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Around 1pm Coach informs us we have a ride to the airport. It will be at up at reception around 5. We lay around the pool for for the afternoon. Swimming, having lunch and packing bags were the only things on the agenda.

Around 515pm a white truck pulls up with some blue script on the left side of the vehicle. Unable to read the writting, I went to the right side, the drivers side, to find it said ‘police’. 5 men in blue fatigues jump out of the truck and start loading our bags into the bed. Coach White tells us we will be getting a police escort to the airport today.

There will be 4 trekkers from our group, and one British ladie, getting a ride. Unfortunately, they will need to put 2 people in the bed of the truck and only 3 of us in the cab. My father is one of those lucky bed-riders.

With 2 cops up front, 3 in the bed, 5 passengers and 8 bags, the truck was filled to the max. What a story this will be, I tell myself.

We left the Park Villa around 530 after filling up the tank with some diesle poored out of a bucket into a first funnel designed for large amounts of liquid, followed by a modified 1L pop bottle. Hmmm. Sketchy, to say the least.

As we travel down winding streets and back alleys, there are almost no motor vehicles on the roads except a few motorcycles. The pedestrian traffic seems to have dwindled as well.

About 10 minutes into our trip we go from a calm, low traffic, smooth ride to pretty much mayhem.

We hang a left onto one of Kathmandus major roads and it’s swamped with people. Hundreds turn to thousands all waving red flags of the old CCCP (I forget the actual name of the flag), it’s nuts. As we approach a large intersection the truck grinds to a halt. The 6 lane roadway (there are no lanes in Nepal, that I’ve seen. No right, or wrong side of the street to drive on, and very few curbs. No lights, and no signs, just a whole bunch of horns honking. Words can not express regular everyday driving. It’s kind of like a rally race in the middle of a packed mall, and I’m not making this up) is filled with people from side to side, and 100+ yards deep. Beep beep beep, the driver starts to raise awareness to the fact a truck will be slowly making it’s way through the crowed.

I feel like a fish in a spawning stream. Clausterphobia is not an option. Get moving to be consumed by the masses. The look in peoples eyes scares me. You can cut the tension with a knife. Each set of eyes has the same questioning squint to them, who are these guys and why are they in that police vehicle? The crowed parts, slowly. I can see it, the light at the end, we’re no more then 30 feet away from the end of the crowed and my body goes flush and starts to sweat. 3 middle aged men with bandanas covering their face, hands concealed behind one another, stare directly into my eyes and start walking towards the truck. My heart stops and there is an apple in my throat, my mind goes blank and the muscles in my face go limp. I’m helpless, at the mercy of the mob.

We exit without incident, thankfully. My palms are sweaty, all the passengers are silent. There is nothing to do but watch. It’s like a movie, a drama at the height of the climax.

We pass the shell of a bus on the side of that road that has been consumed by fire. Set a blaze, poor electrical wiring, mechanical issues, we’ll never know. It feels like I’m in a war-torn country yet it’s the 2nd day of civil disobedience and there has been very little volence.

We pass through 2 more protesting groups before we reach our destination, the Kathmandu International Airport. A clean cut brick face, the building looks fairly updated compared to most in the general area. The inside is a different story. With a public bathroom likely not cleaned in weeks, it reminds me of a greyhound bus stop in Squamish from the mid-80s. Seats for 50, yet 300 people are waiting for their flights, an xray machine that looks like it’s from the 70s, and check-in counters with sleeping attendants behind them, this is not how I wish to remember this beautiful country. The shops have no price tags on anything, as the price fluctuates depending on the size of your wallet or the size of font ‘sucker’ is written in your forehead in. Our group of 4 sits patiently waiting for the Dragon Air booth to open up. Once checked-in, we proceed upstairs to try and find some food.

Sitting in the waiting area before going through the final groping station, I mean security checkpoint (I’ve never been so thoroughly ‘patted’ down in my life), we sit watching a little soccer on tv. The place is dim and grungy. I’ll call this the 50% floor. 50% of the lights are working, 50% of the shops are open, 50% of the employees are actually working. On second thought, it should actually the the 30% floor. Heh.

An attendant informs us our flight will be ready soon and we should proceed through security to the boarding area. The boarding area is like a concentration camp. 300 people in a room made for 200. The rank smell of urine fills the entire place, it’s worse than some of the bathrooms in the Kumbu which I didn’t think was possible in areas with running water.

