Everest Expedition 2009

Here it is, finally, my Everest Expedition photo album!
It's a rather big album but then this was a big adventure!

I left San Francisco on March 29 to join the Alpine Ascents Everest Expedition in Kathmandu. Two months later, on May 31st, I arrived back home in SF.  It was great to know that many of you were following along on our blog and on the AAI cybercasts.

I want to thank expedition members Kay, Frank S., Matt, Phil and Garrett for letting me use their photos as well.

Everest Photos

3 days in Tokyo.

Finally some photos of my visit to Tokyo on the way to Nepal.

Everest Basecamp Trek: photos

This is a selection of photos of my EBC Trek.

I counted the days from the first day of the trek to the day we flew back to Kathmandu.
You will notice that there are no photos of 'EBC Day 18 - May 26'. That was the day we marched out of EBC in rather terrible weather conditions and taking photos was far from my mind that day (see blog from Thu, May 28, 'Greetings from Kathmandu).

Stephen will be working on his photos over the next couple of weeks, so watch this space!

EBC Trek Photos

Annapurna Circuit: photos

Here is a selection of photos of my Annapurna Circuit Trek.

I am missing one memory card with photos taken during this trek on my Nikon D70. I am hoping that it is in our luggage still to arrive from Kathmandu. If so I will most likely add more photos to this album.

Annapurna Circuit Trek Photos

Back home!

We got back home yesterday, May 31st, right on schedule.

Thank you all for following along and for the comments and emails we have received!
Although we were not always (well, most of the time) able to reply, we did and do appreciate them!!!!!
I meant a lot to us knowing that so many of our family and friends followed along.

It has been an incredible adventure for both of us and it still feels a bit surreal that it is actually over.

This will be the last entry in this travel blog except for the photos - those will take a bit longer since we have lots to go through.

Caroline.

On our way back home

The adventure has come to an end; we are leaving Kathmandu in a few hours. We will stopover for the night in Bangkok - that's just the way the flights work. From there we will then fly to SFO via NRT. Hopefully all will go without delays and we will be back in SFO on May 31st at 11.16!   Provided we're not too jetlagged we are looking forward to a burger in our favorite pub 21st Amendment Sunday evening!!!!   caroline.

PS: We went to the Rum doodle Restaurant last night were Stephen signed the board is now registered as an Everest Summiteer - www.therumdoodle.com

Greetings from Kathmandu.

We have been relaxing for the last 2 days in the 'Yak and Yeti' hotel in Kathmandu, which has been very nice. This morning the last members and guides of Stephen's Expedition Team arrived here as well. Our bags... well... they are on their way from EBC to Lukla and then they still have to get to Kathmandu... so we are not going to wait for them; they will get shipped later.   Getting out of EBC was epic.   As reported, the AAI Team got back to EBC around lunchtime on the 25th. By then it had been snowing solidly for over 12 hours - and it wasn't going to stop; on the contrary. It continued to snow that day and night. In fact it snowed so much that during the night, unknown to all of us sleeping, our tents slowly but surely completely got covered in snow. Luckily some of the guides were on the ball, got up in the middle of the night, woke everyone and made sure all the tents got uncovered partially, to make sure no one suffocated. Closer to the morning we woke up to find the sherpas literally digging our tents out from under the snow. This was officially called a 'freak snow storm'. We all got up and convened in the dining tent. By then some of the sleeping tents and the cook tent had collapsed; there was 5ft/1.5m of snow by then and it was still snowing.   It was decided that we would march out of there all together in a tight group. Some of our sherpas broke the trail for us (they did an amazing job) and off we went, single file, tight formation, with our guides looking after us, hip deep in snow with more snow falling.   The first 2 hours were nerve racking; once we got out of the danger zone (avalanche danger and steep drop-offs either side) it got a 'tad' easier. We briefly stopped in Gorak Shep and Lobuche and made it to Pheriche that day. We left at 9am and got there around 6pm.   It was the hardest day of hiking I have ever done in my life and I don't ever want to have to do that again. Thanks to Stephen and guides Garrett, Mike (the first 2 hours) and Vern (the last part) I got out of there safely and without panicking. Also thanks to the whole team banding together. It was gruelling but we made it.   The next day miraculously (to us at least) the weather in Pheriche was clear in the morning and 8 of us who had booked helicopter rides out of there actually did get out on helis. We were overjoyed once we landed in Kathmandu and were whisked away to our hotel!   On arrival in the hotel Stephen and I were greeted by Alison, Stephen's mum, who'd been waiting for us in Kathmandu. Very nice to have her here with us!   As said we are now all relaxed (and cleaned up) and are looking forward to starting the trip home tomorrow. It has been great to be able to relax and sit down with members of the team in the last few days. As for our bags.. well we were only allowed to take survival gear out of EBC, so the rest will get to us when it does. We have capable people sorting that out.   greetings from Kathmandu, next post should be from home in SF!!   caroline.

