Base Camp and Sherpa crew

We are a day away from Base camp.  The trekking group just departed down into thicker air.  What an outstanding group and trip.  We were able to be flexible with sicknesses and schedule and had a fun time together.  I will miss them.  As I watched them head down there was a part of me that wanted to go down also.  The greenery, thick air, and warmer temperatures always pull on the mind. 

Tomorrow we head up to 17,600 feet to a base camp at a lake.  The area is remote there is no trail.  This trip would not be possible without the support of our Sherpa crew and porters.  Gombu Sherpa is the son of Chapa Sherpa who died in 2007.  Chapa was my head Sherpa for 13 years and now Gombu is following in his footsteps.  He is becoming an outstanding guide at age 23 and I could not run these trips without him.  There are hundreds of logistics and hundreds of pounds of gear to deal with and he takes them all in stride.

How does the gear get to Base Camp.  Thank you to our porter crew, noting would happen without them.  In fact no expedition would get off the ground if it were not for the porters.  We have been using some of the same porters for the past 5 years now.  Four Winds limits the amount of weight that is carried.  A practice that is absent amongst most other companies.

I will not be writing to you until after the climb.  Look for new blog entries on the climb in about 8 days.  Peace to all.  

first view

We have arrived at Gokyo 15600 feet.  Everyone is doing well after a bout of sicknesses.  The weather is very unsettled in the Khumbu with wind and clouds rolling in by 10 to 11am.  The climbers had their first view of the West peak and the route looks straight forward except for one small detail.  The summit ridge looks to be a mile and a half long.  This means that we will be traveling at or around 20,000 feet for several hours.  Well it will be  a beautiful view.  The East peak has a beautiful ice ramp that goes from col to summit.  Looks to be AI 2 or 3 with 70 degree ice.  The trekking group and I are very excited to hike to the summit of Gokyo Ri at 17,600 feet the pinnacle and half way point of the trek journey.  Peace to all. 

Light and fast Alpine Climbing

Our climbing hardware gear list for our Kangchung expedition:

6 Black Diamond Express ice screws
3 pitons
1 set nuts
1 50 meter 8 mm rope
1 50 meter 6 mm rope
2 link cams by Omega Pacific
12 slings by Camp
18 Camp carabiner ( Nano) the lightest on the market
2 Black Diamond Locking carabiner

old school

"I ski in these gloves" was his first response when I crinkled my brow. He held out his gloved covered hands.  These are not just any glove.  I have a client on the trekking portion of our trip who swears by his pig skin gloves, also known as gardening gloves.  He has taken the glove and sprayed them with some kind of waterproofing but other than that they are the everyday garden glove.  In fact I was using a pair in my garden before I left for the expedition.

What it comes down to is that the older generation is a hell of a lot tougher then I.  He probably has a tweed jacket for his high altitude coat.  I have secretly added an extra pair of gloves to my travel kit in case he does get cold. 

All is well

We have just reached Namche and finalized our climbing permit.  Everyone is doing well just the usual khumbu valley sicknesses, soar throat, cramped stomachs, emotional breakdowns, khumbu cough, sinus infections, and of coarse the runs.  We are all happy and excited to head north toward Tibet.  Love to all.  

Uncanny Elizabeth Holly

There has been one person who as kept track of every expedition since 1963 in the Nepal Himalaya.  Now in her 80s Elizabeth Holly has interviewed every expedition leader from Reinhold Messner to Jerzy Kukuchka.  She really is the gate keeper to the land of the high mountains and if you are on expedition you want to meet with her.  She is the encyclopedia of climbing routes and peaks.  I met with her yesterday to go over the details of the Kangchung Expedition.  I was delighted to find that the West Peak or Kangchung Nup has not seen an ascent since 1959 and has only seen 3 ascents.  The East Peak may be a first ascent but research is still being done.

