Way to Everest

Wheh! I can now relax and say a big Namaste from Kathmandu.

I’ve been asked what does the pre hike time in Kathmandu involve?

So here’s my last 30 hours:

12:05 Plane landed

12:20 Dorje “Imax” Sherpa (our Sirdar) met me at the airport for the short ride to the Courtyard Hotel in Thamel (the tourist district [...]

Good Morning Everyone,

After a whirlwind last week, here I am in Changi Airport awaiting my flight to Kathmandu.

It’s been a blur of charging up electronics, last minute repairs, purchases and training. All accomplished with ankle and all other body parts intact.

Symo has now officially hung up his tread. No more Snake Pit!!
The last session [...]

Welcome back everyone.

It’s been a whirlwind 9 months, punctuated with some highs and lows.

I’ve had the most wonderful time being asked to share my story, my time on Everest and the amazing women, girls and work by Plan that I witnessed firsthand in Nepal.
Who would have thought it; I love this public speaking caper!

I saw my Surgeon a few weeks [...]

Namaste or should that be a big G’day now that I’m home?

It’s been a whirlwind week.
I received a wonderful welcome home at Adelaide Airport.
I actually didn’t expect anybody because the lovely gentleman at Qantas got me on an early flight and an even lovelier pilot got us in 15 minutes early.

Arrived to the [...]

We played with the fire of Clive Lloyd’s WIndies.
Ricky, there were some crack fielders and a ripper young lady that laid willow on leather, well plastic on plastic, time and time again, until finally, a classic catch brought about her demise. She’s no Sachin more a Gilly.

The look on their faces when the [...]

SHOWER!!!!
Ahh heaven is to be found in a shower rose, sweet smelling body wash and a puff to get rid of all that dead skin!! Human again.
And my curls are back. 50 days of hat hair…. No, worse…beanie hair and now I have girl hair again.

On a more serious note I’ve been in [...]

I’ve just got the weather report and it’s not pretty.
Kenton’s exact word’s “Sorry Trotty it’s over”.

There are 120 people heading up tonight. It was tough going when our team went up with 70 on the Hill. I hope they all remain safe and frostbite free.

There are others on the hill that I believe [...]

Where do I start?
I’m back in BC after stretching the legs to C3.
The others were able to turn the break in the weather into a successful, if costly, summit run.
Tom and Bonnie have frost bitten toes and Rick his fingers from helping Bonnie but they’re all back safe in BC.

The day has [...]

No weather window in the foreseeable future, sooooo……. we’re going to stretch our legs.
Go for a bit of a walk.
Where shall we go?
C2?
Maybe tag C3 for the fun of it!
4am breakfast tomorrow, Wed 12th.
I’ll be asking Bhim for Muesli and a hard boiled egg. I’ve found that’s my best pre climb combination (not [...]

Mountaineering is a lesson in patience. There’s only one person in control here, Mother Nature and of course the Great Mother Goddess herself – Sargamatha.

We eagerly await the weather report each day. The head guides attend a daily meeting to discuss, they cross reference weather reports from Seattle USA, Bracknell UK and Geneva [...]