Back in Kathmandu

Just a quick post to let everyone know that Caroline and I are safely back in Kathmandu.

After arriving back at EBC and celebrating with the Sherpa staff our success, we got hit with a pretty strong snow storm. So we made a quick departure from EBC to avoid being trapped too long.

Now that we are in Kathmandu, it is time to drink beer, eat lots of food and celebrate.

Stephen expected back in EBC anytime now!

Hi All,

It is about 10:30 here at EBC and I expect Stephen (and the whole team) to arrive before lunch.

The weather today here is not so good: we are completely under cloud cover and it has been snowing since very early this morning and has not let up.  Not too sure what that will do to our chances of getting out of here early!

The idea is that tomorrow May 26th we hike to Pheriche and 4 of us have opted for a helicopter ride out of there the morning of the 27th. The helicopter has been ordered and confirmed, but for it to actually be able to fly the weather has to improve dramatically...  And the monsoon has started and we are being affected by a weather system in the Bay of Bengal (which has been upgraded to a cyclone). So fingers crossed...

Email update: thanks to all for your emails to EBC; Stephen will reply when he can, but that probably won't be possible from EBC anymore, since there is a delay on getting emails in and out of here.  So from now on: no more emails to the special EBC email address since we probably won't get them anymore. You can email to our regular Yahoo addresses again; we should be able to read those in a few days in Kathmandu (depending on when we get there).greetings from EBC,

caroline (who can't wait to get to warmer weather again!).

PS: just heard on the radio that they are about 30-60 mins away.

Stephen summited at 8:20 this morning!!!!!

Yihaa!!!!!!!

Stephen summited Everest at 8:20 on May 23rd!!!!!!!! He was second of the AAI group to accomplish this amazing feat!!! More summit details on the AAI cybercasts.

Everyone is going down to Camp 4 now. Tomorrow to Camp 2 and back in EBC on the 25th.

More details on how and when we get out of here once we have them!

greetings from an excited BC,

caroline.

This is the morning of the big night!!!!

Hello Everyone!

This is the morning of the big night/day!

Stephen and team are currently at Camp 4; today is their rest day there (they arrived there yesterday).

I've been listenening to the radio communications between EBC and Camp 4 and it sounds like everyone is in great spirits and doing very well (specially on O2!) and getting very excited. We here in EBC are getting excited as well.

The way I understand it, this is what's in store for today/tonight (Nepal time of course - go to www.dateandtime.com to see what that means for where you are):

Sometime between 10pm (May 22) and 1am (May 23) the climbers with AAI (Alpine Ascents Int'l) will leave Camp 4 for their summit bid. The team will get spread out a little to avoid a 'traffic jam' at the top (the whole AAI team up there consists of about 27 people: climbers, guides and climbing Sherpa).

This whole adventure will take approx 12 hours!  And then they still have to come partway down.

I believe everyone is expected back at EBC on the 25th.

Once the summit bid starts, Ellie (BC manager) will fire off regular cybercasts, about every 2/3 hours, to allow everyone to follow the whole thing just about in real time - isn't that neat!!!!! So check the cybercasts frequently!!!!!

Naturally we here in BC will stay awake through the whole thing, way into the 23rd.

So keep the comments coming! We can't read them here at EBC but we will read them with great pleasure either in Kathmandu or at home!!!!! We do appreciate you all following Stephen's summit bid!!!!!

Greetings from EBC,

caroline.

May 19th - Greetings from EBC!

Hi All!

This is my second day at EBC and although there is not that much to do around here but sit around and take in the amazing scenery and read, it is fascinating to be a part of it all. It is quite an operation up here. When all the climbers are in camp there are about 50 people in the Alpine Ascents Camp alone. So you can imagine the logistics involved in running the camp. Ellie is the BC manager for AAInt'l and she is doing an amazing job! She also gave me access to the BC computer today which is mighty nice of her - thanks Ellie!

Stephen and teams (Blue and Red - Stephen elected to be on Blue team this time because he was hit by a terrible cold about 4 days ago - but you know him: he's keeping his spirits up and is taking it one day, one camp and one step at the time!) are up at Camp 2 where they are 'enjoying' a rest day after the gruelling climb up yesterday. The weather is fine and seems to be holding, so it looks like they wil push on tomorrow. All the climbing sherpa here at BC are getting organized to go up tomorrow.

We have already heard cheers from other camps here this morning, meaning that some teams have summited.

Yesterday the weather here at BC was quite blustery; today it is very nice and warm.

Once summit day is known we will have a better idea of when we will get out of EBC. We will post again when we can!

Greetings from EBC,

caroline.

