Apr
18
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Island Peak Climbing 2010- Daily Dispatches

Author     Category Expedition, Peak Climbing, Trekking     Tags

April 17th 2010

This morning we woke up enveloped in clouds. It was the first morning that was not clear, but it gave a very surreal feeling. We had our usual breakfast at the tea house and then hit the trail. We went on an acclimatization hike to Nakarsung dada which is a “hill” reaching 16,400 ft. For the first few hours we were in the clouds and then we rose above the clouds and saw a glimpse of the mountains. The views of Ama Dablam and the surrounding mountains were spectacular….we even saw Island peak for the first time!  We hiked like turtles in molasses, but eventually made it to the summit and managed to “stay within ourselves”(don’t worry Dr. Rich!). It took us 4 hours to get to the top and only 40 minutes to get down…..that gives you an idea of the effects the altitude has on our ability to hike uphill. We all still feel strong, other than an occasional headache.  After returning from the hike and drinking some ginger tea, we went to a lecture that the Himalayan Rescue Association put on to educate trekkers/climbers about mountain sickness. We sat inside a sun room….which despite the name was FREEZING and learned some new things about high altitude medicine as we listened the rain on the roof.   We checked our O2 saturations…right around 90%….not too bad!  We just finished a wonderful dinner of dhal bhat, momos, garlic soup, french fries, rice and ginger tea.  Vicky will depart tomorrow after breakfast to head home and return to work. It has been fun having her along this far and we hope she has a wonderful safe trip home. Tomorrow we head to Lobuche to gain some more elevation and get closer to Everest base camp. Thanks for following our adventure and stay tuned!

Marcie, Stacee, Lexi, Jasmina and Vicky

Source: 17th April, 2010- Nakarsung top

Apr
18
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Island Peak Climbing 2010- Daily Dispatches

Author     Category Peak Climbing, Trekking     Tags

16 April 2010

Namaste from all of us at Pheriche!  We all just enjoyed big plates of Dalbaht (lentils w/ rice) and are involved in a heated card game.  Our Sherpas, Ang Dawa and Ang Karma picked-up the rules fast and are winning most of the rounds now.  We had another beautiful hike along the river up to Pheriche.   We were treated to a tour of the Pangboche Monestary this morning.  It is a very old Monestary ( 600+ yrs old) and considered a very spiritual place.    After hiking today, Stacee is now nicknamed “beautiful meat” and I am “the boob”….don’t know how those might stick..??  Vicky will travel with us tomorrow as we take a day hike and then she will head back down….returning to work.  We have been lucky to have her fun spirit in our company and she will be missed.  Jasmina is planning to continue up with us to Everest Base Camp and then to Island Peak.  We are all still feeling very well and laughing a lot!  What a fun group!  We are thankful for the hot showers here in Pheriche and will be staying here tomorrow night also to acclimatize.  We wish you all the best and ask for your support (prayers to God, Buddha, Shiva, Allah, or whoever else..) in our coming journeys.

Lexi, Stacee, Marcie, Vicky, and Jasmina

Source: 16th April, 2010- Pheriche