May 8, 2012
Some of the Maida Mountaineers on a hike above Dingboche (Ama Dablam in background)
Our Sherpa Trek team flew successfully to Lukla a few days ago and now are on the way to Base Camp. So far everything is going well for them, and they are enjoying the sights at Tengboche monastery. This is at a crucial altitude, about 12,000 feet, and it is important to feel good here, before moving up to the 14,000+ elevations at Pheriche and Dingboche. A couple nights in Namche, and a couple more in Deboche (just below Tengboche) will prepare the team for the thinner air in their future!
The Maida’s Mountaineers (MM) custom trek team are now safe and recuperating in Kathmandu. Â One of the members, Brewster, summed up the trip:
“Fifteen demanding days, cold nights (10 degrees F), sleeping on a glacier next to the Khumbu Ice fall at EBC (17,600′), long days of trekking, rallying around a sick friend, tight and caring companionship, skilled leadership and MM completed a long-anticipated trek. Far more difficult than ever expected, the trek turned 13 incredible and wonderful individuals into a very close group of hard-bodies who tonight will head home to decompress. We cannot adequately thank the hard-working porters, our four Sherpas headed by Lopsang Sherpa who quietly led us through these overwhelmingly beautiful Himalayan mountains, our guide Jenni who listened and led our group through some very difficult and anxious situations, and for Buddha who slowly seeped into our bodies, brought peace, tranquility and reflection. We are all safe, wiser, closer and carrying a tale only we will know – never to tell and never to forget. Thank you IMG.”
Eric Simonson