Trip Reports

Mera and Island Peak - 11 Apr to 10 May '14

On the Amphu Labtsa, May 2014
Trip Report

Written by Leader Olan Parkinson, May 2014

The title of this trip, while compelling, contains within it a closeted challenge. One merely has to dig a little deeper to find that this challenge is inversely proportional to the diminutive size of the ë&í. Mera is just the warm-up.

Two teams met in Heathrow on the 11th April, my team and Mungoís team (going to Mera). All members arrived promptly, bar one. About a half hour after the ësuggestedí meeting time a slightly bedraggled and stressed Geoff arrived, missing us completely and dragging himself (complete with untied Spantiks) and his gear into the check-in queue. When I approached to confirm that he was in fact my missing team member I was greeted with a flustered ëYes, Yes, itís me! Look at my face, do I look stressed? ëCause I am, bloody M25Ö..í welcome to the team Geoff! 

The journey to Kathmandu passed without incident and we were greeted at the Summit Hotel with the usual understated but genuinely warm welcome. Sitting in the hot and green garden pagoda for the briefing, we met some of our remaining team members, Robin and John, (Irina was to arrive later that night) We covered the necessary details and then dispersed to sort kit bags and rest before the early start and flight to Lukla the next morning.

Thankfully, next morning, the weather was good and we caught our Lukla flight. Each of us an average of 8 kilos of kit over-weight which meant a $160 fee. Since the review of the airlines performances on this route, weight restrictions have become a lot stricter and it looks like this is going to become a regular process for climbing trips to the Khumbu.

One other factor that will need to be considered is that because of the weight restrictions, bags are being left behind. As a result of this we landed in Lukla minus 3 bags and Mungoís team minus 1. We couldnít go anywhere. Our first day of the itinerary already changed. It was too risky to head off without team memberís kit-bags so we decided to stay in Tara lodge for the first night in the hope that all bags would arrive on some of the first flights the next morning, weather permittingÖ. One thing I have learned and accepted over the years of travelling to Nepal is that things happen at their own pace, not at ours. The Nepalese are experts and at forcing order from chaos, they have been doing it for a long time and to try and enforce our western standards into this system will only end in frustration. Thankfully those team members affected by the delayed baggage seemed to grasp this concept and made no complaint. Their patience was rewarded and all bags did eventually arrive.

So one day late, we set off towards Poyan and our first nights camp. We established a standard routine of 6.00 am wake up and then breakfast about 7 and head off each day at about 8 am. The first week of this trip is a gentle lead in. It is a great acclimatisation phase with plenty of up and down, gradually acclimatising us to 4000m. Climbing through Rhododendron forest most mornings to ridges in the afternoon allowing us to look across the hazy valleys with small homesteads dotted across the landscape, visiting the occasional tea-house for hot juice, affording plenty of opportunity for those to over-use their cameras. But the views people have come to see allude us for now. Itís not until we get to the Pangkongma La on our way to Nashing Dingma that we get a chance to see our first objective. Mera is just about visible but mostly hidden in cloud. This only serves to make it look even bigger, but it is tantalizing.

The next two days saw us trekking through slightly more rugged terrain, and the weather began to change. We had our first day of sleet/snow and arrived at Chalem Kharka (3,600m) to heavy snow showers, however, as had become the pattern, it was clear the next morning and we set off early for the camp the far side of the small pass above Panch Pokari which is a holy lake, surrounded by small Chortens and tokens dedicated to various Buddhist deities. From the lake it is about a half hour down to the campsite at Chunbu Kharka and the teamís first night sleeping above 4000m. This is a cold campsite surrounded by a steep ridge and impressive ice-falls but, it is cold. We had a scheduled rest day, according to itinerary, but we decided to continue on to Khote the next day which would also get us back our lost day. At dinner that night Dawa our Sirdar informed me that there had been an avalanche on Everest, above the Khumbu icefall, killing an as yet undetermined amount of Sherpas who had been moving up to fix ropes for the climbers that season. As it transpired there were at least 16 Sherpas killed including Karma Sherpa who I had worked with alongside Dawa a couple of trips previously. Karma was a climbing Sherpa who regularly worked for Summit trekking and Jagged Globe. The news prompted a conversation that evening as to the value of climbing such a dangerous peak and the costs involved, both financial and physical. End of the day, it is a choice and no amount of avalanches and deaths will stop people wanting to reach the top of the world. It is inherently a dangerous pursuit; however it is sad that it seems the Sherpas bear the brunt of the ëcostí in the quest for the summit of Everest.

