Rain, clouds and non-existent Himalayas

I was excited about a trip to Thame, one of my favorite villages. The hike was great, we met lots of interesting people along the way, but seeing 30 yards into the distance was a long distance. I love this place, but shrouded in clouds creates frustration, especially as a guide to your wife who took a year of vacation to be hear. It turns out the I was glad the weather was crummy now, as the future would develop into a weather pattern affording us weather beyond our expectations, but I am getting ahead of myself.


Mani Stones

The trip to Thame was highlighted by the meeting with an old Tibetan guy who was amazed we were married and had no kids at our age... How on earth could a 35 and 33 year old be married and have no kids. He was convinced if we came and "drank water" at his house the magic stork would arrive. Although odd, and uncomfortable in any other place on earth, we laughed, joked, took pictures and moved on. Needless to say, he was waiting for us on the return. More water...


The Old Tibetan helping out with family planning

The trip up to Thame is 6 - 7 miles and about 2000 feet in elevation gain. We busted our way up and did very well. We were little impacted by the altitude. I was surprised and happy since the 13,000 footzone is my high altitude nemisis. We did the round trip in a day, had a great time and aclimated our bodies to the altitude. We were ready and anxious to move on.



Buddhist paintings on the wall on the way to Thame




After five days in the mountains Amy was convinced the Himalayas were a figment of my imagination. I was begining to resent the rain, clouds and monsoon. The fortune we receieved to reach the mountains was stymied by the rain and fog. I caught myself pointing out mystery and "non-existent" peaks in the supposed horizon.

Up to Namche

Up to Namche. It is an official slog to Namche. Waking up with tight legs and long climb we knew it was a push, but I was anxious to get back to Namche.







I though we had it bad with 30 Kilo Packs... Nothing compared to the porters. They are the toughest people on earth.



One of the many new bridges on the way to Namche



We trudged up from Monjo to Namche. As tough as it is... 3,000 vertical feet in a mile or two, we punched it out pretty quickly, We arrived in an abandoned Namche. The fact there had not been a flight in 10 days meant every tourist in the Khumbu area was long gone. As we would find out soon, we had the mountains to ourselves.








First night at Namche - Empty Tea house (Brand new and beautiful)

As bad as the weather was (rain, pissing down torential rain) we were alone and when it cleared up, we would share the Himalaya with only the Sherpas. Cross our fingers.





If the weather did not agree at least we had a sense of humor. Butt Crack, it says but crack, hu hu ha ha (ala Beavis and Butthead)

Back in Nepal - Yee Haw

Nepal, ahhh Nepal. Finally got back to the place I love after a few year hiatus.

I was excited to take Amy to the place I love so much. We planned a fairly audacious trip of some new treks and some crazy heights, passes and new peaks. It was great to stomp on the old grounds and explore some new ones.


We arrived in Kathmandu mid July in the midsts of the worst monsoon in recent Nepal memory. I was blown away by the mud in the streets and the oppressive humidity. I was happy to be back in Kathmandu and amazed how much things had progressed in four years. It was bittersweet. The tourism, obviously increased tremendously. A boon to the economy and the people, but a sense of being surrounded by foreigners when I was alone in the city the last three times. We spent a day or two in the city, but I was itching to head to the mountains. The bummer of the whole thing was there had not been a flight to Lukla in 10 days because of the rains. I was not very hopeful we would take off, at least in the first attempt. Needless to say we were up at 4 Am to catch the flight out. It was drizzling and we were positive we would be back at the Tibet guest house for another night. As the sun rose and we arrived at the airport our hopes did not increase even with the Nepali assurance of "no problem, weather good in Lukla." I was convinced it was a sit and wait session at the airport. A half hour passed and, as much as I could not comprehend, we were on the bus out to the plane. We taxied, we accelerated, we took off.... Amazing. The clouds looked dense, and we were potentially on a "scenic" flight, not a delivery. Oddly enough the plane banked hard toward the mountains and before we knew it, we were braking on the 14% grade runway.


The looks we received on the tarmac were a little disheartening. People who had been stranded for 10 + days looked in dismay and disbelief... quotes such as "oh my god, I hope you get out...." "turn around..." gave us a little dismay, but we were happy to be in the hills. I quick cup of tea and a little repacking, we were on our way with a smile on our face.
In typical fashion we planned to make to Phakding, but got Phakding and pushed on.... and on. In the first day we made it to Monjo. It really is not that far, maybe 12 - 13 miles, but after the early morning and heaps of jet lag, we were certifiably spent we finally got our packs off. By 7 pm, we could barely get the energy to strech our legs before the 8 pm curfew we set upon ourselves. We managed to get a great place to stay, all to ourselves, except for the monk headed to Tengboche. We were tired, happy, dry as the rain crashed outside and ready to tackle the monumental grade to Namche the next day.

Man I was I gald to be back.

Uzbek In Town - Erkin coming to America

So Erkin, my good friend from Uzbekistan decided to visit Idaho on his US visit. I got a call from him and several days later he was in Boise. To be a proper Idahost, I had to think of all the things he could not do back in Tashkent, all in three days. Whitewater rafting, shooting guns and camping seemed appropriate. We had a great time. 

Erkin trying his hand at rowing a raft. 
Everybody needs to experience a road trip. Josh and Erkin go to the Sawtooth mountains. 

Erkin said he shot three bullets in the Uzbek military. Lets just say we increased his ratio. Very redneck and very Idaho - a good time. He is not a bad shot. Especially from the marks-woman, Amy.