole day. Visited the very large and sacred stupa in the Tibetan quarter of Katmandu, and the Golden Temple at Patan, which I had missed on my own.

2007-05-30 Wednesday Katmandu

Spent most of the day in the hotel, and ended up with a prolonged, and involved discussion with Helen (one of the trek group) about religion - she is an evangelical Christian, and I am athiest. Fascinating stuff, but it did reinforce my feelings that fanatical belief in anything is very dangerous, leading to attitudes of superiority and the desire to impose one's views on others. This evening I went out with Sanjay (the Nepali who was our tour guide in Tibet, on my last trip to the far east, and with whom I have kept in contact) for a meal, which was delicious. He volunteered to take me around Katmandu and Patan tomorrow.

2007-05-29 Tuesday Katmandu

The team arrived at the hotel today at 09:00. I went into Patan and looked at the square, the museum, temples and the palace. The final get together for the team, was a meal in the hotel at 19:00. This proved to be fairly chaotic - partially because a large amount of attention was focused on persuading Fletcher (unsuccessfully) to join us - the group fragmented, got stroppy, and in general it was not very successful.

2007-05-26 Saturday Lobuche -> Katmandu altitude 1300m

Helicopter came in and took Fletcher, me and our kit - after a trial lift without our kit to see if we could get off the ground. He managed it, though it was a little hairy, as he was travelling horizontally about 10cm off the ground towards very large boulders, which were higher than the door to the helicopter. Lifting off was very slow, navigating round the boulders, and had the two off us jammed on the floor behind the pilots with the kit jammed in around us. There were no seats in the helicopter other than the pilot and copilots seats. We flew down for five or so minutes, dropping off about 400m. At this point we landed to have some more fuel poured into the helicopter from 20 litre plastic jerrycans which the pilot had left there on the way up the mountain. He had gone from this point to where he picked us up with the absolute bare minimum of fuel and the seats stripped out of the helicopter. We then flew down to Shyangboche (altitude around 3400m) airport where we took on 300 litres of fuel - all of it hand loaded - poured from jerrycans again, and lifted up from the ground to an intermediate person and then up to the person actually pouring it into the helicopter - they did not even have a hand pump. They also put the seats back into the helicopter for us to fly down to Katmandu. At this point the pilots found that the helicopter would not start, as either the battery had failed, or there was a starter motor glitch. We waited around for about three hours, waiting for the temperature to rise sufficiently to give the batteries a boost. When this did not work, they arranged for another helicopter to fly a replacement battery in, meaning we had to wait for another hour and a half. We had taken off from Lobuche at 07:30 and it was midday before the replacement battery was flown in. The pilot said that battery failure was a common problem, given the high altitude and low temperatures they encountered. When the battery arrived it replaced the duff one and we finally took off. Sitting on seats, it was possible to get a very good view out and down from the helicopter - it was a bubble dome type of helicopter. While we were at the airport, I was watching what was going on at the airfield. This airport is the highest that non military helicopters are permitted to operate, and they were using big freight Russian based helicopters to ferry building materials into the airport for new development that was going on. These had to land like an aircraft, along the runway, when the were coming in full, at this altitude. The airport is on top of a ridge that is at the confluence of three vallies. The freight helicopters were coming up one valley, curving round and struggling for altitude gain the whole time, landing on the strip. One of the helicopters came in to land and was about three feet too low. In order to make another attempt, the pilot had to make a very extended figure of eight pattern up each of the three vallies, gaining height fractionally in each valley, until he had increased his altitude by the three to five feet needed to land properly. Anyway, eventually, the new battery for the helicopter arrived; they fitted it; and we set off to fly down to Katmandu - in comfort, sitting in seats. The journey down to Katmandu was fascinating. Last night, after Fraser booked the helicopter, the locals had been speculating that the person who would be flying the helicopter would be a specific colonel from the Nepal forces, who is the acknowledged specialist in high altitude flying. It indeed turned out to be him, and he was employing all his skills and expertise on the flight back. We had to go over a couple of very high ridges between the airfield and Katmandu, and he was employing glider techniques - searching out thermals to assist the helicopter over the ridges. As we had a superb view, each of these manoevres was very obvious. In fact, I was asked if I was not frightened by the flight, given all the hazards. I was far too fascinated and absorbed by the flight and the skill of the pilot to be frightened. Eventually we arrived at Katmandu, and were taken to the hotel, and did our neurophysio tests. An interesting day!

