We have spent few days here in Base Camp getting our bellies full of good food and our bodies some rest of the harsh environment of Camp II.
Today I cook a good Argentinean Guiso and croquetas de espinacas– and yes everyone got second and thirds!
We got some laundry done and have almost three straight nights of awesome sleeping.
A good sing of good acclimatization!
The weather has been pretty much good for two weeks and just now we have a small low pressure moving in to the region witch brings some afternoon snow showers, a good and needed thing.
Now everyone is watching a movie while I am doing some office work, basically enjoying the last hours of the conformability of Base Camp.

Tomorrow is a early wake up call of 3,30 am, breakfast at 4,30 am and departure at 5 am for a 5-7 hours climb to Camp II.
We will settle at Camp II for our next and final acclimatization cycle.
May 2: We will climb to Camp II
May 3: Rest at II
May 4: Climb to Camp III (7400 meters) Touch and Go.
May 5: Rest at Camp II
May 6: Climb to Camp III- rest for few hours while I continue to Yellow Band for Anchor replacements on fix lines.
May 7: Return to Base Camp for our final rest before we attempted the summit, witch I calculate it will be by second/third week of May!!
Everyone is doing fine and by each time we climb the ice fall in to the heart of Everest I get more confident on them. Each is becoming an Himalayan climber by the meter!
Tety climbs trough the ice fall and lathers with such an easy way– every-time I ask how are you doing? Her reply is– just fine!
Johnny — well Johnny got the nickname of trash compactor, because just never is enough food laying around. The sherpas are very impress with his power and every-time he climbs around some one he always gives the person such a positive assurance.
Eugene— well we all are trying to keep up with him!
Me? Trying to keep up with everyone!

I been trying to upload a map of the route but no luck!!!!! Just Computer is not my stuff

Damian

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Sorry it has been many days without news from the khumbu, but we have been having a hard time with the computers. At the begging we where doing all the blog publishing with a p.c. as we dint wanted to expose the good mac computers to high altitude because there is a good chance for the hard drive to blow up because the luck of pressure as Base Camp is at 5350 meters and because on those computers we have all the office info, so we wanted to be careful. But right at the second day after arriving at base camp the p.c. notebook blew up and on the back up computer we had, witch was a mac I forget to download the software needed for the uploading to the web, after many tries of downloading the programs and seen as $100’s where been spent on each of those programs, witch didn’t work out. We decided on bringing my personal computer from Katmandu.
So a quick recap on where we stand at the moment.
We arrived on Base Camp on April 15 and after few days of base camp living, moving rocks, getting the tents spots as flat as possible we had the Puja celebration on April 17.
As soon as we got the puja done we quickly started working on the mountain, with a few trips up the Ice Fall.
By the 21 we got one trip to C1 with all members and by the 22 Johnny and I did a quick trip to C1 carrying extra gear and supplies.
By the 23 we move to Camp 1 (5983-meters) with the idea to stay at high camps for 6/7 days to gain as much acclimatization we can.
On the 24 we carried a small load to C2 (6443-meters) and returned to C1 for sleep.
Early next day April 25 we moved to C2, witch we arrived just in time for some serious tent platform — trust me a super hard work at 6400 meters.
We spent 3 nights there, trying to get food and drinks in to our bodies.
Our idea was to have quick run to Camp 3 as part of our acclimatization but 2 days of very strong winds in witch my 20 something years of Aconcagua came very handy. our tents where one of the few who didn’t blow away.
Now we are in BC, getting healthy from 6 days up high on a few days we will be going up for our final acclimatization.
Hope all what I wrote make some cense, but my fingers are freezing as it is 1.3 celsius inside the tent.

