Everest Team Healthy And Moving Well
Posted on April 1, 2012 by Kurt Wedberg - 7 Summits, Himalayas, International Expeditions, Mt. Everest, SMI News
Kurt Wedberg and Fred Simmons on the deck of the Everest View Hotel above Namche Bazaar. The peak to the right is Ama Dablam. Everest is obscured by clouds behind.
Greetings from Namche Bazaar at 3440m/11,286′. This village is located in a small natural amphitheater where three major routes coming from different valleys intersect. The location of Namche makes it a natural center of commerce for the area.
We arrived here
on March 29 with the intention of staying here three nights before continuing to higher elevation. We checked in to the Khumbu Lodge, which is a well known tea house where many famous climbers have stayed over the years.
On March 30 we took a day hike to a couple nearby villages that are higher in elevation to see the sights and acclimatize. Our first stop was the Everest View Hotel. As the name suggests it is possible to see Everest from its perch. Clouds obscured Everest but we were able to see several scenic and beautiful peaks including the stunning Ama Dablam (6856m/22,493′), which is known among the mountaineering community as being one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. We sat on the deck of the hotel and sipped hot chocolates while enjoying the vistas before continuing on to the village of Khumjung at 3780m/12,401′. Sir Edmund Hillary was instrumental in building a school here for the Sherpa community back in 1961. Today 500+ kids attend school here from several villages including Namche. The kids in Namche daily walk up and down the 440m/1444′ change in elevation for their education. We visited the school and had lunch before descending back to Namche where we had a little time to relax and hydrate before dinner.
Kurt and Fred at the school at Khumjung (3780m/12,401'). After Sir Edmund Hillary became the first person to reach the summit of Mt. Everest he spent much of his life work to helping the Sherpa community. He helped found many schools including this one in 1961. The statue behind is a monument commemorating Hillary.
March 31 was a rest day for us. We visited the local market where people are selling local vegetables, fruit, meat, and grains. Team members also took time to shop in the tourist markets where they sell Tibetan made wool and silk rugs, yak wool shawls and scarfs, locally made beads, necklaces, yak bells and much more. After lunch, a group of trekkers walked up to the rim of Namche’s amphitheater to visit the Sagarmatha National Park Conservation Museum and the Sherpa Museum that highlights and honors some of the famous Sherpas in mountaineering history.
Feeling healthy and strong we’re ready to pack up tomorrow for our move to the next village up the valley; Deboche at 3820m/12,533′.
Below are a few more pictures taken by Kurt Wedberg. We will keep trying to upload more to the SMI photo gallery at www.kurtwedbergphotography.com.
The village of Namche Bazaar sits in an amphitheater in the mountains of Nepal at 3440m/11,286'.
A Nepali lady at market day in Namche Bazaar.
Yak bells for sale in Namche Bazaar.
Sherpani's conducting business at market day i Namche Bazaar.
Men buying and selling fruit at market day in Namche Bazaar.
A local porter (left) buying fruit at the market in Nmche Bazaar.
The local meat market in Namche Bazaar.
A Nepali man selling hot peppers at the market in Namche Bazaar.
Kids in Khumjung.
Still tracking your progress. Looks GREAT!
Amazing! I will enjoy following along online. I hope you are able to post often.
Amazing! FRED, you look strong. Can’t wait to hear about it on the other side.
– your favorite dental hygienist