Early morning, April 2 in Minneapolis, the adventure begins...
Jim buys refreshments during layover at airport in Bangkok
My seatmate on flight to Bangkok, Rosemary, gets preview of Jim's book and visits with Gary
David observes Gary fulfilling one of his assignments
We've Got Bags! Jim and Lisa reflect our glee over successfully retrieving duffel bags in Kathmandu
Giddy with anticipation for our adventure... or just reacting to shock of what it is like to drive in Kathmandu traffic
You can spot a pedestrian in traffic and vehicles disregarding hint of lane designation, but this hardly comes close to depicting the true chaos of transportation in Kathmandu
David and Gary can be seen viewing the statue in a roundabout on Durbar Marg, a main road near our hotel, The Yak & Yeti
Statue in middle of roundabout on Durbar Marg
A place for worship ceremony in garden of Yak & Yeti hotel
Changing dollars to Rupees. This day it was 77 Rupees to the Dollar.
Early photo op stop on our Tour of Kathmandu guided by Amit
Prayer flags in the wind
365 steps
Because of traffic jam, we got out and walked and here Amit talks with the driver on his cell phone to determine if he will catch up with us soon
Tour stop to observe Tibetan refugees weaving carpets
A work in progress is dormant during the noon lunch break
Pam & Bonnie contemplate the grandeur of temples around the square in Patan while Carol snaps photo in the background
One view of Patan temples from rooftop cafe where we paused for lunch
Other rooftop activity visible from our lunch spot
Our guide, Amit, conducting business by cell phone while we wait for food to arrive
It seemed odd to find a dog up on the roof, too
Some commerce in the square below
Another tour stop, to see art students of the Dharmapala centre and receive sales pitch to buy Thangka paintings
Gary waits while shoppers make selections, surrounded by samples of the fascinating artwork
The gold/silver paints are revealed best under direct light, so they have plenty of bulbs hanging down over the counter
More temples from our tour
So much detail it is hard to capture it all in a photo, and Carol and Gary check their cameras for results
An attempt to capture city scene from our van in motion
Moments of anticipation as we make our first visit to the airport in hopes of flying to Lukla
So much going on that it was easy to miss the fact there were pigeons roosting on ledges overhead in the terminal – it seemed odd to have them indoors with us
Jim oversees the Tiger Mountain guide working to get our gear cleared for the flight, here being weighed – we were under the limit!
This is actually our second day of trying to fly to Lukla – we never got this far the first day
We wait in line to board while passengers returning from Lukla file out – truly a major moment of anticipation
Is that a nervous smile?
Finally, this is what we came for – snow-capped mountains appear
In what seems like an instant, we suddenly find ourselves having tea at a lodge in Lukla, moments from beginning the considerable feat before us
Zomba, one of four Sherpas guiding us, perched on the wall at an early rest stop
David & Gary take pause. Weather was ideal. I'm guessing David was applying sun screen.
Our first bridge! Jim leads the way, behind our Sherpa guide.
Gary proves to be a quick study in the fine art of NOT being fazed by bouncy suspension bridges that you can see through the floor to the bottom of the gorge below.
But Gary doesn't cross at high speed yet and Jim puts a bit of distance between them.
The stone buildings with beautiful wood windows really appeal to me and the prayers carved in stone are amazing.
The snow covered peak in the sunset was so brilliant the camera couldn't capture it. This was the view on one side of our first camp site.
Better definition of the slope without trying to include the high peaks.
The view of the other side of our camp site that night. We were nestled between two incredible vistas. That night, the almost full moon appeared just over the peaks right as we were about to climb in for the night.
Up we go! Time to gain some elevation.
First I looked up, then I look down. A couple of porters are going to catch our Sherpa, Lhakpa (KhumJung).
Carol pauses to shed a layer as the porters now close in on me.
Free-range grazing Yak.
I often pause and look straight up above me.
The trees with branches stripped keep catching my eye. They rarely make a clean cut, but usually just break the branch off and leave little stubs.
A good view of how porters carry their loads by a strap across their heads. Makes my neck hurt just looking at them.
Pack animal coming! Time to step aside and wait.
I wanted to capture a shot of the footwear that is most common. Plastic sandals for carrying these incredibly heavy loads over such rough trail.
The blue trim is prevalent.
A favorite of mine. This is for a series I collect where I shoot the sky and just a corner of a roof. These become most effective when seen in series with all the others.
I was intrigued by the rocks holding things down here and the blueness of the roof. Lhakpa, one of our Sherpa guides just happened to be going by at the time.
Some of our crew coming down the steps and the amazing carvings in the rock wall and on the big boulder.
I just wanted to capture the pine trees on the cliff. Fascinating how they grow on such a steep surface and familiar for their similarity to my trees at home.
Pretty impressive stone work, but still a challenge to find good footing. I wanted to capture a view of the switchback.
A yak hybrid with one of the classic foot-bridges in the distance. Both are classics of trekking in Nepal.
Rivers fed by glacier-melt have a look that says, "cold water."
Gary breezing across the bridge, undaunted.
Look closely, we are headed for that foot-bridge up there.
