Everest Base Camp Cancer Climb

EVEREST BASE CAMP CANCER CLIMB

November 1, 2010

We left Rochester on Saturday at about 3:00pm,  many meeting us at the airport – JOI’ers and ACS’ers.  Great send off and very emotional.  Tears flowed saying goodbye to Linda, Emily & Tessa.  I’m so glad the girls “get it”.  So much anticipation built up for so long – nice to finally start the actual journey.  First delay right off the bat as we are stuck on the tarmac in Rochester due to high winds in Newark.  Haven’t even left the ground and we are waiting.  Forty-five minutes later we are on our way.  The pilot somehow makes up the time and we arrive on schedule.  Newark Airport is pretty uneventful, we have dinner in shifts so someone is always watching the bags.  I had dinner with Tom Walker, Bonnie, Jim and Patrick.  I learn that Patrick wrote the newspaper article about the death of Bonnie’s first husband.  Small frickin’ world!

The flight to India is packed, mostly Indians (go figure).  I sat next to an older Indian couple who spoke little English.  The women in front of me are from Colorado and climbed Kilimanjaro a few years ago.  They are very interested about our trip and our cause.  The flight was thirteen hours – I took Ambien around midnight and sort of slept, better than I would have without it.  I watched the movies “Up” and “Benjamin Button”, sleeping through most of the latter.  You know the flight is long when you are served dinner twice!

We arrived in New Delhi India at 7:30pm local time, totally missing Sunday due to the time change.  The airport is fairly new and nice but the air is horrible, like a burn barrel that’s full of urine.  We make a fairly quick exit out of the airport but had to leave Rick behind to sleep in the airport due to a visa problem (he had just been to India a few months prior to this trip).  We head to our hotel on a bus through the dark streets (about 45 minutes) so we had no views at all, just the enjoyable stench.  The hotel is nice with plenty of room in the rooms but no hot water.  I shared my room with Matt and we had a beer in the lobby, talked about the journey and the incredible opportunity we were experiencing and hit the sack by about 10pm.  I didn’t sleep much at all – too much anxiety and jet lag.  We got up are 4am and, after a quick breakfast of toast and tea, headed back to the airport for our flight to Kathmandu.  It is still dark out so we still had no view of India (again, the smell never goes away).  The roads are bad and the traffic is worse, even at 5am. 

At the airport, Matt, Patrick and I are refused entry because we did not have a printout of our itinerary.  After about thirty minutes of bullshit and confusion, they let us in after verifying our confirmed flights.  We made it just in time to do a group check-in, which saved us about an hour of waiting in more lines.  At the security check I was delayed again as they searched for a lighter they saw in the scanner.  They emptied everything to find a lighter in my toiletries bag, no idea how or why it was there but must have been there for years and passed many security checks before.

I finally sat down to wait for the flight.  I found Linda’s card and pictures she had hid away in my bag and cried like a baby as I read it.  I shared them with Bonnie and she cried along with me.  I am missing Linda horribly and wishing she was with me (for the good parts at least).  We have never been apart this long and it was going to be tough without her.

The flight to Kathmandu is about to take off now.  Things are getting better – somehow I’m in first class with about half of our group.  I decide to write in this journal to keep caught up and I find Tessa’s Post It notes she hid inside.  I start crying again.  She’s simply amazing!  So nice to know of her excitement level for this trip.  The flight is delayed about an hour (naturally) but I’m in first class with fresh juice  and hot towels being served.  Life is good!  I started to read “The Alchemist” on the first two flights and my favorite line so far: “Fall down seven times, get up eight times – it’s the secret of life”.

The airplane is hot and smells like a taxi.  My seat is right in front of the wing and the jet engine sound like a leaf blower with a bad muffler.  Once we hit high altitude the horrendous noise stops (thank God).  We just got our first view of the Himalayas!  Truly majestic!  Piercing out from the clouds – amazing sight to see.  The “view” stage of the journey finally begins!

November 4, 2010

I have not written for a few days and desperately need to get caught up.  I left off on the flight to Kathmandu.  The flight in was amazing – white capped mountains in the background as we flew over the foothills, beautifully terraced with gardens and homes everywhere.  A relatively short thirty minute transition at the airport (much like in Moshi) as we got our visas.  We immediately were greeted with Nepali leas and taken on a bus through the streets of Katmandu to our hotel.  The streets are crazy with little traffic control. There are cars, motorcycles, buses, trucks, bicycles and pedestrians everywhere and the sound of blowing horns is constant. The streets also have power lines everywhere, often spooled up on the poles themselves.

The hotel is very nice – six stories with a roof terrace overlooking the city.  After getting settled, Rick took us out to exchange money and then to lunch, an outside café where we order too much food.  We head to the main shopping district with vendors everywhere (much like Tijuana).  It is hard to take it all in with the sensory overload.  We get back by dark and head to dinner at a beautiful restaurant just behind the hotel.  Traditional Nepali food and music as we sat on the floor and drank rice wine (which is like tequila) and Everest Beer while being entertained by musicians and dancers in beautiful outfits.  People were fading fast so we heading back to the hotel and called it a night.

