Where to begin? Wholey-moley. The approach to Kyoja Ri is remote and every bit as difficult as the climb itself. The route was up a huge terraced valley with three 1000-plus-foot waterfalls and a series of hillsides filled with loose boulders, stacked kitty-whampous from yak-sized to basketball-sized. It was nerve-wracking listening to rocks fall around you, having the expectation of one of these granite pieces steam-rolling you. The unstable footing was hell on knees and ankles. The transition in the approach route went from cedar and rhododendron trees, to taiga and arctic sassafras, and finally to just rock and glacier. We established three main camps: Base Camp at 14,858 feet, where
At 11:15 am local Nepal time today (October 27), the team (Lonnie Dupre, Elias Andres Martos & Bridget Schletty) summited Kyajo Ri at 20,295 ft (6,186 m). Spot Beacon Coordinates: You can check the interactive map of the summit at: http://peakery.com/explore/map/?q=kyajo+ri&n= The team was reported to have made it to the advanced camp yesterday but were unsure of the push for the summit due to the prediction of heavy winds. However, the weather cooperated as they made their final ascent to the summit around 11:15 am. Photo by Lonnie Dupre of Kyajo Ri: They're now reported to be heading back down to base camp safely. During the ascent of Kyajo Ri, the team collected high-altitude snow and
The team is still making their way to the base of their climb on Kyajo Ri. We'll post more as soon as we receive news from Nepal. Photo by Buck Benson of the view towards Namche from just below remote Gompa.
Today we started up to establish base camp for the climb of Kyoja Ri which took us on a route that was new to me. We climbed past the Gomba above town that I had visited early, then headed on the main trail towards Thamel. We didn’t get started until 9 for various reasons and it was a difficult steep push until it dropped to cross the river then up again sharply on the other side. Elias, Lonnie, Bridget and Furba were the climbers on this 6126 meter peak, I was planning on spending one night at base camp then heading back down and Pascale was to go as high as the advanced base camp. Dendi and the porters were turning around once they reached base camp to head back down. As we approached a re
I just got back to Namche from the trip to the base camp for Kyajo Ri- a mountain at 6126 meters so fairly significant height. Was quite a climb up - about of the way Mtn so we saw no people on the trail. We spent the night at a remote Gompa (monastery) where there were 4 Spaniards staying and a Young Swedish woman named Sarah who was spending 7 hours a day meditating in a cave behind the Gompa. The inner part of the cave was covered with Buddhist ceremonial objects and small statues and photos of Dahlai llamas. We had Dal Bhat for dinner and omelettes and Tsampa for breakfast. Pleasant stay. The second day steep climbs up rugged mountain faces before reaching the flats to the lake and
Our mission wouldn’t be possible without our great team. We’ve learned so much about the Nepalese culture through stories and laughter from our homeland team. Furba Tamang - age 34 (front center) handles all our logistics in communities and communications with porters. He’s a skilled mountaineer and will represent Nepal as a member of our summit team. Left to right. Purna Tamang - age 52, Bule Tamang - 45 and Chan Dra Tamang - 32 are respected porters in the region and a delight to work with. Porters have been around long before, carrying supplies in for explorers, mountaineers and for their communities. They are often farmers working as porters for local merchants to bring in extra inc
The team is currently in Namche on their final rest day. Here's a note from Dupre on the stay in Machermo just the other day. "In Machermo we stayed at a fine Tea House called Namgyal. There we warmed ourselves around the stove fueled by dried Yak dung patties. A few of these grass pies were pre-soaked in kerosene to get the whole works going. We drank ginger tea to help with our dry throats from the mountain air. We always seem to talk about the amazing things we'd seen that day along with how we each were handling the altitude. Bridget found a little Sherpa admirer named Puspa. I believe she was 4 or 5. Bridget had fun teaching her basic english and in return bits of Nepalese. Though
Our team is resting in Namche after being between 16,000 and 17,000 feet for a week. This has us acclimated both for altitude and the physical trials we expect during our climb of Kyajo Ri (20,295 ft) in the coming week. We hiked up and down multiple valleys since being here trying not to get gored by passing Yaks. Actually they are mostly docile unless steered by Yak drivers to get moving. While acclimating north of Gokyo we searched for a potential route up Tenzing Peak just east of Cho oyu. The clear days revealed that Tenzing is virtually unclimbable from the Nepal side. The cruxes include over-hanging cornices at the summit, ice-falls and potential avalanches you can’t see comin
The last two earthquakes in Nepal have been devastating. Some villages reduced to rubble. People dead or badly injured. Often these occurrences in smaller poor countries get at best a headline or two and then disappear from the consciousness of most of the rest of the world. However, Nepal is home to the tallest mountains in the world. Lives were lost on Everest directly because of the quakes. That will get the media attention across the globe. Relief agencies and individual groups all poured money and attention to help in the plight of the Nepalese. Governments followed suit. Where it all went nobody is completely sure. A lot of it was simply pledged and never truly manifested. Other items
Above is the latest audio from Dupre in Gokyo speaking of the last 4 days on Ngozhumba Glacier near Tenzing Peak. The audio is a bit cut due to location. The team is now making their way to Machhermo for the night and will then continue on to Namche.
