Everest Region, Nepal - Gokyo / Parchermo

I arrived in Kathmandu exhausted after 2 night flights and a 12 hour layover at London Heathrow. With just a few hours to meet up with Tom, make final preparations and fit in a few hours sleep before flying to Lukla the next morning I had my work cut out for me.  Tom had been lucky enough to spend a few days in kathmandu acclimatising and getting over his jet lag after a long flight from New Zealand. Happily we landed in Lukla in one piece and made our way slowly up to Namche then looked towards the Gokyo Valley.



When we were in Namche we heard about the terrible crash of a Sita plane. The plane was his by a large bird just outside Kathmandu and crashed trying to return to the airport.  Everyone aboard the plane died. It was quite a shock especially as we were on that plane just 48 hours earlier. It brings home the danger of some of your actions.  As we were in Namche we were able to reassure the many friends and family members who contacted us to check we were ok.  Thank you to everyone for caring and our thoughts are with the families of those involved in the crash.  (For more info: http://www.thebmc.co.uk/seven-britons-confirmed-dead-in-kathmandu-plane-crash)

As Tom and I left the world of easy communication and the hustle and bustle of the EBC trail we turned our thoughts towards Gokyo. As Tom had never been to altitude before I was cautious about our speed of ascent especially as he struggled slightly between Lukla and Namche.  However, true to form Tom became stronger and stronger with every 100 metre of ascent until I was the one struggling to keep step with him.

I on the other hand replicatd my previous trip up the valley.  Last time I was heading towards Machermo, having walked in from Jiri and was feeling strong until I got to Dole.  For the next week I was inflicted with a very upset stomach and only just managed to crawl into the Machermo Rescue Post to get medical attention.  This time a respiratory tract infection hit me in Namche (I beleive it was picked up from a client on my previous Kilimanjaro trip).  By the time we reached Machermo I was unable to talk - luckily the doctor there checked me out and prescribed the right medication for me.

We continued on to the beautiful settlement of Gokyo and while I took a rest day and nursed my aching throat and lungs Tom made his way up Gokyo Ri for some fantastic views of the region.  The next day we headed over the Renjo La - the pass that provides the best views in the area  thanks to its distance from Everest.  We made it to Thame that afternoon which is a long day but well worth the effort.

In Thame we met our camp crew who were to head up the valley towards the Thashi Lapsa with us.  The lack of tea houses up the valley meant a camp crew was indispensable in our attempt to climb Parchermo Peak. We were very well treated by the crew with the usual camping luxuries of tea in bed, hot washing water and a whole array of different foods served up as often as we could possibly desire.

After a night at Thyongbo we headed up to camp at Ngole. Due to rockfall and a landslide we were unable to camp at the expected 5100m and camped 300m lower leaving a longer day to come.  Up to this point we had the luxury of a train of Dzo (hybrid Yak/Cattle) to carry our climbing and camping equipment but they could not negotiate the steep scree slopes of the mountain and from here we carried our own kit - with the help of a few porters.

On reaching 5100m we came to a steep icy section which the porters were not happy about crossing.  With the help of a rope this could be negotiated but Tom, Pemba and I decided to walk further up the mountain to assess the conditions higher up.  The camp site was on the pass and there were some very steep sections which the porters would find difficult and a lot of rockfall. All the factors were taken into consideration and it was decided that this mountain would not be climbed today.  We will come back and attempt it another time under differ circumstances, with helmets and in better conditions.








 The trip up the valley was not a waste as the remoteness of this area is so far removed from the busy Khumbu valley, we didn't see a single other westerner which we were up there and the views were breathtaking.






A rapid descent back to Lukla had us waiting to fly out within a couple of days. By some extraordinary turn of events the tea house we were staying in had a helicopter waiting to return to Kathmandu empty.  We were lucky enough to fill the empty seats at no additional cost and thus avoided another plane ride from Lukla airport whilst benefiting from fantastic views all the way.

A few days in Kathmandu and Tom will start making his way back to Christchurch, NZ while I turn my thoughts back to the Khumbu and another flight to Lukla.    

Tour des Mouverans, Switzerland

Arriving at Geneva airport, I realised that the journey was only just beginning.  I met John off the plane and we quickly found a train to Aigle, journeying along the beautiful lakeside. A swift change onto a local bus taking us up to the mountain resort of Villars-sur-Ollon.  The next bus took us even further up to Solalex and the final 400 metre of ascent we walked arriving the Refuge Giacomi by the evening. It was a long day of travelling but the views and remote location we had arrived at, in just 12 hours, was well worth it.  What's more, we were sitting on the Tour des Mouverans ready to start the trek early tomorrow morning.

The first day of trekking took us down to Derborence, situated on the impressive Lac de Derborence, site of a tragic avalanche over 250 years ago. Finally, a 1000m ascent takes us up to the Refuge Rambert.  This refuge, situated on the Col has breathtaking views across the mountain range and Chamois living within throwing distance of the hut.  Although the thin walls of the dorm rooms made for quite a disturb night, we were tired enough after our long first day to appreciate anywhere to lay our heads.

The next day we made our way down a perfect glaciated valley identifying alpine flowers and their medicinal uses along the way. Our arrival at lunchtime at the Cabane du Fénestral meant we were able to shelter from the brief rain-shower whilst enjoying a cup of fruit tea and consuming our sandwiches.  Every mouthful eaten was a benefit as it lightened our load.  The logical aim for the day became to eat as much of our lunch food as possible.    

Once the rain had subsided we made our way to the Cabane Demecre, belonging to the Trotteurs running club.  This delightful hut manned entirely by volunteers was extremely welcoming. The smell of fresh bread being taken out of the oven as we arrived from the rain helped no end with this and the friendly chatter of the volunteers made us feel at home.  Once the rain had stopped the sun warmed the air and we wandered out to admire the view, practice some rope work, identify some more flowers and generally make the most of being in the area.

Day 3 took us along the high route over the Col des Martinets and down the Nant valley to Pont de Nant where we were to stay the night.  The valley was very long and the descent harder than any ascent we'd done while we were there.  However the magnificent views along the way and thoughts of a good meal when we arrived made it possible to drag ourselves on to the Refuge.  Once the typical afternoon storm had passed we visited the local botanical gardens where, once some interesting flowers had been identified, we were lucky enough to see a bat, drying itself on the leaves of a plant. 

The final day completed our Tour des Mouverans and brought us back to Solalex via the Col des Essets.  This circular trip of 70km and 4000m ascent is well worth the effort offering magnificent views and incredible diversity as it works its way round the mountain range.  Many thanks to John for accompanying me and testing my local knowledge along the way.  

http://www.tourdesmuverans.ch/carte-geographique.html