 I am always excited to meet with Elizabeth as she has become a friend over the years. She has so many stories and she keeps us climbers in line.  After each expedition we have to meet with Elizabeth and she grills us as to what we saw from the summit.  She wants to know if we actually stood atop. She can tell you what you will see from the top of any peak.  She can tell you rock features, snow depressions, descriptions of gully's and probably what way the wind will be blowing.  I am exaggerating only a bit here.  One thing I am not exaggerating is Elizabeth's sixth sense. Other expedition leaders will tell you and we have talked about it amongst ourselves,  Elizabeth can tell when any leader has entered Nepal with out any information given as to arrival date or flight itineraries.  For our Kangchung expedition I had emailed her 3 weeks ago and told her of our plans.  I even told her I would be arriving on the 18th even though I was arriving on the 15th.  When I walk into the hotel lobby on the 15th two minutes later the lobby Manager called me over to the phone.  Two minutes after I entered the hotel!  On the other end of the line was Elizabeth wondering if we could meet.  This is not coincidence.  She has located me within 2 hours of arriving in Nepal for every expedition I have done for the last 18 years.  I never have given her any flight details or arrival times.

Thank You Elizabeth for all you do.  Keeping track of us dirt bag climbers.  Thank you for being the gate keeper for the high realm and knowing where I am going to be at before I even know.

Lighten your load

I am always astonished to see climbers on a 2 day climb of Mt Rainier carrying 50 pound packs. It is uncalled for and outdated.  For a 3 day climb on Rainier my pack weighs 29 pounds.  I have friends go much lighter than this.  It starts with your choice of gear.  Following are a few companies that have supported my expeditions who make high quality gear.  Quality that I trust at altitude in the Himalaya.

The Nalgene Canteen.  It is the lightest water bottle on the market.  It shaves at least 2 ounces off your load when using two 1 quart canteens.  It could shave as much as 5 ounces off your load if you are using other brands.  The canteen is durable and light, it is compressible when not in use.

I just received a 48 Litre pack.  Most packs on the market that are 48 liters are 3 pounds and up.  They have bells and whistles which only get confusing at altitude or are useless on steep technical terrain. Eliminate useless weight and stream line your pack with Figure Four Packs.  Take a look at the Tau 48 by Figure Four Packs.  48 liters expandable to 55 plus liters weighs in at just 2 pounds 2 ounces and can be stripped down to 1 pound 7 ounces in the field in one minute.  It is stream lined, it moves with you as you move, it feels like part of your body on vertical ground.  It has everything you need for serious alpine climbs without all the extra weight.

I have been using a Feathered Friends sleeping bag since 2001.  I just ordered a new bag from them and was very pleased to receive a custom bag that is a minus 10 degree bag and weighs only 2 pounds 14 ounces.  For that warmth factor it is the lightest on the market.  The quality is outstanding.  Compare other bags with the same warmth factor and your looking at 3 pounds 4 ounces and up.  I have never been cold in my Feathered Friends bag.

If you go through each piece of your gear you can find something that meets the demands of what you will be doing in the mountains but does not hold unneeded weight.  Over the years I have shaved 15 pounds off of my back for a 3 day alpine climb.

Thank You Nalgen, Figure Four, and Feathered Friends.

Kangchung East Expedition

Packing for an expedition is a bitter sweet action.  On Friday I depart for my 20th expedition. Our journey is to Kangchung East.  A peak that rarely gets climbed. We will be attempting both the West Kangchung and East Peak in one expedition.  We will first acclimatize on West.  Return to Base camp for a day or two of rest and then attempt the East peak in a one day alpine style push from Base Camp.  The route of the East peak follows the left hand skyline. 

 The sweet? Being in the himalaya, unplugged, and feeling the peace that settles into the bones, the peace that nature gifts us.  I believe the mountains always teach us to be in the moment, humble, and reverent toward all life, human, ant, elephant, tree, we are all connected.  This is easy to see when in the mountains.  The mountain arena strips us down, forces us to look deep, vision becomes unclouded and the soul untainted.  I live in the city so it takes days to get rid of the dirt, noise, and constant chatter that comes with over stimulation. This cleansing always is a sort of homecoming for me.  

The Bitter:  When I have to leave part of this connection behind. Loved ones, Friends, Family, and animals at home.  I take you all with me every season.

Have fun following our upcoming expedition to the Kangchung Peaks.