Dates (tentative) set for the Summit Push

Caroline made it to EBC.  She did a big push from Loboche and pulled in just in time for lunch with the rest of the team.

The team is now getting ready for our Summit Push.  We are all a bit excited and a bit neverous.  Here is the current schedule, subject to weather of course

May 18th - Move to Camp 2

May 19th - Rest at Camp 2

May 20h - Move to Camp 3 and sleep on Oxygen

May 21st - Move to Camp 4 (aka the South Col)

May 22nd - Rest at Camp 4

May 23rd - Summit Bid and return to Camp 4

May 24th - Down to Camp 2

May 25th - Down to EBC

Well, that is the plan at least.  I picked up a virus or a bug in Pheriche, so I am not feeling so good at the moment.  I plan to move up to Camp 2 and assess the situation from there.

Please keep your fingers crossed for a safe and timely summit bid.  Signing out from a Sunny and Hot EBC - stephen

Greetings from Pheriche

So yes, I did make it to Lukla as planned and am well on my way to EBC!
Even better: Stephen's expedition team is down from EBC to get stronger (and there are some weather delays) and I managed to catch up with them!!! We have been together for the last 4 days; today is our last one before the expedition gets going again.
Stephen's group will hike form Pheriche to EBC tomorrow to hopefully start their summit push. I will take 2/3 days to hike to EBC.

PS: we did post together a few days ago, but internet has been very unreliable and obviously the post didn't get through.

So all is well with both of us; we won't be able to post anymore until back in Kathmandu (most likely).

Greetings from both of us!!!!!!!

Weather permitting I'm off to Lukla early on May 9th.

So fingers crossed that the weather in Lukla is good enough for the flight to depart. If so, I will then immediately start my EBC Trek; first stop: Phakding. My guide and one porter are meeting me here in the hotel. We then hire a second porter in Lukla (yep... taking lots of warm gear to EBC!). greetings from Kathmandu, caroline.

Arrived in Kathmandu.

I said goodbye to Pokhara and everyone at the Chhetri / 3Sisters Guesthouse this morning and flew to Kathmandu. I am comfortably checked-in to the 'Yak and Yeti Hotel'. Will go for lunch now and then I'm off for some sightseeing.   And yes: Stephen got his call through to me yesterday evening so we were able to chat for a few minutes... VERY nice!!!!!!!!   greetings from Kathmandu, caroline.

Rotation 2 Over - Back at EBC

Glad to be back at EBC after our rotation up to Camp 3.  Myself and the entire team are doing really well.  The plan for the next week is to drop down the valley to thicker air where we can get stronger and hopefully not pick up any bugs from trekkers and other.  And then we return for the summit push.

Restdays in Pokhara.

As promised a bit more on the last few days.   As said I finished the Annapurna Circuit yesterday, May 3rd. Which means I did it in 15 days instead of teh planned 18 days (and I wasn't the only one; lots of people do it like that). Otherwise it simply meant shorter day-hikes and a few more nights in Teahouses. But to be honest i ust wanted to get back to Pokhara. Don't get me wrong: I thorougly enjoyed the trek, but 15 days was more than enough. The last day was hard: about 1900m down and it was all steps, steps, steps. The day before was though but rewarding: about 1700m up and lots of of it was steps, steps, steps. I've done it!!!!! I've completed the Circuit!!!!!   So now I'm enjoying some well-deserved restdays in Pokhara (I spent most of today with my new Belgian friend, Sara - we trekked together on and off for 5 days) and am organizing the next stage of my trip.   On May 6th I'll be waiting next to the phone in the office of the 3Sisters Guesthouse hoping that Stephen can get his call through! On the 7th I will fly to Kathmandu and will stay in the Yak and Yeti Hotel for 2 nights; and then on the 9th I will make a first attempt to fly to Lukla - hopefully I won't have to try that for 4 days like Stephen had to!   The day I get to Lukla will also be the first day of my trek to EBC; it's the idea to hike to Phakding that same day. I've gone off the idea of a guide and a yak and will now instead have a guide and 2 porters. I plan to arrive there on the 17, 18 or 19.   Greetings from Pokhara, caroline.

Finished my Annapurna Circuit on May 3rd.

Hi Everyone,   just a quick one to let you know I have finished the Circuit yesterday, May 3rd, and am now resting in Pokhara for a few days. More news later today - have to go catch up with a friend!   caroline.

Day 12: Had the best apple-pie on the Circuit today!

