Alpine Ascents: Island Peak & Kala Pattar

We had another wonderful day today hiking to Namche Bazaar. We saw our first views of Everest and Lhotse, it is hard to describe how grand it is. Everyone made it up the Namche hill with no problems. I have not even a headache to report so far. We arrived by noon which gave us time to shower, hand over some laundry, and explore downtown Namche. We are having a great time, and we are looking forward to traveling to Thame tomorrow. We will keep you posted. Lots of Love to our friends and family. Happy Birthday Brent! Namaste! Winslow

Bridge over the Dudh Khosi

Everest and Lhotse on the trail to Namche

10/13/07
We have a team name! We are team "Better Late than nEverest"!! The day began with a very greatful, but extremely packed helicopter ride. Some of us in the back had six inches between our noses and the seat in front of us, and it was a group initiative getting everyone on board. After a safe landing we rejoiced our arrival to Lukla. I have been impressed with this group as they have embraced the Buddhist philosophy of accepting what you have and letting go of what you have not! In addition, all the time, seeing the bright side of things inspite of a four day delay.

Here are two quotes of the day: "This is the most beautiful inhabited place I have ever seen!!" and " YEAH!!!"

The team has been thoroughly moved by many things including the neatly tended fields, the colorfully painted houses, the abundant flowers, and the beautiful smiling children. Animals that we encountered today include two monkeys, several dogs, multicolored chickens, a snake, yaks, horses, goats, and cows. We hope to see the Yeti on our journey to come. I should mention as well that we are not going hungry, as we have had five fabulous meals today. Namaste!!

View at Dhulikhel

Kids in the Khumbu

Hiking along the Dudh Khosi River

Bridge to Namche

Lukla airport with our Helicopter in the background

In the Heli

10/12/07: This is from both groups as we are now on the same schedule. It has been another crazy day trying to fly to Lukla today. We left Dhulikhel mountain resort this morning and camp straight to the airport. We played many games such as dodge ball, keep away, and hacky sac. Then we did yoga in the parking lot, and then we played some cards and read our books. We had lunch, and we are still waiting. We have chartered a helicopter, and we should be boarding in a few minutes, so hopefully we can land tonight and begin our trek. Everyone is holding up well considering the amount of waiting we have endured. Yesterday we were able to do some sight seeing and shopping, and then had a wonderful journey into the countryside for the evening. Hopefully the next cybercast will be from Lukla or Phakding in the Khumbu. Namaste!

10/11/07
Hello friends and family, We are still in Kathmandu on a delay of two days now. There may have been a problem with the first cybercast as I have not seen it posted. So I will announce again the team members consisting of 10 climbers and 3 trekkers: Al Aldrich, Linda Comeau, Sam Casoria, David Meston, Elaine Cidzick, Geoff Heigh, Dave Haag, Al Hinrichsen, Bruce Hinrichsen, Todd Vieregg, Tim Archer, Vic Pedersen, Jaye George, and myself Winslow Passey We flew toward Lukla on the 9th and ended up landing on a beautiful plateau in a town called Rumjatar. We had tea and biscuits, and returned to Lukla as the clouds socked in the runway. It was described by one from Lukla as so bad that the crows couldn’t get off the ground. We felt fortunate for this scenic flight and country tour, but then we spent the rest of the day in the airport only to return to the Yak & Yeti. The group has become quite proficient at packing and unpacking. We are starting to recognize all the airport staff, and we have given out copious amounts of baggage tips. The airport highlight was the cart races with the Australians and the South Africans. We are happy to announce that we won, and have Geoff (the pusher) and Dave (the rider) to thank for this success. Many members enjoyed bargaining in Thamel for gifts this afternoon while others enjoyed the poolside at the hotel. We had a lovely dinner this evening in an outdoor garden setting with live Nepali music and dancing. We celebrated Allen's birthday (from the other group) as well. We will head back to the airport in the morning for round three, with the other group on round two, so we are hoping for good weather. More news to come , hopefully from Phakding which is where we will spend our first night in the Khumbu. Namaste! Winslow

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