Expedition Itinerary Plan for Day 6:
We follow a delightful descending trail across three ridges, before dropping steeply down to the Hinku River and a final uphill to Gotay (3600m). Camp.
Fun Fact of the Day
DID YOU KNOW?
Archaeological evidence shows that Neolithic humans moved into the Himalayas at least 9,000 years ago.
Today’s Activity
Puzzle Relay (Spelling):
Purpose: To get students active before the main lesson while also getting them to think and strategize, incorporating different tasks at once.
Materials needed: Cut outs of the letters “EVEREST”, “MOUNTAIN”, “CLIMBING”, “FROSTBITE”, or other words of similar length which relate to Mount Everest, 4 pylons/ markers to show where the groups line up.
Activity Description:
– Each group will have one word which they will have to unscramble (the group will not know what their word is before hand)
– In groups of 4-5, have students lined up (single file behind their pylons)
– Each group will have a set of letters located directly across from them
– On go, the first person in line will run towards their letters, and bring back ONE letter.
– The next person in line will do the same, until each letter has been returned to the group
– Once all the letters have been brought back the group can begin trying to unscramble their letters to put together their given word.
– The game does not end until each word has been completed (encourage students to help other groups to finish their words!!!)
What kinds of strategies did you use? Why do you think this worked? Did you enjoy the activity? Is everyone warmed up?
Expedition Itinerary Plan for Day 5:
A long day mostly uphill to cross the Zatrwa La (4600m) and descend to Tuli Kharka a high pasture above the Hinku valley. Camp (4320m).
Fun Fact of the Day
DID YOU KNOW?
Nepal experiences a monsoon season which runs from the end of June to mid September during which 80% of the annual rain falls.
Today’s Activity
Human Knot:
– If the group is really big, split them into smaller groups. Too many people in a human knot can make the activity extremely difficult. Groups of 10-12 are ideal.
– Arrange group members in a circle, standing shoulder to shoulder.
– Tell everyone to put their right hand up in the air, and then grab the hand of someone across the circle from them.
– Everyone then puts their left hand up in the air and grabs the hand of a different person.
– Check to make sure that everyone is holding the hands of two different people and that they are not holding hands with someone directly next to them.
– Tell group members to untangle themselves to make a circle without breaking the chain of hands.
– If group members break the chain they need to start over.
How could you make the activity harder? How could you make it easier? Why is communication so important?
TA
Latitude:27.64176
Longitude:86.77614
GPS location Date/Time:04/19/2013 08:41:35 NDT
Message:Peaks and Passes: This is TA and her team’s location on their Mera Peak to Island Peak Expedition in Nepal…
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Expedition Itinerary Plan for Day 4:
Acclimatization day. We make a trek up to around 4000 metres giving views over the Dudh Khosi Valley and across to the Atwra La pass. We return to Chutanga. Camp.
Fun Fact of the Day
DID YOU KNOW?
While the predominant religion is reported to be Hindu in Nepal (approximately 80 percent of population), much of the population openly par take in both Hindu and Buddhist practices, with no emphasis or discrimination as to what religion one technically belongs to. Thus, Nepal has become known for its high degree of religious tolerance.
Today’s Activity
Avalanche Tag:
Materials Needed: None
Activity Description:
– Select 1 student to be “it”, have them stand in the center of the gymnasium
– The rest of the class is lined across one end line of the general space
– The task of the students is to avoid the human “avalanche” located in the center of the gym and try to make it to safety on the other side
– On go, students must run to the other side of the gym without being touched by the “avalanche”
– If they are tagged, they must stand exactly where they were tagged, and help the “avalanche” in catching people.
– The other “avalanches”, however, can not move their feet.
– The game ends when everyone has been tagged.
Expedition Itinerary Plan for Day 3:
A short and easy day of trekking off the beaten track, up through thinning forest to the grazing area of Chutanga (3050m). Camp.
Fun Fact of the Day
DID YOU KNOW?
Nepali, a branch of the Indo European language, is the native language spoken by nearly two thirds of the population and is the official language of Nepal.
Today’s Activity
Stuck in the Ice:
Purpose: To get the students active.