I slept pretty well, getting up at 6am, had breakfast and packed my bags for the hike, leaving a small bag of non-essentials at the hotel.  As we waited in the lobby for the bus to the airport, a rat jumped over my shoulder and scurried away – freaking most of us out because it was a very clean place.

We leave for the airport through the crazy traffic and Darlene realized she left her carry on bag (with her meds) at the hotel.  Only a fifteen minute delay but the anticipation was killing us at this point as we were so close to beginning our hike.  We get checked into the smaller section of the airport and wait for our flight to get called.  There are amazing moments of anxiety and anticipation as we watch the clock seemingly come to a stop.  We are minutes away from what we know will be the craziest flight ever.  Esther was really starting to freak out, almost to the point of tears.  We are finally taken out to the plane and load up.  Patrick and I joke about the name on the plane – “AGNI AIR” or as we called it, “AGONY AIR”.  A competing airline was called “TARA AIR”, which we of course called “TERROR AIR”.

There is more room than I feared, with eighteen seats.  We even have a flight attendant to hand out earplugs and hard candy.  I would have been nervous if they handed out parachutes.  The plane finally takes off, very loud but very exciting.  It is a very clear day and the flight is smooth.  Esther keeps here eyes shut for most of the flight as the rest of us enjoy the view.  We fly over some ridges of the foothills where I thought for sure we would hit them and then the land just drops into the next valley – just amazing!  After about an hour, we get our first glimpse of Lukla and the tiny airstrip we will be landing on.  I’ve seen bigger driveways!  It seems like the plane never slows down for the approach.  After a few prayers, we land hard and slow down very quickly as we near the rock face at the end of the landing strip.  We are all relieved to survive it!

We are quickly out of the plane and take a short walk to a grassy area along the side of the airstrip for tea and time to take in the views.  I can’t begin to describe the snow covered mountains larger than I have ever seen and beautiful green valleys.  Tom Stevens says “this is the most beautiful tea I have ever tasted”.  We can’t stop taking pictures and picking up our jaws.  It is a beautiful day in a beautiful place.  I begin to tear up  wishing Linda was with me, knowing how she would love it.  Planes and helicopters are flying in and out every few minutes but in between there is almost complete silence.

After about an hour of taking it all in, we load up and begin the hike, walking right through the streets of Lukla with its many shops and restaurants.  Then we pass the gate, officially entering the Himalayas.  We head mostly downhill right from the start.  Within the first quarter mile, we pass a memorial to the Lukla plane crash in 2008, reminding us again just how fortunate we are.

We continue downhill until we near the river – Dudh Coshi (pronounced “Dude Cozy”), which means “White River”.  It is actually a milky blue color from all the sediment from the glaciers.  The views are spectacular, with waterfalls and rock faces like I’ve never seen.  And we are only in the foothills!

We soon come to our first cable bridge.  It doesn’t seem too bad so I decide to videotape my crossing.  I’m fine until the earth drops out from under me.  In a panic with tape still rolling, I focus on a fixed point on the other side and try to maneuver the camera without looking.  Hopefully I was able to capture the height and raging river below.  We continue on trying not to trip as we can’t stop looking around and taking pictures of everything.  

There are many people on the trail in both directions – hikers, guides, Sherpas and yak-like cows carrying supplies.  We are amazed as we see the locals carrying heavy supplies along trails we struggle on with 20 lb. packs.  We actually saw one guy carrying 12 cases of Everest beer to the next village!  These guys (and gals) are the tractor trailers of the Himalayas.

There is cow dung everywhere so you quickly learn to watch where you step.  The sound of the bells on the cows are wonderful and you quickly learn to love them.  The sound of the raging river is also becoming ingrained in our minds.  Every corner is more stunning as we pass scattered homes, hotels and restaurants along the route.  We cross over two more cable bridges and they become easier to handle (for some of us).  After a few hours, we stop for lunch on a terraced area with more incredible views.  Lunch is warmed juice (Tang), grilled cheese sandwich, French fries, sliced vegetables and a sardine in some kind of BBQ sauce – absolutely delicious!  We eat kneeling at a table cloth on the ground and then rest for about a half hour, taking in the views and pinching each other to make sure this is all real.  We are all so blessed to be here.  I can’t stop thinking of Linda, knowing she would be beaming with joy.  

We finally reach our first camp and our tents are already set up in a small cow pasture.  It is nearly dark and we quickly get settled in.  We are at about 8000’ , starting at 9000’ in Lukla.  The air is thin but not too bad.  The temperature when we began was about 75 but it is now about 45 with cloudy skies and darkness quickly approaching.  It is the tiny village of Tok Tok with a few houses and again a restaurant and hotel.  We have dinner in a tea house, a modest building with a stove and a few tables and chairs.  Not too bad, certainly more comfortable than the mess tent on Kili.  Dinner is rice and stir fry vegetables, very good though hard to eat a lot due to exhaustion.  We exchange stories, but all are ready to hit the hay.  Esther is struggling a bit with the pace and did not feel her best during the day, resting every chance she got.  Tom Walker is struggling also, trying to keep pace (which is somewhere between Kili pace and a normal hike pace).  But they both hung in there and survived Day One.  We were in bed by about 8:30pm and all quickly fell asleep.  Of course, that we until the Diamox kicked in.  I got up four times during the night and usually saw someone else doing the same.  There is electricity along the route so there were some lights on the building, helping you find your way around.  I shared a tent with Matt and he only snored when lying on his back; a few good jabs took care of that.  The temperature dropped into the upper 30’s during the night, making the trips out of the tent less than desirable.  But at some point the clouds cleared and we enjoyed a starlit sky.

