Tuesday 08 April 2014 Monjo is a small town located on the hillside above the river just below the National Park entrance gate. All along the way there have been check points to check our trekking permits and expedition permits with the Nepal Army and the Nepal Police. The reasoning is that this is for our safety. The police want to know about the cameras, phones and computers you are carrying so that if you lose anything on route you can file a claim? The army is just tracking movement so that if you go missing they have a last known location?The National Park collects an Entrance Fee of 3,000 NC or about US$30/person. We are all paid and signed in so we can now travel in Sagarmatha National Park. After a short but steep downhill and a few bridge crossings back and forth across the river we can see the new bridge that will put us on the ?Namche Hill?. This is a steep climb up to Namche Bazaar. The new bridge is about 300 feet above the old bridge and seems well constructed. It cuts off the first few switchbacks of the old trail. The shorter climb is welcomed by all. After a hour or so of climbing we reach the point where for the first time you can see Mt Everest through the trees. It was a clear day with a great view of the ?Mother Goddess of the Earth?. We all had fresh oranges before starting the final push to Namche. This is a beautiful walk through a pine forest. The approach to town can be from above or from below. We all walked in from the bottom of the village. We all circumambulated the stupa and spun the prayer wheels and then headed up towards town. The construction has begun on the new ?Namche City Park? or local laundry mat. The final push takes us all the way to the Panorama Lodge high on the hill overlooking Namche. The Panorama Lodge is our home away from home for the next few days. Sherap and Lhakpa will be our gracious hosts as well as taking care of each and every member as though they were their own children. The rooms are comfortable, clean and quiet. Electric lights, hot and cold running water and beds with electric blankets await us all. This was the first of many uphill walks. Everyone made it without any problems although for some this was the hardest day so far. I am happy to report that the walk suited my ankle well. After yesterday?s rough trail the steady uphill was easier than expected. We will rest here for the next 3 nights before moving up to Pangboche. This will give everyone a chance to acclimatize to the high altitude. Now a great lunch, a rest and a hot shower!!! Written by: JMW Individual Expedition Blogs: Shane Jones: http://hearthealthyeverestclimb2014.blogspot.com/ Steve Slaughter: http://wetumpka2everest.blogspot.com Jeff Witt: http://www.highpeakadventures.com/High_Peak_Adventures/Web_Log/Web_Log.html

1st view of Mt Everest on the way to Namche

Monday - 07 April 2014 Knock, knock, knock Good Morning!!! The call came very early this morning. All bags down and separated into different piles for trekking, base camp and to stay in KTM for our return. Looks like all made the weight limit. Driving to the airport at 5AM the streets are much less crowded than midday. The only really big group of people were those lined up outside the passport office. It is amazing the long line of folks applying for a passport in KTM. They will stand all night to get a chance to apply for a passport. I am sure the line will get longer and longer as the day progresses. It will be a great relief to be out of the KTM valley with the pollution and the dust. Even in the early morning the headlights have a yellow glow from all the dust in the air. It is hard to imagine how you would stay fit living in KTM. Running would certainly be out of the question. I have managed to do very little activity while in KTM. Things will change. After a slight delay at the airport due to fog we were off for Lukla. We were on the 1st flight in a few days that made it "oœn time" a truly odd concept in Nepal. As I learned many years ago you are "oœn time" if you are within the hour promised and on flights that often extends to being on time if you fly the day your ticket is booked. We were lucky as we made it in the early morning of the day we were scheduled to fly. After a bumpy flight, a good solid landing at Lukla, we hired porters for our bags. We are off to Phakding for lunch. Many years ago we would spend the night at Phakding as it is the lowest point between Lukla and Namche Bazaar. Today since we arrive by 8:30AM we will plan to walk to Monjo which is located just below the Sagarmatha National Park entrance gate. Today's walk was my very first real test of my repaired ankle. As my surgeon had given me permission to walk on uneven ground I put it to the test by walking almost 6 hours over rocks and along a dirt track, uphill and down, across swinging bridges and small logs. It was a real challenge. I am certain there will be more challenges to come. Written by: JMW Individual Expedition Blogs: Shane Jones: http://hearthealthyeverestclimb2014.blogspot.com/ Steve Slaughter: http://wetumpka2everest.blogspot.com Jeff Witt: http://www.highpeakadventures.com/High_Peak_Adventures/Web_Log/Web_Log.html

Ready and waiting at the airport in KTM!!!!