Today we hiked from Jomsom to Kalapani. Around 10:30 we stopped in a place called Tukuche and I had the best apple pie on the Circuit in a genuine Dutch Bakery! Simply delicious - with a cup of real coffee!!!!! The hiking again went well today.Unfortunately we have been hiking in a perpetual haze for the last few days, so not much in the way of views. The mountains are all around us, we just can't see them. I expect to be back in Pokhara late afternoon on May 3rd; so yes that is 3 days faster than the original schedule, but it is the way I want to do it. I don't need to arrive in every place at noon and walk around for an hour and then do nothing for the rest of the day.That way I will have a couple of rest days in Pokhara (and hopefully I will get a call from Stephen on the 6th!!), and I will then fly to Kathmandu a bit earlier and actually get to see some of the place other than Thamel. Greetings from Kalapani, caroline.

Day 11: Muktinath to Jomsom

Hello all! Since I found a 'cybercafe' in Jomsom may as well post again! Hiked from Muktinath to Jomsom today and visited Kagbeni on the way. All is still going great! Thank you all for the comments and emails, Stephen and I both enjoy them. We get copies of the comments in our email inbox so we do read them! (Stephen gets them forwarded to the special email address he gave earlier). Greetings from very windy Jomsom, caroline.

Schedule for Second Rotation has be set

Another rest day at EBC, but we have the schedule for the next rotation

• Friday (May 1st) - Move to Camp 1
• Saturday (May 2nd) - Move to Camp 2
• Sunday (May 3rd) - Rest at Camp 2
• Monday (May 4th) - Move to Camp 3
• Tuesday (May 5th) - Down to Camp 1
• Wednesday (May 6th) - Down to EBC and ring Caroline :-)

Signing out from a very hot EBC.

Rest Day at EBC

Another quiet day at EBC.  Just hanging out.  We are waiting on our schedule for the second rotation up the mountain which will be dependent on the weather.  More to come.

Signing out from a slightly overcast EBC.

Day 10: Made it to the Pass!

I am comfortable in Muktinah after the biggest day of hiking; today was the highlight of the Circuit trek: Crossing the Thorung-La High Pass at 5416m. It was a hard day's work but well worth it! Yesterday I made an 'executive decision' and told my guide that I wanted to hike up to High Camp (instead of Thorung Pedi). The section between Thorung Pedi and High Camp is really really steep and I felt I could handle it better yesterday early afternoon than very early this morning. And it worked out very well for me; it made my day today a tad easier (still 680m up in about 2 hours at this altitude). When I reached the goal of our trek, the High Pass, it really was emotional and well worth it. With other hikers I spend about 40 minutes there and had the most expensive (for local prices) but well deserved cup of hot chocolate ever! Everyone was euphoric for having made it and being able to share the moment. The day wasn't over though as we still had to descend 1600m from the pass to Muktinath. But here I am, all showered and fed and mighty proud of myself! The schedule for the next days will probably change quite a bit as we can now afford to be flexible and move at whatever speed we want (no more acclimatization issues). I do want to shave at least one day off the itineray (which calls for 19 days, but i wouldlike to do it in 18 or 17). Greetings from Muktinath, Caroline.

Rest Day at EBC

Today we had our first real rest day.  Every other "rest" day involved several hours of acclimization hikes or training.  But today, we walked to the bakery and generally just had a relaxing day.

Signing out for a sunny EBC.

The First Rotation is Complete

Just arrived back at Everest Base Camp after our first rotation up the mountain.  On the Wednesday (22nd) headed up to Camp 1 (6,000mts) via the notrious Ice Fall.  We got up at 2:30am, breakfast at 3:00am and set-off at 4:00am.  The early morning schedule is to minimize the risk of Ice Fall.  The team made excellent speed and the route was good and well laddered.  We pulled into Camp 1 very tried and happy around 10:00am.  The rest of the day was spent recovering in the tents. 

On Thursday (23rd) we hiked up the glacier to the point we could see Camp 2, and then turned back.  This was an acclimization hike. 

At Camp 1 we share tents, and I am sharing with Matt (you can check his profile on Alpine Ascents cybercast).  Not anything interesting to report from Camp 1 I am afraid. 

On Friday we completed the short hike up to Camp 2 (6,400mts).  The terrain was mild with not too many large carvasses to cross.  We did this hike in around 3 hours.  But very tried on arrival.  I think the altitude is starting to show.  I have also picked up a little bit of the Kumbu cough.  So I pop lozenges every few hours. On Saturday we stayed over at Camp 2 with an acclimization hike up to the begining of the Lohste Ice Wall. 

Last night and on our descent today (26th), we had very high winds.  I mean high-winds created by the jet-stream.  I am amazed our tents survived the night.  Our toilet-tent did not.

But for now, Red team is back in EBC and we will rest up for the next 4-6 days.  We of course listen to the Radios for how Blue team is doing.  We will do the Lohste Ice wall on our second rotation.

Still incredibly sunny in EBC, so signing out.