From Khote in the Hinku valley the next day we moved up to Tangnag, (4360m) and for the first time felt ëamongst ití The peaks surrounding Tangnag are impressive and the rumbles of avalanches are never far away, making the trip feel very real all of a sudden. A rest day (which means more acclimatisation walks and more exercise) and a rope work skills day at Tangnag saw the team practising fixed rope work, abseiling and rock dodging on the slopes behind the tea houses. At this stage the altitude was starting to take its toll on some members, another factor making the trip feel real, and reaffirming that climbing 6000m peaks does not come without some cost and real physical effort. Emphasising this was the fact that Mungoís team (also at Tangnag) said goodbye to two members, who flew out by helicopter early on our rest day.

We moved to Khare (5100m) after our rest day electing to skip out Dig Kharka as there is nowhere for the Porters to stay here. Khare is the staging post for Mera and the remainder of this trip. It is also the first time we can properly see our summit.. a long way off, but enticing nonetheless. Another rest day here(read.. climb to the Glacier and have real time practice on real ice) before we move to the Mera La. Good skills demonstrated by all including an interesting knee climbing technique demonstrated by Roisin, novel, not effective at all but entertaining to watch. The morning of our move to Mera La, we were to lose two team members at once. Keith who had struggled to acclimatise needed to go down. He had hung in there for days and was clearly mentally very strong, but altitude and AMS do not discriminate. It was too dangerous for Keith to go any higher. We suspected he might have HAPE so to proceed beyond Khare to the Mera La into the Hongu would worsen his condition, make a potential rescue quite difficult, not to mention be extremely dangerous for Keith. Thanks to Mungo who came over to give a second opinion. I knew Keith had to go down, but itís not a pleasant thing to have to do, to tell someone that their trip is over, but true to form Keith took it on the chin. It was a real shame to lose him so early. Robin also decided that his trip was over. The lure of the Helicopter flight was too much. Robin made a difficult and brave decision. It is tough to admit that your head isnít in it and that you have to go down. But he made the right decision and prevented any subsequent detrimental impact on the team later in the trip. For that I am grateful.

Once the guys flew out Dawa and I followed the team up and across the glacier to the Mera La. A snowy night and a clear, hot morning preceded our moving to high camp (5800m) for a 2am start to push for the summit. Two ropes, snaking through the dark, up what seemed a relentless slope. The sun rising (eventually) at about 5am brought little warmth, instead, it gave rise to wind blowing spindrift in our faces and keeping the temperatures low for the last couple of hours until both rope teams reached the summit (6476m)at approx. 6.30 am.

But this was only the warm-up. We had to make our way back to the Mera La and then onwards to Chalem Kharka about 1 hour above the river at the base of the Hongu valley, on our way to the Amphu Labtsa. The weather closed in which was to have ramifications on an event that could have ended badly. One of our porters was knocked over on his way down from Mera High camp. He lost his load, and it slowly cartwheeled down the glacier towards the Mera La. The Porter had been carrying Simonís and Campbellís combined kit bag aswell as our PAC. Dawa and Pemba went back up to the glacier and roped up, descended the Glacier and managed to retrieve the bag. By the time they arrived at camp it was getting dark, we were comfortably having dinner. Dawa had taken a couple of falls while retrieving the bags and for the first time since I have met him, he looked tired, worn out and in pain. If He had not got the bags back it was probably the end of Simonís and Campbellís trip as the holdall contained their sleeping bags, sleeping mats and other essential gear. Once again, the Sherpas had saved the day.

