It All Starts with a Single Step

Return to Kathmandu

2005-09-01T11:28:00.000-07:00

The rest as they say, is history. It took us one day to get down to Lama, another day to get back to Syabrubesi, and yet another with a long jeep ride back to KTM. And for those who are wondering, the climb down was just as hard as the climb up.

There's nothing like checking-in to a 5-star hotel after a gruelling 10-day trek.

This trip was an amazing, incredible and wonderful experience. I've never had an experience where I was completely outside my element, managing to work myself back in, and finding out later that I was outside again!

And the journey was so much more fun thanks to the excellent company.

Our friend Romy went on to climb Cho Oyu - 8,200m - you can read his story here.

Would I do the same thing again? Probably not. Will I recommend it to others? Absolutely.

90% Mental

2005-08-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

I woke up at 12 midnight with a thumping headache... heart rate was at 15 bp10s - my poor heart! It must have been slaving away all night. I stayed up for another hour or so to try and get it under control. I think it was at this point that I told Romy and LA that "I now officially feel like shit".

Doesn't it make you wonder why these mountaineers keep climbing mountains?

At 3am "Biker" (one of our guides) woke us up with breakfast. I was clearly in no shape to join the assault but I did manage to gulp down all the stuff they gave us to eat. Food seemed to be yummier up here.

4am, on schedule, the expedition promptly took off for the final assault. I wished them luck, and dropped back to sleep.

An amazing thing happened four and a half hours later as I woke up to Yaks breying (er. growling? rawr) in the hillside. While I was asleep, all the clouds snuck away, and what was left was a breath-taking 360-degree view of the grand snow-capped mountains surrounding the Langtang valley.

Too bad I didn't have a camera. Ha!

It was so nice and so peaceful up there, all alone with nothing but empty blue sky and those giants towering over you.

Later that day, I missed Ching so much I ran 5 hours down, resting for only a quick snack at Kyangin before continuing on to Langtang. It felt so nice to be in her arms again!

Yala Base Camp push

2005-08-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

Today is the day!!! Having stocked up on food and water the previous night I woke up today in good spirits. Tonight will be the first (and only) night to sleep in a tent. And there would be no more tea house comfort rooms to do business in - at least for the next 2 days.

Trek pants - check. Trek shirt - check. Rain jacket - check. Boots - check. Backpack - check. Trek poles - check.

I'm ready!!!

We set off at a blistering pace and covered a lot of ground in the first 2 hours. Keep up with Josaw, keep up with Josaw. Time to give it my all - no more conservation needed (or so I thought). We rested easy at the half-way point. I think the Sherpa was surprised at my show of energy this morning.

And I paid for it... at the end of the 3rd hour I was dead. Romy and Josaw and LA had to literally drag me to base camp that final 4th hour of trekking. (Technically it was pushing since they were behind me) Apparently I hit a wall after 3+ hours of medium-to-high exertion.

This is a picture of me at base camp AFTER having had lunch and AFTER recovering for at least 2 hours. When we first got to base camp and everyone was setting up the tents I couldn't even move to let them stick the tent stakes in the proper location. It was very exhausting. But thrilling! I couldn't help wish that I was more fit.

I can still remember how my legs wouldn't move. They just refused to obey my brain.

The guys and I passed the time away taking photos of the surrounding country side, making sure we caught TheNorthFace logos printed on our gear for selling to TNF later on. Josaw - who was deathly afraid of the cold - went back to Kyangin shortly after lunch. You have got to admire this girl though, she hardly broke a sweat the past 10 days. I was pretty sure she could have made it to Yala peak if she wanted to.

Up at 4,400m but too cloudy to see anything. I couldn't wait for the weather to clear...

Glacier hunt

2005-08-26T10:16:00.000-07:00

I woke up with my heart rate at 150bps, and feeling really weak. Looks like the meditation last night was not enough. Trouble!!! Good thing today was a rest day. Romy and Josaw were nice enough to serve me breakfast in bed. I forced myself to finish the tiny cup of noodle soup, drank a liter of water, and jumped into my trek gear for the all-important acclimitization trip to the nearby glacier (kala ko ba rest day...).

I managed to get as far as the half-way mark at 4,000m (see pic above) at which point I decided to call it quits. It might not be obvious, but I was too tired to move when they took the picture. I rested for a few minutes in the Yak-cheese maker's hut before heading back down.

Ching and the rest of the gang continued to pursue the glacier for another hour and a half, complete with a daring raging river crossing. They were not able to catch the glacier but eventually climbed up to 4,400m.

Langtang Village

2005-08-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

We made Langtang village yesterday after a solid 6 hours of trekking - that was another completely wet day. I guess one of those expensive Goretex jackets would have come in handy. We had to dry our clothes in the common room, which had the huge heater, but also unfortunately a lot of smoke. I'm glad my shirt was not permanently damaged but I did have to endure the smell for the rest of the trip.