This spot is where two rivers meet but we will just cross the one.
We paused here to take in the grandeur of where we were headed.
Yaks crossing the foot-bridge in the distance!
Jim received special attention from the Sherpa guides and here he has three people making sure everything is in order.
We reach Namche Bazaar! A very recognizable place.
We camp 500 feet above Namche on a thin strip of terrace. Our his and hers latrine tents visible at the far end.
The sky changes so fast. Here a cloud seems to explode into existence.
This is the result when clouds explode into existence. It started sort of as rain, but was more like ice pellets as time went on.
The pebble snow quickly filled the tarp awnings.
On the climb back up to our tents, the clouds opened up to reveal blue sky and beautiful mountain peaks.
When the sun hits the new snow, you can watch the evaporation happen and misty clouds rise off the surface.
Jim had a birthday on the trek and Tiger Mountain sent up a present and the Sherpas surprised him with a little party and a fresh-baked cake and bottles of wine.
Each Sherpa presented Jim with a traditional prayer scarf and their personal birthday greeting.
Just some of the crew that showed up to party.
There was even a candle on the cake!
We had our own little surprise when we came out of the dining tent. This was real snow flakes this time!
I wanted to get a picture of the snowman I made and placed by Pam and Bonnie's tent, but the falling snow kept reflecting in the flash.
There you can kinda see the little guy near the doorway of their tent.
Another shot of sun first hitting the fresh snow-covered peaks and they begin to look like they are steaming.
That early light and the new snow provided some awesome views.
The village below took on a whole new look.
Another try to capture the peaks steaming in the sun.
Everything seemed to have a whole new texture.
You'd think I'd never seen snow before.
It didn't make much trouble for hiking and with things so dry, it seemed to evaporate more than melt off the trail.
There was so much to look at I had to remember to turn around occasionally. This is the view looking back at where we were coming from.
Blue sky and steaming mountains.
Our first view of Everest's peak with the snow blowing off of it. Notice Gary is checking that view behind us, too.
Everest, the ridge of Nuptse, and peak of Lhotse visible.
Our Sherpa Leader, Lhakpa Gyalu Sherpa, feels his own great pleasure in our excitement and joy over seeing the highest peak on the planet.
Bonnie, David, and Pam pose in front of a stupa amid prayer flags.
Gary and John got this wild idea during last summer's bike trip... Let's go on Jim's Everest trek!
Jim heads off again after our little break.
...and we all follow.
The younger of our two Lhakpa's is setting the pace for today's trekking and Jim is right there with him.
A porter passing with his load of fuel for cook stoves.
An attempt to capture the little flowers making an early spring appearance along the edges of the trail.
A very picturesque rest stop at a lodge along the way that also offered some trail-side shopping for trinkets and craftworks. Several well-loaded yaks are wandering through the shot.
More steaming peaks. I found it fascinating to witness.
A little wider view.
The famed and easily identifiable Ama Dablam, 22,402 ft.
The lodge at this rest stop.
More trees trimmed of precious lower branches.
Fair warning.
My card. Our Sherpas would collect these from us and present them at the checkpoints for us.
Note the age for J. Hays is "85". Oops.
We left Namche for Tengboche and eventually Phortse, but Everest trekkers would keep going to the right (off the page) when we headed up the Dudh Koshi toward Gokyo Ri.
The portion of trail south of Namche down to Lukla.
I wonder how old this structure is?
Navigating the steps down can be harder than climbing up them.
I wonder whose hand worked this stone?
High as we were, there were moments of feeling I could be in a forest of Minnesota
Ok, not Minnesota, really, but a forest. ...with steep inclines.
This was actually a rhododendron forest.
This tree and root structure begged me to take its picture. Carol didn't beg.
The group sat down on either side of a couple of large loads that porters set down for a rest of their own.
Pam picked a different rest spot.
I think if we tip-toed, we could have gotten away without her noticing we were gone...
Destination this day, Tengboche Monastery.
With a view of mountains and pasture.
Plenty of activity at Tengboche.
The convenience store.
Empty yaks passing a loaded porter.
Porter crossing bridge.
David crossing bridge.
Check out the old bridge below.
I was trying to capture the approaching Sherpani porters.
The Sherpanis dress in more traditional garments.
A Buddhist stupa with Ama Dablam in the background.
A Mani stone cairn.
Some detail of the carving on the Mani stone.
The cloud was so near, the sky so blue...
Through polarized sunglasses the blue ice on that ridge showed up brilliantly as a layer under the snow.
Just plain mountain awesome.
A little added perspective to the snow-covered peaks.
David enjoying lunch while a raven keeps a close watch for opportunity.
The view from our lunch tarp. I don't know what the walls contained or deny. The goats just climb right over them.
It is difficult to tell, but this is looking straight down from the edge of the trail. I like the obvious visibility of the small landslides.
For some reason I have no memory of taking this shot of the cairn and drooping prayer flags.
The courtyard of Lhakpa's lodge in Phortse where I became short of breath. Those are our porters and Sherpas preparing for departure.
The sign looks blurry, but that is how it was painted. I'll remember this place for the smoke that leaked from the wood stove.