Day 6: correction

Hey All,
not too sure whether I'll get this post through, internet is very unreliable here in the mountains!
That Ice Lake is at 4460m, not 4160; so we went up 1100m and back down again today.. very hard work. I'm beginning to feel the altitude a little.
Off to Yak Kharka tomorrow and than to thorung-Pedi and then over the high pass. Won't be able to email until at least a few days after that.

greetings from Manang,
caroline.

Day 6 of Circuit Trek

Hello Everyone!   This is day 6 of my Annapurna Circuit Trek and I am in Manang at about 3500m. tomorr ow will make a day hike to 'Ice Lake' at 4160m and then come back to Manang again. I have a lovely room with a view and private bath and shower - just about 5-star as far as Tea-Houses go! the hike today was only 4 hours so there was time to do laundry and just about get it dry in the sun today. The views are simply amazing!   The hikes so far: Day 1: Pokhara-Besisahar by bus, then hike to Nadi. Day 2: Nadi to Jagat Day 3: Jagat to Tal Day 4: Tal to Chame (that was a long one) Day 5: Chame to Lower  Pisang (easy 4 hour hike0 Day 6: Pisang to  Manang (we decided on the low trail which made it again an easy 4 hour hike). The weather has been great. We plan to cross the Thorung-La pass on the 28th and I won't have email acess till at least a few days after that. Till now the altitude wasn't a facor yet, but that will change as of tomorrow.   Greetings from Manang, caroline.

Day 4 of Circuit Trek.

I have just finished my 4th day of hiking and all is going well! Altitude is not a factor yet as I am only at about 2650m. The weather has been good and the tea-houses comfortable. This is the first internet chance I got on the Trek; not too sure when the next time will be.   Greetings from Chame, caroline.

Foray into the Ice Fall

Today, for training, we went about a third of the way to Camp 1 through the Ice Fall.  It was fun and hard.  Tomorrow I and the rest of the "red" team will set off to Camp 1.  We will spend 1 day at Camp 1 and then move up to Camp 2, where we will also spend 2 nights, and then back EBC.  So no more blogs until Monday the 27th.  It  will be good to be climbing high.

I am feeling strong and not having any altitude issues.  So climb-on I say.  Keep your fingers cross.

Signing out from a warm and sunny EBC.

Last day of Training

We had an excellent day of Ice Climbing in various forms.  I scaled a near vertical ice wall without any ice tools (now that was fun).

We are starting to prepare for our move up to Camp 1.  Tomorrow we make a fake run at it and then a more serious run in the following days.  I am excited to be going a little higher on the mountain.

Keep your fingers crossed for a safe passage through the Ice Fall tomorrow.  Signing out from a Sunny and Hot EBC.

Training on Vertical Ice Today

That's right, the training continues in EBC.  Today we practiced vertical ice climbing.  I suspect we will be going high in 3 or 4 days time.  The weather continues to remain wonderful, so life in EBC is not so bad and it is a great place to acclimatize.

Everyone on the team is doing well and getting along.  And this is a good thing as well.  Keep sending the emails, it is nice to here news.  Signing out from another sunny day in EBC.

Lazing around in Pokhara.

I arrived safe and well, with all my luggage, in Pokhara yesterday and went straight to the Chhetri Sisters (3sisters) guesthouse. I was warmly welcomed back and immediately felt 'at home' here again.
Today I am lazing around Pokhara; tomorrow I set off on my 'Annapurna Circuit' adventure.
I expect to be able to post a few times on route but am not sure how often.

Greetings from Pokhara.

Another beautiful day in EBC

Today we had Puja ceremony to bless our climb and all those involved.  This is a cultural highlight of the trip for me.  We prayed to the gods, drink, ate and danced.  It was very interesting.

And in the afternoon and helped the local Base Camp doctors establish the heli-port (although we never hope to use this).

Still feeling very strong. Signing out from a slightly cloudy EBC.

Rest Day in EBC and walk in the Ice Fall

We continue to have wonderful weather here in basecamp.  The team is really starting to get use to the higher altitude.  It is hard to believe we are about 1km higher than any mountain in the 48 states of America.

Today I had my first shower and shave in about a week, so feeling mighty fine.  I think everyone else in the team will also appreciate the new and improved me.

Checking in from Narita airport.

I had a fabulous stay in Tokyo, absolutely loved it. I spent 2 days discovering different parts of the city (and I realize that I have only scratched the surface) and the 3rd day I made a daytrip to Kamakura, about 1hr outside of Tokyo.

I am currently at Narita airport, waiting for my flight to Bangkok (where I will stay overnight at the airport Novotel before flying onto Kathmandu). So far, so good with my flight to BKK; it's only scheduled to depart 30mins late... could be worse.

Next post will be from Pokhara, Nepal.

greetings from Narita, Tokyo.

