Impressions of Kathmandu and Schedule for the trek

This morning we went on a little excursion into the shopping area in Kathmandu. This part of town is quite interesting, lots of small shops and local stores.  The streets were still relative empty, but crossing a road even at this time of the day requires full attention.  There seem to be not a lot of rules for driving here, and the fact that driving takes place on the wrong side of the road makes things a bit more confusing.  The rest of the day is pretty much for packing and getting rid of jet lag, we’ll be leaving at 5 am tomorrow morning for the airport.  The flight to Lukla takes about 45 min.  We were told that, despite the fact that lot of planes flying up there have crashed at least once, it still should be an enjoyable, thus adventurous start to the trek to base camp…

Schedule for the trek to base camp

March 31 – Flight to Lukla, trek to Phakding, lodge

April 1 – Trek to Namche (Khumbu Lodge)

April 2 to April 3 – Namche, acclimatization hikes

April 4 – Trek to Deboche (Rivendell Lodge)

April 5 – Deboche, acclimatization day

April 6 – Trek to Pheriche (Himalayan Hotel)

April 7 – Pheriche, acclimatization day

April 8 – Trek to Lobuche (Eco Lodge)

April 9 – Lobuche, acclimatization day

April 10 – Trek to Gorakshep (Himalayan Hotel)

April 11 – Trek to Everest Base Camp

The plan is to stay at base camp for one day, and we will then be leaving for some practice climbing to Lobuche Peak (20,070 ft) until April 18.  I’ll talk about this some more when it get’s closer.

In Kathmandu..

Travel to Nepal went surprisingly smooth and, after about 22 hr of airtime I finally arrived in Kathmandu.  Immigration and customs was no problem, and my luggage also arrived here with me! On the way to the hotel I got some first impressions from Nepal and the capital city of Kathmandu, a very interesting place indeed, maybe not for everyone though.  We’ll be staying at the Hotel Tibet, a very nice place, considering everything else around here…  Tonight we will have our welcome dinner, get to meet the whole team and our guides.  The rest of the day and tomorrow we’ll be staying in Kathmandu, resting and re-packing for the trek to base camp.  If everything goes well, we will be flying out to Lukla on Thursday.  From there, we will then start our slow, and careful approach to Everest Base Camp.

Below, a snapshot of the airport in Doha, Qatar where I had a 3½ layover after a 16 hour flight from Houston.

Doha Airport

A quick excursion into Kathmandu revealed that some of the local beverages are quite promising...

Promising Local Beverage

Other pictures:

This is a general schedule that includes the time for the approach to Everest Base Camp, a practice climb on Lobuje Peak, two rotations from Base Camp to Camp 3, and the final climb to the summit via the South Cool/Camp 4.  The time lines are approximate, and of course are subject to individual health, the weather, and the general conditions on the mountain.
 
One more day left in TX...

Later,

Heiko


IMG Everest Expedition, March 29 – May 24, 2011
 
Tuesday, March 29 to Wednesday, March 30 – Arrival/Stay in Kathmandu
Thursday, March 31 to Saturday, April 9 – Trek to Everest Base Camp
Sunday, April 10 – Arrival at Everest Base Camp
Monday, April 11 to Tuesday, April 12 – Everest Base Camp
Wednesday, April 13 to Monday, April 18 – Lobuje Peak; 20,070 ft (Base Camp/High Camp/Summit)
Tuesday, April 19 to Saturday, April 23 – Return to Everest Base Camp, Acclimatization
Sunday, April 24 to Friday, April 29 – 1st Acclimatization Climbs to Camps 1, 2, and 3
Saturday, April 30 to Tuesday, May 3 – Everest Base Camp
Wednesday, May 4 to Saturday, May 7 – 2nd Acclimatization Climbs to Camps 1, 2, and 3
Sunday, May 8 to Wednesday, May 11 – Everest Base Camp
Thursday, May 12 to Monday, May 16 – Climb to Camps 1, 2, 3, and 4
Tuesday, May 17 to Wednesday, May 18 – potential Summit Days
Thursday, May 19 to Friday, May 20 – Everest Base Camp
Saturday, May 21 to Tuesday, May 24 – Return to Kathmandu
 

All packed and ready to go......

Still hard to believe that I will be in Kathmandu on Tuesday, guess I believe it when i get there...  I finally got out of work yesterday by 6:30 pm, some things will just have to wait until I get back.  Everything is pretty much packed up now, and most of the "loose ends" have been tied off, at least those ones I am aware of...  Also, I realized that I got a lot of free food over the last two weeks, thank's everyone!!

