Graeme Whittaker and me on Aonch Mor 4,006ft 16-2-08

Nepal at a glance

• China to north and India to the south, east and west
• 147,181 sq.km. (occupying only 0.1% of the total landmass of the earth)
• 23.1million population with 101 ethnic groups
• Nepali is the national language (92 spoken languages)
• Currency - Nepalese Rupee
• Seasons - Winter:Dec-Feb, Spring:March-May, Summer:June-Aug, Autumn:Sept-November.
• The elevation of the country ranges from 60m above sea level to the higest point on earth, Mt. Everest at 8,848m, all within a distance of 150km, resulting in climatic conditions from sub-tropical to artic

Charities to be supported

I hope to raise much needed funds for the following charities:-

CLIC Sargent. Is the UK’s leading children’s cancer charity providing the widest range of care and services for children and young people with cancer – and their families.

Claire House Children’s Hospice, Bebington, Wirral. Caring for children 0-23 years with life threatening or life limiting conditions and their families from Merseyside, Cheshire, North Wales and the Isle of Man.

The Water Adventure Centre, Droylsden, Manchester. Founded in 1977 it is a charity combining youth work with canoeing, whilst encouraging children and young people to take responsibility for themselves, others and the environment.

Mountain Rescue- England and Wales. It is totally run by 100% volunteers. You never know when you might need rescue when walking.

Q&A

Who will I be walking with?
Roger Brown my walking friend who has previously done four treks in Nepal and other parts of the world. We will be joining up with a larger group (total 15 people) which is being lead by KE Adventure Travel of Keswick. I am paying all the costs for my trek.

When do I leave?
On 16th March 2008 I leave for Kathmandu in Nepal. I then fly on in a twin otter plane to Lukla, landing on a narrow and sloping runway in the heart of the mountains, one of the most spectacular flights in the world, and commence the hard sixteen day long trek.

What do you see as the hardest part of the trip?
The steep climb up to Kala Pattar at 18,368ft on day 13. Sleeping (hmm?) each night in a tent with temperatures falling to 16 degrees below will also be very different!!

Do you need oxygen to get to 18,000ft?
No. However you can suffer from Altitude Illnesses. There are no specific factors such as age, sex or physical condition that correlate with susceptibility to altitude sickness. Continuing to higher altitude without proper acclimatization can lead to potential serious, even life-threatening illnesses.

What is High Altitude?
High: 8k to 12k feet
Very High: 12k to 18k feet
Extremely High: 18k+ feet.

What are the symptoms of mild Acute Mountain Sickness?
Headache, dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, nausea and disturbed sleep.

Will you communicate with sponsors/friends while you are in Nepal?
Yes this is the intention. Check into this blog to receive regular updates, or better still, enter your email address in the subscribe box on the top right of this page.

Everest Trek Itinerary

Summits of Kala Pattar 5,600m and Gokyo Ri 5,360m
and
Everest Base Camp 5,310m.

Day 1
It is a short trek to the first night’s stay at Phakding -2,610m / 8,561ft.

Day 2
Following the Dudh Kosi Valley the river is crossed twice as height is gained and making a final steep climb to the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar where you stop for the night -3,440m / 11283ft. First views of Everest are seen.

Day 3
Here it is acclimatisation around Namche Bazaar for the day.

Day 4
The trek continues via the Sherpa villages of Khumjung and Khunde to Kangjuma at 3,620m / 11,874ft.

Day 5
Crossing the Mon La 3,900m /12,792ft you enter the Gokyo Valley which is the main drainage for the glaciers of Cho Oyo 8,201m /26,900ft. It is a camp at Dole 4,050m /13,284ft.

Day 6
The trail climbs steadily up the valley to Machermo at 4,465m /14,645ft.

Day 7
Acclimatisation day in Machermo. A climb to a nearby ridge will provide magnificent views of Everest and Makalu.

Day 8
Gokyo’s first and second lakes are passed and the camp will be on the shores of the third and biggest of the five holy lakes at an altitude of 4,791m / 15,715ft. This is beneath Cho Oyo, the world’s 6th highest mountain.

Day 9
An early start (first light) for the short ascent of Gokyo Ri 5,360m / 17,581ft. Here stunning views of Everest are seen; some say an even finer view than from Kala Pattar. It is then a decent before crossing the Ngozumba Glacier to Dragnag at 4,700m / 15,416ft. Depending on weather conditions etc a further one and a half hour walk will take us to a higher camp at 5,100m / 16,728ft.

Day10
A big day crossing the Cho La pass at 5,420m / 17,778ft. Approaching the pass we cross a large boulder field. The decent from the pass, often snow covered, involves the crossing of a small glacier. and descending further to the yak grazing area of Dzongla 4,830m / 15,842ft.

Day 11
The main Everest Basecamp trail is joined at Lobuche Village 4,910m / 16,105ft. From here it is an ascent the ablation valley of the Khumbu Glacier to reach Gorak Shep 5,140m /16859ft. Camp is set up here after a longish day of around 8 hours.

Day 12
At first light it is a trek to reach Everest Base Camp, 5,310m /17,700ft. Firstly on the moraine crest, then on the Khumbu Glazier itself through shattered rock and jumbled moraine. In 3 to 4 hours Basecamp is reached which is below the stupendous Khumbu Icefall. The route is then retraced back to the same camp site as day 11.

Day 13
It is an early morning ascent to Kala Pattar 5,600m /18,368ft the highest point of the trek. It is then a decent to Pheriche 4,350m / 14,268ft.

Day 14
The trek follows the main Everest Trail via Pangboche to Thyangboche where a visit to the monastery is paid. It is then a decent to the Imja Khola before a final steep climb to Kangjuma.

Day 15
From Kangjuma it is on to Namche and a steep decent and final short climb to Monjo for an overnight halt.

Day 16
It is mostly downhill following the fall of the Dudh Kosi River but there is a final short climb to Lukla and the final night in a tent.