We are awakened at 6am with tea and warm water for washing.  We quickly packed up our gear, had breakfast (eggs, toast and tea) and hit the trail by about 7:30am.  Most slept pretty well and felt okay so the hike was nice – following the river, crossing three more cable bridges and going through many small villages.  People were very friendly.  The women in Nepal are very beautiful and have a certain elegance about them, despite the relative hardships.  They are very happy and family oriented, without the “begging” quality of the cities.

We stopped for lunch right along the riverbed.  This time it was a fresh flat of bread, slices of salami, some sort of sausages, cheese and cucumber slices – of course with tea and heated juice.  We rested for quite a while in the warmth of the midday sun so Tom S., Matt and I headed down to the river to stick our hands in the very, very cold water.  It was like putting your hand in an ice fishing hole.  We found some interesting river stones and collected them for souvenirs.  

Back on the trail, we stared uphill until the river split.  At that point the crossed our fourth bridge of the day and it was a doozy!  I though I had gotten over my fear but this one was a few hundred feet in the air.  I again focused on a point on the other side and began to cross.  All was well until Darlene, who I was following, decided to stop midway to take some pictures.  I was frozen with fear.  She turned and took a picture of me (which must be just lovely) and finally continued on.  I was never happier to be across.  It was probably higher than the trestle bridge at Letchworth Park but sways with the wind.  Good times.

We then began a long hike up switchbacks, leaving the comforting roar of the river below.  This was a very long hike, very steep with many drop offs.  We went from about 9000’ to 11,000’ in just a few hours, making our legs ache and our breathing difficult.  We finally reached the village of Namche Bazaar at around 4pm – nearly nine hours of hiking for the day.  The village is truly “bizarre” – all terraced along an amphitheater type hill with amazing views of mountains and valleys.  Camp was a pleasant sight as we stayed at a lodge – half of us in tents, half of us in rooms (including me!).  We swapped roommates around a little as I shared the room with Alison while Darlene shared a tent with Matt.  The room was a bit cramped, but a welcome change from the tents and hard ground.

After settling in, we enjoyed an early dinner of fried chicken (supposedly flown in fresh on a helicopter), cooked veggies and boiled potatoes.  An indoor bathroom was also a welcome sight – a ceramic floor with a hole in the middle.  Much better than small bathroom tents covering a hole dug into the ground.  We struggled to stay awake through dinner but gained energy quickly when we read our first emails.  Tears flowed as we heard from loved ones fro the first time since Saturday. 

I forgot to mention watching the sunset as the sunlight only hit the snow covered peaks, changing from brilliant white to gold to red and then, finally, to steel blue as the sun finally set.  The views never get old.

November 5, 2010

Our off day yesterday was very welcome.  Ten of us got up at sunrise and hiked to the top of Namche Bazaar and watch the sun rise against Everest  and the other snow capped peaks.  There was a park next to an army post with a museum about Sherpa life Everest expeditions.  The views were amazing as usual.  We took some pictures with my banners that I think Rick posted on line.  The hike up was only about 200’ vertical but very difficult at this altitude.  It was below freezing so when the sun finally rose, it felt great!  An amazing thing happened as we walked back down to camp.  Tom W. ran into a friend of his!  It was the daughter of a guy he worked with for many years.  Very strange to see in such a remote place.  He knew she was hiking in this part of the world around this time but what are the chances?

Back at camp, we finally had breakfast and some went shopping in town as I took a much needed nap.  I’ve been feeling fine but very tired so I took advantage of the extra time.  We had a late lunch and more went shopping or did laundry and cleaned themselves up in the warmth of the sun, including me.  We pumped filtered water and got ourselves prepared for the next hike.  Dinner was very goo – momo’s and spaghetti.  I went to bed right afterwards (around 8pm) and slept pretty well, only getting up twice for the bathroom.  I have woken up early today and decided to bring this journal up to date.  I am looking forward to today’s hike, with new experiences and views.

November 7, 2010

Today is our second (and final) rest day.  We just finished two days of relatively easy 7 hours hikes.  We started our of Namche Bazaar around 8:30am with brilliant sunshine and no wind.  We walked up past the heliport where they bring in supplies and provide medical evacuation.  We saw a helicopter land, stay for about one minute to off load and then leave – heading straight down into the valley.  It was intense!  I assume it is to gain speed and save fuel. 

We then walked past a quarry where they break large stones into manageable sizes for building homes, walls, walkways, etc.  It was like the Slate Rock Company where Fred Flintstone worked – very primitive.  The walk to Thame is not very popular for most hikers so there were few people on the trail, which was nice.  

