Nepal Travel Log (Part II)
(Click on photos for a better look!)
10/14/99 Khunde- Khunde Ridge (13,480 ft.)-Khunde
We had our first great visibility day up here. The clouds were high and scattered so we had awesome views of the surrounding peaks. We started out the day with a long hike up the ridge to the west of Khunde the last 200 ft was a steep scramble to the top. On the other side was a series of cliffs and an expansive view of the Thame area and the Nganpo Tsangpo river valley. After we reached the high point on the hike, we turned down the ridge and traversed across a boulder field that fills the southern lip of the Khunde-Khumjung valley. This also was great fun and the kids enjoyed the rock climbing but not the thorns amidst the rocks.
We have decided to head up to Gokyo tomorrow for a 5 night trek. We have to pack tonight and will hire porter for the trip. Hopefully the weather will hold while we are on the trail. The patients from yesterday have done well the lady with a-flutter has stayed in sinus rhythm and the CHF patient is holding his own.
10/15/99 Khunde to Dole (13,480 ft.)
Started our trek up the Gokyo valley. The trail crossed the villages of Khunde and Khumjung the wrapped around a steep side of the mountain. Instead of the usual trail we took the Sherpa trail up- a steep flight of winding stairs with a precipitous drop off. Then we were high the side of the mountain overlooking the Tengboche area and the valley leading to the Khumbu valley. We continued to climb to a pass at 13,000 ft. where we had lunch. After that pass, we dropped 1000 ft to the Phortse bridge then back up 1400 to Dole. The fall colors were beautiful as we climbed out of the valley to the ridgeline. It was a very long day, especially carrying a full pack. The kids excelled again, not nearly affected like we were. We are now staying in the Yeti Inn- really crowded so we barely got a room.
10/16/99 Dole to Machermo (14,540 ft)
Brr...We started from Dole at 8 am for our short day to Machermo. The clouds slowly moved in during our 2 hour climb to the high point of our trip. We arrived in Machermo to find tht the nice lodge was already full so we settled into a dorm style lodge with some Aussies and assorted other trekkers. We huddled into the smoky kitchen as the snow began to fall. It is downright cold so all the layers have come on. Don't think we will get to Gokyo unless the weather is clear tomorrow. The sun appears to try to break through during the snow but to no avail.
We all surpassed our personal elevation records today (14,700
ft). Everyone is feeling well because of the slow process we took
to acclimatize. The kids seem to do the best with lots of extra
energy at the end of the day. We may climb a bit more if the
weather clears today. 
10/17/99 Machermo to Gokyo (15,900 ft.) to Machermo.
Today we did a spectacular day hike up to Gokyo with great views in the morning on our way up and at Gokyo itself. It was a three hour hike up with a slow steady climb with only a few stairs. The kids did very well until they burned off their breakfast and really slowed down. We passed by the first 3 lakes of the chain that run alongside the glacial moraine. Once in the village, I took a short but slow climb up to the glacial moraine and captured several nice photos of Cho Oyu. The clouds began to move in from the valley by mid-day so our return hike was in the breezy, cold clouds.
10/18/99 Machermo to Khunde (12,700 ft.)
What a day of hiking- all the way from Machermo to Khunde in one long day. We started out in the cold snowy morning in a whiteout and hiked down the muddy trail to Phortse Trangma by the Dudh Kosi river. Then we had a 1100 ft. climb to Mong La pass before heading down to Khunde. The clouds have swallowed up the mountains today and look heavy with precipitation. We arrived in Khunde just as the rain/snow started.
10/19/99 Khunde
Cold, snowy then finally heavy rain. Jim's birthday today with lots of guests who have come in locally and from Canada and the UK. We are laying low until the weather improves. Started to work with Jim and Rach on the ultrasound training today on an OB patient. We hope to get several patients scanned before I leave so the can be familiar with the machine and the basics of a level 1 scan. Sure hope the sun comes out soon.
10/20/99 Khunde
Three inches of new snow fell over night and we are stuck indoors with little to do. No patients have shown up so far and you wonder how many are caught up the valleys where it is colder and snowier. We really need a break in the weather, especially with the rain and snow. The family from Canada has several kids that are Daniel's and Kristin's age so they have some playmates today. Off to the Khumjung bakery for lunch.
After lunch the weather continued to be poor but we were able
to convince our hostess to start the fire in the teahouse. This
led to an afternoon of cards and Monopoly watching the snow melt
as the clouds slowly lifted. At about 7 PM, we stepped outside to
see the moon shining over the massive peaks around Khunde and a
cloudless sky.
10/21/99 Khunde
The kids and I spent the day around the Khunde valley while Peg and Bryn took off for Tengboche. It was truly a spectacular day with amazing views. Spent time doing laundry and seeing patients in between. Diagnosis today included GC and r/o pericarditis on a soldier who had pericarditis/myocarditis post-malaria, and a porter with an acute MCL. Our interesting case yesterday was a case of acute thyroiditis in a trekker. Actually had a tender gland with mild erythema. Can't wait to see the photos from today.
