"Training" hike up the Chief in Squamish, BCApril 26, 2009
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Packing and Last minute details
By: Dan Piccininni, Kamloops, BC.
Packing is coming along nicely... well...its coming along. and relatively organized. But Dave is right in his last post, when he says there is a seemingly endless stream of things to do before departure. A lot of that stuff has less to do with the trip and more with having things squared away here.
In terms of gear, I will have travel clothes, which we can leave in a locker in Kathmandu, stuff for my day pack, and stuff for the bag that the porter/ yaks will carry.
This is one of the best gear lists I have found.
Generally my gear will be divided as follows.
Day Pack
Rain Jacket
Rain Pants
Gaitors
Fleece sweater
possibly extra long underwear on high altitude days
Down Jacket (most days)
toque
gloves
extra pair of socks
small first aid kit and other emergency supplies
Camera
Video Camera
Binoculars
Water
snacks
Trekking Duffle
Sleeping gear
Clothes that I'm not wearing
other miscellaneous items like extra first aid and medicinal supplies, a repair kit, toiletries
Obviously this will change day to day. On our flight to Lukla, I will probably pack a little more in my backpack in case our checked luggage doesn't make it from Kathmandu on time.
For extra snacks I'm bringing along chocolate bars, granola bars, fruit bars (I'm expecting to average a chocolate bar and another bar per day), a large ziploc of beef jerky, and gatorade powder. As an added treat, Dave and I are going to throw in a couple of of the dehydrated meal desserts...so halfway through the trip when we get a craving for apple pie we're covered. And lets face it, We're talking about Dave and I, we're going to want pie.
A staple of the Nepali Diet is Daal Bhat Tarkari (Lentil soup, rice, vegetable curry) There are a lot of meat and vegetable curries as well (including goat, which is quite tasty) Trek's like ours tend to westernize the menu as well, with items like pizza on a typical trekking menu. (If you're curious about Nepali food there is a Mount Everest Restaurant in downtown Toronto.)
Packing is coming along nicely... well...its coming along. and relatively organized. But Dave is right in his last post, when he says there is a seemingly endless stream of things to do before departure. A lot of that stuff has less to do with the trip and more with having things squared away here.
In terms of gear, I will have travel clothes, which we can leave in a locker in Kathmandu, stuff for my day pack, and stuff for the bag that the porter/ yaks will carry.
This is one of the best gear lists I have found.
Generally my gear will be divided as follows.
Day Pack
Rain Jacket
Rain Pants
Gaitors
Fleece sweater
possibly extra long underwear on high altitude days
Down Jacket (most days)
toque
gloves
extra pair of socks
small first aid kit and other emergency supplies
Camera
Video Camera
Binoculars
Water
snacks
Trekking Duffle
Sleeping gear
Clothes that I'm not wearing
other miscellaneous items like extra first aid and medicinal supplies, a repair kit, toiletries
Obviously this will change day to day. On our flight to Lukla, I will probably pack a little more in my backpack in case our checked luggage doesn't make it from Kathmandu on time.
For extra snacks I'm bringing along chocolate bars, granola bars, fruit bars (I'm expecting to average a chocolate bar and another bar per day), a large ziploc of beef jerky, and gatorade powder. As an added treat, Dave and I are going to throw in a couple of of the dehydrated meal desserts...so halfway through the trip when we get a craving for apple pie we're covered. And lets face it, We're talking about Dave and I, we're going to want pie.
A staple of the Nepali Diet is Daal Bhat Tarkari (Lentil soup, rice, vegetable curry) There are a lot of meat and vegetable curries as well (including goat, which is quite tasty) Trek's like ours tend to westernize the menu as well, with items like pizza on a typical trekking menu. (If you're curious about Nepali food there is a Mount Everest Restaurant in downtown Toronto.)
Monday, April 27, 2009
T - 7 Days
Greetings to all who will be following our trip. This is my first entry after many subtle hints to get on it! and figure it out! Time has been quite hectic over here in London with my new job(s) and recently moving here. A suggestion to anyone else planning on a major trip such as ours... don't move cities and jobs within a few months prior to the trip.
I have also been plagued recently with an odd upper airway infection of sorts. Luckily it was not classified as strep which lead to the unfortunate result that I couldn't get a script written for antibiotics. I believe I have beaten this bug, but it added stress to my life for the past week or two and put me behind on my preparations. I am glad and remind myself that at the very least I was able to have enough time to recover from the illness before the trip and am able to go. Sleep and personal health is in the forefront of my mind to ensure my best foot forward for this 'adventure'.
Peach and I have been swapping notes quite regularly and are tying up the (at times seemingly endless) last issues which need addressing.