We had lunch at the Maya Lodge (cooked by our crew).  The owners of the lodge have a daughter who completes in the Everest Marathon (from Base Camp to Namche Bazaar) and the proudly display her certificates and medals.  She has placed in the top 5 from women multiple times with a time of around 5:10 – incredible at this altitude!

Lunch was great as usual and back on the trail we went.  We came to a monastery (actually a nunnery) which was in the process of being rebuilt.  The attention to detail is beyond belief – the painting is so colorful and ornate – it s just beautiful.

The final ascent to Thame was late in the day and the sun was going down fast.  With the size of the mountains all around, the valleys only get sun for about 9 hours per day.  We entered Thame at dusk.  The whole valley is all yak herders and nothing else.  We set up camp and waited for dinner in the teahouse.  They did not have a stove so it was very cool inside.  The woman who owns it was very pleasant, with a beautiful smile and a wonderful laugh.  She tried to sell us wool hats, which Tom W. jumped on, only 300 rupees (about $5.20 US).  She provided us with large blankets to keep us warm as we ate dinner and read emails.  Then it was quick to bed.  It was very cold out (about 25) but starlit skies.  I slept fairly well, only getting up twice during the night.

The next morning we were awoken with tea (as usual) and it was still very cold.  The sun came up quickly and it warmed up nicely, about 60 by the time we hit the trail.  Tom S. tried on the basket that the female Sherpa has been carrying with his bag and a few other things (probably about 75 lbs.).  He lasted about ten seconds – the Sherpas getting a nice laugh watching him.  We started the hike and it was a very pleasant, gentle rise.  Starting at 12,300’, we continued through the valley along the river.  It  is mostly gravel so there is a lot of erosion along the riverside.  We had our first “yak attack” when a stray cow came up from behind us and randomly jumped on and off the trail, not sure what to do or where to go.  I captured some on video as it came directly at me and then ran off – pretty freaky!  Lunch was right at the river after we crossed a low wooden bridge.  

We continued on and gained altitude as we came to the village of Arya at 14,180’.  The village consists of only one teahouse so we shared it with two other groups.  One was a group of six from Germany on a similar trek to Base Camp.  The other was from the UK but were mountaineers heading up to try to summit an unclimbed peak (hard to believe there are any of those left).  We spoke with their leader for some time.  He is much like Rick but only does expeditions in Nepal.  His lead guide has been with him for many years but couldn’t make this trip due to a cancer diagnosis just a few weeks ago.  How ironic.  He is in Delhi getting treatment.  Robing, the leader, has raised tons of money through the years to help his friend’s village – building a school, bridges, power plant, etc.  A tremendous story!

Another dinner and round of emails and we were ready for bed.  We had the luxury of the yak dung stove during dinner, which was great.  We go outside and it is now about 20 with a wind chill of about 10 – BRRR!  I slept pretty well during the night, only getting up twice in the freezing night air.  I sure wish I brought a pee cup.  

We were awoken for tea at about 7:30am and the sun came out minutes later, warming things up immediately.  What a welcome relief.  My tent mate, Tom W., did not feel well and slept through breakfast and nearly until lunch.  Rick spent the night vomiting and also slept through breakfast.  Jim is the other one who missed breakfast and is struggling with the altitude.  The rest of us all seem fine.  Despite a headache, I feel great and look forward to the continuing journey.  We hung out in the warm sun for most of the morning except for Tom S., Matt, Alison and Darlene, who took a walk around the small village.  Kami taught us how to crack a whip like the herders, which was quite amusing watching everyone attempt it and then showed us how to use it as a slingshot.  Amazing stuff!  Darlene had brought along some cheap plastic kites so we tried to fly them but had little success until Tom S. figured it needed weight on the tail.  He tied a piece of yak dung to it and it worked awesome!  There were many jokes exchanged about how “that shit don’t fly around here”, etc.   The Sherpas joined in loved flying the kites.  It really was a great day.

Tom W. and Rick continued to struggle all day and missed every meal.  A decision was made that Tom W., who was having severe back and hip pain as well as altitude sickness, would not continue over the Renjo Pass with us but would back track towards Namche and lower altitudes and meet us in the Dudh Coshi Valley in a  few days, assuming he recovered.  In the morning he felt much better so it looks like the right decision at this point.  Rick and Jim both woke up feeling better as well, so it looks like the worst is over for them.

November 9, 2010

Yesterday was the hardest day ever!  It was summit night, followed by the Barranco Wall at 17,000’.  We awoke at 5:30am, freezing cold (about 15-20).  We packed the night before so it took little time to get ready.  Breakfast was quick and we couldn’t wait for the sun to rise.  By 6:30am we were ready to go over the Renjo Pass.  We saw a man far in the distance walking towards our camp with his hands in the air, like he was surrendering to us.  It turns out he had cut his hands badly and was bleeding.  Rick and Esther got on the job and with the few first aid  supplies we had, cleaned him up and wrapped his hands.  He really needed stitches.  We found out he was in a bar fight at another village.  

