The Longest Climb: from the Dead Sea to the summit of Everest

by Kraig Becker on

Many adventurers are driven to go to extremes. They visit remote places and seem to revel in the challenge and suffering that goes along with those expeditions. Back in 2006, a team of climbers from the U.K. took that philosophy to new limits, when they set out on an expedition that began at the Dead Sea and ended on the summit of Everest.

The team began their adventure at 1385 feet below sea level on the shores of the Dead Sea in Jordan, where they climbed aboard their bikes and proceeded to ride all the way Everest Base Camp on the Tibetan side of the mountain. The journey took more than six months to complete, and they faced about every type of weather imaginable along the way.

Upon reaching Everest, their challenges were just beginning of course. They still had to face the tallest mountain on the planet, and all of the difficulties that that entails. In the end, they reached the summit, located at 29,029 feet, having chalked up 30,414 feet of elevation gain along the way.

To get a taste of their journey, check out the video below, as the team goes from the lowest point on Earth to the highest, completely under their own power.

Nepal’s cabinet to meet at Everest base camp

by Kraig Becker on

Later this week, Nepali Prime Minister Madhav Kumar, along with 26 members of his government, will travel to base camp on Mount Everest, where they’ll hold a cabinet meeting to raise awareness of global climate change and the effects it is having on the mountain. Warming temperatures in the Himalaya are causing glaciers to recede at an alarming rate, as rivers and streams dry up across the region.

On Thursday, Dec. 3rd, the cabinet will fly to Lukla, a small town located at 9383 feet, where they’ll spend the night before boarding a helicopter on Friday that will take them up to base camp at 17,585 feet in elevation. While there, they will survey the direct impact of the dwindling water supply in the Khumbu Valley, where villagers are already having to trek several hours each day to collect the water they’ll need for their day-to-day living.

Recently a similarly high profile cabinet meeting was held in the Maldives, where the president of that island nation, along with 11 cabinet members, held a meeting underwater while wearing scuba gear. Both of these events take place as the U.N. prepares to convene a special conference that is expected to be attended by 190 nations, who will be discussing a plan to replace the Kyoto Protocols by 2012.

The glaciers of the Himalaya are the second largest concentration of frozen freshwater on the planet behind the polar ice caps. The normal melting process of those glaciers feeds some of the longest rivers in the world, including the Ganges in India and Yangtze in China. As those glaciers recede, and the latest estimates have some melting at a rate of 70 meters per year, we can expect long term, and wide reaching consequences throughout Asia and beyond.

Climate change bugs climbers on Everest

by Kraig Becker on

In another ominous sign of global climate change, climbers on Mount Everest are reporting that they are finding house flies in Base Camp for the first time. According to this story from The Guardian, the insects began appearing earlier this year, catching mountaineers, including the Sherpas who call the Himalaya home, completely off guard.

Everest BC sits at 5360 meters (17,585 feet), an altitude that was considered too cold and in hospitable for most bugs in the past. But the appearance of the insects was just another indicator of the impact of global warming on the Khumbu Valley, which has seen its glaciers recede at a rate of 10-20 meters per year. Further evidence can also be found in the mountain villages, where water sources are running dry, forcing inhabitants to hike miles each day for supplies.

These changes are having a direct impact on the tourism to the region as well. Each year, hundreds of climbers come to Everest to make an attempt on the world’s tallest mountain, and hundreds more trekkers make the hike up to Base Camp, taking in the mountain scenery that is unmatched anywhere else in the world. But with water supplies dwindling, there is less for the visitors to the Khumbu to drink as well.

Worse yet, the warming is changing the summit of the mountain itself. In the article above, Dawa Sherpa, a mountain guide who has reached the top of the world twice, says that in years past, as many as 50 people could stand on the summit of Everest. Now, fewer than 18 can be at that point at the same time, thanks to the shrinking of the cornice. Worse yet, it is likely to get smaller still in the years ahead.

Trekking to Everest Base Camp

by Kraig Becker on

When it comes to high altitude treks, the hike up to Everest Base Camp is amongst the most popular, and for good reason. It combines fantastic views of the Himalaya with cultural immersion in Nepal’s remote Khumbu Valley, along with a healthy dose of physical challenges.

If you’ve ever wondered what such a trek would be like, than look no further than this story from the Australian newspaper The Age. In the article, travel writer Carol Nader makes the journey and returns to tell the tale of long days hiking Himalayan trails and nights in Nepali villages and sleeping in tea houses.

All told, the trek takes eight days up to base camp, which sits at 17,585 feet, and another four back down. Arrival at BC was a bit anti-climactic in Carol’s case however, as the rocky and nondescript campsite offered little in the way of fanfare. On top of that, heavy snow clouds hung low over the mountains, blocking the the summit of Everest, and the surrounding peaks, from sight. But the clouds parted, the sun shone, and the snow capped mountains came into view at last, and the entire journey all seemed worthwhile.

Clearly, the trek isn’t for everyone. It is challenging and difficult and the altitude can humble even the most fit. On top of that, there are no showers in sight, and the overnight accommodations are far from luxurious. But there is a strong sense of accomplishment upon reaching your destination and, as the author discovered, a serene sense of peace at escaping the hectic pace of modern life. How far would you walk to achieve that?