We pass through the gate and onto the tarmac, finally. The 4 of us have one last laugh at our Nepal adventure, and walk up the stairs to the plane and back into some form of civilization.

17 days after arrival we leave the country of Nepal, what a place. Chapter 2 of my adventure, The Climb, is now complete. I am currently on a flight from HongKong to Bangkok, yet another city/country with some political issues. Out of the frying pan, and into the fire.

And I thought my articles would be less entertaining after the trek to Everest Base Camp, guess I was wrong.

The adventure continues…

We sit and we wait. Waitting to find out what today will hold for us.

The country of Nepal is in a state of unrest. All of the countries roads are closed, we can get ourselves to the airport in Kathmandu, but when we arrive at the airport near the Chitwan we will have no way to get there.

Coach White holds a meeting at 915am to discuss the plans. ‘We’re staying here for the day’ he says. Tension grows. Will this civil strike be over by tomorrow? If it is, can we still get to the Chitwan? If we do get there, can we get back to Kathmandu in time to catch our flights for the rest of our trip?

Coach tells us he has been trapped in Nepal for 12 days once before, due to a work strike. He suggests getting out of Nepal as soon as possible, it would be easier to spend layover time in any other country than this one, at this time.

We call our travel agent, within an hour she has our flights changed to tonight. We leave Nepal at 11pm. Woohoo! Now… How to get to the airport. Heh.

Since the roads are closed we can’t catch a cab, rent a van, or get on a bus. The guest houses shuttle must sit on their property, unable to travel on the roads. It would be the same as crossing a picket line.

Our plans are currently ‘in the works’. We’re trying to hire porters, individuals who will carry our bags to the airport for us (can’t get this service in Canada), and walk the 7km to the airport by foot ourselves.

As I’ve said before… this isn’t a vacation, it’s an adventure. I’ll update you as soon as I knoww what’s going on, and get some Internet access.

Day 13, the trek is over. As much fun as it was, I’m glad to be out of the mountains.

The walk from Ghat to Lukla started at 5am. The weather is sketchy, so we have to get there early to make sure we have tickets for todays flights. No online booking or check-in here. First come first serve.

We arrive in Lukla a little after 7am in a thick, dense fog which a horn could barely pearce, let alone a pilots vision.

After board the 2nd plane of the 2nd wave of flights to Kathmandu, we begin the travels to the Kathmandu Guest House Park Villa suites. What a nice place.

Wifi, a pool, ice we can allow in our drinks, it’s a pleasent change of scenery. The ride to this venue, not so much.

Today, Saturday, is a day of civil protest for Nepal as a country. Hundreds of thousands of people have descended into the city of Kathmandu to protest against the current government. The plan was to avoid all such events during the drive from the airport to the guest houses. Haha, nice try.

It’s taken over every major artery of the cities vehicular routes. We are stuck, smack dab, in the middle of a civil protest in the capital of a third world country. Oh goodie. Thankfuly the protester are peaceful, at this time, and more than willing to allow a bus full of Canadians to pass directly through the centre of them without issue.

The streets are packed with individuals holding red flags of the CCCP. Ambulances, sirens blaring, can not even get through the thick crowed. It’s a very unique experience.

We arrive at the guest house. A Malibou directly in the middle of a Compton. An oasis in a desert of dust and bricks.

Lifestyles of the rich and famous. I love it. Thanks Coach, you really know what hits the spot after a 14day trek in the Kumbu.

Tomorrow we fly to the Chitwan (another wikipedia for you!), probably not much internet there. Check back in a few days.

Write soon…

Day 11. Wow. Talk about sore and tired. We trekked for 11 hours yesterday, in some of the most gruling conditions.

I write this blog not to scare and not to worry people, but more to raise awareness of the risks of high altitude trekking.

On Day 10 when we returned to Periche, everything was going well for the entire group, except one. Our fellow trekker was weak, couldn’t eat, and was in a considerable amount of discomfort.

Coach White has a device which measures both our pulse, and the oxygen saturation of our bolood. Our sick partner had an extremely low O2 Sat. Coach put him on oxygen at a 1 liter flow for the night while he slept. Sometime during the night the bottle ran dry and the symptoms of AMS (acute mountain sickness) started to appear. By morning he was pale, frail, and looked sick. We needed to get him out of the mountains and to a lower altitude, in a hurry.