We were now standing in the frigid cold waiting to leave.  Finally we left at 7am and started straight up a 1000’ hill.  At the top we were greeted with sunshine and we quickly shed layers.  Things leveled off for a little while as we made our way through the high valleys.  We were over 15,000’ now and stopped to rest at a small lake.  The trail didn’t seem to go anywhere as we wondered where we were headed.  There were only mountains and rock faces around us.  We soon found out that the rock face was the trail.  We climbed steep stone staircases making our way up the mountains until we stopped for lunch at another beautiful glacial lake.  We ate at 16,000’ and after only a few minutes rest, we soldiered onward and upward.  

The intense elevation and steepness was taking its toll on everyone.  The pace was very, very slow as we gasped for breath and felt our legs getting heavier and heavier.  High up on cliff were some prayer flags so we knew where we need to go but couldn’t believe we could get there at 17,000’.  I felt like I couldn’t go on but thoughts of Rick Cullinan – knowing how much he would be loving this and how tough his past year has been – gave me the strength I needed to finally reach the top at 17,444’.  It was an amazing feeling as one by one, we all made it in eight hours. 

 The view on the other side blew away all that we had seen to date.  A clear shot of Everest and it’s surrounding mountains – one of the most beautiful sighs ever!  Directly below Everest was the village of Gokyo (our next camp) and it’s beautiful lake.  Just amazing!  We all took shots with our banners (I had carried Tom W.’s banner for him) and a few tears were shed.  Esther was especially proud since this was her highest elevation ever.  She finally got her summit night she had yearned for since Kili.

After about thirty minutes, we began the trek down through mostly loose stone and gravel – very treacherous, especially for Bonnie and Tom S. with bad knees.  The trek down took forever but the lower altitude was very welcome.  We only made it about half way down when darkness set in.  We did get the most spectacular views of Everest at sunset, as it went from white to gold to red to blue.  We all put on headlamps and completed the final two hours in darkness and extreme cold.  We got to camp at 7pm, completely exhausted but gratified knowing we just finished our hardest day.  Dinner was a joke as none of us could muster the strength to eat much and stay awake in the warmth of the crowded teahouse.  I joke that they should call this place “Neverest”.  Rick was struggling again and missed dinner so we had no emails to read.  We probably couldn’t process them anyway.  To bed we went and tried to rest for our next day of adventure.

Today’s hike was probably the easiest to date.  We were up at 7:30am and the sun came up shortly after.  Everyone was still worn from yesterday’s marathon but very relieved it was over.  After breakfast we left camp at about 9:45am and headed up a small hill so we could see the glacier in the valley, yet another amazing sight.  We continued south down the valley along three incredible lakes.  Beautiful sunshine but a bit cool.  We came to a point where the glacier ends the Dudh Coshi begins.  Down we went until we hit our lunch spot in another small village.  The clouds came in and cooled things down quickly as we finished lunch.  This was the first time we hiked with virtually no views.  It was only a few more hours to the village of Dole where we are now camped.  Kami, our lead guide, owns a lodge here and is very proud of it.  We will meet his wife tonight after dinner.

November 10, 2010

Another easy day today, waking at 7:30am and the sun had just come up.  I slept pretty well (thanks to some Benedryl) and felt refreshed.  We had breakfast and got ready to leave.  Before we took off, we bid farewell to three of the Sherpas that were done with our expedition.  One of them was only 15 years old.  Crazy shit!  We left for the trail down to our next camp which was down the valley, losing about 500’ in elevation to 12,747’.  It was a beautiful hike through the rhododendron forest, with lots of Spanish moss and waterfalls.  It was nice to see trees again.  The oxygen in the air felt great and we got as low as 11,700’ when we crossed the river.  The climb back up was tough, about 1000’. 

 The camp we are at now, Phortse, is beautiful and overlooks the river valley we came up the first few days of the hike.  We are on our ninth day in the mountains and I feel pretty good.  I’m sure I look and smell horrible but some things take priority at this point.  It’s hard to imagine we’ll be here six more days but we’ll be ready to leave when the time comes.  Tom W. will not be rejoining us.  Word is he injured his back so bad he can’t continue.  Rick went to see him at his camp to plan out his exit.  Esther, meanwhile, has “checked out” from the trip.  She is satisfied with reaching Renjo Pass, seeing Everest and climbing higher than she made it on Kili.  She will wait for us at a teahouse and rejoin us on the hike out.  So we are down to ten.  The others look fine and should make it to Kala Pathar and/or Base Camp without an issue.  Let’s hope so.

November 14, 2010

I’m a few days behind now since the days have been quite hard and the time for journaling limited.  I left off after Day 9 so Day 10 consisted of hiking from Phortse to Dingbouche.  The hike was not terribly difficult  but very scary at times.  We followed the river along a very high ridge.  Linda Johnstone would have lost it – very narrow paths with very steep drop offs.  It seems to go on forever and we seem to never gain altitude.  Finally we crossed a river and made the long trek up to Dignbouche.   It’s a fairly nice village with nice teahouses and we had our best one so far.  There was even a poster of Niagara Falls and we tried to show the Sherpas that was our home (or at least near it).  I was able to do an audio post in the morning so that was great.