Rest day at Chalem Kharka and some high altitude bouldering was on the cards. This campsite has many huge boulders and one particularly large one in the middle of the camp with a groove running up the centre (about a VDiff) which every porter and kitchen boy seemed compelled to scramble up. Next day saw us walking up the Hongu to camp at the White Lake (5000m) and the following day onto the Amphu Labtsa base camp, in less than ideal conditions, casting doubt over whether we would be able to proceed. I knew that over the last few seasons many teams had had to turn back from the Amphu Labtsa because of the same conditions we were now experiencing. However by about 8 that evening the snow stopped and the skies cleared.. would it hold till morning?

We were in luck, it was totally clear the next morning and by 6am we were winding our way up the ridge to the pass. It got warmer and warmer and by the time we reached the pass, the sun was making its presence felt. The team sat patiently at the top of the pass (5800m)while the Sherpaís and I lowered the gear and Porters down the steeper sections of the pass and then all abseiled the trickier sections successfully though not all gracefully. We made our way down the fixed ropes to the easier slopes below where Nima and the cook team met us with soup and juice.. in the middle of nowhere, at 5000m. These guys are incredible. 29 people, successfully over the Amphu Labtsa, and all in good weather. Amazing luck as a day either side and we would have been caught in heavy snow, unfortunately that is what we would experience for the next few days. When we reached Island Peak base camp it started snowing. The clouds came in and decided to stay. We sat out our rest day and the next. We received a weather forecast that put the next 10 days in the same picture. Snow, cloud and winds high up. It also meant that our flight out of Lukla was in jeopardy. The Everest teams were also on their way out from Base camp as the Sherpas had decided they werenít climbing the mountain this year (following further avalanches and less than cooperative government action)and descending on Lukla putting further pressure on the small mountain airport. We had a discussion and decided that we would walk out and allow for time at the end to walk out to Surlarry if necessary, rather than risk missing our international flights. Turning back or away from a summit is something that all mountaineers have to face. They will face this decision more than once. While this team had reasonable experience they werenít all seasoned mountaineers, yet the pragmatism, common sense and acceptance exhibited by the team has to be commended. So the next day we packed up and set off for the trek out through a cloudy Khumbu valley.

We reached Lukla having said goodbye to Geoff at Pangboche for his trek to Everest Base Camp. Hopefully he was going to get the views he hoped for. We had our end of expedition party with an incredible chicken curry cooked by Nima, preceded by a starter of a large yak, cheese burger for some. Resulting in severe bloat and prostration. We then waited in slight trepidation to see if our flights were going to go. Two days before 5 flights. The day before, 2 flights. The morning of our flight.. weather was clear and the flights arrived in fast. Second flight second phase, we were counting them down but order from chaos prevailed once again and by 8am we were on our way back to Kathmandu. A little surprise awaited us. Robin who had left us in Khare had flown to Thailand for a short holiday there with his family but returned to Kathmandu on our last night. He joined us in the Everest Steak House for our final meal. Keith had spent a week in Kathmandu but had returned to the UK in full health. It had been confirmed that he had in fact had mild HAPE.

This is a long and demanding trip. But this team more than rose to the challenge. Of course we could not have done it without the excellent Sherpas, Dawa, Dorje and Pemba supported by the cook team Nima, and our very own Yeti, Geyne, all the kitchen team and of course the unsung heroes, the porters. Thanks to Summit Trekking for the brilliant support as usual and of course to Jagged Globe, also for their support and the opportunity to lead this trip. Lastly to the team. Thanks for the laughs the effort the honesty and for being genuinely awesome.

Olan Parkinson
Leader Mera and Island Peak. Spring 2014 « | »

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