vagabond for beauty

Woods to Water Relay

2008-05-27T14:08:00.004-04:00

The Arctic Loons (Sara Hollingsworth, Bruce Bauer, John Bankson, Tony Goldenstein, Stacy Gilpin, Phil & Kelly Rogers & me) ran the 80-mile Woods to Water Relay last Sunday, from Cable to Ashland. We had fun and did pretty well, too, battling it out with some recent college grads in goofy costumes (our team's age range was 34 to 49). I was the weak link speed-wise, but at least I brought the coffee for pre-race fueling. And my five-star personality should count for something. Photos soon, I hope.

Kilimanjaro & safari 2008

2008-05-26T15:48:00.006-04:00

This was my third trip to Tanzania. I had ten women and my group and seven of them made it to the summit. I, however, did not, as I became very nauseous at about 17,000 feet and turned around. Fortunately there are no photos of this, it wasn't a pretty sight.

orienteering event

2007-08-28T20:28:00.000-04:00

Sara, Bruce & me as the team "Arctic Loons" at a long-distance orienteering event near Drummond, WI.

Sawtooth Duathlon

2007-08-28T13:11:00.001-04:00

The 2nd Annual Sawtooth Duathlon was put on by my friends from Superior North Outdoor Center in Grand Marais, MN. I managed to not crash my bike during the race (as I had done several times while checking out the course). Thanks, Mark, for building my red bike!

Nepal photos

2007-05-16T23:01:00.000-04:00

last day in Nepal

2007-05-12T06:49:00.001-04:00

We arrived back in Kathmandu from Lukla yesterday (Friday). It's jarring to be surrounded by car horns and souvenir vendors again, and it's hot.

Let's see, some tales from the trail...

I have two new nicknames. A woman in my group refered to me as "Prissy Missy" (on the day I puked on my shoes--what's prissy about that?!?) and it stuck. Then a grizzly Italian mountain climber/scientist called me Yellow Spirit, to which my group added Pale Face (b/c of the sunscreen I wear). Prissy Missy, a.k.a. Pale Face Yellow Spirit. I guess I've been called worse.

After our 2 days in Namche Bazaar we spent a night in Khumjhung, where our guides are from, then in Tengboche, site of a well-known monastery. Then we spent two nights (to acclimatize) at Pheriche, where the Himalayan Rescue Association is located. My Duluth friend Scott Wolff was a volunteer M.D. there in 1987 and I found his name in the register. Scott, Ang Rita Sherpa remembers you and even did an impression of you! I'm sure he would get a kick out of seeing you again, maybe next year....??? Baby yaks in Pheriche, very cute. We met a young Malaysian man who summited Everest a few years ago and will bike across the U.S. starting in June.

After Pheriche the places you spend the night are pretty much just a cluster of teahouses/lodges, rather than any kind of village. No animals around, unless they are carrying trekker loads up or down. Our next stop was Dughla, where we met a climbing team on their way back to Everest basecamp after resting for several days at a lower elevation. They had spent the night at Camp 3 already so they were getting pretty close to being ready to summit. Their group included an 18-year old woman from Los Angeles who, if she summits, will be the youngest person to climb the seven summits.

Also at Dughla I saw a woman I know from ten years ago in MN who now teaches outdoor education in Newfoundland and was attempting to climb Everest (her first try, she's climbed a bunch of other stuff). Unfortunately she was sick from bronchitis and giardia and was going down to Pheriche to rest and try to gain back 20 lbs (she played hockey for U of MN, she's pretty solid!). It was a fun coincidence to run into her, and I hoped we would cross paths again when she headed back to base camp.

After Dughla came Lobuche, where we had surprisingly good coffee (it's all instant, but usually I had to add espresso powder to make it something more than pale brown hot water). Met a very nice couple from Hungary who we saw a lot of over the following days. They were happy to hear that I'd been to Hungary.

We left Lobuche at 6:00 a.m to go to Everest Base Camp. One woman in our group didn't feel well when we got to Gorak Shep, the last place before EBC, so she stayed their with one of our guides. The rest of us continued on. Some of the terrain is fairly challenging, especially for folks who haven't hiked on boulder fields before. The clouds came in and it was chilly when we arrived mid-afternoon. We didn't have time to visit the climbing team we'd met but we did stop at the bakery for apple pie, which really hit the spot. Put on warmer clothes and headed back to Gorak Shep for dinner and sleep...

9 May Namche Bazaar, heading down

2007-05-09T01:59:00.000-04:00

Don't know if anyone is checking this, since I haven't been able to write for a while. We are heading back down the Khumbu Valley. A few highlights of the past ten days...

I got sick heading out of Namche last week (probably altitude, maybe a gut thing) fortunately it was a half day hike and I was OK the next morning. Took Diamox and antibiotics to cover all the bases.

We have met a number of people who have summited Everest, both Nepali and other. We've met trekkers and climbers from all over the world: North America, Europe, Asia. There are a lot of Russians along the trail and it's been fun to speak Russian with them.

OK, my lunch is being served...I'll probably log on in Lukla tomorrow.

I did make it to Everest Base Camp and the apple pie was truly delicious (and not just because I was tired and cold!).

Namche Bazaar

2007-04-28T10:13:00.000-04:00

Arrived in Namche yesterday, climbing 2,000 feet from Monjo, and everyone is doing O.K. so far. We're spending two nights here for acclimatization. Staying at Khumbu Lodge, run by a prominent local family. There's a one year old baby boy on the premises and I play with him whenever I'm in the dining room. He hangs out in the kitchen and dining area with various relatives and lodge staff, plus all the trekkers want his photo, so he's not lacking in attention. I tried to pet a baby horse yesterday but it was skittish. Saw our first yaks here. They have longer hair than the zopkios.