On a more local note I have to remark on how poorly equipped the city of London is for selling or the ability of getting any technical equipment or clothing. This was not expected but in the past few years almost all the outdoors equipment stores have shut down or cutback on their stock to the point one cannot even get glacier sun glasses or goggles. To compensate I have had to compile a last minute list of items to purchase and shortened my last work week in London.
I have also been plagued recently with an odd upper airway infection of sorts. Luckily it was not classified as strep which lead to the unfortunate result that I couldn't get a script written for antibiotics. I believe I have beaten this bug, but it added stress to my life for the past week or two and put me behind on my preparations. I am glad and remind myself that at the very least I was able to have enough time to recover from the illness before the trip and am able to go. Sleep and personal health is in the forefront of my mind to ensure my best foot forward for this 'adventure'.
Peach and I have been swapping notes quite regularly and are tying up the (at times seemingly endless) last issues which need addressing.
On a more local note I have to remark on how poorly equipped the city of London is for selling or the ability of getting any technical equipment or clothing. This was not expected but in the past few years almost all the outdoors equipment stores have shut down or cutback on their stock to the point one cannot even get glacier sun glasses or goggles. To compensate I have had to compile a last minute list of items to purchase and shortened my last work week in London.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Acclimatization Strategy, High Altitude Medicine
By: Dan Piccininni
Kamloops, BC
According to the Weather Network.
High of 31 C in Kathmandu
High of -3 C at EBC
Climb high, Sleep low. This is the mantra of all high altitude expeditions. The idea being that the more time you spend exposed to higher altitudes the better your body will perform in the decreased oxygen environment. The trick is not pushing your body too high too fast and giving yourself good recovery time back down at lower altitudes. There are some drugs (Diamox) which help your body acclimatize quicker by increasing your breathing rate and allowing your body to metabolize more of the available oxygen. The best way to stay healthy at altitude is drinking lots, eating well, getting good rest, and drinking some more. While you are hiking, it is important to keep a slow pace, and frequent stops (photo breaks). I can see this being one of the biggest challenges for me, as Dad will tell you, I tend to hike too fast in the mountains.
Our itinerary only climbs approximately 400 m/ day, which should be enough to let everyone acclimatize well, however we are making a fairly quick jump from pretty close to sea level, to Kathmandu, to Lukla. The first couple of days of trekking are shorter days, with less altitude gain to accomodate this.
We will spend 2 nights in both Namche Bazaar and Pheriche, to allow our bodies to rest and catch up to the altitude gain. My plans for these rest days, without having consulted our guides and assuming I'm feeling well, is to get in a really good breakfast, and then spend some time doing some short, easy hikes, up to other villages or attractions, trying to get up to higher altitudes while spending as little energy as possible, and being able to return to the same altitude from which I started. I think this will help along the way as we go to Base Camp, Kala Patthar, and the Cho-la pass. After these excursions, I'll go back to the village, enjoy some more food, and, of course, enjoy the scenery.
Kamloops, BC
According to the Weather Network.
High of 31 C in Kathmandu
High of -3 C at EBC
Climb high, Sleep low. This is the mantra of all high altitude expeditions. The idea being that the more time you spend exposed to higher altitudes the better your body will perform in the decreased oxygen environment. The trick is not pushing your body too high too fast and giving yourself good recovery time back down at lower altitudes. There are some drugs (Diamox) which help your body acclimatize quicker by increasing your breathing rate and allowing your body to metabolize more of the available oxygen. The best way to stay healthy at altitude is drinking lots, eating well, getting good rest, and drinking some more. While you are hiking, it is important to keep a slow pace, and frequent stops (photo breaks). I can see this being one of the biggest challenges for me, as Dad will tell you, I tend to hike too fast in the mountains.
Our itinerary only climbs approximately 400 m/ day, which should be enough to let everyone acclimatize well, however we are making a fairly quick jump from pretty close to sea level, to Kathmandu, to Lukla. The first couple of days of trekking are shorter days, with less altitude gain to accomodate this.
We will spend 2 nights in both Namche Bazaar and Pheriche, to allow our bodies to rest and catch up to the altitude gain. My plans for these rest days, without having consulted our guides and assuming I'm feeling well, is to get in a really good breakfast, and then spend some time doing some short, easy hikes, up to other villages or attractions, trying to get up to higher altitudes while spending as little energy as possible, and being able to return to the same altitude from which I started. I think this will help along the way as we go to Base Camp, Kala Patthar, and the Cho-la pass. After these excursions, I'll go back to the village, enjoy some more food, and, of course, enjoy the scenery.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Preparations continue...and background information on lukla
By: Dan Piccininni, Kamloops BC
Preparations are continuing. Only small details to finalize from my end...extra snacks to bring, batteries, camera memory, some small supplies to pick up. Dave says he's working on similar things back in Toronto.