Day 11 started out cool but warmed up quickly as usual once the sun came up.  We follow a high ridge line along the river but it was a very nice walk, easy grade and easy steps.  We finally came up to the end of the river (or the beginning, I suppose) and saw the Everest Glacier for the first time.  We stopped for lunch and were attacked by ravens looking for scraps.  

After lunch, up we went for about 600’ with very rocky terrain.  It was quite tough but the payoff at the top was worth it.  It was a tribute to all those who made the trip up but never came back down.  Stone “chortens” were built with plaques. It was quite moving.  There was fog and clouds among us so it gave it an even more eerie feeling.  We continued up the glacier valley and came across the scariest looking village of all.  It looked like a Cambodian refugee camp.  They were building a new teahouse next to our camp so there was crap everywhere.  

The teahouse we ate in was horrible, built on a slant and very noisy with just about everyone in the village inside the place trying to get warm.  It was very cold out (about 20) and for the first time I was unable to eat (reminded me of summit night on Kili).  I managed to put down a few forkfuls of spaghetti and cheese but that was it.  I went to bed very early (7pm) as we had an early start planned for our “Summit Day” – 5am.

November 15, 2010

Again, I’m trying to catch up on the journal.  This is Day 14 but I need to remember Days 12  and 13.  Day 12 was our summit day.  We started at 5am with our wake up call and after a quick breakfast that I barely ate, we hit the trail by 6:15am.  It was very cold, about 10 at the start.  We did not have a big incline to start and it was long and a bit boring.  We walked along side the glacier and moraine for about an hour.  It was just light enough to not need our headlamps.  We came to a large rock pile we had to hike over, which was quite difficult at this altitude.  

The sun was finally up as we approached Gorek Shep, the highest village in these mountains, and we could finally see Everest, Base Camp, Gorek Shep and Kala Pathar.  Gorek Shep sits in a dried up lake bed so it was all sandy and quite warm in the sun.  We dropped our backpacks at Gorek Shep and headed up to Kala Pathar with only water, banners and cameras.  Kala Pathar is about 1500’ up and I mean up!  It was like doing Bristol Mountain 1 ½ times but at extreme altitude.  We all suffered from lack of oxygen and exhaustion but were very persistent and encouraging each other.  The climb reminded us of Kili and the way we felt then.  Each step took forever and our lungs burned from the conditions.  It was a beautiful sunny day but the air was quite cold.  

We heard and then saw an avalanche come down on the mountain next to Everest – an amazing sight to see!  The climb was mostly on dirt and sod for about two thirds of the way and ten turned to large stones, like some sort of practical joke.  After two hours of misery, the top was in sight.  

Behind Kala Pathar is a gigantic valley with lakes and more peaks.  The last few steps up were a bit of a blur but finally the top was reached.  Rick met us there with video going to capture the moment for each of us.  It was quite emotional to say the least.  I found a rock to sit on and broke down in tears, proud of my accomplishment and the accomplishment of each that followed me, but also so proud and honored to be there at that moment, all that had gone into the project, the support I received, the names on the banners I carried.  It was the moment I dreamed of having, the moment like I felt on top of Kili that I though would never happen again.  But there I was, the views around me were astounding, the people I was with that I love so much were sharing the same moment.  We embraced each other and more tears flowed.  And then we listened as Bonnie did her audio message in a way only Bonnie can do.  Truly a magic moment.  

But, of course, there was still business to get to as we each took turns with our banners, the ones that got us there and with names we memorized as we took all those steps to the top.  Finally a group shot with Everest, in all her glory, providing the backdrop.  After about 30 minutes we took our first true steps down as we made room for other hikers to have there moment.  By then we were shivering from the cold.  

The trek down was difficult but the pain was welcome.  After about an hour, we again we in the sands of Gorek Shep.  I scooped up some sand for Dan Miller, a Livonia science teacher, knowing it would be a great addition to his collection of sand from around the world.  We were greeted by the Sherpas who had lunch ready and I ate the most delicious noodle soup of my life.  

Many of us had considered going on the actual Base Camp, but only Patrick and Rick actually made the trek.  I was worn out and knew I had my “moment”, the reason I came here.  Base Camp would be disappointment after that, especially knowing that there was nothing there to see during the off season.  It added an additional four hours to the day and having very little to eat over the past 24 hours, I knew my limits.  We finished lunch and basked in the warmth of the sun for about and hour until it was time to head back to camp.  

It took nearly three hours of miserable hiking to get back and it was very cold during the last hour, but we again enjoyed the incredible colors of the setting sun.  Camp was horrible but a somewhat welcome sight. 

We recovered for a while and then headed to the teahouse for warmth and tea, only we could not stay in the teahouse.  We brought our own cooking staff and they wanted to give the table space to their own customers.  We moved to a building under construction where our staff prepared the meal.  

Despite the extreme roughness of the place, it was quiet and brought us closer to the Sherpas, who have been with us the whole time, helping every chance they get and courteous I have ever encountered.  There was a stove so it provided some warmth and we waited for Patrick and Rick to return before we had dinner.  They finally arrived around 7:30pm and we tried to eat but struggled.  We went to bed soon after and spent our final night in extreme cold.  The waiting in the cold between hikes was always the worse.