2007-05-27 Sunday Katmandu

Didn't do much today, except mooch round the area immediatedly around the hotel, and in the hotel. There was a demonstration of teachers, who were burning tyres and stopping anybody in a car. While in the hotel I read "The ascent of Ramdoodle", which had been recommended by Mungo. It is hilarious, and made even more funny by having done the trek over the last few weeks - it is funny in the same way that "Yes, Minister" is funny - one cringes as one laughs for fear that it is actually the way things work.

2007-05-26 Saturday Lobuche -> Katmandu altitude 1300m

Helicopter came in and took Fletcher, me and our kit - after a trial lift without our kit to see if we could get off the ground. He managed it, though it was a little hairy, as he was travelling horizontally about 10cm off the ground towards very large boulders, which were higher than the door to the helicopter. Lifting off was very slow, navigating round the boulders, and had the two off us jammed on the floor behind the pilots with the kit jammed in around us. There were no seats in the helicopter other than the pilot and copilots seats. We flew down for five or so minutes, dropping off about 400m. At this point we landed to have some more fuel poured into the helicopter from 20 litre plastic jerrycans which the pilot had left there on the way up the mountain. He had gone from this point to where he picked us up with the absolute bare minimum of fuel and the seats stripped out of the helicopter. We then flew down to Shyangboche (altitude around 3400m) airport where we took on 300 litres of fuel - all of it hand loaded - poured from jerrycans again, and lifted up from the ground to an intermediate person and then up to the person actually pouring it into the helicopter - they did not even have a hand pump. They also put the seats back into the helicopter for us to fly down to Katmandu. At this point the pilots found that the helicopter would not start, as either the battery had failed, or there was a starter motor glitch. We waited around for about three hours, waiting for the temperature to rise sufficiently to give the batteries a boost. When this did not work, they arranged for another helicopter to fly a replacement battery in, meaning we had to wait for another hour and a half. We had taken off from Lobuche at 07:30 and it was midday before the replacement battery was flown in. The pilot said that battery failure was a common problem, given the high altitude and low temperatures they encountered. When the battery arrived it replaced the duff one and we finally took off. Sitting on seats, it was possible to get a very good view out and down from the helicopter - it was a bubble dome type of helicopter. While we were at the airport, I was watching what was going on at the airfield. This airport is the highest that non military helicopters are permitted to operate, and they were using big freight Russian based helicopters to ferry building materials into the airport for new development that was going on. These had to land like an aircraft, along the runway, when the were coming in full, at this altitude. The airport is on top of a ridge that is at the confluence of three vallies. The freight helicopters were coming up one valley, curving round and struggling for altitude gain the whole time, landing on the strip. One of the helicopters came in to land and was about three feet too low. In order to make another attempt, the pilot had to make a very extended figure of eight pattern up each of the three vallies, gaining height fractionally in each valley, until he had increased his altitude by the three to five feet needed to land properly. Anyway, eventually, the new battery for the helicopter arrived; they fitted it; and we set off to fly down to Katmandu - in comfort, sitting in seats. The journey down to Katmandu was fascinating. Last night, after Fraser booked the helicopter, the locals had been speculating that the person who would be flying the helicopter would be a specific colonel from the Nepal forces, who is the acknowledged specialist in high altitude flying. It indeed turned out to be him, and he was employing all his skills and expertise on the flight back. We had to go over a couple of very high ridges between the airfield and Katmandu, and he was employing glider techniques - searching out thermals to assist the helicopter over the ridges. As we had a superb view, each of these manoevres was very obvious. In fact, I was asked if I was not frightened by the flight, given all the hazards. I was far too fascinated and absorbed by the flight and the skill of the pilot to be frightened. Eventually we arrived at Katmandu, and were taken to the hotel, and did our neurophysio tests. An interesting day!