Damian

Hola!!!! Aca estamos de vuelta en casa, en el base….
Nos fuimos por 6 dias arriba, al camp 1 y 2 a aclimatar un poco. Aca van los detalles…
El 23 temprano partimos hacia el camp 1 (6100m). La cascada tiene constantes avalanchas asi que hay un sector en el que hay que moverse rapido. Llegando a ese sector se vino todo abajo!!!! Impresionante estar tan cerca pero no hubo ningun peligro porque paso todo por un caniadon al costado de la “ senda”. Igualmente duro un rato y veias a los sherpas corriendo y tirando arroz. Re loco. De repente aparecio Willie corriendo desde arriba, el estaba en una zona mas expuesta pero solo un susto. Se iba con su grupo al base. En el camp 1 acomodamos un poco las carpas y a descansar. Del base al 1 son como 4-5 horas.
El 24 nos fuimos por el dia al camp 2 (6400m). Son unas 2 horas. Aprovechamos a llevar algo de ropa y armamos la plataforma y la carpa de Eugenio. Todo cuesta bastante, medio te quedas sin aire. Asi que re tranqui. Despues volvimos al 1 a hacer agua, hidratar, comer quesadillas, pastas y flan!!!!
El 25 ya nos mudamos al camp 2. Armamos las plataformas y el resto de las carpas. En el 2 si bien estas sobre el glaciar como en el base. Estas sobre una morena de piedras. Por eso cuesta un poco armar las plataformas. En el 2 tambien tenemos un carpon cocina con un cocinero asique sobretodo mas comodo para Damain que no tiene que cocinar. Esa primer noche en el 2 fue un poco dura para todos. Dolor de cabeza, te cuesta respirar, no dormis, vas mil veces al banio, etc. Ademas corrieron unos 70km de viento e hicieron unos 15 grados bajo cero. Pero aguante el Down Suit, es incrible lo calentito que es, aunque veran las fotos me queda medio enorme….
El 26 se habia armado un desparramo de carpas. Muchas carpas rotas, voladas, etc. Las nuestras todas bien pero igual las reforzamos un poco con piedras antes de salir a dar un paseo y ayudar un poco a la gente. El resto del dia fiaca, cartas, lectura, etc.
El 27 nos fuimos de paseo a la base del Lhotse. Como camino hacia el camp 3, pero hicimos solo la parte plana despues viene la parte dura. Se ve bastante empinado, ahi tendran que ayudarnos las piernas!!!! Pero sera mas adelante, en el proximo viaje al 2.
Ayer 28 tranqui partimos hacia aca, hacia el base. Primero pasamos por el camp de willie que ya estaba de vuelta en el 2 a saludar. Si bien fue todo bajada a mi se me hizo largo. Estaba cansada. Queria llegar. Hacia muchisimo calor.
Volver al base fue re lindo, Sam, el mozo, contento de vernos de vuelta, el cocinero no para de malcriarnos con panqueques, cinamon rolls y anoche una comida super!!!. Todo limpio, todo impecable. En el Base nos enocntramos con un companiero nuevo, Paul, que vino con la misma empresa que nosotros asique compartiremos los campamentos base y 2. Tambien tenemos muchos mas vecinos, muchas mas carpas vecinas y se ve que han hecho sus pujas asi que banderas colgando por todos lados.
y hoy 29, mas bien ya, mas vale que me vaya a pegar una ducha, sobretodo por mi pelo que es un desastre!!
Ah! Papi me preguntabas por la vista. Desde el camp 1 practicamente ves el camp 2, 3, 4 y la cumbre del Everest. En el 1 tenes el Nuptse a la der (Sur), el Everest a la izq (Norte) y el Lhotse lejos al frente, (EsteSE), en el 2 tenes el Lhotse mas cerca, en el 3 estas en la mitad de la cara Oeste del Lhotse y el 4 es a la izq (Norte), en el col entre el Everest y el Lhotse. Por ahora, la vista entre el 1 y 2, es mas o menos la misma, con distintos angulos y mas detalles a medida que te vas acercando, mas adelante les cuento. La vista que es muy linda es hacia atras, hacia el OesteNO, hacia el cerro Pumori. Ya veran fotos…
Aca los dejo con Damian Besosssssss para todos!!!!!
Tety

We have left the trees and load lands and entered the land of the yaks, alpine flora and permanent snows; the heart of the Khumbu.

We left Degboche 3 days ago and spent the last days in Periche at the brand new Himalayan Lodge, supper nice but also super cold. The rooms felt like been on a industrial freezer!

The three day where spent acclimatizing, playing lots of rummy games, witch Damian seems to always wind, (perhaps one to many years spent on Base camps?) Also the whole team went up to 5,000 meters for extra acclimatization and visits to the local clinic for last minute check up.

We have been trekking along side the Alpine Ascent team, witch they are like 20 climbers, a huge team. Among those climbers are some guides to whom we share time in Aconcagua.

The weather has been super cold with the occasional afternoon snow shower, so another good reason for those 3 very long days spent in Periche.

Today we woke up to a super nice morning and after some mate with toast we started hiking towards Lobuche and try to beat the Alpine Ascent team and get some good rooms at the only descent lodge, the Eco Lodge.

Along the way we stopped for some intense photo shoots, awesome pictures! As higher we got, the far a way mountains of kantenga and Thanserku peaks, provide a killer backdrop.

After a 3 hours hike with a 500 meter elevation we have made it to Lobuche and got some good rooms, but we can’t wait to keep going tomorrow. One is because we will finally after eight days reach Base Camp and settle in to our home for the next 50 days or so, also because we don’t want to spend more than a day in this village as it is so dirty!

The team is feeling well overall, just trying to shake out some minors colds and on a constantly fight with stomached ache.

Once we reach Base Camp we will be posting more news!

The Team

Hola!!!!

FELICES PASCUAS!!!!!!

Espero esten todos bien y comiendo muchos huevitos!!!