Medical tests...

On Saturday I got to to a VO2 max test, and that was very interesting: running on a treadmill w/ a rather restricting face mask... I finally went over the top at 7 min mile pace when the incline got to 10.0 degree. VO2 max was 57 (above 35 is excellent), and heart recovery rate of 27% (15 % is considered excellent). Concluding, the training went well, but that I also had picked my parents well...

Update on IMG plans for the expedition.

According to Eric Simonson, IMG, the plans for the expedition are moving ahead smoothly.  IMG’s oxygen shipment has cleared customs in Kathmandu and that equipment, along with additional gear and food, will be heading up into the Khumbu region in the next few days (IMG has already sent in two charter flights or food, fuel, and gear).  Also, IMG’s official Everest news page is now active, and will be expanded and updated over the next coming weeks.  Here is the link to those who want to follow us on the mountain:

www.mountainguides.com/everest-south11.shtml

In addition, here are two more sites for those who like to get some more info on what is happening on and around Mt. Everest this year:

www.everestnews.com, and www.7summits.com

Some interesting medical information

Every year, new medical research is being conducted to better understand the effects of high altitude on the human body.  An interesting study on the statistics of mortality on Everest was done a few years ago by Paul Firth.  Of course, this is not exactly happy reading, but important for those who are planning to climb this mountain, or spending significant amounts of time at elevations in excess of 20,000 ft (6000 m): 

http://www.bmj.com/content/337/bmj.a2654.full?sid=113e8c18-275b-4018-a96d-a1b4689cd9f0  

Paul Firth is leading a team of physicians on a new research study this coming season, and has forward a letter to us through IMG.  For those who are interested, the letter is shown below.

A research study of the cognitive effects of extreme altitude on mountaineers

Dear Climber
I am writing to request your assistance in a research project we are carrying out, looking at potential residual changes in thinking processes after ascent to altitudes over 6000m above sea level.  We are a group of medical researchers and doctors in the US and the UK, who are also climbers. Some of our group recently published a study on the circumstances of death of mountaineers on Mount Everest. (Aspects of this study can be accessed for free at the Himalayandatabase.com or in the British Medical Journal, at BMJ.com - search ‘Everest’.) This study discovered that changes in consciousness and co-ordination were common features of climbers that died at extreme altitude. Leakage of fluid from the brain blood vessels (High altitude cerebral edema) is probably a common cause of these symptoms, but we suspect changes in the way the brain functions at extreme altitudes could also play a role. As a follow-up study, we are now aiming to examine whether any residual changes in thinking processes persist once climbers return to low altitude, and if so, for how long.
We would like to interview climbers before they leave, and at roughly one, three and six months after they return from their climb. We aim to administer a series of quizzes and mental tests by telephone at these times. As we appreciate schedules are hectic both before and after expeditions, the tests are short and concise, taking about 30 minutes to complete. We also would like to collect some basic information on prior climbs, and how high climbers reached on their expeditions. We will collect basic medical information, such as whether you experienced any symptoms of high altitude illness, whether you have any chronic medical conditions, and whether you take prescription medications. This information will be stored on password-protected computer databases. We hope to test about 100 climbers climbing peaks over 6000m in the Himalayas, Andes and Alaska.
This letter has been forwarded by the expedition organizer. However, we are a separate research group and are not part of the expedition. Participation in this study is completely voluntary. There is a small risk that the data we collect (your mountain climbing experience, your medical information, your test scores) may be stolen through electronic hacking or by physical theft of computers. Should we detect such a theft, all subjects will be notified of this event immediately.
 Our prior Everest study was completed with the help of many climbers who patiently provided details of many fatalities on the mountain. We hope this published information will lead to greater safety on large mountains this year. Similarly we hope the insights from this study will lead to a better understanding of the mental changes occurring at extreme altitude, with an improvement in future safety.
If you feel you may be able to help out, and would be able to find 30 minutes to complete the tests by telephone before you leave on your expedition, please send us an email for further details. I can be contacted at pfirth@partners.org, or by telephone at +1 (617) 724 2130 (w).
I look forward to hearing from you. Happy and safe climbing!
Best regards
Dr. Paul Firth
Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care
Massachusetts General Hospital
Boston, Ma, USA.
Other research team members:
Dr. Jeremy Windsor, University College London
Dr. Katie Williams, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth
Dr. Adam Booth, Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham
Catherine Crosby, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston
Stephanie Mackay, Glasgow University
Dr. David Preiss, Boston University
Dr. Jim Jackson, Vanderbilt University, Nashville
Dr. Wes Ely, Vanderbilt University, Nashville
Dr. Tom Bashford, North Middlesex University Hospital, London 

Final Training before leaving..