Everest Base Camp

The team has arrived safe and well to Everest Base Camp (5,325 mts).  It is really quite beautiful up here.  We have been slowly getting use to the thin air up here.  It will be quite a few days before we climb up to Camp 1.  So we are just enjoying the nice weather and the warm sunshine.

If you want to email me directly here, please send the email to climb@alpineascents.com with the subject line containing "for everest : stephen coney".  We only get to check email every few days however.

So, keep your fingers crossed for our climb here.  The adventure is really starting now.

Day 1 in Tokyo.

Arrived safe and well in my Tokyo Hotel last night. I had dinner with Patricia (my friend Olivier put us in touch) and she gave me some really good pointers: about the metro (which is fast becoming my favorite one, it's that easy and clean), places to go and for telling me that this is a safe city.. which I can 't contradict so far.   Watched the news about Bangkok on BBC World and I really hope this isn't going to lead to another closure - or other trouble - at BKK airport... since I'm flying via BKK to Kathmandu on Thu/Fri. Fingers crossed.

Off to Tokyo

My turn to leave today: first stop Tokyo for 4 days. I look forward to getting a taste of this city and it will give me another 'tick' on my 'countries visited' list - can't let Stephen get ahead of me now, can I?   Thank you Paul for taking me to the airport!

Periche - Day 2

Another day in Periche due to accomodation issues higher on the hill. So today we went to Chukkung. Tomorrow we head to Laboche (for sure).

Pheriche

We continue up the valley and are currently in Pheriche. Weather is generally beautiful and we are having wonderful views of local 8,000 meter peaks. This morning I even spyed Cho Oyu. Plan is to move to Laboche for two days and then at Everest Base Camp on few days later. It is great to be trekking in the mountians.

Caroline's 'planned' Trek itineraries.

Here's an idea of the planned itineraries for both my treks; it's give or take a day. **Annapurna Circuit( approx 300km/187m): Start date April 19: I would like to do this in a day less (mainly to have an extra rest day between treks!), so this itineray could change quite a bit, but then again I may stick to just this. Day1: Pokhara - Besishar (by bus) / Besisahar - Bhulbule Day2: Bhulbule - Jagat Day3: Jagat - Tal Day4: Tal - Chame Day5: Chame - Pisang Day6: Pisang - Ghyaru - Braga (high trail) Day7: Ice Lake sidetrip - Manang Day8: Manang - Yak Kharka Day9: Yak Kharka - Thorung Pedi Day10: Thorung Pedi - Muktinath (Thorung-la pass 5,415meters/17,769feet) Day11: Muktinath - Jharkot Day12: Jharkot - Marpha Day13: Marpha - Kalopani Day14: Kalopani - Ghasa Day15: Ghasa -Tatopani Day16: Tatopani - Shika Day17: Shika - Ghorepani Day18: Ghorepani - Tikhedunga Day19: Tikhedhunga - Nayapul (transport back to Pokhara). **Everest Basecamp Trek (approx 110km/70m): Start date May 9 or 10. Day1: Fly to Lukla / Lukla - Phakding Day2: Phakding - Namche Bazar Day3: rest day for acclimatization (if needed) Day4: Namche - Tengboche Day5: Tengboche - Pheriche Day6: Pheriche - Dughla Day7: Dughla - Lobuche Day8: Lobuche - EBC (5,360meters/17,600feet) I then stay in the Alpine Ascents camp; wait for the Climbers to do their thing and then hike out with the Expedition team.

Touring around Namche

Today was our "rest" day. Except we spent the morning hiking around the Namche district. We climbed up to Syangboche which is the local airstrip and checked on our gear, and then onto Khumjung where along the way we got amazing views of Mt Everest. The weather is finally cooperating. In Khumjung we visited the school started by Sir Edmund Hillary. Then more acclimization hiking before stopping at the Everest View Hotel for a lemon drink and chocolate. And of course more scenery during the hike back.

This really is a spectacular place. Tomorrow we plan to continue upto and beyond Tengboche maybe spending the night at Deboche. Plans are a little vague at the moment, and I am sure we will get the plan tonight at conference.

Otherwise trip is going well and having no issues with the acclimization. Just have to drink lots of water :-). Not clear if there is Internet higher up on the mountain, so this could be the last post until base camp in about 8 days.

Signing out from Namche where it is currently snowing.

Namche Bazaar

Yes indeed, we made the plane yesterday and hiked onto Phakding where we spent the night. Although I made it, my gear did not, so I just had my day pack. My teeth are a little furry. But tonight I get my trekking pack.

The mountain scenery is extremely nice with these wonderful swing bridges over raging rivers. There are also lots of ups and downs as we wind our way up the valley along the river. Not too sure how Hillary and friends made it up here 50 years ago.

