Travelling Runes

The full picture set

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Originally uploaded by Travelling Runes.

For the complete set of pictures from my Nepal trip, click on the pictue below and have fun.

 

Island Peak Summit

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Originally uploaded by Travelling Runes.

Standing on the Summit with Lhotse (Everest's younger and small twin and the 4th highest mountain in the workd) behind me.

Last Push for the Summit

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Originally uploaded by Travelling Runes.

Recovering from the ice climb - before the last push up to the summit

Cramponing

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Originally uploaded by Travelling Runes.

Cramponing up the "flat snow" that is the Ice Cliff ahead

Island Peak

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Originally uploaded by Travelling Runes.

As promised, the truth about the summit attempt (or summit success it should be) - only a week or so late since I have been back in civilisation for a week but it has taken me that long to come down (as it were).

Island Peak - as seen on the right here rising from the valley. It is just under 6200 meters altitude (that is 20,100 feet) and rises 1300 meters from the valley floor (that is the same height as Ben Nevis from sea level for the brits) - although of course that valley floor is about 5000 meters (17,000 above sea level). It is described by the Himalayan Mountain Guides association as a trecking peak - since it is "easy" - and by the climbing sherpas as "a small hill" - both of which say more about sherpas than about the mountain. (BTW after a successfull climb we were told the true translation of the sherpa phrase "a small hill" -  which is "if we told you how hard it is you would give before you started" :)

Island Peak is actually higher than any mountain in Europe ... any mountain in North America... any mountain in Africa ...  almost any mountain in Asia outside of the Himalaya. There are some mountains higher in places like Tajikistan and South America - but not many! It is big and has technical stuff on top.

We started from base camp (5000 meters) at 02:00. It takes 12 - 15 hours to go up and down and you want to be at the top in the morning to get the views - and avoid the avalanches! This also means - as we discoverd later - that you cannot see just how steep and technical the climb up is until you come down :) The climbing sherpas have this all worked out :)

You start climbing up the scree slope. it is dark and cold and the air is thin so you labour your way up for a couple of hours and the phrase ' there is a bit of rock climbing here" just seems to slip by you ... after another couple of hours you sort of realise that you have been scrambling up near vertical rock faces for rather a long time now! As one person said - "I shone the light to each side and there did not seem to be anything there - and then I decided not to think about it!" - that would be because we had been climbing up a steep shoulder of rock with sheer drops on each side!

With impecable timing just as rosy fingered dawn stuck her glorious head above the horiizon we reached the snow line and the "crampon point".

The day before we had training in the use of crampons, ice axe and "fixed ropes" - with the assurance that the training was much harder than the real thing - which was "all flat"! I am sure that by now you are starting to understand the ways of the climbing sherpa ("grasshoper!") and wil not be surprised when - after changing into waterproofs, climbing boots, crampons and roping up - we headed off UP a 60 degree slope! Flat! Harumph!. we then dropped down into a valley and around a very large crevase before finally heading up another 60 degree talus field to the base of a cliff. By this time we were hot, hungry and tired.

Now we come to the "little bit of fixed ropes to get to the summit" - which is where the 150 meters of vertical ice cliff above our heads comes in. Luckily - we had a bit of rest while the climbing sherpas (who do not seem to get tired) fixed up the ropes but Lhakpa was worried about avalanches and so gets us moving as soon as possible - up the fixed ropes. Climbing up an ice face at 6000 meters is the hardest thing I have ever done. The body just wants to go away and give up! Every movement seems to take breathfulls of air. The only thing that got me up the cliff was the bloodyminded determination that I was not going to be the first of the group to give up (and talking later - they mostly thought the same thing).

And then - finally - the summit. A feeling of pure achievement and I would have jumped up and down for joy if we were not roped together on a small (2 meter square ) area of the summit with 1000 foot drops on all sides. The air was like crystal and the views were amazing - as were the smiles on everyone's faces.