10/22/99 Khunde
The day started with a flurry of laundry and homework in the
bright sun of another amazingly clear morning. In clinic, one of
the first patients from Thamo was a lady who had been gored by
her yak yesterday. She had a large curved gash over her left
cheek and lip. She had used some sort of stone and paste to
"clean" the wound. Even though the wound was more than
18 hours old, we needed to attempt to close it. I worked with
Geyse the assistant and 
guided him through the repair. When we were
done, it looked great. After that we hiked to out of Khunde and
had a splendid lunch at the Everest View Hotel that is high on a
ridge just outside Khumjung. In the afternoon clinic, we did one
ultrasound training session on a 31 wk primip.
After the day was done, we had pizza with Jim and Rachel and the rest of the crew. Jim pulled out his slides of his recent Xixipangma climb which were quite stunning. Looked like a very climbable 8000m peak -if you like that sort of thing... (Everest - in photo on the left.)
10/23/99 Khunde to Namche (11,420 ft.)
Yet another cold but beautifully clear morning. Got an early start and headed down to Namche to see the Saturday Market with traders from Tibet and all over the Khumbu. We purchased a few things after haggling with the merchants. Normally expect to bargain down 30% below the asking price. We placed our stuff into the Kala Patar lodge for our night in Namche before descending to the valley. We all hope it warms up a lot 2000 feet lower. We have had at least 7 nights with temps below freezing. The weather pattern looks good so far for leaving Lukla at our scheduled time.
10/24/99 Namche to Phakding (9060 ft)
We started early n the morning along with about a quarter of the population of trekkers and porters in the Namche area. The trails were loaded with "dzopyoks" and people most of the way down. We made excellent time since it was all downhill other than the stretch from Monjo to Phakding which has a series of small ups and downs. The best part of the day was the pleasant temperatures and the breeze moving up the valley as we climbed down.
The experience of seeing the patient gored by the dzopyo made us all a bit more attentive and cautious when passing the long trains of these pack animals. The drivers are also very cautious, especially with the surly ones that they own.
Had my first bout with the runs today- most likely the lukewarm-rewarmed curry I had last night. It has only been a short burst so to speak. I'll keep my fingers and legs crossed.
10/25/99 Phakding to Lukla (9350 ft.)
Another chilly morning as the wind pours downs the Dudh Kosi valley from the Kumbu. We had the usual for breakfast as it seems that our tolerance for the fare t the teahouses is rapidly fading. We are all having food fantasies every meal now except for Kristin who could care less about eating.
The hike from Phakding was with less energy than normal- I think everyone is thinking that after 100 miles of trekking, why bounce up the last stretch? It also was mostly uphill as we climbed up the valley wall on the eastside to the relative plateau where Lukla sits. The town is crowded and the open sewers make it smell like KTH. It is another beautifully clear day so we climbed up to a nice lodge to have drinks on their patio overlooking the airstrip that drops off into oblivion. Our flight should be early tomorrow and then we return to the bustling streets of KTH.
10/26/99 Lukla to KTH (4260 ft.)
We were up early in Lukla to get our bags packed and checked for our flight. The flights came in groups of 3-4 planes starting about 9 AM. The turn around time was amazing- about 7 minutes between landing and takeoff. Throw off the passengers and bags, then toss on the outgoing passengers and bags. Once loaded, the plane would move out of the small holding area to the top of the sloped airstrip. The pilots floored the engines, released the brakes then rolled down the hill until they has enough speed to get lift. We were treatd with a fairly clear flight with veiws of many of the peaks of the Himalayas and the scattered mountain villages all the way back to KTH.
Kathmandu was very pleasant temperature wise- the lack of rain in the last 5 days made it much more pleasant smelling! We strolled around the Thamel area looking at carpets and gifts for family and friends. We also enjoyed the wide variety of foods available instead of eggs and dal bhat. Finally, sleeping in bed with clean sheets after a shower in not so clean water made for a nice final touch for the day.
10/27/99 KTH-Bhaktapur-KTH
We took a tour today of Kathmandu and the old city of Bhaktapur about 18 km eastward. The architecture- mostly carved wood accents around windows and medieval looking structures. We went thru several large Bhuddist and Hindu temples, then paroused the wares along the old brick herringbone streets. In KTH, we went to the Hindi burial site and watched them burn some bodies with snake charmers luring the crowds in along the way. The kids were fascinated by the public display of the burials. In the afternoon we went to one of the Tibetan rug factories and saw the women working away on huge rugs. After a fitful day in the van enduring the crazy driving habits of the Nepalis, I was glad to get back to the hotel to walk around the Thamel again.
10/28/99 KTH
Last day in Kathmandu. Another pleasant weather day and we have spent much of it shopping around spending our last rupees. Our team T-shirts are just about completed so we will have them to wear tomorrow. We will be quit a sight. So in the morning we will be up at 5 AM and out the door by 5:20 to get to the airport on time. The trip has been a great success- I think we will have fond memories of his month and remember those who we met in Kunde and other villages quite clearly. But I am sure many of them wonder why we have come all the way to see their country, walk their trails and eat their food. But I will always remember the warmth of their smiles and hard working nature that is evident in much of our experience, nestled in the greatest mountains of the world.