Day 13 started fairly early but he sun came up quickly and made it bearable.  We packed quickly, had breakfast and hit the trail, excited for higher temperatures and lower altitudes.  We were quickly below 16,000’ and every step felt better, knowing we were heading down hill.  Soon we were under 15,000’ and the energy level was a dramatic change.  We followed the valley past the end of the glacier and enjoyed a steady decline.  The air was surprisingly cold as we approached the village of Parichi.  There was a stainless steel memorial to all those who died in the Himalayas. 

We stopped for lunch and entered a teahouse but we escorted right out the back door to the pasture.  Matt said “we are being treated like second class citizens in a third world country”.  Pretty funny stuff.  Lunch was quick and we continued our journey down, following the river and finally entered the tree zone – a very welcome sight. 

We crossed the river and headed up to our next camp, a small, very secluded teahouse in Milongo.  A family welcomed us inside for tea as we waited for dinner.  They had a baby and watching the mother and father giggle with the baby like any proud parent would, made the world that much smaller and made us yearn for home and our families.  It really was an extremely touching and moving moment for all of us.

November 18, 2010

Time to catch up again.  We left Milongo around 9am and headed uphill to Tengbouche – home of the largest monastery in the region and home of the Llama.  It is absolutely beautiful with views of many peaks, including Everest.  It was a picture perfect day with a nice hike through a wooded area.  All the monasteries seem to be set up the same, but this one was much fancier.  

We continued on for Kumjung and Kami’s home.  We went way down to the river and then had a very long upward climb before finally reaching Kumjung.  It’s the largest village in the region and Kami’s house is very nice and traditional.  We had dinner in the house and shivered in the unheated space.  He has a lot of copper pots and items handed down for generations.  He takes a lot of pride in his home and he should.  

It was Darlene’s birthday and Paulde, our cook, managed to bake a cake for her.  We were all amazed how this was possible considering the limited conditions, especially the icing.  It was absolutely delicious!

In the morning, we toured his temple within his house and he opened one of the 108  books that are so important to the religion.  

Before leaving Kumjung, we visited a very old monastery that housed the famous “Yeti Scull”.  I joked with Kathy Bailey that her hair looked much like this at this point in the trip and started to call her “Yeti Bailey”, which I’m sure she really appreciated.  We headed for Namche and passed a school yard full of children.  It was nice to see.  The pens and pencils we brought over went to that school.  

Day 15 continued with a beautiful walk to Namche where we got a great overlook of the village from above.  We had lunch at the same place we stayed our first trip through and it was nice to see some familiar faces.  We get a little shopping in before making the long trek down to the river and over the world’s scariest bridge.  We continued along the river and  along the same trail we took in. 

 We finally ended up in Monju, where we enjoyed a few beers in the restaurant and even tried Apple Wine, pretty much distilled spirits.  We had dinner in a tent for the first time all trip, sat and talked long after the meal.  It was a really nice time.  

Day 16 was mostly just a grind to finally get to Lukla.  We moved along swiftly and apart from passing a group of school children heading to school and getting caught up in a trail race, we finally reached Lukla and again saw our friends Esther and Tom W., who were waiting at the gate for us.  What a welcome sight!  

We were to stay in a hotel for the evening and be done with the tents but our hearts dropped when we finally reached the hotel only to see our familiar green tents set up in the yard.  The rooms we thought we had were unavailable due to back ups from cancelled flights, very depressing.  Esther and Tom W. had a room so we were able to use their shower – but only with extremely cold water since the solar heaters were not working due to the overcast skies.  It was a brutal shower but still a shower.  It felt great to be clean but I was frozen inside.  

A few of us headed into town for some shopping and a few cocktails to celebrate our trip.  We ended up at an Irish pub and drank Everest beer and Jameson whiskey.  

We came back for dinner at the hotel with the rest of the crew and celebrated with the Sherpas.  We gave them their tips, thanked them and sang Nepali songs with them.  They were a great crew and really made the trip special.  They had a jug of white liquid that is called “Chang”, which can only but described as spoiled milk and vinegar, and they passed around cups of it to toast with.  It may be the nastiest thing I have ever had in my life!

That’s when things really started to get crazy.  We were desperate to get back to Katmandu and enjoy our extra few days in warmth and comfort, but so were about 200 other people who’s flights were backed up due to the weather.  We made the best of it, knowing we had a few days to catch our connecting flights back home but we packed our bags each morning and carried them to the airport hoping that it was clear enough to fly.  Everyone else in Lukla has the same hope and tensions really started to get high.  Some were about to hire helicopters to get out, but that was very limited.  There was a few of us that had earlier connecting flights so we prioritized them with any available means to leave.  Rick worked his magic on the satellite phone trying to arrange a helicopter to get Tom S., Esther, Matt, Bonnie and Jim out.  Part of the problem was that they had to pay cash and it was hard to find enough cash in Lukla to pay the ridiculous price of the flight (it varied from $500 to $1000 depending on the number of people in on the deal).  Lots of shady deals were going around and often falling through.  One guy was so upset, he threw a chair through the window of the airport.  There were fistfights on the verge of breaking out as security did there best to keep things under control.  Rick made arrangements to get the five on a helicopter plus room for one more and I was somehow nominated to be the sixth.  We quickly carried our bags up to the airport late the second day and got ready to leave town.  People did not like to see us leaving before them and glared at us as we made our way through to the gate.  

