Its not over until the Fat lady sings or could that be Irishmen

Well we successfully made it to both the high point of the trip-Kala Pattar and also the end at Everest Base Camp, Its been a pretty tough trek but i loved every minute of the challenge, Difficult to say what were the toughest days, The hike up to Namche Bazaar, Tengbouche and Kala Pattar were all lung stretchers but then getting to Gorek Shep and Base camp where you literally climb over boulders were a test, It took around 9 days including some acclimatization to get to EBC and now we had to get back to Lukla in 3, This indeed would be testing, The 3 Americans in the group decided not to try and paid for a helicopter from Gorek Shep, This left the fab 5, Problem was with the Americans out of the picture i all of a sudden became the oldest one of the group, We had to cover good distances everyday and the terrain was never just down, Positives were that the further you went the more oxygen could be felt, Time was of the essence and we trekked 8-9 hrs a day, The weather was good thank good and we all made it with probably the last day being the longest and hardest, Weather wise we were extremely fortunate, Only having to put on our waterproofs for the 1st hour of the 1st day and the last hr of the last day, It was good to be back in Lukla but as we entered our accommodation it was clear that all was not well as there were a lot of people who had been stuck or up to 3 days as the weather had closed in and lots of talk of paying around $500 each for helicopter flights, One of the problems of being in the mountains is the changeable weather, So long days with little time for photography but i did manage a few so here are some of the images from the last 3 days on the trail

Click on the images to make bigger


Ama Dablam from Dingbouche

 How to boil a kettle with power

 The view from my bedroom window in Dingbouche

 Sun rising over the mountains at Dingbouche

 Yaks and Mountains

 Heading down, Enjoying the view and the extra oxygen

 Panorama of Tingbouche monastery

 Swing bridge and prayer flags

 At first we though we had found the illusive Yeti, Then realized it was Ciaran

 Lukla at first light, Would the fog lift and would the planes be able to land

 The spoils of war, A lovely blueberry smoothy with ice cream in Kathmandu

My flights with stop overs were around 41hrs from Raleigh NC, But was worth every minute, Qatar airlines and Qatar airport are superb, The best airline bar none in my opinion, There would be too many highlights to name one, A personal challenge and bucket list ticked off, I will defiantly visit Nepal again, The people are great, Thamel area of Kathmandu is awesome, safe, relaxing and with lots of great coffee shops and bakery's as well as trekking and hiking shops, I could have spent a fortune there,
One thing i will say is that i chose the right tour company Ian Taylor trekking had truly wonderful guides that were very knowledgeable, Would go out of their way to make sure you were well fed and comfortable, All accommodation were clean and comfortable (more of in a later blog), We met with other groups in various places we stayed and after watching other guides etc i knew we had the very best, I met with groups that constantly argued amongst themselves, I met people who were dehydrated because of bad or lack of advise from their guides, Ian Taylor has all the advise that you need on his website and the guides back it up on a day to day basis making sure that you are hydrated, well fed and if you need assistance medically they know what to do even if its just dressing blisters or checking for sprained knees-Highly recommended in my book and good value for money

I will do future blogs on what i took and would take again and 'what it doesn't mention in the brochure"

Dave

Gorek Shep to Everest base camp

Getting to Everest base camp seems the finally but we will have 3 long days trekking to get back to Lukla, It has taken 9 days to get to base so the 3 days back seems daunting, The trek to Base camp from Gorek Shep is not the nicest trek i have done, Firstly there is the area with a real risk of avalanche then the steep drop down towards the ice flow that our tents will be set on, The trail then comes and goes as you have to climb over big rocks and boulders, As we got to base camp and i saw the rock stating we were actually there i felt tears fill my eyes, Its been a long journey for me, One that started as a dream 16 years before and with my fathers passing even more emotional,Once there we settled in, It was pretty cold and with a strong breeze, We took some photos of the scenery and some individual shots then i hung the prayer flags for my father at base camp, After a quick diner i hit the sack and was glad that my wife had bought me the North Face -20 sleeping bag, I wore long Johns and a top but was soon too warm and they come off, At 4am Ciaran called my name to go out and see the stars, Wow what a sight, I quickly set the camera on the tripod and started to shoot away, The problem was the wind had picked up and the temperature had plummeted, Around -10 but way colder with the wind chill, The camera and lens was soon covered in frost as was i, We stayed up the rest of the night talking and being amazed at the scenery in front of us, We had seen a fox skulking around the camp earlier and i hoped it would come back but it didn't, As the sun started to rise there was an avalanche right in front of us which was to be the first of 3 that morning, We went back to Gorek Shep jubilant and quickly warmed up, Tomorrow we start the long journey back to Lukla although some have opted to hire a helicopter, For me the physical challenge continues, I feel ready for it as i am in the best shape i have been in since school

