Onwards and upanddownwards

The team will have left Nashing Dingma this morning and will now be camping at 12,000 feet at Chalam Kharka, no wonder the tents look a bit frosty in this photo of the campsite! Hope everyone has remembered their duvets.

Tomorrow they head higher still, up to 14,000 feet and on the way will get views of the third highest mountain in the world, Kangchenjunga, seen below, first climbed by Joe Brown in the fifties (spot the mountain anorak).

Today is our 15th wedding anniversary so, on an unashamedly sentimental note, I've included a photo of the last time Kristine and I were on a hill together (above Bridge of Orchy this winter).

Kristine had left my present with the kids - a lovely watch. I sneaked her present into her bag...a small chocolate rabbit....but, hey, it's the thought that counts...

Big Scary Mountain

The team will get their first view of Mera Peak today, which should be something like this. It's a long way away but it still looks BIG. I bet there are a few butterflies when they see this sight. What a fantastic-looking mountain.

The trek to Pangkongma

I noticed that Stella, one of the team going out on the 16th, had left a comment saying that she was trying not to be jealous - very impressive. I got in touch with my inner green-eyed monster weeks ago and have relaxed into it. I like to torture myself by looking at the photos of others that have done the trek - a sort of virtual Mera Peak trek combined with undertones of self-harming.

Today the team would have left Poyan and trekked to Pangkongma. On the path, if the visibility was good, they would have seen this view of Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain the world...

Their campsite is at Pangkongma lodge which, I have to say, looks like the Himalayan equivalent of campling outside the Kingshouse Hotel in Glencoe, only a bit more squalid.

However, I'm sure the view from the campsite makes up for it.

Tomorrow is supposed to be quite a hard slog as they head up to Nashing Dingma, however the team get their first view of Mera. I better get to bed, I've got a big virtual day ahead of me...

Lukla to Poyan

The expedition will have started in earnest with the first day of walking (and enough altitiude to give you a bit of a headache).


Our children are charting Kristine's progress with a sophisticated multi-media interactive facility...

...every morning they get to move a small laminated photo of their mum up the mountain a bit further. No expense spared!

The team should have reached Poyan tonight. Hope everyone is feeling well and with no blisters. This will be Kristine's second night with no wine...no one said it was going to be easy...

Fasten Your Seat Belts

Kristine called tonight (the last call for a few weeks, presumably). They'd all just got up at 4:30am for their flight to Lukla. Judging by the amount of heckling in the background of the call, they all seemed in remarkably good spirits for that time in the morning.

I tried to describe the photos of the airport that I'd found on the internet, but I couldn't really do them justice over the phone.

No wonder they have to get their luggage weight down to 15kgs - the pilot probably asks them to flap their arms as well.

I hope they get a view of Everest like this one on the way in...

Room with a view

By the extra clock on our kitchen wall keeping Nepal time, Kristine should have arrived at the Summit Hotel in Kathmandu. I thought we had quite a nice view from our bedroom at home but I have to concede that this view from the hotel is slightly better than Kings Seat and Castle Campbell.

(Amazing - 15 mins after I posted this, Kristine phoned to say that the whole team have arrived safely in Nepal. She was phoning from the small bus taking them from the airport to the hotel. They had all the rucksacks and bags strapped to the roof and the driver was blasting the horn continuously, trying to keep flying motorcyclists out of their way. Sounds very like the Kincardine Bridge at rush hour.)

Saturday 31 March photos

The Scots, 4 in a row, Doha to Kathmandu

Suzie, Mary, Lorraine & Kristine

Some of the Manchester Airport team having a meal
Amy, Jayne, Carole and who am I missing?

Sign to the Summit Hotel, Kathmandu

The bus and our bags, minus the chap on top who had been holding the lot on.

Group chat on our plans for tomorrow.