Yo mande todos los chocolates blancos directo al campamento base. Tendre que esperar hasta maniana para el chocolate….

Aca estamos en Lobuche. Cerca del campamento base. Hace unos dias en Dengboche me dolia todo. Cabeza espalda mocos y tos. Medio destruida pero en Periche fui al medico y me mejore bastante. Ademas del paracetamol me dijo que tomara un antialergico y Diamox. El antialergico porque podia tener alguna alergia que me estuviera ayudando a estar asi y el Diamox porque la concentración de Oxigeno la tenia re baja. 

Ayer en Periche salimos de paseo y estaba medio debil pero bien y hoy ya muchisimo mejor ademas Lobuche me recibio con tirabuzones con Salsa Blanca y queso. Que mejor!!!!!!

La vista? veran las fotos…. Increíbles Todos. Uno mas lindo que el otro.

Besos para todos

Gracias por los comentarios y mails

Tety

I have been walking this valley for about 10 years and so much has change. Now I can see every porter and sherpas talking on their cell phones, lodges are been build as fast as the local rock can be cut and chip in to rock blocks, the trails are been converted in to mini hiking freeways. Namche, is slowly becoming a small town more than a mountain village.

Yes, things change and the Khumbu is changing as fast as the world is changing.

We have spent 2 days in Namche getting acclimatize to 3400 meters (11,000 feet), with many trips to the local bakery for some cinnamon rolls, chocolate croissants, apple pie and hot coco.

I usually stay at the Himalayan Lodge, where I know Anu for a very long time. But this time, we book Camp De Base Lodge were the showers are just awesome, so I took as many showers I could, more as massage therapy than for cleanliness reasons.

It seams that at every corner I turn, I run in to some one I know from some other part of the world.

I am already adapted on people calling me Willie and here everyone is calling me Willie!

The Khumbu is Willie’s land as he spent so many years coming here for Everest and I am coming to understand the respect he has in the sherpa community. It so awesome!

The weather is very fussy and yesterday, it went from sunny to snowing in about one hour. It seams that the winter is still here and the spring is having a hard time on settling in.

On our rest day in Namche, we hiked to the view point; so everyone could have a glance of big E. It was so awesome to see the faces of Johnny and Tety (Didi) looking at what lay ahead. It was a very big plum cloud blowing from the top of Everest, making the mountain very intimidating. We also could see Nuptse, Lhotse and Ama Dablam, we took a bunch of pictures and to the bakery we headed for more pastries and hot coco.

Today we woke up to an awesome, but very cold morning and after our last visit to the bakery we started hiking to Debuche with a stop at the Tengboche monastery.

Now we are at the Ama Dablam Lodge, where we will spend  the night and tomorrow we will head for Pheriche where we will stay for 3 nights; part of our acclimatization also a good chance to shake out any bug that we pick up in the way.

It is so hard to keep our self healthy and it seams that everyone has pick some thing on the way. The only one that is healthy and full of energy is Johnny, so I give him two big rocks, one for each arm so he walks and entrain forearms at the same time.

For now on, we will be using our satellite modem to keep posting news and because the high cost data transmission we will be posting every other day.

So please be patience and more news will be coming soon.

All the best

Damian and the team

We finished spending way more days than those plan in Kathamandu because of bad weather in Luckla so every flight was getting cancel and everyday that it pass the amount of people that needed to fly was getting larger. We where supposed to fly on April 3 and we finished flying on April 5, only 2 days stuck in Kathamandu, but two more days in Kathamndu are way to many!

Our last day in Kathamandu we went to the Mokey Temple and then we went to a festival in Durbar square– way too many people!!!

Willie was able to fly one day earlier than us, so he is somewhere up the Khumbu valley trying to catch up with his team.

On April 5 we got the honor of catching the first flight to Luckla on Royal Nepal, I meant “Honor” becouse not many westerners fly on royal nepal, but what can I say. We needed to get out of Kathamandu! A 4,45am wake up call, a fast packing and a crazy local airport with a short but bumpy and a soft landing took us to the gate of the Khumbu Valley and our way to Everest Base Camp.

After a day and half of easy hiking we reached Namche Bassar, where we will spend two days getting some acclimatization, lots of cinnamon rolls and lot’s of running in to old friends from previous expeditions.

It is so nice to be back here!

Every one is feeling good and happy by being on the trail.

More news coming soon.

Damian

Hola!!!!

Aca va la version en español….

El 4 salieron solo dos vuelos a Lukla, en uno de esos volo Willie, nosotros estabamos mucho mas atrás en la lista de espera asique nos quedamos en Kathmandú. Esa tarde fuimos al “Templo de los Monos”, es un templo importante que esta lleno de monos y por eso recibe este nombre. Habia mucha gente, muchos turistas sacando fotos por un lado y por otro muchos locales rezando y haciendo ofrendas. Lo que mas me divirtio fueron unos cilindros de metal con oraciones escritas que los haces girar y desparramas las oraciones que tienen.

