Possibly One Of The Best…

October 9, 2015

Adam checked in with the Dolpo Team from Kagbeni just now.Â He called it a bustling city.Â From where the team has come from, maybe it is.Â The Dolpo Trek is winding down with just one day more of trekking and then a few small plane flights before they are back to Kathmandu.Â This has been a pretty great trek with awesome weather and certainly a few more sights than anyone might be able to remember.Â That is why they will have a ton of photos to share with us when they get home.

This has been one ultimate trek and as Adam said this night, â€œPossibly one of the best beers I have ever had.â€

Greg Vernovage

Jockeying For Position In The Hinku Valley

October 8, 2015

: Looking up at Khare. (Eric SImonson)

: Camp on the trail below Khote. (Eric Simonson)

Eric and the Mera Peak Team were up early today.Â They wanted to get down to Thagnak by the end of the day and then a little further down valley tomorrow to Kothe.Â No real rush other than a little precipitation in the forecast.

With the objective of reaching the top of Mera Peak complete, it is time to head towards daylight.Â This is from a football term.Â The great Vince Lombardi used to tell his team to â€œRun for Daylight.â€Â This means get to the opening and look for the ball.

Well, in the case of our Mera Peak Team, they are heading for the clearing and lower elevation to catch a helicopter before it closes in on them for a couple days with clouds and rain.

Greg Vernovage

On The Downhill Side Of Things In Dolpo

October 8, 2015

Trekking In The Dolpo. (Adam Angel)

Adam and the Dolpo Team have checked in and are officially on the downhill side of the Mustang region.Â After a long day on their feet, Adam called to let me know that it was much more dry this time on the trek.Â Buffs were up and the finest dust blew around.Â There was no complaining, in fact it sounds like some pretty amazing photos came from winds.

Tomorrow will be spent heading towards Sangda Village.Â It will be a short day and Adam said that the beer tastes especially good in this village.Â That is a good memory!

Greg Vernovage

Mera Peak Summits

October 7, 2015

: Looking up the route. (Eric Simonson)

: Eric with Everest in background above Mera La

Eric Simonson checked in early this morning with news that they reached the summit of Mera Peak!Â The Team had great weather and made good progress into High Camp on Mera and decided to keep moving up hill.

100% on top and back to Mera La for the night.Â We have been keeping our eye on the weather and saw that the winds might be picking up and some snow in a couple days.Â Eric was on Mera last year when the remnants of cyclone Hud hud came through the region and sent the team back from a summit attempt.

It has been a great trek and climb.Â A good night of sleep and then back down valley to catch a ride out!

Greg Vernovage

Dolpo Team Taking On High Passes

October 7, 2015

Trekking in Dolpo (Adam Angel)

Adam checked in after great day on the trail.Â It has been great weather for the entire trek and the team did not feel the slightly higher winds that were predicted for the pass crossing.Â The Team is now into the Mustang Region of Nepal between Dolpo and Manang.Â This area has the beginnings of much more fertile soil.Â One more pass and the team will literally on the downhill trail for the remainder of the trek.

Only a few more days and I can tell from talking with Adam that this Team could keep going for a while longer, they are having a great trip!

Greg Vernovage

In Position At Mera La

October 6, 2015

: On the way to Mera La (Eric Simonson)

: Snowy trail to Mera La (Eric Simonson)

: There is nothing like a Himalayan Sunrise at high_altitude (Eric Simonson)

Eric Simonson checked in from Mera La.Â The team is in position to make a move!Â The weather is lining up for them and conditions look good on the mountain.Â Mera La is the start of the climb.

The Monsoon had stalled for a few days but did not cause any trouble with progress up the Hinku Valley towards Mera La.Â Then, yesterday the monsoon moved again, this time completely out of the region.Â Great news!Â Eric said that they are feeling good and should move to High Camp on Mera Peak tomorrow.

Greg Vernovage

Logging Some Miles in Dolpo Region

October 6, 2015

: Dolpo Trekking at its finest. (Adam Angel)

: Open spaces in the Dolpo region. (Adam Angel)

The Dolpo Team had a very full day of trekking today.Â Just over 15 miles on the trail with a ton of opportunity for great photography.Â Adam checked in this morning with a team who still has gas in the tank!Â They are tucked in at their 16,500 foot camp for the night.

Here come the adventure trekking days for the team.Â They have been staying healthy and moving well for the entire trip.Â Now it is time to turn up the intensity and test their training.Â Tomorrow is a huge day with two high altitude passes!

Greg Vernovage

Himalayan Trekking Update

October 5, 2015

The Dolpo Trek and the Mera peak trek are both doing great!

Reports from Dolpo are that is feels like the Monsoon has moved completely out of the area.Â This is great news!Â The team camped at over 15,500 feet and are gearing up for a long day of high pass trekking through Trek to Yak Kharka (4,775m), camp.

: Trekking into Tsharka Bot (Adam Angel)

: (Photo by Adam Angel)

For Eric and the Mera Peak trek, they report great weather in the mornings with some light nonthreatening cloud cover in the evening.Â All is well and the team is moving up the valley and closer to their objective.Â The team is making good progress and looking forward to the climb now that they have Mera Peak in view.

: From near Khare, Mera Peak and view down the Hinku valley toward Thagnak (Eric Simonson)

: Mera Peak from above Khare. Mera La out of sight to left (Eric Simonson)

Greg Vernovage

Dolpo Team Logging Some Miles

October 2, 2015

Photo: Adam Angel

Adam called from Larja Camp this evening for the Team.Â They had a fantastic day on the trail today and logged a ton of mileage and a couple thousand feet.Â All total, it was just under 8 hours for the Dolpo trekking team.

The trek to Larja 15,550 ft (4,740m), camp is the highest point they will sleep before passing back to the South and dryer times.Â The weather has been amazing this year so far,Â These photos are from the previous trek and remnants of the monsoon.

Greg Vernovage

On The Trail To Thagnak

October 2, 2015

: On the trail to Thagnak. (Eric Simonson)

: On the way to Thagnak. (Eric Simonson)

Eric Simonson checked in after a rest day in Khote.Â They are now heading up the trail to Thagnak at 14,260 feet.Â Great weather and a good decision to take it conservatively early on during the trek.Â No need to push it and get sick!

The days have been great and the team is looking forward to getting deeper into the valley.Â Last year, the team was in this valley when Cyclone Hud hud sent precipitation their way.Â We are keeping an eye on the weather and the Mera Peak Team is acclimatizing and taking in the magnificent views.

Greg Vernovage