The Vertical Nepal team (Lonnie, Elias & Bridget) were reported to be heading out of their current basecamp at Tenzing to Machhermo, a small village north of Dole and south of Gokyo set at 4470m 14,665 ft. Lonnie Dupre and Bridget Schletty spent the first day of the reconnaissance on the west arm of the glacier and yesterday with Elias, the team explored the east arm.
Latitude:28.03232 Longitude:86.68295 Spot Beacon Message:All OK, Doing Well The team followed the Ngozumba Glacier to approximately 5100 m (17, 000 ft) north towards the base of Tenzing peak, a bordering peak that lies between Nepal & China. Click the link below to see where I am located. http://fms.ws/RRFgL/28.03232N/86.68295E If the above link does not work, try this link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=28.03232,86.68295&ll=28.03232,86.68295&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
The team sent their newest Spot Beacon coordinates this morning on their way to Tenzing from Gokyo. Click the links below for the map of their current location. Click the link below to see where I am located. http://fms.ws/RPvkL/28.00706N/86.68517E If the above link does not work, try this link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=28.00706,86.68517&ll=28.00706,86.68517&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1 Stay tuned as we receive more information from them in the coming days.
Still in Gokyo. All is okay. Sorry for difficult communication. We will be near Tenzing for anywhere from 3 to 5 days and are heading out tomorrow. It's snowing here. Snow on yaks... Best, Lonnie Dupre
The teams first connection to basecamp was made just moments ago via their Spot Beacon. They spent yesterday hiking up to Gokyo Ri's high summit at 5,483 m or 17,989 ft, where from you can view four 8,000 meter peaks (Everest, Lhotse, Makalu & Cho Oyu). Located in the Khumbu region of the Himalayas, the trek leads near the Ngozumpa glacier, the largest in Nepal. The scenery is stunning as are the stone houses that lay at the base of Gokyo Ri which are known to be one of the highest settlements in the world. Tomorrow the team will make their way to Cho Oyu and the Tenzing area to continue their reconnaissance. Images of Gokyo Ri area via Bridget Schletty's 2013 Nepal Expedition
We're writing to you from the village of Machermo, where we arrived in cool, misty weather around midday. Last night we stayed in Dhole, and this morning we made the gradual ascent uphill to Machermo at 15,700'. We had a few glimpses of Cholatse, Kyajo Ri, Cho Oyu, and Tenzing Peak, but most of the day, the cloud cover was pretty thick. Photo: Bridget and Lonnie with Phurba Tamang, the local climbing guide. Tomorrow we'll make our way up valley to Gokyo, the last place to grab a warm plate of daal bhat and a bed before setting out towards Cho Oyu Base Camp, where we hope to get a good look at our future objective. Upward! Bridget Schletty
We explored the steep and terraced walkways of Namache, gathering the last of our supplies like fuel for stoves and warm hats made of Yak wool. We also are trimming and fine tuning our loads and supplies before we head NNE towards the village of Dhole at 14,200 feet. The following days will lead us to Gokyo. From this remote village we enter the uninhabited area of the Ngozumba Glacier and begin our exploration of the ice fields below Tenzing Peak. Days are warm and nights pretty cool... even for a Minnesotan. Cheers, Lonnie Dupre