Trekkers stranded in Lukla, Nepal again

by Kraig Becker on

Bad weather in the Himalayas has left many travelers stranded in a remote village in Nepal this past weekend, stretching supplies and accommodations to the limit. Fortunately, improving conditions allowed for many of them to be evacuated yesterday, with those remaining are expected to return to Kathmandu today.

Last week, heavy fog and rain descended on Lukla, a small village located at 9383 feet in the Himalayas. The village has one of the few airports in the region and serves as the main gateway for adventure travelers and climbers headed to Mt. Everest and other major peaks. That airport is considered to be amongst the most dangerous in the world during the best of conditions, and the heavy fog grounded all incoming and outgoing traffic starting on October 31st. With no planes getting in or out, trekkers completing their hikes were left stranded, and by the weekend, nearly 2000 people were stuck in the mountain town.

The fog and rain finally lifted yesterday, allowing aircraft to start shuttling trekkers out of the mountains at last, but the final groups weren’t expected to be airlifted until today. Other travelers elected to continue their hike on to the village of Jiri, a four day journey that would allow them to return to Kathmandu via bus and thereby avoid any further weather delays.

This is the second year in a row that the weather has left travelers stranded in Lukla. In November of last year thick fog prevented planes from getting in and out of the town as well, forcing the Nepali army to eventually use helicopters to facilitate the evacuation process. Fall in the Himalaya is a popular time for trekking, but the weather can be a bit unpredictable as the region transitions from the summer monsoons to the clear, cold of winter.

Having visited Lukla in the spring of 2010, it boggles my mind to think that there were more than 2000 people stranded there. The town is meant to be a brief stop over for those coming and going from Everest, and really isn’t set-up to accommodate that many visitors at one time. Judging from the reports, it seems everyone made it through just fine, but I’m sure there were some cramped quarters and cozy accommodations for a few days.

Nepal to install toilets on Everest?

by Kraig Becker on

Mountaineers heading to the summit of Everest might have an unexpected luxury in the future, if the environmental activist group Eco Himal gets their way. The organization has made a recommendation to the government of Nepal that they install toilets on the mountain as a way of helping keep the environment clean and limiting the impact that humans have on the Himalayan peak.

The recommendation, which will be part of a much larger plan to save the natural environment around Everest, is in its earliest planning stages, and would have some technical hurdles to overcome. For example, critics of the idea have said that due to shifting ice and snow, it would be difficult to build permanent structures to house public toilets on the mountain. Proponents of the plan say that they are trying to undo nearly 60 years of damage to Everest, and that the toilets would go a long way in succeeding in that effort.

At 29,029 feet in height, Everest is the highest mountain in the world. It was first climbed in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and his Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay, and since that time, the mountain has continued to hold sway over the public’s attention. Over the past 10 or 15 years, commercial climbs have increased greatly in popularity, and the summit, which once seemed well out of reach for the common man, now sees in excess of 500 visitors a year. Those visitors bring a lot of trash along with them, and until recently most of it was left behind after the climbing season ends. Changes to permits that grant access to the Khumbu Region now require teams to remove all items that they bring with them, including trash and human waste, when they depart the mountain.

Environmental concerns aside, I know a few climbers who would certainly appreciate a more formal toilet while on Everest. While some of the larger commercial operations do bring a toilet tent with them, smaller – less expensive – guides may simply tell you to do your business behind the rocks. Considering the average Everest climb takes in the neighborhood of 2 months to complete, you can imagine how bad that situation could become.

Great Himalaya Trail now open in Nepal in southern Asia

by Jessica Festa on

The Great Himalaya Trail is officially open for visitors in Nepal in southern Asia. This trail, which stretches from Taplejung in the east to Humla in the west near the border of Tibet, is one of the longest and highest hiking routes in the world.

The goal of creating this trail is to boost tourism in Nepal and portray the country as the perfect destination for adventure seekers. During the 1,700 kilometer trek, hikers will not only experience nature but also a variety of cultures, as the five month or longer trip encompasses 16 different districts. For hikers who do not want to spend that much time hiking straight through the trail, it can also be done in sections, with each bit offering a different type of landscape to experience.

The Great Himalaya Trail is a great active adventure addition for Nepal, as it is already home to 8 of the world’s 14 highest peaks (all over 8,000 meters), including Mount Everest. For a list of companies that you can sign-up with to complete the trek, click here.

Scientists install webcam to spy on Mt. Everest

by Kraig Becker on

Research scientists focused on the impact of climate change on the Himalaya have installed a new webcam to keep an eye on Mt. Everest. The high-definition camera is part of a larger initiative called SHARE, or “Stations at High Altitude for Research on the Environment,” which hopes to track the retreating glaciers on the world’s tallest peak – something that is already having a profound effect on the region.

The webcam is actually installed on nearby Kala Patthar, which offers some of the best views of Everest’s South Side. The camera is powered by solar energy, which means it is only active from 6AM to 6PM local Nepal time. But when it is transmitting images, it auto-updates every five minutes, providing some spectacular images of the mountain. You can examine those images for yourself simply by clicking here.

The SHARE team also installed a sophisticated set of meteorological monitors on Kala Patthar as well. Those sensors are feeding back data on temperature, wind speed, barometric pressure, and the like. The data will be used in the long term by the scientists studying climate change, but it can also offer us a glimpse of what conditions are like in the High Himalaya as well. Weather buffs can view that data feed by clicking here.

With the famed Khumbu Glacier in full retreat, the impact of its shrinking size is already leaving an indelible mark on the local people. As small streams and rivers begin to dry up, many of the villages lose their fresh water supply, and are now forced to walk extra miles just to find the water they need. If that continues, the Himalaya could have a severe water crisis on its hand in the very near fture.

Nepal to remeasure Mt. Everest

by Kraig Becker on

The government of Nepal has announced that it will remeasure the height of Mt. Everest in an effort to settle a dispute with China. This new survey is expected to take up to two years to complete and will likely provide the most accurate measurement of the height of the mountain ever.

Back in 1955 a team of Indian surveyors, using the best instruments available at the time, recorded the height of the mountain as 8848 meters or 29,029 feet. Since then, that has been the official measurement recognized by the Nepali government, despite the fact that both the Chinese and an American survey have offered differing numbers in the year since. Chinese surveyors argue that the snow on top of Everest shouldn’t be included in the measurement, and as a result, they list the mountain as being 8844 meters (29,015 ft) tall. On the other hand, a 1999 U.S. survey using GPS devices pegged Everest at 8850 meters (29,035 ft), a figure that is used by National Geographic when covering the Himalayan peak.

Mt. Everest falls along the border of Nepal and Chinese-controlled Tibet. In recent months, the two countries have been holding talks to discuss issues that have arisen along their common borders, with officials on both sides of the table continually using differing heights when referencing the mountain. This small point of contention has prompted Nepal to re-measure the height of the summit, which is a source of great pride for the smaller nation.

In order to gain the most accurate measurements possible, climbers will carry sophisticated GPS systems to the summit, where measurements will be taken in three different locations. Because of the challenges involved with scaling the world’s tallest mountain, officials say that it could take upwards of two years before they have a new reading on the height. Considering how sophisticated GPS tools are these days, this latest measurement is expected to be the definitive answer as to just how tall Mt. Everest really is.