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| Mountains of Nepal - Mount Everest |
 Want to experience the intense pleasure of being alive, aware and adventurous...set yourself to a trekking and mountaineering expedition to the world's mightiest peak Mt. Everest. Set against the brilliant blue sky, the view of Mount Everest's radiant snow peaks is jaw dropping. And how it feels like being so close to the sky is a thrill beyond imagination.
Visitors dream of trekking to the foot of the world's highest peak Mt. Everest, called Sagarmatha in Nepali language, located in the Khumbu region of east Nepal. The region includes upper catchments area of the Dudha Koshi and Bhote Koshi rivers. The area is largely composed of the rugged terrain and gorges of the high Himalayas ranging from 5,800m to the top of the world Mt. Everest (8,848m).
The Route
Mount Everest, or the 'Mother of the Universe' (called by the Nepalese) is known as Sagarmatha in Nepal. Towering egoistically heavenwards, it is 8850 meters above the sea level. The route can be sensational only if you ward off all your fears and get ready to see the deepest ditches and touch the highest peaks. So come, let's feel the energy of the mountains and experience how it looks when the sky meets the earth.
Arrive in Kathmandu
The trip begins in the ancient and colorful city of Kathmandu. During day time, we can explore the 17th century splendors of the Monkey Temple, the Durbar Square and the old Kings' Palaces, as well as the ancient city of Patan.
Fly to Lukla
Early next morning we fly to Lukla at 2860 meters, where we meet the yak drivers, and porters. We can trek to Monjo (2652m) and spend the night there.
Explore Sherpa Villages
We will continue our trek up to Namche Bazaar (3446m), the capital of the Sherpa Kingdom. Here we rest for a day to acclimate and enjoy the hospitality of the fascinating people, then proceed up to Deboche (3757m) for a night, and finally to Lobuche (4930m), where we have another acclimatization day.
Reach the Base Camp
Finally, we make the last trek to base camp at 5300 meters. After resting, organizing, and training in the base camp for a day, we will begin our climb.
Hiking at the Khumbu Icefall
We start with a day hike through the awe inspiring Khumbu Icefall, followed by a trip to the plateau of the Western Cwm, for our first glimpse of Camp I, at 5800 meters.
Reach Western Cwm
From Camp I at 6000 meters, the route traverses the flattish bottom of the Western Cwm, to 6200 meters where Camp II is located. Camp III is on the head wall of the Lhotse face at about 7200 meters. Known as the 'Valley of Silence', the Western Cwm is a relatively flat gently rising valley, marked by huge lateral crevasses in the center.
Ascend Lhotse Face
From Camp II, we will ascend the Lhotse face on fixed ropes up to a small edge 7,470 m (24,500 feet). Then we will climb another 500 meters to Camp III on the South Col at 7,920 m(26,000 feet). From camp III to Camp IV we will have to face two altitudinal challenges: the Geneva Spur and the Yellow Band.
The Geneva Spur is an anvil shaped, snow covered rib of a black rock named by a Swiss in 1952 Swiss expedition. The Yellow band is a section of sedimentary sandstone which requires 100 meters of rope for traversing it.
Reach the Death Zone
On South Col, we enter the death zone, where we will spend maximum 2 or 3 days before beginning our summit push. Within 10 to 12 hours, we'll reach 'The Balcony' at 8,400 m (927,700 feet). The Balcony provides spectacular views to the radiant peaks.
Follow Cornice Tracerse
At 8,750 m (28,700 feet), a small table-sized dome of is snow marks the South Summit. From South summit, we will follow the knife-edge southeast ridge along the 'Cornice Traverse' where snow clings to intermittent rock. This is the most exposed section of the climb as a misstep to the left would send one 2,400 m (8,000 ft) down the southwest face while to the immediate right is the 3,050 m (10,000 ft) Kangshung face. At the end of this traverse is an imposing 12 m (40 ft) rock wall called the 'Hillary Step' at 8,760 m (28,750 ft).