Suddenly, there was a delay and we were not leaving.  It turns out the helicopter pilot and the air traffic control person (hard to believe there actually is one) were not getting along and the helicopter was not allowed to leave.  Back to the hotel we went, very discouraged.  We were told we may be able to leave at sunrise so we carried our bags up the hill yet again and waited for the airport to open.  The crowd of people quickly gathered as the doors finally opened.  We made our way out to the tarmac to get to the helicopter on the other side of the runway when some airport official asked us who set up our flight out and how much we paid.  We pointed to our “travel agent” that Rick had worked with and he was immediately arrested!  We didn’t really care why at this point but they allowed us to continue to the helicopter. 

As we waited for the pilot, I noticed that there was really no way six of us (plus bags) were fitting into this thing.  I told the rest that when they tell us only five could go, I would be the one left behind.  Sure enough, the pilot shows up after about an hour wait and says he can only take five.  I bid farewell to the rest of them and headed back with my bags, disappointed that I was missing my first helicopter ever and more importantly, still stuck in Lukla.   As it turned out, there was room for six passengers and they ended up taking some guy who was awaiting another flight!  

By the time I got the trail on the other side of the runway, I was able to watch my friends leave the insanity of Lukla, happy that they were going to make their connecting flight to India.

Back at the hotel, the rest of the gang were very surprised to see me.  It was now Friday morning and our connecting flight from Kathmandu to India was at 3:30pm.  It was looking pretty unlikely we would make it in time.  The weather was clearing up but there was the enormous backup of flights, and we could only fly out if flights were able to fly in.  The word we got was that the weather in Kathmandu was not allowing flights to head our way, delaying everything even more.  Every so often and plane would come in but we knew we were pretty far down the waiting list.  

Suddenly Rick says we need to get to the airport with our bags and wait there in case something frees up.  We trudged our way up to the airport again but really felt like it was a waste of time, that we would be back in the cold stone building that had become our home for the last three days.  But you couldn’t pass up on the chance that we would get out on time.  After a few hours of waiting, we finally get word that our plane is on the way to Lukla and we are on the flight out.  Anticipation is now at a crazy level and every plane we see approaching the runway we pray is our AGNI AIR plane.  Of course, there are about six planes that come in that is not for us (including a few AGNI AIR planes).  

Finally, Rick tells us to head for the gate.  We don’t really believe it is really for us and assume the wait will  continue but sure enough, we make our way to the tarmac and onto a plane.  It is the greatest feeling ever!  As we head down the runway and watch the Earth disappear below us, there is no feeling of panic or fear, only relief that we are finally on our way home.

The flight back to Kathmandu was a blur as we were all very tired but smiling that progress home was finally being made.  We got back to the hotel at around noon with just enough time to clean up, put on clean clothes (finally!) and collect our bags that were left behind during our hike.  We quickly got back to the airport to await our flight to New Delhi, not knowing the outcome of those on the helicopter earlier in the day.  Not seeing them at the Kathmandu Airport was a good sign.  

When we arrived in New Delhi and made our way through airport to await our flight back to Newark, we were delighted to see our five friends sitting together in an airport bar having dinner.  Hugs were exchanged as they told us of the flight from Lukla and the close call catching their connecting flight (making it within minutes).  It was so great to be together again!

The flight back to Newark was very long, about 15 ½ hours.  I was exhausted and hoped to sleep the entire time but could not.  I took an Ambien and started to watch a movie, thinking that would do the trick.  Six movies later, I am still awake (though in quite a fog) and very anxious to get in the US.  We arrive in Newark at about 6:00am and we are all yearning for burgers, steak, anything we have gone without for three weeks.  I am able to call Linda and hear her voice for the first time in what seems like forever.  Our last leg is not for about seven hours and of course, the flight is delayed another hour.  After having the most wonderful juicy burger (after waiting five hours for the place to open), we board our final plane and get to Rochester after counting every minute along the way.

Arriving at the airport was a memory I will never forget.  As we walk to the lobby from the gate, we can hear cheering and clapping.  There are about fifty people waiting for us with signs, flowers and most importantly, hugs!  Linda, Emily and Tessa are there to greet me as well as her sister and parents and of course many JOI’ers.  Tears flowed big time for all of us as we were finally home and with the ones we love the most.  Emily was holding a sign that said “I missed you so much, my appendix burst!”.  As it turned out, her appendix did burst the day I left and she had to have is removed but did not tell me through the emails, not wanting to worry me.

This trip was truly an adventure, from the training process, fundraising efforts put forth by everyone, the connection we felt with the names on our banners, the moments we shared with all the travel, the spirituality of visiting the monasteries and turning the prayer wheels, the views, the Sherpas, the hiking, the struggles with altitude and of course the craziness of Lukla.  I wouldn’t trade it for anything and only wished that Linda could have been there with me.  I am very blessed to have the opportunity to experience it all and enjoy it with some of the greatest people on the planet.