Back in Lukla

Back in Lukla after 26 days of trekking and climbing through the Hinku, Honku, Imja and Khumbu valley. Very good news I both summited Mera North Peak 6476 meter on 24 oct at 07:00 and Baruntse 7152 meter on 3 nov at 12:30.  We will have to check when we get to KTM but maybe I'm the very firsdt Belgian that ever summited Baruntse !!!!!! Not all of us made it. Only 7 of the 16 climbers made it to the real summit. Baruntse is not an easy climb. The walk up to summit ridge is straight forward but there on it is technical and very exposed with some vertical sections, corniches and crevasses that have to be negotiated. Those who say that it is an easy climb, don't know what they are talking about.  It was tough but it was good fun. To give you an idea about the time I needed to make the climb. I left camp 2 at 02:00, summited at 11:30 and got back to camp 2 at 16:30, so total climbing time 14:30 but I lost 1 hour due to a polish girl stuck on a steeper section and I spend 1 hour at the summit, so technically only 12:30 :-)   Overall it was very good and I learned a lot and made new friends, Dan from Australia and Dave from Scotland and who knows maybe we will climb again in the future.

Comimg from the remote Honku into the Khumbu was stepping from night to day or as Arnold says walking into Disneyland. Bakeries, shops, cola, pringles, candy, yak steack, everything ypu can dream of.

The last couple of days have been thrilling. During 5 days the weather in Lukla was so badd the no flight could get in or out and more then 2000 tourists, trekkers and climbers got stuck in Lukla. Thankfully the weather broke and in 3 days the airlines together with the army managed to clear to backlog. We are planned to fly out in the 10 nov, meanwhile we stay at the Namaste Lodge.

 I really enjoyed this trek and climb. Walked through beautifull scenery, say moste of the Nepal 8000 high peaks. By times it was hard but above 6000 nothing is easy. I know now that I still fumction above 7000 without oxygen, that I adapt well to the altitude, had no AMS, my apitide was good all the way even in the high camps. For those who wonder, I  still have all my body parts. I only got a little more crazy of climbing at high altitude ;-))))) 

The next few days  I will hang around  KTM, visit Patan and Bhaktapur and I will leave KTM on the 15 nov, arrive in Belgium the 16 Nov.

See you all soon and love you all.  Tashi Delek out of Lukla from a happy STef