Today we went to the weekly market where folks buy goods brought from down valley (or from Kathmandu or China, India, etc.). All that's grown around here is potatoes and a few vegetables, and barley I think. Also traders come from Tibet. Then we walked up to the Nat'l Park Museum and had our first views of Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Nuptse,and Everest. Clear blue skies. Could see clouds swirling around Everest. Apparently a Sherpa died yesterday when a serac fell on him.

Back in the town center we met a Filipino man here as support crew for the first Filipina women's attempt of Everest; they are climbing from the Tibet side. I bought a yak bell which my ladies told me I have to wear around my neck for the rest of the trip, just like the lead zopkio does...

Some folks had massages after lunch, I caught up on my trip notes and read guide books about what's nextm, looked at maps. Tomorrow we head to Khumjhung, home village of our three guides (Passang, her brother Dawa, and his wife Urken). Dawa and Urken have two children so we'll meet them. Then the next day on the Tengboche, site of a famous monastery.

I am already thinking about what I would like to do on my next trip here...there are so many regions to explore, including routes you can do by mountain bike. Also so many trekking peaks. For now, I hope I stay healthy so I can climb Kala Pattar and visit Everest Base Camp. One day at a time!

This is the last Internet as far as I know, until we're back this way in about ten days.

Kathmandu, Lukla

2007-04-25T06:30:00.000-04:00

Yesterday (Tuesday) we had a guide for a day tour of various temples in Kathmandu and next-door Patan. In Patan we saw the chariot honoring Machendra (I think), god of rain and crops. They build this huge contraption each year and it gets pulled around for a while, right now it is lurching dangerously against someone's home and they have rigged a rope up to try to right it so it can proceed.

At a Hindu temple, Pashupatinath, we saw one body being cremated and another one arriving to be dipped into the river before cremation. Felt a little intrusive to be there, but as long as they do allow folks to walk around the grounds I'm glad we were able to see it.

Christina's bags had not yet arrived so we went on a mad shopping spree to outfit her for our trek. Fortunately they sell a lot of cheap fleece and such in the Thamel neighborhood. Later we discovered that her bag was still sitting in L.A. although clearly labeled for Kathmandu. Who knows what the airlines were thinking. I'm afraid I might be jinxed as this happened on the last trip I led, too...

This morning we were up at 4:00 to catch the first flight to Lukla (there are over 20 per day on Twin Otters and helicopters, and if the weather delays flights you want to be scheduled to go out as soon as possible). Leah & Scott had told me about the exciting landing in Lukla, seemingly straight into the mountain.

We arrived around 7 a.m. and checked into our lovely accomodations at the North Face Lodge. We're taking this day to acclimatize, although some folks start walking right away. We're at about 9,000 feet. When the clouds cleared I was pretty blown away by the snowy, jagged peaks all around, and I know it's just the beginning of these amazing views.

A couple of small-world experiences today: Sara Harris, do you remember Karen Thompson from OSU? She's in my group and says hello. And Kyle & Betsy, I saw where Kyle signed in at the Thanka painting school here in November.

It's nice to have a leisurely day. Tomorrow we head to Monjo, then the next day for Namche Bazaar where we'll spend two days. I'll probably be able to log on again there.

We visited the Porter's Progress office here and watched their video; their efforts to cloth porters appropriately seem less well-developed than the similar project in Tanzania, perhaps b/c in TZ it's just Kilimanjaro and here there are so many trekking routes & peaks to climb. Had a good chat with a Slovenian couple who had just done the EBC trek. Their advice: more sunscreen. I'm not worried, I'm known as the white-faced clown...

We will have our duffels carried by zopkios, a yak/cow hybrid. They're kind of cute. The dung is burned for fuel. And the dogs eat it, too. Lots of cute doggies and kiddos around. I miss my doggies!

in Kathmandu

2007-04-23T11:05:00.000-04:00

Yes Grady, I have had the millet beer. Interesting stuff. It's essentially a bottomless mug of beer, since you keep pouring hot water over the fermented mash. Yum!

Spent the last couple of days wandering the neighborhood, trying to avoid getting run over by cars, rickshaws, and motorcycles on the narrow streets. And dirty hippies, trying to avoid them. Are they all going trekking, too?

Last night I had dinner with some U.S. folks who live here, including two docs who work at the int'l clinic (a psychiatrist and a travel doctor). I hope no one in our group needs to see either of them in the course of our trek...

My group of four arrived today, one is still missing her luggage. This seems to be a theme in my recent trips. They managed to stay up for dinner before crashing hard.

Tomorrow, tour of city sights (Buddhist & Hindu temples etc.). Wednesday, early flight to Lukla. I'm ready to get out of the city, or at least this neighborhood.

en route to Nepal

2007-04-22T11:18:00.001-04:00

My first-ever blog will begin with my first-ever trip to Nepal. I left my house in Duluth in the capable paws of Alice the dog and her humans, Sara & Bruce. First stop was L.A., where I visited my brother Peter, friend Lena, and recent trip participant/new friend Naomi (thanks for letting me make dinner at your house, Naomi). At the L.A. airport I ran into Adam Swank, also from Duluth, en route to spend 6 months working at a hospital in New Zealand. You never know where you'll see a familiar face...

Kilimanjaro climb

2007-03-01T13:04:00.000-04:00

Here I am receiving my certificate for summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro from Geoffrey, our head guide.