El 5 temprano partimos al aeropuerto, el avion era uno de 20 personas, me acorde a los de TAN que teniamos hace varios anios en Neuquén. El vuelo cortito, montanias y valles todo muy verde y de repente aparecieron los cerros enormes todos nevados. El aterrizaje que era lo que todos esperabamos fue perfecto. Cuando me baje del avion recien me di cuenta la pendiente en subida y lo cortita que era la pista de aterrizaje.

En el aeropuerto nos esperaban los porters. 2 van con nosotros hasta el base con bolsos con ropa para estos dias, otros se fueron directo al base con el resto del equipaje.

La caminata ese dia fue cortita, fuimos hasta Phakding. La senda esta super marcada, parece que en estos anios la han arreglado bastante, tiene escaleras de piedras con escalones perfectos. Lleno de rododendros en flor de distintos colores, pero aca son arboles de 5 metros! Se oian muchos pajaron pero no vi ninguno…

Hoy, 6 partimos hacia Namche. Unas 5 horitas de caminata tranqui. Bordeando siempre el rio Dudh Kosi y metidos en un bosque de pinos lindisimo. Mucha gente en la senda, pero mucha!!!! Turistas porters y Yaks, unas vacas cargeras.

Y bueno ya estamos en Namche!!!! A 3400m asi que la altura todavía no pega….

Maniana descansamos aca y pasado seguimos viaje. Hasta ahora dias de sol, de remera, pero ahora llueve y se escuchan los truenos.

Chau Chau!!! Hasta la proxima

Tety Didi

Hola!!!! Hoy toca en Castellano…
Ayer 2 de Abril llegue a Kathmandu. El pueblo medio loquero.
No hay veredas asi que los autos, bicis, motos y peatones todos en la calle. Te pasan a mil te tenes que correr o te pisan asi que atenti!!!!!! Ah!!! y el trafico es al revez que en Argentina, todo enloquece mas….
Ayer preparamos los bolsos y la idea es partir hoy en avion a Lukla y empezar a caminar pero el aeropuerto esta cerrado y hace dos dias que no hay vuelos asi que la cola de espera es larga…… Veremos cuando partimos……

Aca me encontre con Damian, Willie y mis compas, Johny, esquiador extremo muy pro, de 17 anios muy piola!!! y Euguenio, un senior de unos 60 anios, que subio hace unos anios con Willie a la cumbre de Everest pero vino por una segunda cumbre, tipo tranquilo.

Todos bien, todos listos para partir. Willie tenia que viajar ayer pero sigue por aca…..
El viaje largo pero bien. fue un Bs As- NY- Los Angeles-Bankok- Kathamandu. Buenisimo sobrevolar el canion del colorado. Increible!!!! sobre todo porque no me lo esperaba…. En los Angeles, me busco un amigo de los chicos, Ryan, e hice una paradita por la playa,estuvo bueno, el llegaba esa maniana de esquiar en Alaska y se puso a surfear. Muy buena onda!!! Thank You Ryan!!!!!! y hablando de Thank you, ayer me encontre con el traje deplumas y un monton de cosas The North Face que me mandaron.
Muchas Gracias Jacob!!!!

Saludos a todos
Tety!!!

After a very long flight we are here!!!!

Hola!
What a crazy few days! The last few days in Bariloche where spent between a visit to the dentist, last minute details, a new fence for Caluba, lot’s of shopping and on the phone 24 hours a day with USA to make sure that we will have all the gear needed.
Today we drove 250 km from Bariloche to San Martin de los Andes for a The North Face bran new store. What an awesome time we spent. Lot’s of people who where totally interested on the what we do and the brand.
Also we took advantage an presented the expedition.
For Tety this was a good time, as she kept running in to fellows racers.
We hang out with clarita Hil; The North Face Argentina general Manager
Tomorrow we will give a presentation in the city hall and then we have to drive to Bariloche to get my 4 pm flight to USA and then a 6 hs stop in SLC, get home pack the rest of the gear and then get a 7 o’clock flight to LAX and from there to Kathamandu.
All the best.

Damian

Hello everyone,

Here we are getting closer to our departure time. Willie will arrive on Thursday and on Friday we both are driving to San Martin de Los Andes for the North Face Grand Opening of a Flag Ship store. On Keep posted for more news!

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Crunch Time!
Willie will depart from SLC tomorrow for Bariloche, while I will be finishing the last details for the trip.
Totally crazy to prepare a expedition to Everest in a week! But what can I say, deal with it!
On the other hand enjoying my last few day with Mr. Caluba.

All the best!

                        Damian