The Facts
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Radhanath Sikdar, an Indian mathematician and surveyor from Bengal, was the first to identify Everest as the world's highest peak in 1852, using trigonometric calculations based on measurements of "Peak XV". |
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Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa from Britain were the first to climb Mount Everest successfully in 1953. |
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In Nepal, the mountain is called Sagarmatha meaning 'Goddess of the Sky'. This name was invented in the early 1960s by Baburam Acharya when the Nepalese government realized that Mount Everest had no Nepalese name. |
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Everest has been named after Sir George Everest in 1865, the British surveyor-general of India. The mountain was once known as Peak 15. |
The Quotes
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"Everest for me, and I believe for the world, is the physical and symbolic manifestation of overcoming odds to achieve a dream" Tom Whittaker |
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The highest of the world's mountains, it seems, has to make but a single gesture of magnificence to be the lord of all, vast in unchallenged and isolated supremacy" George Mallory |
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Everest is a matter of universal of human endeavor, a cause from which there is no withdrawal, whatever loses it may demand" G O Dyrenfurth |
| Source: http://nepal.saarctourism.org/mount-everest.html |
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| Highest Elevation .... MOUNT EVEREST |
Mount Everest is so famous for being so high that you've probably heard of it before. It has been known the world over since the early 1950s when Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first climbed to its awesome summit. Hillary surveyed Everest at the time and determined that it was 29,000 ft/8840m high - a figure amazingly close to the current reading of 29,035 ft/8850m, which was confirmed using radar and global positioning satellite (GPS) technology.
Using state-of-the-art technology Professor Brad Washburn of the Boston Museum of Science, the world's foremost mountain cartographer, and his team have calculated that earth's highest elevation is actually 7 feet higher than the previous record. That makes the official height 29,035 ft/8850m. Thanks to some engineering whizzes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who developed really light, high-tech gear, the work of Washburn was made easier because he was able to hand carry a radar device to the top of Everest where it could be positioned to measure the actual height of the mountain - underneath all that snow. GPS technology was also deployed near the summit, which uses satellite signal relays to take readings from the top of Everest. After months of crunching numbers Washburn's team arrived at the new, official world-record elevation.
They've also determined that the Himalayan Mountains are still growing higher, at a rate of about 2.4 in/6.1cm per year. That's twice as fast as previously thought. A growth rate of 2.4 in/6.1cm per year doesn't sound like very much. If you think about it, that means in the last 26,000 years the Himalayans have risen almost a mile into the upper reaches of the earth's atmosphere!
When Hillary and Norgay climbed to the top of Everest they wore oxygen tanks. Because Everest is so high it juts into the upper reaches of the earth's atmosphere, where there are much lower concentrations of oxygen than at sea level. What that means to folks trekking up the side of Everest is that their bodies get less oxygen from each breath they breathe while climbing. But their brains and muscles require the same amount of oxygen to perform as they would at sea level. That makes it especially tough to climb Everest.
Try to imagine what it feels like to climb up a mountain with very little oxygen in your body - you get dizzy, your nose, fingers and feet get numb and tingly, your heart thunders in your chest trying furiously to keep up with the muscles' demand for oxygen. You feel sleepy, confused, downright stupid as your brain struggles to function on limited oxygen. Every step you take is extremely slow and plodding, requiring every ounce of will you have. Hillary and Norgay had extra oxygen to help them make the trip, but there have been a few people who have made the trip since who did it without the aid of oxygen - taking one step about every five minutes! Approximately 6,000 climbers have attempted the summit of Everest, but only 2,249 have made it. Over 200 people have died trying and of those, at least 120 bodies are still missing on the mountain.
Highest Mountains
Mount Everest is just one of over 30 peaks in the Himalayas that are over 24,000 ft/7315m high. Himalaya is a Sanskrit word meaning, "abode of snow", which is so true. The name of the mountain in Nepal is Sagarmatha, which means "goddess of the sky". The snowfields which dominate many of the peaks in the Himalayas are permanent. Yes, they never melt (not even in the summer). That means there are glaciers in the Himalayas - lots of them. Mount Everest is permanently covered in a layer of ice, topped with snow. The "top" of the mountain at which the elevation was measured can vary as much as twenty feet or more, depending on how much snow has fallen on its peak. Scientists believe that the actual tip of the rock lies tens of feet below the ice and snow on its summit. There are current plans to use ground penetrating radar to get a reading of the actual height of the mountain beneath all that snow. Although the Himalayan Range is only 1,550 miles/2480km long, the average height of all the major peaks in the Himalayas easily makes it the highest mountain range on land.
Source: http://www.extremescience.com/MountEverest.htm |
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