Materials: None
Activity Description: This tag game works much like the tag game bridge tag. To start the game, choose three to five taggers. They act as freezers. When a tagger freezes another student, he or she must freeze into the ice in a manner in which other students can crawl under them. Once a student crawls under the frozen person who is ‘stuck in the ice” they are no longer frozen and are free to return into the game.
TA
Latitude:27.67136
Longitude:86.75940
GPS location Date/Time:04/17/2013 07:48:24 NDT
Message:Peaks and Passes: This is TA and her team’s location on their Mera Peak to Island Peak Expedition in Nepal…
Click the link below to see where I am located.
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TA
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Every day is an Adventure. Share Yours.
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Here is a picture of some dzous. They are a cross between a yak and a cow for use in lower elevations where yaks can’t survive. They are used to carry both gear for Trekkers as well as supplies for villages.
Junko Tabei from Japan was the first woman to summit Mount Everest. Here is a picture of Everest she signed for the owners of the Sherpa Lodge here in Lukla. She is one of my heroes.
Before heading off, I also wanted to say a special hello to the some of the Grade Four classes at Bishop Abraham School, Rennies River Elementary School and to Students at C.C. Loughlin School. I’m so glad you’ll be along for the journey.
Below is the menu sign at Yakdonald’s in Lukla. This morning, we had porridge, eggs, and toast for breakfast.
The real heroes of this experience will be our trekking staff: Climbing sherpas, porters, cook and kitchen staff. They will facilitate our experience through their very hard work. Having been on many expeditions where I have carried loads, I so appreciate their efforts. They open the mountain trekking and climbing experience to those who couldn’t carry on their own. And in turn, we provide employment and livelihood to all the Nepali staff who accompany us.
Sherpa refers both to a cultural group of people who live in the Solu-Khumbu as well as the job of assisting climbing expeditions. Many climbing sherpas are Sherpa but not always.
Our sirdar, Phendan Sherpa, has summitted Everest six times. The sirdar runs all of the logistics of the expedition and supervises the staff. Our two guides are Tom and Neil, both from England. We have nine climbers on the team: five men and four women. Members hail from the UK, USA, and Canada.
Today we leave the comfort and ease of Lukla and head up and up and up. Catch you next from 3050 metres.
On the picture below, our porters are taking our trek bags away to organize loads. Each porter will carry two people’s camping gear.
Thanks for all your comments and questions today. Sorry I couldn’t respond to them all individually. It’s pretty cool that there is wireless in Lukla but I’m on a very small handheld typing with one finger. So keep asking and I’ll try to answer in audio updates if the tech cooperates. We appreciate having you along. I read all your comments to the team.
I thought you would enjoy this sign from a Lukla restaurant. They serve yak burgers. We had delicious dhal baht for dinner tonight as a special welcome dinner.
Expedition Itinerary Plan for Day 2:
An early start for the dramatic flight through the mountains to Lukla (2840m). We spend the remainder of the day resting and acclimatizing. We stay in a tea house.
Fun Fact of the Day
DID YOU KNOW?
Nepal has eight of the world’s 10 tallest mountains including the tallest Mount Everest, as well as over 240 peaks standing over 6000 meters.
Today’s Activity
Yeti Tag:
Purpose: To get the students active while learning to avoid obstacles.
Materials needed: None
Activity Description:
– Select a group of kids (4-5) to start as “Yeti’s”, they have the power to “Yetify” the other players by tagging them.
– Yeti’s must move around the gymnasium by walking only
– The other students must run to avoid them
– When a player is tagged, that student is now a Yeti. The game ends when everyone has become a Yeti.
On the trails in Nepal you share the trail with many folks and beasts. The Grade Fours at HTE asked if I had seen any animals so far. We’ve seen horses, dzous (cross between yak and cow), lots of dogs and chickens, and a few goats.
Here Marian is spinning a prayer wheel along side the trail in Lukla. They are filled with prayers/intentions that get released to the universe when spun. They are spun clockwise with the right hand.