They save one of our toilet tents to the very last when packing to leave. A loo with a view.
Pretty much up above the tree line at this point.
Lhakpa spotted this pheasant and pointed it out and then it suddenly started running right towards me as I tried to take its picture.
The rhododendrons drooped a little after the snow storm, but they have new blossoms just on the verge, soaking up the sun.
The first stop on the day Gary and I descended, separate from the rest of the group.
The inside of the River Resort lodge where we stayed for a night.
I just meant to capture the variety of offerings, many familiar, that are commonly available.
I didn't realize at the time I took the photo, that there was someone watching me...
The edge of our trail and valley below.
I liked the way the atmosphere caused further distances to each become more muted, and that little cloud which was floating right at the same level as us.
Gary, even though feeling miserable, doing some serious trekking.
I was hoping this would reveal how dry and dusty and silty the soil was. The wind kicked it up and if you didn't cover your mouth and nose, you were breathing it.
A paltry representation of dung on the trail. Hardly does it justice.
Tahr! Wild goats.
The tahr from where we were standing.
Another attempt to capture the different ridges in the distance and set them against the near edge with trees crowning it.
The view back across the valley toward Phortse and the lodge we had left the day before.
This was pretty much the top elevation of Gary's and my experience. This shop was located on the high spot of our climb to descend to Kyang Juma
The view looking away from that Tea Shop
Before I descended, I tied one of my mother's kerchiefs to blow in the wind like a prayer flag. Then tried unsuccessfully several times to catch a good shot of it blowing in the wind.
One of the peaks, Ama Dablam, visible from where I placed the memorial to my mom.
Waiting in the safety of the INSIDE edge of the trail for a passing yak train.
At this elevation, above 13,000 ft, the trees don't really thrive. I found this one captivating.
Gary kept up with Lhakpa even though he was not feeling well.
A view up slope where there had been a fire recently.
I was trying to capture some of the trash that we witnessed along the trails.
A place to rest where we have caught up with our porters, who usually travel far enough ahead to remain mostly out of sight. Gary's body language pretty much expresses how he was feeling this day.
Another attempt to capture the steepness of the ridge we are hiking. This is looking straight down over the edge of the trail steps.
Several friends have mentioned the name of these flowers. Umm, I thought they looked colorful.
This depicts a very common layout of the dining areas of the lodges. Built-in bench seating around the perimeter of the room. Stove in the center. Tables all look like desks.
Food was far from exotic and catered to my tastes quite nicely.
I was having hot chocolate with my menu.
Beautiful lodge right on the trail with many souvenir type items for sale, some shoppers and a few Sherpa guides milling about.
Gary didn't look all that uncomfortable cuddled for a nap inside the two sleeping bags provided. Must be my finger getting in the shot, lower left.
The view from my suite. Notice the thick pad on top of a thin base pad on the left under Gary's sleeping bag. Cushy.
This is where we were for the night in Kyang Juma.
Prayer flags on a pole. You can see the clouds had descended to right on top of us.
I wonder if they had a giant LCD television to go with that large dish receiver. Remote in so many ways, but not all ways.
Two eagles were floating circles on the thermal, below us as we hiked this ridge.
Our porter with our duffel bags making a pass. You can see Lhakpa wearing his backpack and then also Gary's on his front.
Load of lumber passing us in the opposite direction. These guys are the truckers of the high Himalayas.
Zoomed to try and reveal the scope of his load.
Our return to Namche Bazaar. What a wonderful place!
Looks different than when we left it all covered with snow.
The work of descending is no less grueling and deserved a rest before we enter the market for a lunch break.
The community library. Great depiction of the popular footwear worn by most of the porters, it seemed.
Dung cakes drying in the sun. Even with all that wood available...
This reveals some passage of time.
Our lunch stop. Yeah.
Item # 4 is right out of the state fair cookbook.
The colors jump off the walls!
Chapati with cheese! Just what I like and very much what I was in the mood for at the time.
Action in the marketplace.
We were just passing through Namche and are on our way down out of town after lunch.
I was hoping to capture some of the products he was hauling, but they overexposed. I remember the boxes on top right were Pringles.
This is the bridge where I eventually waited on the rock, far side, left, to meet our group coming down several days after this shot was taken.
From the bridge, looking down to where Lhakpa and I would hang out waiting for the group to arrive. Two rivers meet here.
I was hoping to reveal that you get to look all the way down to the rivers below.
Looking back across that bridge.
Yak train coming our way.
This you wouldn't want to meet on the bridge.
The herder is always in back. Good thing the lead animal figures out the way to go.
It didn't hesitate and just started right up the steps.
The water looked a bit surreal.
There were some giant boulders that just looked tumbled like scree and rolled into the river.
Of all the litter to find...
One bridge right after another here. Lhakpa said that is barley growing under the far side of this bridge.
This little farm was really picturesque.
This is where we were to camp in Monjo, but it was packed with 5 different groups that all arrived at once due to flight backups that finally cleared in Lukla.
So Lhakpa negotiated a spot in the back yard for our lone tent.
The tree was just flowering as we got there.
We really were squeezed in the only space available.
