Everest North Face Climb

Jeff Zhuk, June 2013

Transcript

2. Paul and Jeff. Denver, US Roger, Annie, and Stephen., London, UK Belinda, Murray, and AJ. , Sydney, Australia
3. Paul and Jeff. Denver, US Unique Adventure Trekking, Nepal http://www.uniquetreks.com/ Khum Subedi, khumsubedi@gmail.com Makalu Adventure, Nepal http://www.nepalmakalu.com Mohammed Roger, Annie, and Stephen. UK Belinda, Murray, and AJ. Australia Tibet Kyunglung Travel Service, China/Tibet http://www.en.tibetkyunglungtravel.com kailashtour@sohu.com Paldin, a Tibet Guide from Lhasa to Rongbuk; After, he helped as an assistant to the climbing Sherpa guide Tenging, a climbing Sherpa guide from Rongbuk to Everest ABC Both Nepali companies coordinated their actions and collaborated with the Tibetan company to make sure that all planning was in place
4. Nepal, Kathmandu
5. Nepal, Kathmandu
6. Elephant Safari in Nepal, Chitwan National Park
7. We wasted no time while waiting for our Chinese Visas
8. Safari in Nepal Chitwan National Park
9. Safari in Nepal Chitwan National Park
10. Safari in Nepal Chitwan National Park
11. Safari in Nepal Chitwan National Park
12. Safari in Nepal Chitwan National Park
13. We arrived in Lhasa on 5/27. We had a strong team. Almost everyone had climbed Kilimanjaro or had similar experiences. Tibet and Tibetans Liberation Plaza &Liberation Monument, across the Dalai Lama’s Winter Palace Lhasa. 3,650m The Dalai Lama’s Winter Palace
14. We spent two days in Lhasa visiting the Dalai Lama’s Winter Palace and several monasteries. Here’s our British team at the Liberation/dancing plaza across the Winter Palace.
15. Night Dancing at Liberation Plaza
16. The Dalai Lama’s Winter Palace
17. Lhasa
    Shigatse
    Tingri
    Rongbuk. About 5,000m Rongbuk On 5/29 we started our Journey to Everest ABC (advanced base camp). 60 years ago, Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary touched the highest place on Earth. They did it on 5/29/1953, from the South side in Nepal. Our climbing team was set into 2 jeeps and in 3 days we reached Rongbuk. While driving, we often had to pass passport check points. Lhasa
18. Tibetan Stupa in Shigatse Tibetans in Shigatse
19. On the way " from Lhasa to Rongbuk," we visited monasteries and saw wonderful illustrations of Tibetan belief systems
20. We stopped in a small town and had lunch in the restaurant." Our guide noted that the picture on the wall was the “Party Story”." He only knew the right side of the story, while I recognized familiar faces on the left.
21. Rongbuk village About 5,100m
22. Stephen, Belinda, and A.J. are ready for the first leg of the trek from Rongbuk village, 5,100m, to Rongbuk base camp, 5,200m. It’s a hike of several hours.
23. Rongbuk base camp. About 5,200m
24. From Rongbuk we did some trekking to the base camp, about 5,200m. Here we met our climbing guide, Tenging, and his crew, including a cook, yak men and yaks. We spent a night there and continued to the Camp 1, 5,460m. A yak driver
25. About Us and Yaks Yaks are big and mostly peaceful, though unpredictable, animals. They do not share people’s belief that they must help to carry heavy stuff. Watching the scene of someone placing “stuff” on a yak’s back is like watching la Corrida de Toros. And yaks might look very scary if you’ve decided to count the stars at night.
26. The British team (Annie, Stephen, Roger)." From Rongbuk camp, 5,200m
    Camp 1, 5,460m
27. Stephen, “my personal pharmacy” Camp 1, 5,460m At Camp 1, everyone acquired some symptoms of altitude sickness. I got a friendly virus from Pavel and coughed a lot. Stephen offered me some pills. I discovered that every other team member had been taking these pills (Advil) about 4 times a day since Lhasa. Everybody coughed, but I was a champion at this sport. The transaction with the pills did not go smoothly. Stephen wanted to give them freely, but I managed to pay. I gave him $20, but he insisted that the pills only cost him $15 and tried to give me $10 back. I argued that I’d already borrowed some pills for Pavel several days ago. Then, Stephen made a brilliant move. He offered me some additional “Dry Cough Relief” pills. In return, I had to call him “My personal pharmacy”. I did so. The medication worked for me. The next day, I almost stopped coughing, or at least came down to the common level.
28. Camp 1, 5,460m It is very possible that this elevation influenced our mental function !
29. Interim camp, 5,760m From Camp 1 we trekked to the Interim Camp at 5,760m. We planned to spend two nights at the Interim Camp, do an acclimatization hike, and then move with our tents to Camp 2 at 5,950m, preparing for the final climb to ABC, 6500 m.
30. Acclimatization trips to Everest Glacier Interim camp, 5,760m
31. Acclimatization trips to Everest Glacier Interim camp, 5,760m
32. Everest Glacier Interim camp, 5,760m
33. Everest Glacier Interim camp, 5,760m
34. We had been very lucky with the weather … until that day. A snow storm came from nowhere and continued all night. Our tents became snow balls. According to our guide, the snow-covered trail, high water level, and glacier activity made it impossible for our yaks to move any further. This meant that staging Camp 2 was out of the question. Our last chance was to start the next day and to compress several days into one by trekking from the Interim Camp to Camp 2, then directly to ABC and back. We’d discussed this option some time ago and rejected it for two reasons: a) Too physically intense b) More dangerous daytime exposure at the glacier But this was our last chance… Camp 2, 5,950m 5,760m Camp 1, 5,460m 6500m Interim camp, 5,760m
35. That morning, three of us started the long journey from Interim camp, 5,760m, to Camp 2, 5,950m, to Everest Advanced Base Camp (ABC), 6,500m. And back. Interim camp, 5,760m. Everest, Morning Clouds.
36. From Interim camp, 5,760m
    Camp 2, 5,950m
    Everest Advanced Base Camp (ABC), 6,500m Hot water in the morning.
37. Glacier Puzzles From Interim camp, 5,760m
    Camp 2, 5,950m
    Everest Advanced Base Camp (ABC), 6,500m
38. Glacier Puzzles From Interim camp, 5,760m
    Camp 2, 5,950m
    Everest Advanced Base Camp (ABC), 6,500m
39. From Interim camp, 5,760m
    Camp 2, 5,950m
    Everest Advanced Base Camp (ABC), 6,500m
40. 6500m Advanced Base Camp (ABC), 6,500m
41. Tenging, thank you for being our guide and for taking this picture! Advanced Base Camp (ABC), 6,500m Jeff, Annie, and Roger
42. Thank you for reading