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Posts Tagged ‘hiking Everest’
Hillary’s Last Chance to Depart From Everest Base Camp
Willi Unsoeld, a member of the first American expedition to conquer Mount Everest in 1963 once maintained, “You’ve climbed the highest mountain in the world. What’s left?” However, it seems there is a Sherpa who would strongly disagree with this sentiment, having made the journey from Everest base camp to the mountain’s summit a record-breaking nineteen times.
49-Year Old Nepalese Sherpa, Apa, is known only by a single name as is often the tradition for Sherpas. However, as he now holds the record for number of ascents of the highest mountain in the world, this does not seem to have hindered his reputation. Having grown up in the foothills, he began carrying equipment and supplies for climbers at the age of twelve, and completed his first Everest climb in 1990 at the age of 28. He has since made the climb from Everest base camp, which stands at 5,360 metres, to the summit which towers at 8,848 metres, almost every year.
Apa had recently made plans to make an astounding twentieth climb this spring, however this expedition would have been quite different as he had set a goal for himself and his team to collect and remove 15,430 lbs of rubbish from the mountainside as they climbed. The team of 17 Sherpas and 12 others would not have been working alone, but had plans to recruit porters who would assist them in getting the bags of litter from the side of the mountain back to Everest base camp.
However, this would have been more than just an Environmental expedition; Apa was also using the monumental occasion afforded by his twentieth climb as a way to contribute to Nepal’s tourist campaign. Nepal opened its borders to tourists in the 1950s but the industry has suffered during years of instability. A new target has now been set that aims to attract half a million tourists to the country in the year 2011; whether this be achieved by people visiting Everest base camp and the Himalayas, those wishing to trek the Annapurna Circuit, or those who might be fascinated by more remote places such as the Kingdom of Mustang. For Sherpas such as Apa, who relied on mountain trading and yak herding prior to the introduction of tourism into Nepal, this is a particularly important goal.
Apa had one final goal to add to this celebratory climb, as he intended to carry the remains of the ashes of Sir Edmund Hillary to the top of Everest with him in order to scatter them at the peak. Hillary was one of the first men to conquer the journey from Everest base camp to summit in 1953, and passed away in his home country New Zealand just two years ago. Whilst most of his ashes were scattered in Auckland Harbour, the rest were donated to the Sherpa community. The memory of Sir Edmund remains important to many of the Nepalese, for as stated by Apa, “without him we would have no clinics and we would have no schools.”
Unfortunately, Hillary’s final journey is not to take place, due to the predictions of Buddhist Lamas. The Lamas warned that the plan to scatter the ashes would bring bad luck, as they considered it to be a holy place. However, whilst Hillary’s final resting place may not be Everest itself, or even Everest Base Camp, it is not far away. The ashes are currently kept in a monastery not far from the mountain, whilst plans are being formulated for the building of a park that will commemorate the mountaineer.
Jude Limburn Turner is the Marketing Manager for Mountain Kingdoms, an adventure tour company who have run the classic trek to Everest Base Camp for over 20 years. They now offer treks and tours worldwide, including destinations in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Central and South East Asia.
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Places on the 1953 Royal Geographic Society expedition to Mount Everest (8848 m) were in great demand, so Edmund Hillary was extremely pleased to be part of it. In those days access to the Khumbu was restricted for political reasons so the Everest Trek and summit bid of British team lead by Colonel Hunt carried the hopes of the nation and had a high profile in the press.
After months of preparation, and one failed summit bid, the team made its second attempt at the summit on the morning of May 29th 1953. Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were chosen to continue up the south east ridge while Colonel Hunt went down to wait for them at camp four at the base of the South Col, and the rest of the team (including Tenzing’s fellow Sherpas) waited for news at Everest Base Camp. The entire expedition team consisted of a dozen climbers, 35 Sherpa guides, and 350 porters with 18 tonnes of food and equipment.
The First Successful Trek to Everest’s Peak
It was a beautiful, clear day, but Hillary and Tenzing could not start out until Hillary’s boots had defrosted, having frozen solid overnight. The final stint of their Everest trek to the summit took two and a half hours, and was hard going. They had to cut careful steps in a snow incline working diagonally upwards. Eventually, they reached a rock step which seemed impossible to overcome until Hillary found a crack to for them to wriggle up.
Their Everest trek could have finished with calamity. After they had been climbing for a while Tenzing had difficulty with his oxygen set. Its exhaust port had clogged with ice, and they found that Hillary’s was having the same problem. If they had not fixed it they would have been forced to abandon the summit bid.
Because of the steepness of the ridge, Hillary and Tenzing could not see the summit as they climbed, and only saw it when they were just thirty or forty feet away. As well as joy, the pair felt a sense of relief when they reached the very top, especially as Tenzing had been very close to summiting on an Everest Trek the year before.
