Sunflowers to Everest

quarryman · Mar 11, 2009

I thought I would share my upcoming adventure with all you UKGSers!

In May I'm travelling to Everest basecamp. Along the way I am supporting Liverpool Sunflowers - a Cancer respite care and relative support charity for people affected by Cancer. When I lost my father in law lat year to Lymphoma they were a vital lifeline.

I've got a blog! www.remotedesign.co.uk/everest/blog.html

Sunflowers have a website http://www.liverpoolsunflowers.com

And I am raising money for them through Justgiving

Can't wait for the off - and if you want your name to travel with the expedition you only need to donate £25 to have your name added to the official T shirt.

I will be posting regular updates along the way - so feel free to keep upto date on the blog.

Loiq · Mar 11, 2009

I did everest base camp 4 years ago "it's a bloody good walk"

just take it steady you'll love it and left around all the flag poles.

the landing at Lukla is wicked... drink lots of lemon tea... take loads of pictures and have noodles at Namche bazar

quarryman · Mar 11, 2009

sounds awesome! I have scared the wibblies out of myself by watching the landings on youtube - I can't wait to get going now after all the preparation and training. Fingers crossed the programme we;ve been given for the trek will minimise chances of altitude sickness - we can only hope. At least I get a couple of days in Namche to chill out. Hmm has anyone ever takena GS to base camp........

Loiq · Mar 11, 2009

don't know about taking a GS but a Japanese bloke had a Honda there some years ago. When we where there a couple of chaps had mountain biked up there

sections of it are loads of steps so in your training I hope you did loads of cross training... I must have over done it cos I ended up in a game of football at Tengboche monastary.

I've just been looking at your route and it's better than ours was cos your also doing the high pass near Gokiyo Ri.

I won't spoil it for you but all you have to concentrate on is small steps, drinking enough water and putting sun cream on the webs of your hands if your using walking poles cos they burn like a bastad otherwise.

I'll have a rumage about and see if I have any money for your just giving page best of luck again.

quarryman · Mar 12, 2009

Excellent advice on all counts! The route was what sold it to me as i was keen to go without the usual crowded trails and tourists (although I know it will be inevitable to a degree).
I've been doing a hell of a lot of mountain walking, although the closest I can get to step training is having a strict 'no lift' policy at work - which is doing the trick!
If you manage to sponsor me that would be superb - your knowledge though seems equally valuable. I'll be sure to continue picking your brains over the coming weeks if thats ok!

Loiq · Mar 12, 2009

if there's anything I can with help your more than welcome our trip was earlier so the mountain was still really clean the later you get in the season the more shit there is...

best bits climbing up and having kids run past you leaping over the 100 + foot drop at the edge of the path to get ahead of the slow coach foreign johnnies, or the sherpa guides who ran back when we lost a couple of people (which happens).

I'll see if I can dig out some pictures.

:thumb2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal

I've stood on the hindu bridge when they had a mass funeral... interesting.. best check the wind direction before standing next to a bunch of septics...

Loiq · Mar 17, 2009

there you go have sponsored you abit sorry skint at mo...

http://www.therumdoodle.com/

go to Rumdoodles it's a sort of Everest Theme pub/ cafe in Katmandu it's only place big enough to have a party, or down to the monkey temple for G-n-T's on the terrace.

quarryman · Mar 17, 2009

Cheers for the sponsorship! Much appreciated.
Few questions for you.

Did you get sick at all while you were on the trail (from food/water) not altitude? What drugs did you take to combat it?

Did you take anything to flavour your water - the sterlisation drops I have are rank.

How cold was it at night? I have my 4 season down sleeping bag, but it would be interesting to see quite how chilly it gets!

And the everpresent question - altitude. Was it really as bad as the soothsayers like to make out? I have Diamox as a backup, have skiied every year since i was 8, but have no idea if it will be a nightmare!

Cheers

Loiq · Mar 17, 2009

Answers in text

Cheers for the sponsorship! Much appreciated.
Few questions for you.

Did you get sick at all while you were on the trail (from food/water)

Ans. No I was very careful with personal hygiene, you will get durty and I mean minging... they our organisers supplied water which they'd bought along the way. There's loads of places to buy bottled water I would say on the main drag every couple of miles. I also bought extra bottles when I ran out. Which I did several times, loads of people used drinking systems. I thought it more of a pain in the arse to keep clean. Once a day I'd dose the water with iodine (heavy-ish dose) tastes bad but kills whatever is trying to make a home inside of you. :thumb2

not altitude? What drugs did you take to combat it?