Another of our trekking partners had fallen victim to minor AMS symptoms and had to descend back down the hill after we first reached Loboche.

I choose not to blog about that at the time because the last thing I wanted was his family and friends to find out through the Internet, before he has contacted them. All parties suffering any illness will remain anonymous as I do not feel it is appropriate to spread that information over the Internet.

Our first I’ll trekker was orignally taken from Loboche to Periche. He then descended further to Pangboche and started feeling mildly better. Days later, he was still not in 100% shape.

The morning of Day 11, Coach had to make a very difficult decision. To call for an evacuation helicopter at Periche, or to have our most recently ill partner struggle down the mountains to Pangboche to find out if we also needed to evacuate the first trekker to suffer the effects of altitude sickness.

The hike from Periche to Pangboche was scary. AMS makes you think, act, and talk like you’re in another world, for lack of a better term, like you’re drunk.

Walking, drunk, down a path 3 feet wide with a 300ft drop on one side may not bother the person doing it too much because of his condition, but it sure scared the shit out of me. I followed him so closely that if he were to stumble in any direction, I would be able to catch him. The 2 hour walk took more like 3-4 hours.

We arrive in Pangboche to find that both trekkers needed to be evacuated. The call was made, 1hour we’re told. Go outside to the heli pad in 50minutes were the instructions. (the heli pad is a patch of grass about 15yards squares with an H made of rocks in the middle). Not what you would expect in North America, but we’re not in NA now, are we?

We’re outside 15minutes before the expected arrival. It takes the helicopter 2 and a half hours to get there, instead of the original 1 which we were told. Weather, and fueling were the cause of delays. Flying a helicopter at high altitude is no easy task. The thin atmosphere effects the lift and stability of the high powered, jet fueled machine. This is Nepal, not North America. If it wasn’t for the connections Coach had, it might have taken a full day, or more, for the helicopter to have arrived and the condition of our I’ll partners may have deteriorated even further.

Finally we can hear it. It’s like a real life episode of Mash. The sick trekker who I had followed in the morning calls me over to thank me for being there for him in case anything had happened. We joked a bit, I said ‘think of it this way, you got a trek to Everest, and helicopter ride… That’s a 2 for 1’. He laughed, but barely. Not from a lack of humour, but for a lack of energy.

The heli does a loop, it has to land going into the wind. My camera was on video and I have the entire thing on tape, it was pretty cool. He touches down, opens the door, and motions to start loading. The bags are brought over, passengers loaded, the heli lifts off again. Touchdown was a little less than 3 minutes.

As the heli lifts off, he struggles with the lift and trim. Within a minute the heli is sitting properly, perfectly hovering about 10feet above the ground. As quickly as it arrives, it was gone. Within an hour it would be touching down in Kathmandu.

Coach is relieved beyond expression. The only thing he can say, or do, is give me a high-five. A huge weight has been lifted off his mind, as well as everyone else.

Never a dull day in the Kumbu.

If the last few posts don’t make sense, are scattered, or anything is messed up with them… That’s what altitude does to you.

The feeling is indescribable. You become in a trance, a zone with no escape.

I did my best to proof read them before posting, but I’m still not back to my usual self.

I have a few more things to write, and I will get to them eventually, but my mind, body, and soul need to relax.

Stay tuned…

Day 10… Oh my god, what am I doing here. Here is Gorak Shep(16,961ft).

530am we get up, eat a granola bar, and hit the trail. The sun is barely out, let alone over the mountain tops. It’s freezing cold, and when I say freezing… Tooque, gloves, gortex jacket, fleece, long sleeve, short sleeve, an under armour shirt, underwear, longjohns, a pair of wind proof pants, 2 pairs of socks and hiking boots barely keep me from shivering.

We cross a flat sand dune, about 300meters long, and begin our 1400ft accent up Kala Patthar

We reach the first bench (flat part of land), everyone takes a water break. We’ve already passed 2 trekkers suffering from altitude sickness, one looked in terrible shape. The group begins to move again.

Everest is socked in with clouds, are we doing this for nothing? The point of this climb is to get the best possible view of the mountain you can achieve on land.

