Expand your "uncomfortable zone"

I sat sipping tea gingerly daydreaming in a comfy coffee house in Kathmandu. Outside the window everyday life of Nepali people passed by. A man carrying 2 office chairs on his back, a bicycle outfitted with hand woven baskets as saddle bags, each basket bursting with chickens, as the rider dodges traffic, loud horns every 5 seconds, a beggar on crippled legs sits in the dirt.

"Can I get my coffee" the voice urgent and whiny draws me to the table next to me. An American woman is fuming. "I just cant wait any longer, it has been 10 minutes, please bring me my coffee now" Her voice is irritating and her lack of patience grating. She seemed way out of her comfort zone as if someone were stabbing her in the leg.

I glance back to the window. Outside the man with crippled legs sits in the dirt. He travels by crawling on his knees. The calluses on his knees thick like a elephants feet. He is smiling and asking passers by for money. He crawls on. Cars, exhaust, mud, trampling feet, and crippled legs, yet he smiles.

I look back to the woman. I have been where she is at, complaining, whining. I also have been where the man crawls by going through a bone marrow transplant and pushing my uncomfortable zone to wider margins in the high mountains.

When I start to complain or whine about my car not starting, the guy cutting me off in traffic, the rude woman at the phone company, I realize I am just spoiled and have too much comfort. I forget to use the perspective given me by going through pain and suffering in the high mountains and through transplant.

Expand your uncomfortable zone. Get uncomfortable for 5 minutes and realize that our comfort zone does not need to expand to the point where we are just locked in our homes all cozy, fat, and lazy. Our comfort zones do not need to permeate every aspect of our lives to the point that we dont feel life. Being uncomfortable is a good and necessary part of life. It allows us to be compassionate and appreciate what we have. Being able to widen your "uncomfortable" zone allows ease of happiness. Things that seem huge obstacles become simple as you widen your zone

Think about how you can get some discomfort in your life to keep in perspective what is truly out of your comfort zone. If not getting your coffee within 10 minutes of ordering upsets you, try walking on your knees to the nearest Starbucks.

October 18th success but no summit

It is the ultimate test of letting go, turning back, surrender. The summit is only 4 to 5 hours away. We carried our gear high as planned. We began to climb through the avalanche cone to 18000 feet, the curiousity of the rock section that split the snow ramp pulling us higher. We were not sure if the rock was steep, loose, or possible. At about 18100 feet a loud thud permiated the silence. I froze and the thud became louder, louder, louder. "Rooooockkk" I shouted once to Sabrina and Wesley just below me. I dont think it registered with them at first because they were out of sight and sound of the boulder bounding its way down slope. "Rooockkkk" a second intense punctuated shout. A rock the size of a large bowling ball flew eye level past me just 5 feet to my right heading directly for Wesley. He registered the shout instantly and waited till the last second to see which way the beast was bouncing. The boulder now 1 second from inpact with his body, Wesley side steps and it lands a few inches from his foot. It continues toward Sabrina who is safely out of the beasts path.

I took a quick look at the rock step and realized it was all loose rock, unprotectable, dangerous.
After the message from the meandering boulder, we decide to turn back. The route was just not in good shape. If there was more snow we would make the summit in 5 hours from this point.

We are all down and safe and the mountain will be there next year with a route safe to travel. Love to all. Matt

Camp I, October 16th

Camp one at 17,200 feet. Quite a place. We are all doing well the summit only 2600 feet above. Our plan was to go for the summit in the morning of the 17th. We have decided to carry all our hardware to the avalanche cone and the beginning of the steep climbing, come back and rest for the day. Wesley arrived late and has acclimatized well in a short period of time but we decided to give him one more days rest and acclimatization.

From our "camp I" we have beautiful views East to Ama Dablam, Everest, Lhotse South, and hundreds of more obscure peaks. Like being on the moon, the landscape is desolate, quiet, empty yet full of wonder and intense beauty.

Going for the summit on the 18th if all goes well.

Figure Four Packs

Looking for the perfect pack for alpine climbs? I used a pack by a company called Figure Four and found it to be the best pack I have ever owned. The size is perfect 42 Liters. The weight is unbeatable at 1 pound 5 ounces. It carries like it is part of your body. Look into "Figure Four" and ask for Steve.

October 15th,11

On our way to establish a camp one at 17200 feet on the south side of Machermo peak. We are in the village at a lodge called Namgyal Lodge, named after its Tibetan owner. My friend Fabrizio and his client have just came down from their base camp below the East Face of Kyajo Ri.