2007-05-25 Friday Everest Base Camp -> Lobuche altitude 4940m

The base camp doctor gave me codeine last night to suppress the coughing reflex which seems to have worked. There was a party last night which I did not attend, preferring to go to bed very early. At the party, they handed out Cauldwell Xtreme Everest medal on a prayer scarf. I got mine at breakfast this morning. After today we only have to do the daily diary at Namche and at Katmandu. The intention today was to start walking at 06:00, having breakfasted and done our daily diaries. We diaried OK, but breakfast was a bit chaotic and the organisation of the group into subgroups, each of which were doing something different caused further chaos so that we did not get up going unti 07:00 amid much grumbling. Fletcher proved incapable of moving at anything other than a snail's pace, and I was not much better - breathlessness and panic attacks, together with coughing fits, all took their toll. We arrived at Lobuche at 15:10 which had intended to be our lunch stop. Fletcher and I are staying here overnight and he is talking about hiring a helicopter out in the morning - a snip at $5500. He has offered me a place, but I feel like it would be wimping out and it is still not clear whether it would be counted as two flights (and two costs). Mungo suggested that the day I might have difficulty would be the last day from Namchee, but that I should be able to do it if prodded with a big enough stick. I am still waiting to find out what is likely to happen. In fact, Fletcher has chartered a helicopter and is going to be flown down to Katmandu tomorrow and I am going with him - freeloading and copping out.

2007-05-24 Thursday Everest Base Camp altitude 5300m

Night time temperature went down to -12oC. I was coughing massively throughout the night. Also even the slightest exertion brings on massive hyperventilation. The fully inflated mattress made life much better last night. I ended up doing nothing much except TESTING today. I could not complete the second spirometer test and came to a halt slightly early on both bike tests. Only managed 132 watts rather than the 150 the testers (and I) wanted to aim at.

2007-05-23 Wednesday Everest Base Camp altitude 5300m

A lousy night, last night. My mattress was only partially inflated so I was sleeping on rock above ice to an extent. My arrangements for a piss bottle did not work out too well. Ian was up and down and the ambient nosie level was high. The team summitted seven people from the team and 10 Sherpas at around 07:30 this morning. I seem to have some reaction to altitude - the smallest exertion is making me massively breathless and I am very lethargic. It took me 10 minutes to put on one sandal. The day time temperature reached 32oC today.

2007-05-22 Tuesday Gorak Shep -> Everest Base Camp altitude 5300m

My throat infection returned, and I had some difficulties in drinking. En route to base camp, I snapped one of my trekking poles, when I slipped. It snapped in two, and considering they are made of titanium, I must have exerted some massive force on it. At base camp I managed to pull the other pole out of its lock, and took about 15 minutes to replace it. I had a brief moment of "That's not the ice fall" as I saw what turned out to be a snow fall, and then saw the ice fall and had the "THAT'S THE ICE FALL (or the 2/3 of it that is visible from base camp)." It is vast, and goes straight up for 750m or more. The glacier is weird. As we got to the base camp, we set up for a group photograph. Mungo (team leader) put his camera gear down on a boulder to come over for the photo. As he moved over, the boulder turned over, deposited his camera gear on the ground, and rolled onto the camera case. Two seconds and £3000 worth of camera gear completely busted - including the metal body of an Olympus professional camera split into two. The glacier's surface melts during the day, and refreezes during the night. As a consequence the surface of the glacier is moving all the time. As a result the tents at base camp have shifted and tilted and it looks a little like a refugee tent city. The manager at the hotel in Katmandu, who expedited the logistics of the expedition, said that they had shifted 25 tons of equipment up the mountain, most of which has ended up at base camp. The Xtreme Everest team are attempting to summit tonight.