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If ever in doubt

 On the trek you dont get much time to smell the roses so Ciaran smelt the poppies

 First sight of base camp, You can see a tent near the middle of the image

 When is a trail not a trail?, When its just rocks and boulders, the last part was pretty difficult

 An emotional time for me, 16 years in the planning and saying goodbye to my father

 The other reason was to raise funds for the CRI or Cancer Research Institute

 My fathers name with prayer written by the Geshe Lama, Tied and left hanging with the prayer flags he blessed,

 Hanging the prayer flags before the light dropped with Pasang

 Time for a quick group photo

 Diarmuid and Ciaran also hung prayer flags

 Finishing touches and we are done

 Base camp, prayer flags and Pumori

 Yaks are essential to get all your gear there

 Mist forming over the ice flow as the sun sets

 Nuptse through the mist with the moon above , When the stars align magic happens

 My tent with Pumori behind

 As the sun set the temperatures dropped and the wind increase

 The magic

 First light and frost on the tents

 Pumori drops an avalanche at first light, You can the explosion of snow and ice as it hit the bank and shot across the valley, The first of 3 separate avalanches that morning

 The sun is rising and soon there will be warmth

A night to remember for ever, The guides made sure everybody was warm and handed out hot water bottles to those who wanted them, Soup and noodles also helped with lots of Mango and Apple tea,

Dave

Day 9- Lobuche to Gorek Shep and Kala Pattar

A very cold night left a heavy frost and a low snowline, The walk was mainly easyish and the mountains came out to play, The end of the walk was quite challenging but more difficult because of walking across rocks, Gorek shep was bigger than i expected but its extremely busy meaning the service for food etc is slow but there is no rush, No heat in any room except the dining hall means you have to get everything ready and dive into your sleeping bag which i have to say i am extremely pleased with, We walked up to the summit of Kala Pattar which was the most challenging trek so far and took us up to 5545m, Kala Pattar for me is the reason for going on the trek, If the weather cooperates the views are absolutley incredible and you get the best views of Everest from there, Its not for everybody as its a very strenuous trek but boy the results are amazing and well worth the effort,At the top it can be incredibly windy as it was when i climbed there and what starts out as i steep trail disappears at the top as you have to make your way over rocks and boulders,We all congratulated each other and had tea and biscuits, The views and panorama was truly breathtaking and well worth the effort, Tomorrow we head for Everest base camp and spend a cold night there in a tent, Every day has got better and better and the end is now near

Click on images for a bigger better view

The mountains are getting nearer and bigger

 I dont normally shoot into the sun but the new Nikon lens handled the flare reasonably for a wide lens

 Next to the ice flow with Nuptse in the background

 Nuptse with prayer flags

 Gorek Shep, The original base camp

 On my way up Kala Pattar, You will notice how my clothing changes as i get higher

 Half way up and Everest (back left) is now clear behind Nuptse (Big Mountain foreground)

 Great success, At the top of Kala Pattar, My own personal goal

 Ciaran up at Kala Pattars summit, Not for the faint of heart, Huge drop off to both sides and back

 Diarmuid and Ciaran checking out the view for a new Irish bar

 5 of the 8 in our group made it to the summit of Kala Pattar along with our guides and the Ian Taylor Trekking banner

Multiple images stitched together to give the totalview-spectacular and worth all the effort

Helicopters at Gorek Shep are either delivering goods, Picking people up or doing rescues, either way they are extremely busy

 The crazy Irish Boys who made my trek something special

Onwards to Base Camp the final destination

Dave