October 27, 2015

The 3 x 3 Team had a great day of training at Lobuche Base Camp (15,500 ft) today!  After a few days of great trekking, it is nice to have a casual morning to sort through gear and prepare for the climb.

On the agenda for the active rest day, pulling out the climbing equipment and rigging the harnesses.  Lobuche Base Camp is a great place to spread out your gear.  Once the harnesses are rigged, the team will do a refresher course on the fixed line.

Tomorrow, the team will take a short hike up to High Camp, get an early dinner and climb into their sleeping bags for a bit…an early wake-up call will surly be in order!

Greg Vernovage

October 26, 2015

Our Lobuche Climb is right around the corner now!  The team climbed Kala Pattar and headed around the corner to Lobuche Base Camp today.  The views from the top of Kala Pattar are fantastic.  After trekking and visiting Everest Base Camp, the Team was rewarded with more views of the Khumbu Glacier, the Icefall and Mount Everest.

Panorama of Kala Patar (Tye Chapman)

After taking a few photos, it is time to trek around to Lobuche Base Camp.  This is one of my favorite parts of the trek and one of the best camps in the Khumbu Valley.  Our team wraps around the foothill of Lobuche and settles in the protective meadow of Lobuche.  A nice, home cooked meal some quality sleep is in order and deserved for this team.

Tomorrow is an active rest day involving some training for the climb, organizing gear and rest.  Get ready to climb Lobuche everyone!

Greg Vernovage

October 25, 2015

This was a perfect day to visit Everest Base Camp. The team is really performing well with the high altitude. They made great time to Gorakshep (16,900 ft) had a little lunch and got their rooms in the teahouse and then took off for Everest Base Camp (17,500 ft).

Craig shared the history of Everest with the team and in Craig’s words, “We could have stayed for much much longer and I (Craig) was one of the main culprits.” Craig has been thinking about the South Side of Everest for about 40 years and to arrive there is a special moment for everyone.

The views and the history of Everest Base Camp are amazing and tomorrow, Kala Pattar!

Greg Vernovage

October 24, 2015

Craig checked in with a happy and slightly tired team from Lobuche Village. This is a challenging day on the trail. The team treks through Khongma La at 18,320 ft and then travels across the lower Khumbu glacier navigating their way around cracks and boulders. After 9.5 hours, the team is psyched to pull into Lobuche Village at 16,100 ft. A fifteen minute snow flurry made things truly feel like the Khumbu and then clearing up again.

Plenty of reason to celebrate tonight in Lobuche and then off to bed early, tomorrow is some more uphill towards Gorakshep. Great days in the Khumbu Valley!

Greg Vernovage

October 22, 2015

Craig and Cedric checked in this morning from Chukkung after a great day hiking up Chukkung Ri.  Perfect weather and clear skies for the climb today made for even more spectacular views of Lhotse, Nuptse and part of the Great Horseshoe (the ridge that connects Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse.)

The Team did great!  They climbed together and got the chance to take a Team photo and send it back to share with us.  I might add that one of our young Sherpa, Fura Gyalzen is becoming a pretty good photographer!

Greg Vernovage

October 19, 2015

Pheriche with Cho Oyu and Lobuche (Tye Chapman)

IMG Guide Cedric Gamble is guiding in the Khumbu Valley for the first time.  I take great joy in reading his short update to us.  I felt like sharing this would be a great way to start the week!  Cedric is a pretty good writer.

“The roads follow the rivers, as roads are apt to do; though no wheeled machines travel here. In places the road is no wider than a sidewalk and simply a dirt trail, and at other times it’s large enough for a truck and paved with carefully cut pavers. The engineering and construction is astounding when you remember everything was done by hand.

Up and down the stairs, across the steep slopes and over the rivers, the road is the lifeline for the Khumbu. The tinkle of bells tells you donkeys or horses are coming, and a much deeper ringing announces the approach of yaks. Porters carry loads, sometimes in flip flops.

The deep evergreen forests of the lower valley have yielded to sparser vegetation of rhododendron and juniper. Still the road plunges on and all along it visits villages large and small. The buildings are beautiful; made from granite bricks with colorful windows and doors. Small shops offer food and trinkets while the generous proprietors of larger tea houses provide room and board for trekkers.

Of course there are the mountains too. Snow and ice cling to impossibly steep faces of peaks that look so close they could topple down on top of you. Each morning they glow in greeting to the sun, and each afternoon they slowly don their cloaks of swirling cloud.

The Sherpa are the most amazing part of this place. They make a life in such a harshly beautiful mountain home, and are utterly happy and at peace. Even after the destruction of the earthquake last year, they are vigorously rebuilding and still welcoming Trekkers into their homes and tea houses. In kitchens with wooden sinks and fired stoves they cook delicious meals for large groups. Life moves at a slower pace here, but a pace more in tune with the mountains.

I feel very fortunate to be here. It is a special place, with very special people.” – Cedric Gamble

Greg Vernovage

October 18, 2015

Not every day on the trek needs to be a marathon.  Today, the team woke up in Tengboche and only had to trek for about 4 hours.  It is a nice walk with Ama Dablam keeping the team company most of the way.

The Team pulled into Pangboche and had a good lunch and after lunch visited Lama Geshe.  This is when the fireworks started.  “Amazing!”  This was the word from both Cedric and Craig as they chuckled.  Lama Geshe has this way of telling the Team a story and laughing.  Without having a complete understanding of what he is saying, you still find yourself laughing and having fun with him.

The team was sharing the afternoon with Lama Geshe when a visitor stopped in to say hello.  The visitor was a Lama Reincarnate.  This is a very special occasion.  Very nice.

On this day, we had a surprise awaiting our team and a married couple.  Lama Geshe performed a Puja Ceremony in honor of the couple’s Wedding Anniversary.  Congratulations!

It was a beautiful day outside and the mountains were out and showing their greatness as well!

Greg Vernovage