My father is struggling, I’m afraid he is only continuing for my sake. I check in with him every 5minutes. I am in no better condition.

Step, inhale, exhale, step, repeat. My feet move inches each step, it may sound ridiculous but it’s absolutely true. I can’t catch my breath, no matter what. My legs are burning, there is barely enough oxygen to keep my heart pumping let alone my legs.

We reach another plateau, this must be it I think, not a chance. As we crest the hill I see 2 more just the same. Coach says we are half way there. I ask for a time check, 723am.

As we break for water my father sits below us about 30 feet. Hood up, gloves on, trying to catch his breath. The group looks at me, asking with their eyes if he can continue. I pull my bottle from my pack and head back down.

‘dad, are you ok?’, ‘i don’t know son’. I tell him we don’t have to do this to ourselves. He tells me that even if he can’t make it, he wants me to go. I don’t answer his statement, we came to do this together and I have no plans to leave him behind.

We continue upwards. As we reach the bottom of the final hill, coach tells us ‘we’re about an hour away’. The look on my dads face said it all. Holy shit, what have I gotten myself into. It feels like I’m climbing a mountain with sock in my mouth, and a 50lbs weight in my pack. My nose is dripping, and my hands are too cold to do anything about it.

It’s 745ish, and the clouds are clearing around Mt Everest. Sweet! You can see the tip of the monster peeking through the heavy fog that surrounds the entire valley.

Finally, we reach the final bench if Kala Patthar. We are well above Basecamp. What a great feeling. Unless you’ve been here, or know someone who has, chances are you’ll have no clue about the mountain I am speaking about. You can probably wikipedia it, and I suggest you do.

8 of us decide to summit, which is another 100 yards, with no trail, only rocks the size of small cars. That last 100yards was incredible. Felt like I was in a deep freeze, with someone sitting on my chest. Less then thrilling.

I summited, and have the pictures to prove it! What an awesome feeling, and an awesome view.

Much like Basecamp, getting there was only half the battle. The legs are rubber, the back hurts, I can’t breath properly, and now I’m walking down a steep rocky hill, hmmmmm.

From the top of Kala Patthar we would decend nearly 4000 feet in 8 hours. The terrain and altitude made this an extreme venture. Although the air was getting thicker, our bodies were fatigued from the mornings events.

I would love to tell you more about the trek back to Periche, but I am too tired and it is too painful of a memory to relive at this time.

We made it down, all in one piece, and that’s all that matters. I am so proud of both myself and my father. If getting here was easy, everyone would do it.

The rest of the blogs may seem a little dull compaired to the last few, but I’m sure I’ll find amusing things to write about creatively.

Day 9 begins as the rest. Early breakfast, on the trail as soon as the sun breaks into the valley.

Leaving Laboche at around 630am, we arrive in Gorak Shep(16,961ft) around 11am. Stopping for a quick tea and a light lunch, only 8 of us make the trek to basecamp.

Although there is only a 200meter elevation difference between the lodge and EBC(Everest Base Camp), the trek was by far the most difficult to date. Not only was it physically tiring, it was the most mentally crushing event of my entire life. I had to push myself to continue harder then I’ve ever had to push myself before. ‘why am I doing this’, ‘can I even make it back to camp’.

The air is so thin, the terrain so rocky and untravelled, even the smallest of rocks seem like an insurmountable hurdle. I stop to catch my breath. I’m trying to take the deepest ones I can but they are not helping, infact, they are working against me. As I inhale to 100%, my body gives me the feeling I’m suffocating. Short and choppy is the only way I can do it, but that uses more energy. It’s a catch22, it’s quicksand at 17,000ft above sea level.

Finally, there it is. 50-70 sprawlling yellow, orange, blue and red tents. We are here. One more hill to go. As we reach the crest of the last hill it’s amazing. There are about 60 of us at the lookout point which looks down on the tents located ontop of the ice field.

I’m exhausted beyond belief. If I could of stayed there, I would have. If I could have rented a horse, a yak, a Sherpa, anything or anyone to carry me home I would have. Dad is is no better shape then I. We are both struggling for every breath, our bodies ache, it’s freezing cold and we have a 2+ hour journey home. We muster enough courage for a few group pictures, and the ones him and I made the trek for. We pick ourselves up, and head back to the lodge.

