My Charity Trek to the 'Roof of the World'
22nd March - 9th April
Everest, The South Col, Lhotse and Nuptse from Kala Pattar, April 3rd 2006
Everest is called 'Sagarmatha' ('Head of the Sky') by the Nepalis and 'Chomolungma' ('Goddess Mother of the World') by the Tibetans. Sir George Everest (Surveyor General of India) gave his name to the 29,035 foot mountain. 'Himalaya' is Sanskrit for 'Abode of Snows'. The Nepalese Himalaya has nine of the world's fourteen peaks over 8,000 metres (26,246 feet).
'When the Survey of India discovered that the mountain they had designated peak XV was the highest mountain in the world, they searched for any local name. Finding none, Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Waugh, surveyor general of India, suggested it be named after his predecessor, Sir George Everest. After some controversy, the Royal Geographical Society accepted the name in 1865. It was eventually discovered that the Sherpas and Tibetans had a local name for the peak. The Tibetan name is usually transliterated as Chomolungma, but is more correctly Jomo Miyo Lang Sangma, the name of the female deity who resides on the mountain. She rides a red tiger and is one of the five sisters of long life. It is interesting to note that the Nepalis had no name for the mountain until1956 when Babu Ram Acharya, a Nepali historian, invented the name Sagarmatha, literally meaning 'head of the sky'.
extract from Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya, Stan Armington, Lonely Planet Publications
In 2006, I will be in Nepal for 19 days (trekking for 14 days) on the Everest Base Camp Trek, from Lukla to the summit of Kala Pattar (18,192ft) to raise £3,500 for:
SCOPE is the disability organisation in England and Wales whose focus is people with cerebral palsy. Click on their logo to go to their home page. Their aim is that disabled people achieve equality: a society in which they are as valued and have the same human and civil rights as everyone else.
You can donate securely on-line right now by going to my SCOPE Everest Expedition page
(If you are a UK tax payer, Gift Aid will automatically be added to your on-line donation meaning that 28% of your generous donation will be added on to it at no cost to you.)
For more details of my trek please read on below.
The Trek
Total trekking time - 75 hours approximately
Day 1 - 22nd March - depart London
Day 2 - 23rd March - arrive Kathmandu
Day 3 - 24th March - Kathmandu
Day 4 - 25th March - internal flight to Lukla, then Lukla (9,200 feet) to Chumoa (9,842 feet) - 5½ hours trekking
Day 5 - 26th March - Chumoa (9,842 feet) to Namche Bazaar (11,286 feet) - 6 hours trekking
Day 6 - 27th March - Namche Bazaar (11,286 feet) to Thame (12,470 feet) - 6 hours trekking
Day 7 - 28th March - Thame (12,470 feet) to Khumjung (12,438 feet) - 6 hours trekking
Day 8 - 29th March - Khumjung (12,438 feet) to Thyangboche (12,687 feet) - 5 hours trekking
Day 9 - 30th March - Thyangboche (12,687 feet) - acclimatisation day
Day 10 - 31st March - Thyangboche (12,687 feet) to Dingboche (14,272 feet) - 5 hours trekking
Day 11 - 1st April - Dingboche (14,272 feet) - acclimatisation day
Day 12 - 2nd April - Dingboche (14,272 feet) to Lobuche (16,178 feet) - 5 hours trekking
Day 13 - 3rd April - Lobuche (16,178 feet) to Kala Pattar summit (18,192ft) to Lobuche - 8 to 10 hours trekking
Day 14 - Day 17 - 4th April to 7th April - return trek to Lukla and internal flight to Kathmandu
Day 18 - 8th April - Kathmandu and Everest flight
Day 19 - 9th April - return to London
Total trekking time - 75 hours approximately
Please give generously at SCOPE Everest Expedition page
Map of Everest click to enlarge
Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay at Camp IV
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