2007-05-21 Monday Lobuche -> Gorak Shep altitude 5140m

Very hard trek mostly up. The altitude is leading to fatigue problems. We came over the moraine left by the glacier, which is enormous. Met trek group K coming down from base camp as we ascended. Again tonight will be a personal record for sleeping at altitude.

2007-05-21 Monday Lobuche -> Gorak Shep altitude 5140m

Very hard trek mostly up. The altitude is leading to fatigue problems. We came over the moraine left by the glacier, which is enormous. Met trek group K coming down from base camp as we ascended. Again tonight will be a personal record for sleeping at altitude.

2007-05-19 Saturday Pherich altitude 4306m

Professor David Howard was taken very ill overnight. He had seemed OK until about 16:00 yesterday, had to be evacuated out by helicopter, with AMS and severe complications. He has been up and down the mountain a few times, and is running the ENT experiments, He had been ascending the mountain more or less with us, and I think the suddenness and the severity of his illness has sobered all the members of our trek. The measurement team evacuated him by stretcher and with oxygen. They had been up all night with David, and so the testing was late in starting and the team were all absolutely shattered.

2007-05-19 Saturday Pherich altitude 4306m

Professor David Howard was taken very ill overnight. He had seemed OK until about 16:00 yesterday, had to be evacuated out by helicopter, with AMS and severe complications. He has been up and down the mountain a few times, and is running the ENT experiments, He had been ascending the mountain more or less with us, and I think the suddenness and the severity of his illness has sobered all the members of our trek. The measurement team evacuated him by stretcher and with oxygen. They had been up all night with David, and so the testing was late in starting and the team were all absolutely shattered.

2007-05-18 Friday Pherich altitude 4306m

Up early taking photos in an absolutely beautiful morning with no cloud. By the time we came to do our diary entries the cloud had drifted in. Feeling really good this morning. The Jagged Globe summitted today. There are approximately 37 teams at base camp and 11 on the other side. Two members of the Korean expedition were killed today, swept away by an altitiude. David Coastes (?), the guy that is running up and down the mountain doing the calibration of all the testing equipment is a friend of the farmer at Grafton Regis - whose lands abut to the canal just above where my permanent mooring is.

2007-05-16 Wednesday Namche Bazaar -> Debuche altitude 3740m

Trekking with glorious weather. Ended the day at Debuche This was the first day I have enjoyed the actual trekking. Ended the day in a very basic lodge, where there sleep was something of a problem, as noise reverberated through the building. Had a light headed moment as we arrived at the monastry at Tengboche and learnt from this that I need to carry energy food (such as chocolate bars) and to eat at regular intervals.

2007-05-15 Tuesday Namche Bazaar altitude 3440m

Testing day today, and I am feeling irritable at the stupidity of those around me, and rather depressed. I don't think I am performing very well, and my guess is that even good adaption to altitude which I conned myself I had, is an illusion, though I haven't been on the bike yet. When I got on the bike it was hard work, and was interrupted by an interested spectator. My maximum work rate was 200w, compared to 230w at sea level, and 240w at Katmandu.

2007-05-14 Monday Namche Bazaar alt 3440m

Met up with David Coates, who is doing all the calibration of all the testing equipment, up to and including base camp, and possibly higher. He spends his time going from testing station to testing station, with his calibration equipment which is carried by two porters - one lump is an unmanageable 45k. He is good friends with the farmer, Robert Weston, at Grafton Regis, whose farm is just up the canal from my moorings, and which is much larger than I realised. Went into Namche to buy a few odds and ends including a kerchief in order to block the dust from my mouth and throat. The lodge is very good, and the owner, who has a sherpa museum in the base of the hotel is very accomodating. He is completely deaf, so communication can be difficult, but he is very willing to please. The grounds of the hotel have a crashed helicopter as part of the decor - not a very usual form of decoration.