By now you know the torment we went through to get there, imagine the hike back. Legs and backs burning, muscles fatigued with not enough oxygen to replenish them, survival mode to say the least. It was twice as difficult to get home as it was to get there, and that’s being generous. No phones, no cabs, no friends to call for a ride. Alone, on another planet. Mountains surround us on all sides, glaciers at the bottom, no vegitation what so ever. Rocks, rocks, more rocks. No path, no shelter, 3 sips of water left. WTF am I doing here. All this for 3 stupid pictures. I’m sure it will all be worth it some day, right now that’s hard to see.

We came home and went straight to bed. A 2 hour nap before being woken up for dinner. Downstairs for 20minutes to get some food in us, then right back to bed.

Tomorrow, Day 10, brings Kala Patthar. Coach White promises this is the view we’ve come all this way for. God I hope he’s right, I can’t take another day like today, ever!

Day 8 started at 530am with coffee. Breakfast at 6, leave at 7. Our coldest morning yet. We were on the shady side of a windy valley. The water pipes running to the lodge were frozen, toilets unflushable, frost on the ground.

We parted ways with Austin, aka Captain Canada. He is on his way to summit Island Peak. We all wish him the best.

It was a steady climb. No major hills, a few stream to skip over early in today’s journey.

We stopped in Dughla(15,090ft) for a quick tea and rest. We stayed no more than 30minutes.

As we were leaving we noticed a Yak who was tied up in a bag he was packing. The bags they usually pack are about the size of a hockey bag and are stacked 2 on each side, with 2 or 3 on the top row. This Yak had 2 on the sides, and 2 on the top. One of the top row bags had end handles on it, and the Yak had managed to get his left horn stuck inside of it. He seemed to be in distress, with his head being pulled in an awkward angle to the left.

Without a thought for his own safety, our very own Super Sherpa Extraordinaire, Kami, ran towards the Yak and attempted to save it from it’s current situation.

Approaching ‘slowly slowly’ (his words), and using a calm mellow tone in his voice, Kami was able to grab a hold of the Yaks right horn and try to get it’s left horn unhooked. The Yak shook him off like a flea.

Kami dropped his backpack and went right back at it. While wrangling this 1000lbs animal, Kami was able to hold on long enough this time to pull the handle off of the horn and free it once and for all. The crowed cheered with delight.

It wasn’t until I showed him the video I captured on my camera that he realized the true gravity of what he had accomplished.

If you have been reading my blog from the start you will have seen Kami in a orange foamy cowboy hat and I made a joke about him being a Sherpa Cowboy. Well ladies and gentlemen, he truly is a real life Sherpa Cowboy and I have the video to prove it!

We stopped by a hilltop memorial area for all the fallen mountaineers of years passed. With a great background we posed for group shots taken by a fellow Canadian trekker who was passing by.

We ended up in Lobouche(16,207ft) in a small lodge that drops to a freezing cold as soon as the sun hides behind the surrounding mountains.

We played a little Texas Hold’Em until 8pm-ish, then we all retired for bed.

Tomorrow, Day 9, we strike for basecamp. Our bags will be packed before we eat breakfast at 6am, and we will be out the door shortly after.

I am wearing my excitement on my sleeve. I’m hyper (what else is new), giddy, anxious, and nervous.

More to come…

We left Pangbouche(12,890ft) for a day of steady climbs. The groups morale was good, everyone is in good spirits and we’ve had no illnesses.

By the time we reached Shomare(13,350ft) we have been staring at Mt Everest(29,028ft), Lhotse(27,890ft), and Peak38 (24,900ft) for half an hour. It looks close enough I can almost touch it. The jet stream peels a cloud of moisture off of Everest like steam from a locomotive, we can see it in great detail. As we walk for the next 3 hours, the view barely changes. We are walking past Ama Dablam(22,401ft), now looking at a different side of it than we have seen before. Our group stops multiple times for pictures with some of the best backdrops the Himalayas have to offer. Snow topped peaks as high as, and higher then, the clouds themselves.

We arrive in Pheriche(14,070ft) on schedule, but out of breath. The air is thin here. The group is starting to fatigue from the smallest of chores. Walking upstairs feels like you’ve run a 100yard sprint, even walking down the hall is something will avoid if possible.

