Author Archives: TA Loeffler

After yesterday’s big day, today’s hike to Loboche was a little more user friendly. We climbed back up to the saddle above Dingboche to the small stupa and then descended a wee bit to the gently sloping peat covered bench … Continue reading →

TA Latitude:27.94838 Longitude:86.81049 GPS location Date/Time:04/23/2016 04:41:31 NDT Message:Everest 3.0: This is TA’s location on Everest. Send warm wishes & good thoughts. To the summit & safe return! Click the link below to see where I am located. http://fms.ws/WLllg/27.94838N/86.81049E If … Continue reading →

Today’s trek up Nagarsang was hard. Really hard. But good. In the end. Today reminded me of the quote, “High altitude climbing is like hitting your head against the wall, they both feel good when you stop.” We had breakfast … Continue reading →

After our Puja with Lama Geshe, we trekked from Pangboche to Dingboche. We’ve left the trees behind and small scrubs dot the landscape. Stone walls mark pastures and fields. Along the way we were treated to our fourth view of … Continue reading →

Today was a day of blessings and memories. In the picture above, Lama Geshe is tying a protection cord around my neck. The red cord, which is called a sungdi in the Sherpa language, has a special knot that Lama … Continue reading →

TA Latitude:27.89210 Longitude:86.82850 GPS location Date/Time:04/21/2016 06:07:37 NDT Message:Everest 3.0: This is TA’s location on Everest. Send warm wishes & good thoughts. To the summit & safe return! Click the link below to see where I am located. http://fms.ws/WI7NX/27.89210N/86.82850E If … Continue reading →

This was the view of Everest that greeted us as we rounded the corner from Namche. Three days in a row. It’s getting a lite closer each day. Everest was the biggest thing I saw today but I also saw … Continue reading →

TA Latitude:27.85419 Longitude:86.78998 GPS location Date/Time:04/20/2016 09:35:51 NDT Message:Everest 3.0: This is TA’s location on Everest. Send warm wishes & good thoughts. To the summit & safe return! Click the link below to see where I am located. http://fms.ws/WGOvX/27.85419N/86.78998E If … Continue reading →

This was an active acclimatization day meaning we hiked up from Namche to an elevation of about 3884 meters. As you can see from the picture, the hike brought us another amazing view of Everest. We could also see Lhotse … Continue reading →

I realized I didn’t include a significant moment from today in my earlier update and I can’t wait until tomorrow to share it so please forgive the multiple posts. We saw Everest for the first time on this trip today. … Continue reading →

TA Latitude:27.80412 Longitude:86.70988 GPS location Date/Time:04/18/2016 07:23:21 NDT Message:Everest 3.0: This is TA’s location on Everest. Send warm wishes & good thoughts. To the summit & safe return! Click the link below to see where I am located. http://fms.ws/WCU1T/27.80412N/86.70988E If … Continue reading →

This update is sponsored by the letter, N. As I hiked towards the Namche Hill (the first major hill of the trek), I contemplated the similarities between Newfoundlanders & Labradorians and Nepalis. I see great strength, resilience, and ability to … Continue reading →

This was the scene I was trying to describe during the last part of my audio update. How did I do? We landed in Lukla about 8:00 am and stopped in for a cup of coffee while waiting for our … Continue reading →

This is the plane I came close to flying in today. It’s a new plane on the block with a new Nepali airline called Goma Air. Unfortunately, the weather never cleared at Lukla, so I didn’t get to learn what … Continue reading →

Today’s update is sponsored by the letter P. My Sherpa name is Pherba. I was born on a Thursday. Have you discovered what name you might have been called if you were born into Sherpa culture? I heard that the … Continue reading →

I was asking Raj about the Nepali calendar since today is the first day of the new year 2073. If you look on the calendar above, you will see a small red Nepali number; it is the number one. Those … Continue reading →

After 24 hours in the travel bardo, I was spit out in Kathmandu without bags and sat phone. The bags have since arrived but I’m really not sure if the sat phone ever will. Let’s just say I had some … Continue reading →

TA Latitude:27.71095 Longitude:85.32435 GPS location Date/Time:04/12/2016 03:52:03 NDT Message:Everest 3.0: This is TA’s location on Everest. Send warm wishes & good thoughts. To the summit & safe return! Click the link below to see where I am located. http://fms.ws/V_ysD/27.71095N/85.32435E If … Continue reading →