I went to doctors after I got our kit list issued by organisers we had to take 2 sets of anti biotics which where augmentin and I need to look up, one is for gut the other lung infection. You'll have a team doctor on side I'm sure the main thing is drink lots of water and take it steady.

I had no problem with altitude as such, I did have a headache but well that could have been any number of reasons :beer:

Did you take anything to flavour your water - the sterlisation drops I have are rank.

Ans No I kinda liked the taste of swimming pool and it was more stuff to carry worry about and loose

How cold was it at night? I have my 4 season down sleeping bag, but it would be interesting to see quite how chilly it gets!

Ans. I don't really ever get really cold so can't help, the organiser gave us 100mm foam sleeping matts, I used a 3 season with a gortex bivi and only near the end did I put the silk liner in. It was cold in the mornings when getting changed hard to say how cold -5 -10 but this was most of the way up past Tenbotche but our trip was one of the first of the year. Also once the sun came over the mountains it soon got hot

And the everpresent question - altitude. Was it really as bad as the soothsayers like to make out? I have Diamox as a backup, have skiied every year since i was 8, but have no idea if it will be a nightmare!

Ans. Well mate that is a million dollar question Diamox will dry you out so you'll need to drink even more water and your already at 3-ish liters, you'll doing grandad sized number ones anyway and I found it too complex to monitor. Pissing into a cup and having a look was not my idea of fun. We got given diamox and I never bothered, there where people on our trip who had to be first, first ready first to leave first at every check point and they all got sick first. None as I recall took diamox, people who ill One girl who was odd anyway had to be carried off but she got sick from not eating (chewing gum is not replacement to eating breakfast) the porridge, which you might not like is offered for a reason and if you've trained hard to get fit then you should be fine. We had some old boy who coped a dose something he turned himself inside out. (made me laugh he was eating allsorts of crap and there you go) We also lost a couple of people who took the wrong turn and they came in looking like they had a shit time...OOOPS (this showed a couple of simple mistakes our organisers had made who are supposed to be experts)

I was expecting more pain and to be honest I was abit gutted, it was just a bloody long walk up hill amongst some stunning mountains. I wanted more pain... :blast

I did come back with a lung infection that took 4 months to clear up, so all in all top marks.

With everything there's a risk, which you do need to make your mind up when you're there, rescue while possible is risky for the people trying to help you.

quarryman · Mar 17, 2009

Sounds like you had it sorted!
I have been training my arse off - only for the reason that I can then take it all in my stride without hanging out every step of the way - I'm definately going to pace myself.
Mind me asking who you went with? I'm booked with Jagged Globe.

Thanks again! whereabouts in Surrey are you? I may well be down when I get back to visit the family (Frimley Green) we could hook up on the bikes?

Loiq · Mar 17, 2009

we went with another organised trip NOT Jagged Globe who have a very good reputation, friends of mine have been with the to climb in Nepal. All said they had a really good time. :thumb2

I'm just up the road on the edges of Weybridge.

the worst bit was the travelling there and back

Heathrow to Qatar with a 4 hour stop over early flight out to Katmandu, bus to hotel repack kit, (leave most things there) briefing, bus airport flight to Lukla, briefing in the tea house next to Lukla airport and walk all day to first camp site. More people got ill in Katmandu on the return leg as we had 14 ish days on the trail and where all out of sorts, then thrown back into a city with a guided tour of orphanages etc. to make us feel really priviledged :augie

Loved the walk but hated being cattle herded about, if I do it again I'd just go unsupported.

badgerrrrrr · Mar 18, 2009

All the best mate you will enjoy the landing at Lukla, just dont lok at the crashed plane on the left of the runway if its still there, as i did the same trip in 1992 a few years back now. They were in the process of finishing the Monastry at tangboche, Now i seen this i wil have to dig some pics out and reminis

badgerrrrrr · Mar 18, 2009

dug a cople of pics for to give you a taste.

1 Namche bazar
2 monestary
3 me at Kalapatta, Everest in back ground and base camp down below

quarryman · Mar 23, 2009

Wow! Namche looks the business from that angle - You'd have no idea those big face mountains are on the other side of the valley. When did you go?
Nice trekking pants too

badgerrrrrr · Mar 24, 2009

quarryman said:
Wow! Namche looks the business from that angle - You'd have no idea those big face mountains are on the other side of the valley. When did you go?
Nice trekking pants too

i did the trip in 1992, Pictures dont realy put into perspective the size of the mountains that surround you. As for the pants :ymca

Ron Hills leight weight, small to pack, thin, as its always best to have a few layers of thin cloths better insulation than one thick layer, and they dry quickly, just but them on top of your rucsack as you walk in the day and 2 hours later they are dry :thumb2

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