The climb down was just hard work in the hot sun  - across the snow and then down the cliffs and scree slopes (try 500 meters of scree slope when you have been climbing for 12 hours in 50% air pressure and you get what tired is :)

But the achievement of the climb was definately worth it!

There may be a few photos to follow :)

Everest again

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Originally uploaded by Travelling Runes.

Yep - you guessed it - another view of Everest (with the south summit in front and Nuptse on the right) - from Kala Pattar

Everest from Kala Pattar

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Originally uploaded by Travelling Runes.

Standing on the top of Kala Pattarwith Everest behind

Two Down - One to Go

Back in Dingboche after completing the treck up to Everest Base Camp and then further up to Kala Pattar - which is about 5600 meters and across the valley from Everest Camp II at the same altitude. I got some stunning views of Everest and the surrounding mountains which - luckily for you - I cannot send because the technology has temporarily failed me.

After a cold night at Gorek Shep - we woke early and cracked the ice on the sleeping bags and headed for the summit of Kala Pattar (a favorite tourist peak and about 1.5 hours walking. WE got back to Gorek Shep for b'fast and then headed doen the hill to Dingboche - about 5 hours walking across the glacier and then down the valley in cold winds and cloud (much like walking in Yorkshire really!)

Arriving back in Dingboche - you realise the power of aclimatisation. The last time I was here I could hardly breath. Now I feel like superman powering past all the newbes on the hills and reveling in the amount of oxygen there is here!

Not for long - however. Tomorrow we head for Island Peak Base Camp at about 5100 meters and then - when the weather is correct - we will try for the summit of Isalnd Peak at 6300 meters and involving technical climbing and ropes.

This afternoon we had our training in prussics and knots. When we get to the base camp we will be trained in the use of the ice axe, crampons and self rescue :)

I will be out of contact for about a week - update you when all of this is done.

:)

Everest base camp

Made it to Everest Base Camp this afternoon - a long hard day of 8 hours walking at 5000 meters (or 15000 feet)

We trecked up from Dingboche to Labuche yesterday - about 7 hours walking though pleasant alpine meadow and then up the Khumbu g;acier - that looks like nothing so much as a giant quarry and building site :) Today we trecked from Labuche to EBC and then back to Gorek Shep - where I am at the moment in the worlds highest internet cafe.

Very hard walking to day on glacial morain and across glaciers.

 
Tomorrow - we head up to Kala Patta at 5800 meters for view of Everest and tgen back to Dingboche

Dingbuche

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I ma currently sitting in the second highest internet cafe in the world at Dingbuchee - just beneath Ama Dhabla and Lhotse.

This is 4300 metres (about 13500 feet) and today we trecked upto 4700 (14500) for aclimatisation and to see the views. We sae the first view of Island peak just below Lhotse - which is hopefully my final destination on the treck.

The walk up here from namche has been magnificent - although for two days after Namche we were clouded in. I did not realise that the Dudh Khosi valley - covered in Rhodendron, Magnolia, Pine and Moss forest - was such a beaustifull walk on its own right.

 

After Nmche - we trecked fro about 6 hours and 500 metres up to Tengbuche - which is the main monastery for the Khumbu valley. We arrived in cold wind and cloud (and I mean in the cloud) to find our lodge ws just completed last week (and I use completed in the most liberal sense). However - it was all good and there was some chanting at the monastery to attend to. I bought some prayer flags for the summit - so hopefully the budha will be egging me on :)

After Teng Buche - we trecked through the moss forest to Pengbuche - home of what is supposed to be the worlds highest school and then across the glacial morain to Duigbuchee. Here - we are finally out of the forest and into the high mountains and the views have been kind - in the mornings at least.

Tomorrow - we treck for two days days to get to Everest Base Camp and Kala Patta - where the truely great views of Everest are. Then we come back here and prepare for our week long assault on the Island Peak Summit.