Newsletter May 2010
Here we are at the end of the spring season and looking ahead to the summer and autumn. We have recently arrived back from a trek in the Annapurna Sanctuary to Annapurna Base Camp and a smaller group climbing Tent Peak. Trekking in the Annapurna region meant a short stay in Pokhara the second capital of Nepal at the start and end of the trek. This is a really beautiful place, a gorgeous big lake, some brand new lodges, all sorts of restaurants and outdoor cafes, very continental!
The trek was great fun with some shorter and some longer days and mostly lots of warm sun and cooler evenings. The rhododendron trees were flowering and if you have never been to Nepal you may not realise how impressive these local flowers are. They are very much trees and huge! The highest point of the trek was Annapurna Base Camp (4130m) which is a settlement of a few lodges surrounded on all sides by the Annapurna Mountains, gleaming white in the sun light, a really stunning sight to experience.
To reach Tent Peak meant crossing the glacier from Annapurna Base Camp in order to reach this mountain. If you haven’t seen a glacier close up it is very interesting with the mix of rocks, gravel, lakes and everything is moving imperceptibly. So when we went onto it early in the morning it was still cold from the previous night and frozen, when we returned at the end of the day and it was warm then it was very alive. Hard to describe, and very much more interesting than those old school geography lessons! The Tent Peak group were blessed with good weather and although they found it pretty tough they reached the summit. For one member of the group this was his first Himalayan Peak. A great achievement!
Views from Annapurna base Camp
Summer 2010
This August we are going to Advanced Base Camp on Everest in Tibet again. This trek reaches an altitude of 6200 metres. It is a great trip for it’s mix of walking and culture. Tibet is vast so there is a fair amount of travel by four wheel drive however this is the way to get to see a lot of the country in a 2 week trip. Don’t underestimate how moving it is to see the Tibetan plateau, it is awesome. Plus spending time with the people in the local villages and monasteries along the way is inspiring with their kindness and gentle spirits. Seeing Everest so close up is a treat, such a beautiful giant of a mountain and it looks quite different from the Tibet side, in August it will likely be clear warm weather The Buddhist culture is very apparent in the mountain people and sadly suppressed in the city with the Chinese influence becoming more and more dominant. The Buddhist culture is more and more suppressed such a shame when this is the heart of Tibet and so worth experiencing. If you are interested in this trip we recommend you do it now while there is still enough of the culture left to see.
Shigatse Tibetan Landscape - Cho Oyu range
Autumn 2010
This autumn we are running the famous Everest Base & Camp and Kalapathar trek.
This is probably the most famous trek in the world! The way we do it is to go to Kalapathar a high place that looks down onto Base Camp and gives you the best opportunity to appreciate the stunning Mount Everest and the surrounding peaks. It is the place to photograph the mountain from. Then you walk into Base Camp which allows you time to see the camp, the monuments to the courageous climbers from previous expeditions and soak up the atmosphere. The route in to and out from Base Camp is along well worn mountain trails, the weather will likely be warm and sunny and you will stay in local lodges along the way. The link to the website above gives further details including a detailed itinerary.
Tengboche
Nepal Tourism Year 2011 is a government campaign to increase tourism to the country with a goal of 1 million visitors in 2011. This initiative is about using this wonderful resource to enable economic growth, poverty alleviation, equity and overall tourism development in Nepal. Tourism is the main source of income for the country and its people. In support of this initiative we are running a Christmas and New Year trek to the Annapurna Sanctuary. It will be run as a budget trek which in summary means we arrange the basics for the trek and you cover the costs of food and any extras. If you want the details please ask and we will send them to you.
Lhakpa Ri, Tibet September 12 to October 10 2011
This wonderful expedition peak stands at 7000 metres and is an ideal first expedition for those of you who have a few trekking peaks under your belt and have bigger ambitions. We are letting you know now because this will likely to take some planning for most to create the time to do it and we want to give you all the chance to give it fair consideration. We are very excited about this expedition and are looking for a grup of 6 climbers. Lhakpa Ri Expedition
You will find the full list of dates for trips in 2010 and 2011 by following this link.
Please also bear in mind that we will tailor a trip to your specific requirements, let us know what you are after and we should be able to put this together for you. For further details please contact us by phone or e mail. If you prefer you can use the website request facility
It is always a pleasure to receive your calls and e mails so please contact us with any questions and ideas. If you want to talk to clients who have travelled with us in the past then please ask, many of our clients are very happy to discuss their experiences from their holiday and this may be useful when deciding what you want to do.
Kalsang and Susie Sherpa-Baer
The Walking and Climbing Company Ltd, 16, Finkle Street,
Bishop Burton, Beverley, HU17 8QP
Tel: (0044) 01964 551029 / 0771 8755 031
www.walkingandclimbing.co.uk
E Mail: Sbaer@walkingandclimbing.co.uk
