Back to Base Camp

So, the next day we head back down to base camp. I was under the impression, since we were going downhill, and losing elevation, this was going to be easy as pie. Piece of cake. Simple Dimple. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. I don't remember who was in front if me, but this is me with my Arcteryx backpack trying to keep moving.

We get to base camp and hang out for the rest of the day.

Here is Tom messing with his boots, Mic having a cookie, and me, well I think I'm so fried once again that I can hardly smile.

Back down to High Camp

So we make our way back to high camp Colin took this shot of Mic and I doing something.

This is Lakpa, Tom and Kunga trying to figure out what to do with all this crap. Notice Tom's got his bitchin chapeau on. He packed that damned thing around like it was his new best friend, and hell after spending time with us fuckwads, maybe it was!
A little later (was it the next day?) Bill, Tom and I hike around and snap some photos. Bill took this shot of me in the snow as we look up the Rombuk glacier field. Everest is behind the mountain off my left shoulder.
This is a pretty cool photo of Tom gazing into the distance with the ice pinnicles in front of him.
This is the happy, happy photo. The yaks (and the yak herder who threw a temper tantrum 5 days ago) came back. I kinda wondered if they would show up. They did.

Advanced Base Camp - 21,000 feet

So we leave high camp @ about 3 in the morning. We trudge along in the dark getting to where the sherpa crew has stashed our climbing gear. Here we are getting gear ready. At this point my feet are beginning to warm up, now having my plastic boots on. Tom, Lakpa and Niels head towards the glacier to make an attempt @ Lhakpa Ri. Bill is feeling queasy and wants to hang out to see if he'll feel better. Kunga, Colin, Michael and I, are OK, decide to contiue up to Advanced base camp, wait for the sun to come up and get some photos of Everest.
This is our lead sherpa, Kunga. Kunga summited Everest earlier this year with a crew from the Indian Army.
This is me, on my little everest. this was a heap of rocks, that I almost fell off of. Kunga took a shot of the three of us with the North Col of Everest in the back ground.
This is Mic posing as the invisible man. You see, Mic made the mistake many of us made. If you allow your judgement to lapse and forget sun screen (I sunburned the underside of my nose and my lips) then you pay a hefty, hefty price. When the SPF 10,000 came off, Mic didn't look any better. Fortunately his face healed fine.
This is Colin. Behind him and to the left is Lhakpa Ri mountain. This was the closest we were going to get to it, that's for damn sure.

Unexpected High Camp - 20,000 Feet

We continue to make our way up the mountain.Up another 1000, feet. Snow is getting a little deeper but no too bad. This is us, with the pinnacles on our left.

Bill's shot of Me, Colin, Niels, and Tom's arm.
I'm kinda smiling here, but not really. Remember the part about the sufferfest? Well here it is.
This is our unexpected camp site. We were supposed to go farther up the mountain and get to Advance base camp, but the Yak herder had a hissy shit fit and decided he was taking the yak herders and the yaks back down to Rombuk. I never heard somebody scream so much.
These were our yaks leaving us about 3 hours and 1000 feet short of our destination. I was very angry @ those yaks, very angry indeed. (Its a joke, folks.)

Intermediate Camp - 19,000 feet

So intermediate, intermediate camp was @ about 18000 feet. Intermediate camp is about 1000 feet farther up the mountain. It might seem like we are moving slow. Uh, we are. Yaks take time to load and all of us are feeling some effects of the altitude. Me, I'm glad that I spent 500 dollars on the best sleeping bag I could find. I found a brand new one for $439.
This is the clan in front of some rock monument thing. What you CANT see from this photo is that I sat the camera down on timer (10 seconds) and ran (that is right, about 18.500 feet) across so I could be part of the pciture. Took like 20 minutes for me to get my breath back. Not really it was only like 18 minutes.
I think Tom took this photo.
It started to clear up and this was a shot I took from inside my tent, out the back door.

Lastly, Colin took this shot. It is looking back towards Everest Base Camp, and as you can see the weather is starting to clear up. I think there was at least 6-8 inches of new snow here.

Intermediate, Intermediate Camp - 18,000 feet

I didn't take many photos of intermediate, intermediate camp. I think I was too miserable from the altitude. This yak is wondering why he got picked to haul our crap up the mountain. He was @ Rombuk, hanging out and doing just fine, until we showed up.
As you can clearly tell, it uh snowed.

Rombuk and Base Camp

Me in front of the Rombuk Monestary. This is where we got our yaks, and let me tell you, they were some of the skinniest yaks I ever saw!
Me sitting in front of the tribute plaque for George Mallory with Everest in the background. The lower portion of base camp is covered with little monuments of climbers who have died on the northern route. Part of me (the survivor portion) thinks "How silly is that, dying while climbing a stupid mountain?" then the achiever part of me thinks. "Well if I'm gonna go, I hope it's doing something I love." Neither are wrong, just different.
This is Pasang and Tom, chillin.
Me, enjoying the view Bill snaps this photo of us having a little meal time.
This is the day hike we went on. Everybody else was farther up the hillside. This is me, Colin and Tom. You can see the tents of Everest Base Camp below. We are at about 18000 feet here, and I am in super suffer mode. Little did I know, this was just the beginning of the sufferfest, and lord did I suffer.

Shigatse

For some reason, I didn't take many pictures in Shigatse. This is of the road we traveled.
This was when we first saw the himalayas.
This is me, after bawling like a 2 year old girl who just had her ice cream cone stolen.

Gyantse

Leaving Lhasa, we're now on an official Tibetan road trip. Two Toyota Land Cruisers, and 9 stinky men, in the heat of the desert. This was a monestary (and a monk) somewhere along the road.
The temple of a buh-zillion, katrillion buddahs.
Climbing steps with the city of Gyantse below.
Tom, sporting a new climbing hat. This cost a something like a whopping $ five bucks. From this day forward, it was known as the "bitchin' chapeau."

On to Lhasa

Here we go....Air China doesn't have the best reputation, but that's a chinese thing. Hope we don't die. Bill took this photo of Niels and Tom "faffing" while give a sign to my hommies in my 'hood. The big "K" deathtown Kirkland. Werd Up Dog.....

Off the Air China plane, and lord am I happy. Happy they didn't lose my luggage, happy I didn't lose my lunch, happy I didn't lose my life. I'm happy!
This is me, in front of the world famous Portola Palace.
Monks @ the Sara Monastery. The standing monk (more senior) is explaining to the more junior monk (sitting) the true meaning of life. I don't think the junior monk believes him.
Prayer Wheels. There were about 1 zillion of them, and I counted them.
Me, Michael (But he went by Mic) and Bill sporting the latest in Chinese eyewear. You see, clearly they have all the latest trends here in Lhasa.

Bill captured a really good shot of the market in Lhasa.

Kathmandu

So after seeing sites and getting crap prepped, it's time to ride.

Michael, Tom, Bill, Colin, Niels, Me

Kathmandu

There was much to dislike about Kathmandu. It's a typical over crowded filthy city that you don't want to spend 10 minutes within. However, if you take the time, you can see some jewels. This is the very famous and completely cool Thamel area. Shopping, food, bars, and yet, another FREAK show.
These young men, wanted me to take their photo, and this is what i got. Cute, huh?
This was in the Durbar Square area of Kathmandu. We went to the worlds largest Stupa, Boudhanath, I met a group of guys from India, so we took a photo. I think they were all brothers. Kidding. It's a joke. Just cousins.
The fog covered steps to the monkey temple. You can't have a monkey temple without a monkey, technically a macaque. This is one of my favorite photos.