Sunday 06 April 2014 The crew has arrived in Kathmandu (KTM). We are all getting our last minute chores done so we will be ready to go early in the morning so we can fly to Lukla and begin the long awaited trek to Base Camp. Scott arrived yesterday evening after a flight that took him thru Hong Kong for lunch on top of Peak Victoria overlooking the harbor and then got him into the Malla Hotel just before midnight. He got a half day of sightseeing and a few errands done in town today. Shane and Barbara were the first to arrive. After a quick breakfast we headed to the Bhat Bahtini Supermarket to look for special non-fat foods for Shane. We had been told that you could get SoyMilk there. However upon closer inspection we found that the SoyMilk was exactly that Milk with Soy added. It may be lactose free but not dairy free. We struck out there but were able to find some foods Shane felt comfortable taking to basecamp. Shane has a blog about his climb called http://hearthealthyeverestclimb2014.blogspot.com/ Martin, Danny and Carol all arrived a day earlier so have had two full days of sightseeing in KTM plus a visit with friends. Danny and Carol were able to meet a friend who works at the US Embassy. They are now the most up-to-date trekkers in Nepal. It is always great to have a friend at the US Embassy. Steve and his daughter Lauren arrived from Bangkok today just in time for the briefing. Steve has a blog again for his climb. http://wetumpka2everest.blogspot.com The latest issue is that baggage domestic airlines are restricting trekking luggage to 15kg including hand bags? This is causing a little confusion as folks try to pare down their gear to meet the latest weight restrictions. Passenger flights are no longer taking extra cargo so there is very little room for excess baggage. Now we are down to what do you really need. It is a great lesson in essential living. We have our work cut out for us. Bags are to be ready to go at 4:30AM tomorrow morning so we can be on the first flight to Lukla whenever it takes-off we will be on it. Written by: JMW Individual Expedition Blogs: Shane Jones: http://hearthealthyeverestclimb2014.blogspot.com/ Steve Slaughter: http://wetumpka2everest.blogspot.com Jeff Witt: http://www.highpeakadventures.com/High_Peak_Adventures/Web_Log/Web_Log.html

Expedition and trekking teams in KTM


Shane and Barbara after food shopping


A little help deciding on what food to buy...

Friday, 11 April 2014 Today will be the longest walk of our trek to Everest Base Camp. We will leave the comforts of the Panorama Hotel and head up to Pangboche. While the net elevation change is not that great (11,200 ft up to 13,700 ft), the trail is not so simple. We head out of Namche and up to Khumjung, the neighboring village. (Note: Kids in Namche make the steep one hour walk every day to attend the Sir Edmund Hillary School in Khumjung.) From Khumjung, we descend almost 2,000 ft to cross the river at Phortse, before climbing up the hill on the opposite side for a long traverse to Pangboche. This is literally ?the path less travelled? and offers spectacular views along the way. It also takes us through blooming forests of rhododendron along the river bottom. Although shorter, the alternative path winds down and up (and down and up) to Tengboche, following a very busy trail with many yak trains. We will be glad not to breathe so much dry, powdered yak byproduct on our walk. This promises to be 7-8 hours of hard walking and we will be glad to arrive in Pangboche at the home of Nima Tashi Sherpa. Nima is the sirdar (head Sherpa) of our expedition. If you look at his profile on the team member page, you can see his extraordinary achievements. Everyone is well and feeling strong. Access to the Internet will be limited for the next 5 days until we reach Everest Base Camp, so dispatches will be posted when we can. 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

Steve being blessed for success


Martin joining Steve for success

9:15AM 11 April 2014 Proud to announce Steve is the proud father of a new healthy baby girl named TC Slaughter born at 9:15AM on the Friday the 11th of April 2014 in Shanghai, China. We are all proud to know all is well with the mother and baby. Steve is on the way today from Namche to Pangboche. Posted by JMW