In an interview a few weeks after their Everest Trek, Hillary recounted how the view from the summit was clear: “there weren’t any clouds at all.” They could see “long-range into Tibet and Nepal.” He also mentioned how the foreshortening effect of the great height they had achieved made everything below “look rather flat, very similar to the view from an aircraft.” They could also see the fifth largest mountain in the world, Mount Makalu (8,462m). Hillary realised that they were in a privileged position being able to see at that peak from above. “Makalu was a great sight below us.”
Looking down the northern side of the mountain, Tenzing was able to see the Rombuk monastery, and being a Buddhist, this was special for him. Hillary commented on how difficult the route up the northern face looked for an Everest trek.
They stayed on the summit for about fifteen minutes and then they set off down the mountain again. Hillary and Tenzing returned to Everest Base Camp as the first people to reach the highest peak in the world and get back safely.
The news of the successful Everest Trek took several days to reach Britain, and was announced the day before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. In the early fifties Britain was still enduring a period of austerity following the war, and rationing was set to continue a further year. Together with the coronation, the accomplishment of the British team buoyed-up the morale of the nation. On his return to England, the new queen knighted the mountaineer from New Zealand as Sir Edmund Hillary, in recognition of his fine achievement on Everest with Tenzing Norgay.
Jude Limburn Turner is the Marketing Manager for Mountain Kingdoms, an adventure tour company who have run Everest treks for over 20 years. They now offer treks and tours worldwide, including destinations in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Central and South East Asia.
The online travel writing provided by Travel Content Online is free to take, providing you take the links in the text, too. Use it to add fresh online content to your website. Thank you for visiting us – hopefully our travel content will bring more visitors to your site, too.
Ever since it was confirmed as the highest mountain on the planet in the 19th century, Mount Everest has fascinated amateur and professional mountaineers alike. Learn more about treks to Everest Base Camp, the last stopping off point for climbers before they attempt the summit.
A trek to Everest remains a dream for many, and achieving the summit of the highest mountain in the world will always be the ultimate prize for experienced mountaineers. Standing at 8,848 metres above sea level, Everest defeated attempts from climbers for over thirty years until Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay made it to the top in 1953. Since then, several thousand people have made it to the summit; but the skills required, the danger of the climb and the considerable expense of an Everest expedition put a trip to the top of the mountain out of the reach of most people. Treks to Everest Base Camp, however, continue to grow in popularity, giving travellers to this region an unforgettable glimpse of the world’s highest mountain.
Everest Base Camp
Contrary to popular perception, there are in fact two Everest Base Camps that Everest expeditions can set off from: the South camp in Nepal (5,360 metres) and the North camp in Tibet (5,208 metres). At both of them, mountaineers preparing to attempt the summit stay to acclimatise to the altitude and wait for favourable weather conditions before leaving to make an attempt on the summit. The South camp tends to be the more commonly used by Everest expeditions for practical reasons – the southern ridge is the easier and safer route to the summit, and climbing from the Tibetan side requires a special visa from China.
To see and visit one of these Everest Base Camps is to step onto the stage of mountaineering history – the world’s greatest climbers have passed through the camps at one point or another in search of their moment of glory.
Regional Highlights
As well as the awe inspiring views of Everest itself and the historical significance of seeing Everest Base Camp, treks to this region typically take in several other summits and sights. Most treks to Everest Base Camp will follow the classic route from Lukla, through pretty Sherpa villages and dramatic high mountain scenery, whilst other Everest Base Camp treks will follow a longer route to Everest, giving the opportunity to retrace the steps of the great explorers all the way from Jiri to the Base Camp itself. Other trekking routes in this region can also include a visit to the spectacular Gokyo Lakes, a series of high altitude lakes that offer breathtaking views out over the region.
Almost all Everest Base Camp treks in Nepal will include an ascent of nearby Kala Pattar (5,545 metres), which offers great views down over the base camp and up to Everest itself.
Experience and Equipment Required
Trekking to Everest Base Camp does not require mountaineering experience. The walking though is challenging due to the terrain and the altitude. Organised trips should give visitors time to acclimatise to the altitude. Although altitude sickness is unpredictable and affects different people in different ways, simple precautions can minimise the chance of experiencing this. Previous experience of high level trekking is not a requirement for an Everest Base Camp trek, just a good general level of fitness and a spirit of adventure.
Tour operators will be able to provide a more complete list of the equipment required for individual treks, but a good waterproof jacket, clothes that will provide sufficient warmth at high altitudes, sunglasses and good quality walking boots will be a bare minimum. The cost of a trek varies from company to company but, due to the distances covered in a typical trek, and the need to gradually acclimatise to the altitude, a complete trip will take around three weeks and usually costs between £1,900 and £2,500, including flights.
Everest Base Camp has been drawing in walkers and climbers for years, and it remains an essential destination for the trekking enthusiast – spectacular scenery, challenging walking and a once in a lifetime chance to stand beside the highest mountain in the world.
Jude Limburn Turner is the Marketing Manager for Mountain Kingdoms, an adventure tour company who have run an Everest Base Camp trek for over 20 years. They now offer treks and tours worldwide, including destinations in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Central and South East Asia.