We are now above the tree line. There is very little vegitation, very few flowers, and besides birds there are no wild animals. There are no trees to cut down for fuel, no camp fires here.

Heat is provided by the burning of Yak dung. As unpleasent as that sounds, it smells even worse. The lack of electrical, construction, gas, and ventillation code is a constant conversation within our group. Our food is provided by kerosene burners, the kitchen is a small room in the back with no electrical fan and a window smaller then most of us have in our water closet. Slippers, sweatshirts, jackets, and tooques are the norm before, during, and after dinner.

As I watch the % of battery remaining on my iPhone dwindle I think of everything I take for granted at home. Leaving lights on when they are not needed, charging all of my electrical devices (there are plenty of them) any time I wish, cooking with a stove, oven, or microwave. Notice how everytime you turn the tap on the left clockwise it magically pumps out an endless supply of hot water? Not here. Fill the pot with water around 3degrees, if not colder. Fire up the kerosene burner (kerosene is a liquid fuel which has been carried up to this town by either by Yak, or porter and is not in constant supply) and bring the water to a boil. Keep it boiling for 2minutes to kill all the germs, as the water was essentially pulled from a creek or river. Poor the boiling water into a 8L thermos and keep it warm until you need to heat more. Repeat the process.

The upstairs of our lodge is filled with smoke when I retire to bed. Hmmm. Open a window and let the -0degree wind whistle through the lodge, or deal with it. We open the front door and a few windows to air it out. Feels like I’m outside, thank god for a -15 sleeping bag. Head lamp on I read a few chapter of ‘Into Thin Air’, how fitting to read a book of a disaster on Everest when I am on my way there, and passed the turning point at that.

I’m gasping for air. Feels like I’m drowning, yet there is no water in sight. I try calm myself, I take deep breathes, in through the mouth out through the nose. This is going to be a long night.

I look around the room, it’s 9×9, 2 windows and 2 beds. The walls are paper thin. I’m having a conversation with the trek leader in the next room, normal voices, right through the wall.

I finally get to sleep. The place is pitch black. No clock, no nightlight, no nothing. I wake up in a panic. Once again gasping for air. I’m sweating and freezing at the same time. ‘you’re not suffocating, you’re at altitude’ I try to tell myself in a calming internal voice. It’s a good 5 minutes before I get back to sleep, and only another hour or two before it happens again.

It will not get easier. For the next 3 days I will be at a higher elevation than this one. And just think, I’m paying for this!

Today is day 7 of our trek and as the category of these articles says, this is the trip of a life time. I will never forget the experiences I’ve already had, and coach tells me the best is yet to come.

Day 8, we leave for Gorak Shep(16,961ft) at 6am. We will pass through Dughla(15,090ft), and probably stop for tea at Lobouche(16,207ft). We will climb nearly 3000 verticle feet in a few hours. God I hope this Diamox works.

We should arrive in Gorak Shep around noon or shortly after. How the weather is behaving will dictate our plans for the afternoon. If it is clear, we will head up to Kala Patthar(18,192ft). The view of Everest in the afternoon is spectacular, another trekker has told us. If it’s not crystal clear, we will head to Everest Base Camp(17,400ft). If we are unable to get to Kala Patthar on the afternoon of Day 8, those of us with the strength to do so will attempt on the morning of Day 9 before heading back to lower elevations.

Well…. hard to believe, i know. But at 14,000ft and above there is very little internet. I won’t be able to upload the posts i’ve written from my phone. I will keep writting them, so when we get back to Namche in 6-8days I will upload them all. There is some seriously good ones. We’re currently in Pherache, 14,035ft above sea level. Solar/Wind powered, at nighttime everything operates on batteries, no hot water unless you pay for it. yay!!!

Today is a rest day, thank god. Tomorrow we begin our attack on basecamp. We will spend a day moving up the valley and into a better position. the day following (i have no sense of what day it is) we will move up the mountain. in the evening we will make a attempt to basecamp if the weather is clear. if that is successful we will do Kala Pattar (1,200ft higher then basecamp) the following morning. Kala Pattar is my main goal at this point. It has a better view of Mt Everest, and I will be able to take a picture from above of basecamp.

I will write the good, indepth blogs from my phone and update them when we get back to wifi.

Everyone is well. Stay tunes…