Do you believe in the Yeti? I ask because Fabrizio and his client Heather were deep asleep when a growl, described by both as sounding like an extremely large Bear, shattered the night. The echos reverberated in the remote valley. They both tucked into their sleeping bag and acted as they did not hear a thing. Just extremely unexplainable.

Oddly enough in 2002 I was attempting the first ascent of Kyajo Ri and had a Base Camp almost where Fabrizio and Heather had theirs. I had 2 clients from Switzerland join us on the climb. Because the peak was unclimbed we were all over the mountain trying to find the path of least resistance on a peak that was near vertical. The couple from Switzerland left in the morning excited to be in a valley where none had gone, infinite space and not a print. When they returned they had photos of foot prints. Not boot, not human, but definitely prints.

We are excited to be heading to camp one. Maybe the Yeti will pay us a visit. Matt Fioretti

3am

Woke at 3am. We are all at the village of Gokyo. We step outside into frigid, crisp air, a billion stars ablaze. I and 5 trekkers on our way to see sunrise behind Mt Everest, Chomolongma, mother goddess of the world. It was a hard trek for some but all pushed on to their high points, opening new boundaries within and pushing thresholds. The gold light moving ever so slowly finally peaks behind everest, tears flow easily. We are all well and will be walking toward Tibet tomorrow. I am acclimatizing well for the climb on Pharilapche and will be excited to move to camp one as we all head back down valley in 2 days. Love to all. matt Fioretti

good friends

This is a very rare and auspicious climbing season in the Himalaya. Two of my close friends and brothers from past lives are here. Not only here, but one of them Fabrizio Zangrilli will be on the same route on Pharilapche with his client. Also Chad Kellog may be approaching on the trek we are on. So happy to see friends in the middle of the Himalaya.

Dont believe in past lives? Well I was a yak herder with 2 Tibetan Mastiffs in my past life. It is often that I make a yak herder on the trail bust up with laughter as I yell out the Tibetan commands "Cha, whoaaa. The herder looks with bewilderment. Often a herder will reply "good, good". His yaks responding, their ears twitching from the new unfamiliar voice.

base camp

I have never been to a more powerful beautiful Base Camp. Wesley McCain, Sabrina Oesterle, Singi Lama and (matt fioretti) are attempting a route on a peak called Pharilapche. The approach to Base Camp is like something out of "The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe" cascading water falls, red stone ledges polished smooth, Boulders the size of houses sitting in the middle of a green patch of grass, you feel the yeti is near or a snow leopard watching from on high. Four trekkers joined us on the approach and all of us were humbled.

Base camp was pitched at 16200 feet, a perch overlooking a broad tundra valley.

In 3 days we will move to camp one, more remote, deeply other worldly, vast. Camp one, we hope, will be at 17400. This will leave us with a final push of 2600 feet.

Thinking of all of you. Matt

6 a.m. Puja

We all arrived in Namche Bazaar at 11,280 feet. Not very high but the air thin with the lack of acclimatization. Early on we visited the Monastery next to our guest house. The lama was just closing his doors but invited us in. We sat and he smiled the jovial smile that all older monks have, warmth, wisdom, and open heart. We did not want to keep him long and began to walk out. I asked what time were prayer services tomorrow. He looked at me and said "come, come, 6am.

In the morning it is hard to get out of the warmth of your sleeping bag. A cacoon stuper. The prayer services called and soon all 6 of us were walking the rocky trail in front of the Monastery. At the entry the Lama was waiting and waved us in.

We entered the old monastary and sat in front of the Buddha and Tara on old Tibetan carpets. He began instantly no pause, a sing song mantra. After 40 minutes he waved us over. He stayed in the lotus position and tied a red blessed string around our neck and touch us forehead to forehead. We bowed before him humbly. We are now ready to continue our journey and climb. Hope you are all well.

Water

Squeek, slosh, squeek, slosh.  I woke at 3 am in Kathmandu to this sound.  It started at 3am and went until 5:30am.  As the gold  light of early morning broke into darkness I could see out my window to the source of the sound.  There was a man pumping water into old buckets encrusted with stains and use.  The center back of his shirt wet with sweat, shirt untucked and ragged. 

In my 5th floor hotel room I pulled my self from the window and wondered what it would be like if I still had to pump water from a well in my back yard by hand.  The man had pumped 2.5 hours and filled several containers so he and his wife could cook, shower, wash clothes, and have drinking water for his 2 kids.  I walked into the bathroom, turned a knob, and hot water gushed.

We are in Kathmandu Nepal.  Everyone has arrived.  We fly to Lukla tomorrow the trail head for our trek and climbing expedition.  Welcome to Nepal.  Hope you follow us as we climb the South and North side of Pharilapche (aka Machermo).