Arnold Coster

Yesterday the cook and I went vegetable shopping Tashigoan, a small village
about 2hrs drive from base camp. We arranged two motor bikes to drive down
the bumpy dirt road. My driver was a wild looking Tibetan guy, who was
singing traditional Tibetan songs the whole way. My only concern was that he
would sing louder and louder when the road got worse, actually he was
singing quite loud all the time. If the road went downhill he would switch
off his engine and we where flying down the Tibetan plateau as an unguided
missile!

The Tibetan Plateau is an amazing place with an interesting geological
structure and colors. The local people have started preparing their land for
their crops, mainly potatoes and barley. Most of the work is done by hand
and with the help of animals, together with their traditional clothing this
makes a colorful sight!

After a 2 ½ drive, shaking and bumping we finally arrived in Tashigoan. My backside was numb and I had the feeling all my organs were in a different place! We took a short brake with some lunch and bought the necessary vegetables.

In the meantime dark snow clouds were developing at the horizon……..

On the way down we witnessed a traditional Tibetan horse festival. Men dressed up in their finest costumes were racing horses, why I don’t exactly know. But with the scenery and the sunrays through the clouds it was a beautiful sight!

Meanwhile it started snowing and we were still on the motorbike, getting absolutely hammered! Samdien, our cook was driving the bike and absolutely covered with snow and icicles hanging off his nose and eyebrows. Myself looking pretty similar! Luckily we found a traditional Tibetan tent to find shelter. The stove in the middle of the tent burning goat and Yak dung was a very warm welcome. We decided to spend the night in that tent together with this local Tibetan family. They fed us, warmed us up and gave us a nice place to sleep. I can’t remember if I have ever been covered by that many blankets before, must have had six layers on top of me!

The next morning we drank some tea and left the tent. The whole road was covered with 15cm of snow, which made driving a motor bike a little peculiar…………especially with a road full of bumps and holes underneath.

Slipping and sliding we made our way back to Base camp, just in time for breakfast!

I love my job!

Arnold Coster, Expedition Leader

This is Biff Palmer providing the Everest Tibet update for today (April 22
1448 local time). Yesterday the group descended 4000 (21000 to 17000) feet
from ABC to the lower base camp covering a distance of approximately 13
miles. The descent is part of the acclimatization process in that a lower
altitude is clearly associated with an improvement in appetite, better sleep
hygiene, and an opportunity to watch movies. With regard to the later I
thought I would summarize the groups rating of the movies viewed to date:
Layer cake 5.5, Salt (Angelina Joli movie) 6.1, Centurion 4.9, and last
night, Iron Man 2, 6.6. There has been a clamoring by the group for
Brokeback Mountain but this may not be available. On the way down several
groups have been moving up based on the number of Yak caravans. These
animals are clearly the main source of transport for the massive amount of
gear required to keep an expedition functional. On a medical note I would
note that virtually everyone in the group is taking acetazolamide (diamox).
This drug works through several mechanisms but clearly seems to accelerate
the acclimatization process. The single most important adaptive process in
ascent is an involuntary increase in ventilation. Normally the drop in
carbon dioxide that occurs would suppress this process but at altitude
increase ventilation persists in part due to exit of bicarbonate from the
central nervous system. Diamox enhances the bicarbonate excretion from the
kidney and therefore contributes to the ongoing stimulatory effect on
respiration. In addition diamox has a dramatic effect in limiting
Cheyne-Stokes respiration and allows sleep to be improved. One interesting
fact is the outcome of my cokes and sprite sent to the ABC at 21000. Due to
the extreme drop in barometric pressure combined with the severe cold,
approximately 5 sodas exploded. I am happy to say there have been a few
survivors. Lastly, everyone in the group is well and very strong and
anxious to continue in our summit attempt. Today we will take showers and
wash clothes. Let me conclude my sending my love to Robert and Kelly, my
children whom I am very proud.

This is Scott Patch reporting for our Everest Tibet Dispatch this 19th of
April 2011.

We are currently still at Advanced Base Camp (6409 meters) were today we
enjoyed a beautiful Puja Ceremony. The Puja Ceremony is a important piece
of our climb. During the ceremony we ask the Goddess of the mountain
Chomolungma to guide us and grant us safe passage for our brief visit. We
offer the goddess gifts of food, drink and candy for her blessing. We also
place our climbing gear (crampons, ice axes, etc.) on the stupa and ask them
to be blessed for our upcoming climb.

The Puja was a beautiful and festive occasion despite the strong winds and
snow that have hit us over the past 24 hours. All tents are holding up fine
except our toilet tent which we might lose at any minute … it will get
real interesting if this occurs!!! Frostbite in those regions won’t be
fun!!!

Tomorrow, if the wind and snow subside, we plan to climb to the North Col
(7000 meters) and come back to ABC. Much depends on the weather for us over
the next few days.

Everyone is in great spirits and are enjoying Eric giving himself a
“Modified Dutch Oven” in his down suit .