Saturday, 26 April 2014 The deep tones of yak bells woke us this morning, as the animals moved into camp. Yaks are the trucks of the Khumbu. Their dense bodies sport a heavy coats of long hair. A pair of impressive horns curve up and to the back, capped with sharp points. We give them wide berth on the trail. To secure loads, thick blankets drape their backs and a small wood frame sits on top. A normal load is about 60 kg, usually of barrels or boxes tied to the frame. (Note: A standard human porter load is 30 kg.) We received a message saying Steve and Martin were in Kathmandu. Due to the abrupt termination of the climbing season, flights out of KTM are a mess. Some people may have to wait days for an available seat out. Thankfully, Jim's travel agent is doing her best to sort out the logistics. Around 10:00 a.m., Jim, Jetha and I bid farewell to EBC and began the 8-9 hour walk to Pangboche. Several staff Sherpas remained in camp for one more day to complete packing, ship additonal yak loads, and ensure everything is clean. We had a chilly, constant wind in our face and overcast conditions all the way down the valley. Where once, everything seemed to be heading up to EBC, now it was all going down. After reaching Lobuche, the walking became easier and the trail a bit wider. Below Lobuche, a Sherpa memorial area sits atop a wind-swept ridge. As we approached, individual chortens covered the area. Each was a memorial to an individual lost on Everest. After searching the chortens, Jim found one of a friend, Kami Rita, who was killed on May 6, 1995. We draped it with two katas and offered quiet prayers to his spirit. It seemed appropriate that we were cloaked in a cold fog. Going through the village of Pheriche is a bit of a cruel experience. It sits in a broad, flat river valley. We could see it long, long before we got to it. We finally put the village behind us and began our final leg up and down to Pangboche. Arriving in the dark, we were glad to reach Tashi's lodge and have pots of tea and good food. Lots of love to our family and friends. Posted by: Scott Williams Please consider providing support for dead and injured Sherpa: TheJuniperFund.org Blogs by other members of the expedition Shane - http://HeartHealthyEverestClimb2014.blogspot.com Steve - http://Wetumpka2Everest.blogspot.com Jeff - http://www.highpeakadventures.com/high_peak_adventures/web_log/web_log.html

Friday, 25 April 2014 Yesterday, Steve and Martin walked down to Pangboche. This morning, Barbara, Shane and Jeff followed suit. Although the walk up to EBC took us more than a week for acclimitization, descending to Pangboche takes only about 7-8 hours. It was sad to say goodbye to our climbers and it brought home the reality that this expedition is ending. Before they left, there was lots of talk ahbout "putting the band back together" in 2016. With climbers gone, we began the serious work of dismantling our camp. Nima Tashi evicted Jim and me from the dining tent, so it could be flattened and packed. Crates, boxes and blue barrels were loaded with all manner of gear. In the morning, Nima's yaks arrive to haul things down. Due to environmental rules, they are not allowed to stay overnight at EBC, holding instead at Gorek Shep (about 2 hours away). For a place that seems utterly devoid of life (other than ever-present the ravens and yellow-billed chuffs), the area around EBC is surprisingly dymamic. Our camp sits on the Khumbu Glacier, with its constant pops, bangs, and crumbling rocks. In the sun, water wells up from the rocky crust and trickles downhill, carving small streams. In the afternoons, winds grow and clouds come in. Snow flurries are common. One night, we thunder rolled up the valley and 3 inches of snow blanketed the camp. From all sides, rockslides and avalanches cascade down the steep slopes. At night, we hear the rumbling slides from within our tents. Sadly, just a week ago, the dynamic nature of the place turned deadly. A large, hanging glacier from base of Everest's West Ridge released a torrent of ice blocks early in the morning. It killed 16 Sherpa climbers and injured 9 more. It also released a complicated set of events that cancelled the Everest spring climbing season for this year. We mourne the lost and hope the injured are returned to their families and villages soon. The mountain remains unchanged and will be here in the future. Tomorrow, we bid a premature goodbye to our camp and walk down to Pangboche. Lots of love to our family and friends. Posted by: Scott Williams Please consider providing support for dead and injured Sherpa: TheJuniperFund.org Blogs by other members of the expedition Shane - http://HeartHealthyEverestClimb2014.blogspot.com Steve - http://Wetumpka2Everest.blogspot.com Jeff - http://www.highpeakadventures.com/high_peak_adventures/web_log/web_log.html

Sunday, 27 April 2014 Today was inventory day. Nima Tashi's home in Pangboche doubles as Jim's Khumbu warehouse. Although I inventoried most of the boxes and barrels coming down from EBC, we had to sort out the tent supply. Everest's high altitude allows the sun to wreck tents, particularly their flies. Jetha, Zhangbu, and I spent the better part of the day messing with tents -- pulling them from bags, tossing out trashed flies, drying some out, and matching poles with tent bodies. For perspective, we had almost 50 tents on our expedition (for EBC and Camps I-IV). Jim was so stressed by the exercise that he reclined on a bench and snored at times. C'est la vie! At night, we shared a dinner of soup and momos (dumplings) with Nima Tashi's family. I am thankful we did not have to follow it with rounds of whiskey. Our beds were calling us. Lots of love to our family and friends. Posted by: Scott Williams Please consider providing support for dead and injured Sherpa: TheJuniperFund.org Blogs by other members of the expedition Shane - http://HeartHealthyEverestClimb2014.blogspot.com Steve - http://Wetumpka2Everest.blogspot.com Jeff - http://www.highpeakadventures.com/high_peak_adventures/web_log/web_log.html