Hello from Lukla,
Despite some low cloud cover in KTM, we were able to fly to Lukla today. A different start to a trek in that we are staying in Lukla tonight and heading to 3000 meters up behind Lukla. We going to cross the Zatra La in three days time. It’s great to be here again it brings so many memories flooding back from past expeditions and treks. All on the team are doing well but we are feeling the jump in altitude. No more email after today for the next four weeks so I’ll start audio updates tomorrow.
TA
Latitude:27.68718
Longitude:86.73224
GPS location Date/Time:04/16/2013 02:19:20 NDT
Message:Peaks and Passes: This is TA and her team’s location on their Mera Peak to Island Peak Expedition in Nepal…
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Expedition Itinerary Plan for Day 1: We meet the rest of the expedition crew in Kathmandu, pack our expedition duffels, and explore Kathmandu.
Fun Fact of the Day
DID YOU KNOW?
According to UNESCO, Nepal contains four World Heritage Sites: Kathmandu Valley(cultural); Lumbini, birthplace of Buddha (cultural); Chitwan National Park (natural); and Sagarmatha National Park (natural).
Today’s Activity
Frostbite Tag:
Purpose: To get students moving and warmed up before the main activity, while replicating being frostbitten, something which could occur on Mount Everest due to the cold temperature.
Materials Needed: 3-5 pool noodles (icicle) (depending on class size)
Activity Description:
– Choose 3-5 taggers (could be more or less depending on class size)
– Taggers each have a pool noodle (icicle), on the teacher’s command, the students run around the gymnasium until touched by an icicle.
– If they are tagged, they must stay still, with their feet spread apart, they are considered “frostbitten”
– The person tagged is “frostbitten” until another student in the class slides through their legs, unfreezing them.
– STUDENTS CANNOT BE TAGGED WHILE UNFREEZING A CLASSMATE!
We met up with Christine and Tyler and helped them find another Kathmandu landmark, Everest Hardware. It’s a fun place to shop because they sew their gear right there and they will even sew to your own dimensions.
We’re hoping we get to fly to Lukla tomorrow on schedule as many flights have been cancelled of late due to weather. As Oma used to say, “what comes, comes.” Fingers crossed.
So, this may be my last update from KTM…
What is momotarou?
Is it:
A) A Tibetan dumpling usually filled with meat?
B) A Nepalese fortune telling card deck
C) What life is like with rotating electricity brown-outs?
D) TA’s favourite restaurant for Japanese food in Thamel?
E) All of the above
All except B) are true. Below are the monos that Marian and I enjoyed as part of supper at Momotarou. It was another in a series of establishments to pay visit/homage to when first in/back to Kathmandu.
A Happy New Year of 2070 to you. We spent some of this celebratory day circumambulating the stupa at Boudhnath. Boudha is one of my special places and I make sure to visit each time I am in Kathmandu.
We started the day with our favourite Indian breakfast and did a few errands. A visit to Everest Hardware and hearing Om mani padme Om emanating from every second shop confirmed that I ha arrived in KTM. Much of this feels like coming home.
We seen my Nepali brother Raj a few times and have been talking possibilities for future trips. Yes indeed, it’s like coming home.
After nearly 36 hours, we,be arrived in Kathmandu. And it’s Nepali New Year’s Eve. Tomorrow. Will be the year 2070! We celebrated at the Nargilla, one of our favourite restaurants here. The picture is what we saw when we looked down from the Nargilla during dinner. The streets of Thamel were pulsing with people.
We’re beat and jet lagged but are hoping for a good night’s sleep. KTM is its usual sensory menagerie and overload. Perhaps the image that most stands out is that of a family of four riding a scooter with the two yr old chills riding in front wearing a big pair of shades.
More tomorrow…
TA
Latitude:27.71282
Longitude:85.30961
GPS location Date/Time:04/13/2013 12:32:10 NDT
Message:Peaks and Passes: This is TA and her team’s location on their Mera Peak to Island Peak Expedition in Nepal…
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TA
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A person, who no matter how desperate the situation, gives others hope, is a true leader.
― Daisaku Ikeda
Many people think excitement is happiness…. But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace.