My second bedroom has become a staging area for gear, its easy to lay stuff out, figure out what I need, what I don't, what extra 'luxuries' will add a little more comfort to the trip. We have to be ready for any kind of weather, from hot and humid ~30 degrees C. in Kathmandu, to well below freezing at night. On top of that we have to keep the total weight to under 15 kg (33 lbs)
Dave and I are flying out of Toronto, through London, Bahrain, and Kathmandu (Elevation approx 1400m), where we will meet up with the rest of the group, as well as our guides and porters. In Kathmandu, we will spend some time going over the game plan including acclimatization strategies as well as site-seeing around the city, including several important Hindu and Buddhist sites)
From Kathmandu, we will take a 45 minute flight on a Twin Otter to Lukla (2840 m) where we will begin trekking. The airstrip at Lukla was built in the 1960's by Sir Edmund Hilary and is the closest airstrip to Everest. Most trekking and climbing expeditions hike in from Lukla. Before this airstrip, you had to travel from Kathmandu to Jiri by road. and then hike through jungle to Lukla. This added an extra week of difficult trekking each way to an expedition. The flip side is that there is less acclimatization time flying directly into Lukla.
The airstrip at Lukla is located in a narrow valley, is only 350 m long, and is inclined at a grade of 10 degrees, allowing the planes to stop quickly. From all accounts I've heard, landing in Lukla is a fairly unnerving experience. I will let you know if having this knowledge will make it any less so.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
17 days until departure
By: Dan Piccininni, Kamloops, BC.
I decided to start this up so that everyone can follow (hopefully) our trek to Everest Base Camp. I'm not sure how much it will get updated during the 3.5 weeks that we're over there, but I was bored at work today and figured why not?
So to fill everyone in: It is a 21 day trek starting from Lukla, up to EBC, then over to the Gokyo lakes. There are seven of us in the group. Mike Ferrara, from the University of Georgia, who has done most of the work putting the group together and researching the trip, his two kids Megan and Nick, Ron Courson also from UGA, and Mary Donahue. My Bro, Dave Wharrie and I will represent Canada. Dad has been an invaluable resource for trip planning and research from the beginning, and neither Dave nor I would be going, or feel as prepared without his help.
We are trekking with Above the Himalaya Trekking company, which is a Nepalese owned and run company. http://www.nepalhimalayatrek.com/ We just found out this week that our guide will be Shyam Shahi.
A lot of the preparation I have been doing in the last couple of days has been mental preparation. I have been going over checklists for gear, and last minute things to do before departure. I have also been following a number of the dispatches from the various climbing expedition teams already at Base camp. Most of the climbers arrived at BC last week and are now beginning their acclimatization cycles. It has been inspiring to follow these stories and learn about life at base camp, as well as to hear about some of the big players in the high altitude climbing world. There are 500 climbers on the south side of Everest this year, and if my math is right, and the mountain is friendly to those on it, we should arrive at basecamp around the same time as teams are making summit bids.
I decided to start this up so that everyone can follow (hopefully) our trek to Everest Base Camp. I'm not sure how much it will get updated during the 3.5 weeks that we're over there, but I was bored at work today and figured why not?
So to fill everyone in: It is a 21 day trek starting from Lukla, up to EBC, then over to the Gokyo lakes. There are seven of us in the group. Mike Ferrara, from the University of Georgia, who has done most of the work putting the group together and researching the trip, his two kids Megan and Nick, Ron Courson also from UGA, and Mary Donahue. My Bro, Dave Wharrie and I will represent Canada. Dad has been an invaluable resource for trip planning and research from the beginning, and neither Dave nor I would be going, or feel as prepared without his help.
We are trekking with Above the Himalaya Trekking company, which is a Nepalese owned and run company. http://www.nepalhimalayatrek.com/ We just found out this week that our guide will be Shyam Shahi.
A lot of the preparation I have been doing in the last couple of days has been mental preparation. I have been going over checklists for gear, and last minute things to do before departure. I have also been following a number of the dispatches from the various climbing expedition teams already at Base camp. Most of the climbers arrived at BC last week and are now beginning their acclimatization cycles. It has been inspiring to follow these stories and learn about life at base camp, as well as to hear about some of the big players in the high altitude climbing world. There are 500 climbers on the south side of Everest this year, and if my math is right, and the mountain is friendly to those on it, we should arrive at basecamp around the same time as teams are making summit bids.
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