Wednesday, 23 April 2014<br /><br />Barbara returned to camp this afternoon, after a successful summit of Lobuche East (20,000+ ft). Her presence brightened an otherwise glum mood in camp.<br /><br />On Monday, Barbara, Nima Tashi and young Jetta (a porter) walked from EBC to Lobuche, reaching the mountain's high camp in the late afternoon. It was full so they backed up and made camp by a glacial lake. After a 3:00 a.m. wake-up call, Barbara and Nima Tashi headed up the mountain. As the sun rose, the temperature warmed up to the 30s F. Most of their climb, they secured themselves to fixed ropes with Jumars. About half-way to the summit, they put on their crampons. They reached the summit at 8:30 a.m. and enjoyed a splendid panorama of the surrounding peaks, including a clear view of Everest. They descended the mountain, recovered their gear from camp and reached a tea house/lodge at Thukla by mid-afternoon. As they returned to our camp at EBC today, cheering erupted from everyone. Congratulations, Barbara!<br /><br />Our dining tent now features a prominent sign for Ganley's Irish Bar in London. Frank Ganley and Martin were school friends from many years back. Martin promised to carry the bar's sign to the summit of Everest. With the cancellation of the season, the sign is now in the peak of our tent. Martin promised all of us will get a free pint of Guiness when we stop in Ganley's pub. We hope Frank will agree. <br /><br />Tomorrow, Steve and Martin will start their trek back down the valley. They hope to catch a helicopter from Pangboche to Kathmandu.<br /><br />Friday, Barbara, Shane and Jeff will begin the three-day trek to Lukla. From there, they will catch a small fixed-wing plane back to Kathmandu. Jeff is already dreaming of a detour to Laos on the way back to the States.<br /><br />Jim and I have already begun the process of cataloging gear and packing. Things are slowly unwinding.<br /><br />Lots of love to our family and friends.<br /><br />Posted by: Scott Williams<br /><br />Please consider providing support for dead and injured Sherpa: TheJuniperFund.org<br /><br />Blogs by other members of the expedition<br /><br />Shane - http://HeartHealthyEverestClimb2014.blogspot.com<br />Steve - http://Wetumpka2Everest.blogspot.com<br />Jeff - http://www.highpeakadventures.com/high_peak_adventures/web_log/web_log.html<br /><br />

The view from the TOP!!!!


Nima Tashi and Barbara on top !!!


Barabara on TOP-where she belongs!!!


Ganley's Bar East.... Stop by and tell Frank Martin sent ya!!!!

Tuesday, 22 April 2014 Our day started with splendid news. Barbara and Nima Tashi successfully reached the summit of Lobuche East at around 8:30 a.m., after an alpine start to the day. We all celebrated the first summit of our group. It turned out to be the only one of this expedition. At 10:30 a.m., there was an EBC-wide puja up at the Sagarmatha Polution COntrol Committee camp (the de facto central point in EBC). It was the first time a majority of the camp had come together since the tragedy of 18 May 2014. Many prayers were said and incense floated over group. Several hundred people, both Nepali and foreign, crowded all around the space. A profound sense of sadness hung over us all. For me, the most moving part of the puja was the mass incantation of "om mani padme hung rhi" (a mantra of compassion). As it was repeated over and over, it became a drone with the lama uttering blessings. At one point, I became so choked up that I could not continue. Everyone seemed similarly moved. After the puja ended, a memorial service began. A series of people stood to offer thoughts and condolences. Despite decades of working in the Khumbu, several speakers addressed the inadequacy of words at a time like this. David Brashears offered a quote from Howard Summerville about a disaster on a 1922 Everest expedition. "I remember well the thought gnawing at my brain ... only Sherpas and Bhotias killed. Why, oh why, could not one of us Britishers have shared their fate? I would gladly at that moment have been lying there, dead in the snow, if only to give those fine chaps who had survived the feeling that we had shared their loss." As Westerners, it is difficult to understand the full depth of the losses. After about two hours, the meeting took on a more political tone. Addressing the group in Nepali and English, a spokesperson for the Sherpa climbing community talked about the profound sense of loss they were experiencing. With 16 dead, 3 of whom are still lie in the Icefall, he said they had no wish to continue this season. Another person spoke for almost an hour with a 53-point list of grievances and demands of the Nepal government. It was a bit discordant after the puja and memorial. Towards the end of the gathering, Jim stood to speak. He talked about coming to the Khumbu since 1972. Jim said he had always come as a guest of the community. Addressing the Sherpa guides, he said he knew many of their fathers and grandfathers, had stayed in their homes, and returns every year to be part of these families. He respected their decisions. He told them he was drawn to Everest as a young man and was still drawn to Everest. The crowd laughed and shouted (grandfather). Although our party completely understands and supports the Sherpa community's decision to end the climbing season, we are all disappointed. We are totally dependent on the Sherpa climbing community for their support and leadership on Everest. Without them, we cannot move forward with our expedition. Martin, Shane and Steve spent great time, energy and money reaching this point. Jeff looked forward tojoining them as a guide on the mountain. All three clients expressed a desire to return in the future. From here, we will begin the process of unwinding our expedition. Martin and Steve, Jeff, Shane and Barbara will probably leave camp by the end of the week to make their way back to Lukla and Kathmandu. Jim and Scott will remain to pack things up. We still face the challenges of getting people, gear, food and refuse out of an inhospitable place. We will continue updating you as things move forward. Lots of love to our family and friends. Posted by: Scott Williams Blogs by other members of the expedition Shane - http://HeartHealthyEverestClimb2014.blogspot.com Steve - http://Wetumpka2Everest.blogspot.com Jeff - http://www.highpeakadventures.com/high_peak_adventures/web_log/web_log.html

The Khumbu Icefall as seen from the E3 Base camp in 2014


The puja continued with the lama offering prayers outside for us all...living and departed...


Om Mani Pedmi Hung Hri