A few more days have passed now, and less than two weeks are left until the departure to Kathmandu.  I just got back from a short trip to Manitou Springs and some final training.  The Pikes Peak area really is a perfect training ground, also due to the fact that the total elevation gain, from Manitou Springs to the summit of Pikes Peak, measures about 7,400 ft.  I did the 26 mi/7400 ft round trip last year in November, and thought it would be a great final test.  Luckily, snow cover was lighter than usual, and the weather also was nearly perfect.  The whole round trip took almost 15 ½ hrs, and this included the two stops at the Barr Camp on the way up and again on the way back down. 

Some background information

Mt. Everest has been climbed a thousand times, yet it still posts a formidable challenge to those who try every year.  I will be climbing with IMG (International Mountain Guides, LLC.;www.mountainguides.com), a WA – based company under Eric Simonson who has been organizing Himalayan expeditions for more than 25 years.

The original plan was to climb from the south (Nepal) side, and descent via the north (Tibetan) side.  However, aside from the actual climbing challenge, there are always some other ones, rather unique to the region.  This year in May happens to be the 60th anniversary of the Chinese takeover of Tibet.  This will likely lead to some protests and unrest in the region, and there will be almost surely no permits being issued for Tibet through the Chinese government during April and May this year.  Eric Simonson recently sent me some information on this issue I’d like to pass on for those who may also be planning on traveling the region this spring.

“We are struggling right now with our proposed spring Cho Oyu expedition.  The Chinese have now said there will be NO permits for travel to Tibet issued for either March or May.  They still say they will issue permits in April, but I am thinking that may well change too, based on our past experience (so we are real worried about the Cho Oyu trip).  May is 60th anniversary of Chinese takeover of Tibet and I think there will be big protests there. Here is a little background, below, that I have leaned.

This site http://www.cafespinn.com/en/tibet/ says: Permit situation: Tours during May 2011 may be delayed during the so-called 60th anniversary of the "Peaceful Liberation of Lhasa". (23 May 2011).  If you come to Tibet during this period, please make sure you understand that your trip may be cancelled with a very short notice. The Tourism Bureau has a habit to close the whole Tibet with only one single day of advanced notice!

Another Tibet Travel link:  http://budgettibettour.com/travel-news/Not-Only-March-Will-Tibet-Be-Closed-next-year.html   An important meeting was held today by the Tibet Tourism Bureau, the Tibet Public Security Bureau and some other relevant authorities. All bosses or managers of tour agents or tour operator in Tibet attended the meeting.  Due to the notorious unrest happened in Lhasa in March, 2008, after that, Tibet is generally closed for the non-Chinese tourists in each March in case any damage took place again. And coincidently, next May comes with an important moment of 60 anniversary of Peace Liberation in Tibet Autonomous Region, in order to prevent unnecessary trouble and to make sure the anniversary goes smoothly, authorities from relevant government departments reached preliminary agreement that they will strengthen cooperation between each other and strengthen control and supervision on the application and approval of Tibet Travel Permit, particularly for those who want to travel to Tibet from March to May. This tentative agreement will make Tibet travel in 2011 more difficult, particularly for those who want to travel to Tibet in April or May. But this does not mean that it is impossible to travel to Tibet in next April and May, yet based on our years of operation experience, Budget Tibet Tour suggests those who want to travel during this period of time better postpone your Tibet tour to June.”

Obviously, these are some of the challenges unique to the region.  Although we are appear to have everything in place for our expedition on the Nepal side of the mountain, I wonder if the situation in Tibet will have some repercussions for our trip as well, such as additional climbers or expeditions that may divert from Tibet to the Nepalese side of Mt. Everest this spring…

Everest is almost here!

Less than 25 days are left now before I’ll be leaving for Kathmandu, and go on the trip that has been on my mind for more than a decade. To get to this point has been quite a journey, and especially the last two years have been rather challenging, to say the least. Looking back by just a year, I still find it hard to believe that it seems as finally everything is now coming together…

I have been very lucky over the years to be able to go on numerous unique adventures and travel around the world. Although the mountains have been close to my heart for most of my life, Mt. Everest has always been a special one for me. This trip has been a long time coming, and so many things went into it over the years that it seems now that even the timing of it may have some deeper meaning…