Dispatch #8 - Baruntse BC (10th May)

After making a daring climb at Amphu Lhabtsa pass and down to Imja valley the night before we were well-rested in Chukung. Today is Phil’s birthday. What an adventure so far and Phil’s birthday in the famous Khumbu/Imja valley. That night we stopped by at Pangom and celebrated with rum/beer and Sukuti (Nepalese dry meat).

Happy Birthday Phil.

Dispatch #7 - Baruntse BC (7th May)

Our Sherpa team made a push towards camp 1. Just when we were below the west col. we got news from the other team that their team had been exposed and been in touch with a covid positive patient who was with them throughout the trials. (The sick climber was evacuated from a camp below Mera high camp). Their Sherpa team was feeling leggy and weaker. Our lead guide was socializing with them in base camp, taking this into consideration we discussed the situation with Phil and would come up with the decision. Our worry was if all the guide members were to get sick at 6100M or above then that would have been an even more worrying concern. After sitting on the decision for 4-6 hours we decided that it was best to call off the expedition and take the risk where helicopter evacuation incase of anyone being sick.

We were upset as we were so close or 3 days away from our summit but given the pandemic situation worldwide we did make the right call for the safety of the entire team. The mountain will be there for us.

Dispatch #6 - Baruntse BC (6th May) 

It’s puja day here in Baruntse Base camp. We got blessed by the Lama and are fully gearing up for our Baruntse climb. After waiting at an altitude of 5460M BC for 3 days almost doing nothing but eating and resting we cant wait to go ahead with our push. Spirits are high and we have done our final packing.

Dispatch #5 - Baruntse BC (3rd May) 

It has been continuously snowing since we started our expedition and today is no different. There are 2 other teams in base camp. We got weather information from our team in Kathmandu that there is 3-4 days of clear climbing window after 3 days. So, now we wait. We decided we will have a puja ceremony 1 day before our push to camp 1. On 7th May we move to camp 1 and then to camp 2 and summit all in one big push.

Our base camp cook is top-notch. He has been preparing great meals every day for us.

Dispatch #4 - Mera Summit and high camp (April 30th)

All the teams decided on an early start (3 am). The weather forecast indicated that it was going to snow after 2 pm like the following week so we had to get back to high camp before the conditions got worse. We summited Mera around 8 am that morning. A lot of the group descended back because visibility being very poor. But we decided to push on ahead with 1 team ahead of us. Finally, 30 min away from the summit we could see the clouds settling below us and the summit was clearly visible to us.

From the Summit, we could see Mt. Everest, Makalu, and the peaks lower to these giants were almost covered by clouds. We enjoyed the summit for about 30 min then descended back to high camp with incoming bad weather.

It started getting foggy and snowing as we were descending to high camp. Arrived high camp around 11:30. We decided to stay one more day at high camp with the weather getting. It will be another 3 days until we reach Baruntse BC. Good day and tomorrow we move towards BC.

Dispatch #3 - Mera High camp (April 29th) 

The team arrived well in high camp after acclimatising well in Khare. It was not a particularly clear day to make the climb up to high camp. Conditions were cold, windy, and foggy. It has been continuously snowing for the past 7 days in the mountains and the snow is up to knee-high deep on the trails. The Sherpa teams have been breaking the trails paving the way forward for all the climbers.

Our team arrived well in high camp and everyone is now resting in their tent. Meals have been served and everyone is getting ready for tomorrow’s big push to Mera Summit.

Dispatch #2 - Lukla (April 20th) 

We arrived safely in Lukla. It looks empty and like a ghost town. This is the first time we are seeing Lukla so empty and almost everything is shut. We are the only ones in our hotel where we stopped by for our breakfast. From here we start our trek to first Mera Peak. It will take us around 10 days to reach Mera high camp (5800M).

Dispatch #1 - Kathmandu (April 19th)

With all the covid restriction and cancellations from our members, Phil our only member for 2021 Spring arrived in Kathmandu. Phil is resting well in the hotel. With the pandemic ongoing, Nepal has seen mostly expedition climbers this year which is very few compared to thousand of trekkers that visit the country. At least it’s a start with more than a year of travel closure all around the world. Let’s hope this is a sign for things to get back to some sort of normality.

Our Lead Sherpa Naar for our expedition and Phil met for a cultural welcome dinner and introduction before we set off for our month-long trip. Tomorrow Phil has a day to himself, we will do a final gear check and get ready for our flight to Lukla the day after.