Today we hiked from Phakding upto Namche Bazaar (which is situated around 3,500mts/11,000ft). Namche is the biggest thing in the neighbourhood. And as you can see has satelite internet (even if it is very slow).

The team will be spending a rest day here tomorrow, so feel free to email or post to the blog.

Signing out from a clouded over Namche.

Stephen got out of Kathmandu!

Finally!!!! They were able to fly to Lukla on April 5th and hike to Phakding the same day. So now the Expedition is truly on its way!

50-50 Chance we Fly Today

So, if this is the last post on the blog, then I successfully made it to either Lukla or Phaplu. Really hoping to fly today. This getting up early, going to the airport and waiting all day to return in the afternoon is getting a little old now. Ready for some trekking to basecamp.

Trapped in Kathmandu

Ok, still here.

We got quite close to escaping form Kathmandu today. Flights were flying but the airport got closed out at Lukla before we could get on a plane and make it there. I guess we will drive to the airport tomorrow and do it all again. Tomorrow we depart at 5:15am. All I can say is, please keep your fingers crossed for our Sunday departure.

Signing out from a hot and cloud free Kathmandu.

Stuck in Kathmandu

Bad weather again today. Spent the morning reading and waiting for confirmation on the plane, which never came. And spent the afternoon window shopping. This is going to get very old very soon. Wish me luck for tomorrow.

Delayed in Kathmandu

Mountain weather can be a frickle thing. So after waking up at 4:30am and arriving at the airport at 5:45am for our 7:00am flight, and spending the entire day at the airport, our flight was eventually cancelled at 2:00pm. So another night in Kathmandu and repeat of the plan tomorrow. Please cross your fingers and toes of an on-day departure tomorrow.

Signing out from an overcast Kathmandu.

Touring in Kathmandu

Spent a cultural day in Kathmandu visiting the local Buddha and Hindu temples. And tomorrow we are scheduled on an early flight up to Lukla and the start of our trek to Everest Base Camp. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather and an on-time departure.

Signing out from a dry and dusty Kathmandu.

Made it to Kathmandu

I, and just as importanly, my bags, made it to Katmandu. Have just settled in to the Yak and Yeti, which will be our hotel here until all the climbers and all the bags arrive. Gear check is in 20 mins. Let's see how much stuff the guides will not let me take :-)

All Checked In

I am all checked in and having an Orange juice with Caroline before heading through security. All went smoothly, with bags checked all the way to Kathmandu.

Next blog from Kathmandu.

mobitv send-off

The team at mobitv threw a send-off bash earlier today.

Stephen's "planned" itinerary.

Here is an idea of the "planned" itinerary for the Everest climb. I am sure this will change based on weather conditions and other factors.

Day 1: Sunday (3/29) - Depart San Francisco.
Day 2: Monday (3/30) - Arrive in Bangkok.
Day 3: Tuesday (3/31) - Arrive in Kathmandu - Meet the guides and team.
Day 4: Wednesday (4/1) - Rest and touring Kathmandu.
Day 5: Thursday (4/2) - Fly to Syangboche and then onto Namche (via Helicopter).

Trek to Everest Base Camp.

During the entire trek to Base Camp, our goal is to stay healthy and make sure all climbers are acclimatizing well. We are on no set schedule and will take extra days anywhere along the trek to further acclimatize if necessary. It is extremely important that when we reach BC we are feeling good and are comfortable with the thin air at 17,200 feet.

After spending several days in BC acclimatizing, moving into our new home and practicing ladder walking, we will head up to Camp I (19,500ft). We spend a rest day there and then climb up to Camp II (21,000ft). We will then spend 2 – 3 nights at Camp II and return to BC.

Camp II serves as our advanced base camp and consists of large tents for cooking and dinning and several smaller tents for sleeping.

Another rest period is taken in BC and when all are ready we head back to Camp I and the following day up to Camp II. A rest day is taken here and if the weather the following day is good we climb up to Camp III (24,000ft) and spend the night. The following day we return to Camp II for a night and then back to BC.

After this process we will head down valley for a rest period to breathe thick air and enjoy the sunshine and warm weather for several days. This has proven to be extremely beneficial in preparing climbers for the summit attempt. We then head back up to BC and prepare for a summit attempt.

When the weather reports give us a good forecast we will head up to Camp I and the following day move to Camp II. The next day is usually a rest day. If the weather is still holding the next day we will climb up to Camp III. It is in this camp that we start breathing bottled oxygen. Our night there will be spent sleeping on oxygen and we will remain on oxygen for the rest of the summit climb.

** Caroline is planning to arrive at BC on Sunday, May 17th.

The following day we climb up to high camp at the south Col (26,000ft) and rest on oxygen for that night and all the next day. This rest day has proven to be a great asset in letting us rest and recuperate for the summit attempt that starts that night. Around 9 PM we will be woken up and begin getting ready for summit attempt. We will leave between 11PM and midnight and head for the Summit. The next day we will descend to Camp II and the following day to Base Camp.