― Thich Nhat Hanh
Hello from London
Travels are very smooth thus far. Guess how many countries Marian and I have now visited together? Off to Qatar in 3 hours…
A few last things to be zipped into the bags, our plane clothes put on, and a few last details to take care of and we’re off. Thanks for all the well wishes. We look forward to sharing the trip with you. This is a test post from my IPod. Wahoo! Catch you from Kathmandu and perhaps points in between!
Rise to the challenges that life presents you. You can’t develop genuine character and ability by sidestepping adversity and struggle.
― Daisaku Ikeda
Google Earth is a wonderful visualization tool. The other evening, Marian and I “flew” over our entire route. Using “street view”, we could even see the view from the summit of Mera Peak. I thought I would share that image with you here. If you’d like to find it on your own, open Google Earth and then search for “Mera Peak” and then put the little yellow human on the summit and voila! You can also do it for Island Peak and of course, Mount Everest.
You are an aperture through which the universe is looking at and exploring itself.
― Alan Wilson Watts
We’re down to two sleeps to departure for Peaks and Passes: Mera Peak to Island Peak through the Amphu Labsta and I wanted to extend a hearty welcome and invitation to join us online for the expedition. Spend a little virtual expedition time with us each day!
There are several ways to follow along:
1) Here on my Website: www.taloeffler.com This will be the main portal for information. Every morning, there will be a post containing our daily panned itinerary, a Nepal factoid, and suggested physical activity/game to try. We will also send out a daily audio dispatch that will be posted to the site that you can listen to to get the latest information on how the expedition is progressing. Thirdly, there will be a daily SPOT check-in which will let you see where the expedition is camping for the night-that post will contain a link to google maps.
2) On Twitter: @taloeffler If all the tech plays nice, all of the above will also post to twitter
3) On Facebook: Again, if all is working well, all of the posts from my website should appear as links on Facebook.
4) On Linked-In: Ya ya, if all continues to work as planned, the updates will also show up on Linked-In.
So-you can chose your medium, but just know that my website is the most reliable place for information and if you wish, you can subscribe there to receive daily or weekly updates via email or you can stop in whenever you wish. Thanks and I look forward to traveling with you!
Where ever you are, you are one with the clouds and one with the sun and the stars you see. You are one with everything. That is more true than I can say, and more true than you can hear.
― Shunryu Suzuki
Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.
― Thich Nhat Hanh
April 15: Meet the rest of the expedition crew in Kathmandu.
April 16: An early start for the dramatic flight through the mountains to Lukla (2840m). We spend the remainder of the day resting and acclimatizing. We stay in a tea house.
April 17: A short and easy day of trekking off the beaten track, up through thinning forest to the grazing area of Chutanga (3050m). Camp.
April 18: Acclimatization day. We make a trek up to around 4000 metres giving views over the Dudh Khosi Valley and across to the Atwra La pass. We return to Chutanga. Camp.
April 19: A long day mostly uphill to cross the Zatrwa La (4600m) and descend to Tuli Kharka a high pasture above the Hinku valley. Camp (4320m).
April 20: We follow a delightful descending trail across three ridges, before dropping steeply down to the Hinku River and a final uphill to Gotay (3600m). Camp.
April 21: Following the west side of the Hinku River, we trek via the Yak herders’ summer settlement of Gondishung and its Buddhist shrine to Tagnag (4350m). Camp.
April 22: A day for acclimatization. We trek up above camp to around 5,000 metres for views across to the Mera La and return to Tagnag. Camp.
April 23: A second acclimatization day at Tagnag. Today is set aside for skills training particularly the techniques required for fixed lines and crevasse rescue. Camp.
April 24: We ascend an ablation valley beside the Dig Glacier to Kare, the basecamp area for Mera Peak. Camp (5000m).
April 25: A day for further acclimatization. We follow the ridge above camp to around 5500 metres and return to Khare. Camp.
April 26: Leaving our base camp we trek up onto the glacier and traverse to the Mera La. We make camp 100 metres below the pass on the Hongu side. Camp (5300m).
April 27: A rest and acclimatization day prior to the ascent of Mera Peak. Camp
April 28: We continue our ascent of the North flank of Mera Peak to a spectacular eyrie nestled below a rocky outcropping on the ridge. Camp (5800m).