Also having reached 3,500m, it was my first encounter with AMS. The headache simply wouldn't go away. It was not debilitating in itself but it gets very annoying when you have to breathe harder due to less O2 in the air. I managed to get my heart rate down to 7 bp10s through meditation/controlled breathing. That night was tough... (but nothing compared to base camp)

The pictures above show Langtang the morning after - with much nicer weather - as we set off for Kyangin Gomba.

And we're off!!!

2005-08-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

We set off for the first day of trekking. We were all suited up, backpack with hydration bladder ready, trek poles in hand.

It was tough work earning our lunch with 4 hours of steep ascent. We enjoyed half an hour of local soap opera drama as two teahouse owners shouted at each other across the valley -- loudly, passionately, incessantly. I think they were fighting about one trying to steal customers away from the other. Life moves on...

As we hit the wet, dark trail again... we also hit some limatics. Fun! That's one way to give anybody incentive to finish yet another 4 hours of wet arduous trekking. It was so traumatic I even dreamt about the wriggling, slimy little critters that night.

We hit Lama hotel, dead-tired, soaking wet and a bit bloody. =)

Prep List

2005-08-04T00:44:00.000-07:00

1. Complete diagnostic - done (8/14/2005 ran 10km, walked 13km)
2. Book flights - done (8/12/2005)
3. Finish shopping - done (8/19/2005 9:17PM)
4. Finish packing
5. Climb!

Links

2005-06-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

5,895m	Kilimanjaro	Africa	1A	[LINK]
6,959m	Aconcagua	South America	1C	[LINK]
5,642m	Elbrus	Europe	2A	[LINK]
5,500m	Yala	Nepal	-
5,544m	Everest Base Camp	Nepal	-	[LINK]
8,201m	Cho Oyu	Tibet	4E	[LINK]
8,850m	Everest	Nepal	4E	[LINK]

http://chooyuclimbforacause.blogspot.com
http://experiencenepal2005.blogspot.com

Training Plan

2005-06-28T20:49:00.000-07:00

Prep, for the trek, just do long walk exercise with 10kg backpack (but you'll only carry 4-5kg there). 4-6 hrs.

Ako I do high-way walking :) so I can cover long distances... running can help cardio, as well as long swimming. Biking is better kasi longer (4-8hr range). Best is hiking around Singapore ;) habaan nyo nalang...

So, targets for July 2005 are:

10km run twice a week
2km swim once a week
80km hike once a week

Key Milestones

2005-06-28T18:20:00.000-07:00

2006	Everest Base Camp	17,400 ft
	Cho Oyu	26,906 ft
August 28, 2005	Yala Peak	17,998 ft
August 27, 2005	Daytrip from Kanjin Gomba	12,467 ft (last village)
August 21, 2005	Arrive in Kathmandu

Adventure Tour in Langtang Region, Nepal

2005-06-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

Adventure Tour in Langtang Region, Nepal
August 2005

Day	Trekking Itinerary Trip price: 495$	Yala Peak Climb Itinerary Trip price: 895$
0	Arrival in Kathmandu (Aug21)	-
1	Drive to Syabrubesi, 2130m; 7hrs	-
2	Trek to Lama hotel (Chongong), 2380m 6h	-
3	Trek to Langtang village, 3500m 6h	-
4	Trek to Kyangin Gomba, 3800m 5h	-
5	Rest day, or explore nearby glacier	-
6	Explore nearby glacier or Yak Kharka (4160m) , back to Gomba	Climb to Yala BC, 4000m 6h?
7	Trek down to Langtang	Summit (5486m) and back to BC or Kyangin Gomba (10-12h)
8	Trek down to Lama Hotel	Trek down Lama hotel (from Gomba)
9	Trek down Syabrubesi	-
10	Drive back to KTM (Aug31)	-
*	Fly back home or extend trip	-

Trip price includes all hotel/camping, food, permits, guide and porters (?tbc) from KTM to KTM.

It excludes airfare, personal equipment/gears, and KTM hotel/food.

Recommended additional gear/s:
• Trekking poles. This helps reduce knee strain when going down, and helps avoid muscle fatigue when going up. 2 pieces recommended, although 1 is already of big help. Can be rented in KTM.
• Waterproof and breathable jackets. Ex. Goretex fabric. With hood, side pockets, full-frontal zippers. Popular brands: The North Face, Patagonia, Columbia, LL Bean, Millet, etc.
• 10Li Small backpack. For carrying water, snack (Energy bars), camera, extra jacket.
• Light hiking boots, or trekking shoes. Boots help support ankles especially when going down. Trail shoes are lighter, more comfortable but have less ankle support. Waterproof/Breathable (ex. Goretex) types is recommended.
• Balaclava or Bonnet for head protection (available in KTM). Sun hats, dark glasses, sun creams (UPF 35+). Light fleece gloves (cheap in KTM).