The following is approximate:

Day 57: Monday (5/25) - Pheriche
Day 58: Tuesday (5/26) - Namche
Day 59: Wednesday (5/27) - Namche
Day 60: Thursday (5/28) - Lukla
Day 61: Friday (5/29) - Fly to Kathmandu
Day 62: Saturday (5/30) - Fly to Bangkok
Day 63: Sunday (5/31) - Arrive back in San Francisco

Camps shown on a map of Mt Everest courtesy of Alpine Ascents

Nederlands: Wat zijn cybercasts? (This can be found in English on the cybercast link to the left).

Eventjes wat uitleg in het Nederlands voor familie en vrienden in Belgie:

Cybercasts: nieuwsberichten speciaal voor familie en vrienden van de Expeditie leden. Op deze manier kun je de Expeditie op de voet volgen.

Let wel:

Alpine Ascents (het team, de compagnie waar Stephen mee klimt) doen hun best om de berichten er zo snel mogelijk op te zetten.
Een dag geen bericht wil niet zeggen dat er een probleem is met de Expeditie:

- de berichten worden doorgebeld met satelliet telefoons vanop Everest en slechte of geen verbinding kan voorvallen. (Voor de expeditie leden zijn satelliet telefoons niet het enig communicatie middel; ze hebben ook radios om onderling en met Basecamp in contact te blijven).

- De berichten worden doorgebeld naar het hoofdkantoor van Alpine Ascents in Seattle, Washington, en daar worden de berichten dan op hun website gezet. Dit kantoor is gesloten gedurende het weekend en op feestdagen. Dus weerom: geen paniek indien je op die dagen geen nieuw bericht vindt! En vergeet het tijdsverschil niet.

- De Expeditie teams hebben ook meerdere rustdagen en dan wordt er ook niet steeds nieuws doorgebeld want dan is er meestal niet veel te melden.

groetjes,
caroline.

Maps

Here are some links to useful maps to help you follow along:-

- Everest Base Camp Trek
- Everest
- Annapurna Circuit

Please note: These maps require a flash player to be installed.

Want to get Updates via email automatically?

If you want to follow along with automatic email notifications then you can subscribe to Google groups. So everytime we post something, you will get an email notification.

This is really easy:
If you have a google email address (or you can/want to create one) just go to Google Groups and join the everest-and-annapurna-2009 group by clicking the link "Join this group". That should do it.

With any other type of email address: let us know you want to subscribe to the updates and which email address you want to use and we will 'invite' you to the blog.
Please do this in the next few weeks and we can set it up before we leave.

Should neither option appeal to you, you can simply check our website frequently!!!

Nepal / Everest / Annapurna Adventure

Only 2 weeks and a day before Stephen boards a plane to start his Everest Expedition!
On March 31st he will join the Alpine Ascents team in Kathmandu, Nepal. This whole expedition will take 2 months, give or take 10 days.

I will now leave on April 11 and will first spend 3.5 days in Tokyo before flying on to Pokhara, Nepal.
I will do The Annapurna Circuit Trek from April 19th till May 6th. Then, after 2 rest days I will fly to Lukla to start my 7-8 day trek to Everest Basecamp. I'm hoping to be in EBC when Stephen and his team are going for the final push to the summit and when they walk back into Basecamp.
I'm doing both treks again with 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking.

Caroline.

New Zealand Dec 2008 - Jan 2009

On Dec 19th we went to New Zealand for the Christmas Holidays; we came back home on Jan 4th.
Here are some photo albums from our trip to New Zealand; this one was all about friends and family and was great!!!

Our first 2 days we spent at Lake Taupo in fabulous Acacia Cliffs Lodge with hosts Linda and Rick. We visited 'Craters of the Moon' and Huka Falls. Some photos: Taupo.

We then made our way to Havelock North for a family Christmas Eve with Alison and Annie & Hamish. Here's the Christmas Eve album.

Christmas Day was spent relaxing and walking.

New Year's Eve was a very special one this year since it was also Annie and Hamish's Wedding. It was a lovely day for a lovely ceremony with friends and family and plenty of good food and drinks!
This little album I couldn't resist making: The Hat.

On New Year's Day lots of people gathered at Alison's place for a casual lunch. I only took my camera out later in the day.
Some photos: New Year's Day.


Between Christmas and New Year Caroline was lucky to be able to catch up with Leah. On Jan 2nd we drove to Raumati Beach and stayed with our dear friends Jude and Mark. Jonathan was also there. Here's catching up with Friends.

Here are some Extras.

Stephen hiked the Queen Charlotte Track with friends (Pete, Dave, Jono and Steve) between Christmas and New Year.