April 29: We make the technically easy ascent of Mera Peak (6476m). The summit view includes 5 of the World’s 6 highest mountains. Descend to the Hongu Valley. Camp (5200m).
April 30: After descending to the Hongu River we trek up valley to a camp beside a large frozen lake. (5000m).
May 1: Passing beneath the giant west face of Chamlang we follow the Hongu Khola and finally the Hongu Glacier to the holy site of Panch Pokhri (five lakes). Camp (5400).
May 2: A rest day. The guides and Sherpas ascend the Amphu Labtsa to establish fixed lines and prepare the pass for tomorrow’s crossing. Camp.
May 3: Scree slopes and an icefall are tackled to gain the Amphu Labtsa (5700m). We now descend fixed ropes to the Imja Glacier and trek to our base camp for Island Peak.
May 4: A contingency day in case of delays to our schedule do far. May be used as a rest day or to split the ascent of Island Peak over two days with a high camp.
May 5: An early start for the ascent of Island Peak at 6187m. / 20,299ft. After taking in the spectacular 360 panorama from the summit we descend to our base camp.
May 6: Descending the Imja Khola Valley via Dingboche we reach the main Khumbu Valley and pass through the village of Pangboche to our halt at Deboche. Camp (3710m).
May 7: Trekking via Thyangboche where we stop for a visit to the Monastery, and via the settlements of Phunki Tenga and Kangjuma, we reach Namche Bazaar. Camp (3440m).
May 8: Our final days trekking following the Dudh Khosi mostly downhill but with a last climb up to Lukla. We say goodbye to our support crew in traditional style. Tea House.
May 9: Taking a morning flight to Kathmandu
May 10: A free day in Kathmandu.
May 11: Begin flying home to Newfoundland
May 12: Arrive back home
A gorgeous day here hinting at the coming of Spring and we spent most of it indoors fighting with “monster bags” rather than climbing Signal Hill as I originally thought we might. But at the moment of choose this morning, our stress level was higher about whether we could make our uber strict weight limit for the flight to Lukla than it was for our physical conditioning. The good news is that the monster bags are now packed and they are close enough to the weight limit for now.
Awhile back I read an interesting article that made a connection between a practice in medicine to exercise. The article’s premise was that, like in prescribing medications, that we should aim for minimum effective dose with exercise as well. Ideally, because of the possibilities of harmful side effects and/or lethal overdose, a physician aims to have her/his patient on the minimum effective dose of any medication and in some cases, this takes some trial and error to find the right dose.
The article I read made the parallel to exercise and training that ideally, we’d be doing the minimum effective dose to minimize the chance of overuse injury and other issues that crop up with overtraining. Of course, how does one know what the minimum effective dose is? Hard telling, not knowing. Likely with trial and error as above and through experience…I do wonder in terms of training if there is an “ideal dose”? One that puts enough reserve in the bank and gives the required fitness but doesn’t tax a person too much…
As we are on the doorstep of another Nepal adventure, I think I’ve been experimenting with trying out the “minimum effective dose” end of the continuum. This is very different than when I first began training hard almost nine years ago when my philosophy was always “if some is good, more must be better, and even more must be even better than that.” I got some painful lessons through overtraining early on but it was so fun and so empowering to train hard that it was hard to stop. Now, almost a decade in, I don’t much like training much any more. I still love being out and hiking and climbing and paddling but I find having a training schedule very limiting to life and spontaneity. I still enjoy the discipline of having a schedule and checking off boxes and recording progress but overall, I might it much harder to get my self to “train”. Thus the experimentation with minimum effective dose…
And I won’t know if it was enough until I get there…and walk uphill for days at a time…so ask me to report back…ask me later, if I did enough physical training for this trip…and then I’ll remember to reflect and make a note and use that info for finding the right dose for the next adventure…because there are so many, many things I want to do and learn and share in this world that I need to balance all of those things with making sure I’ve done enough so I am ready for the challenges of the trail, mountain, river or canyon.
Three hockey games, four sleeps, 27 more papers to grade and counting…
TA Loeffler's Adventures that Move 