Mountain Odyssey Expedition Log

Rowaling Expedition: Day 1

Day 1-2:  The group rallies at LAX in Los Angeles and departs the USA.  We fly Thai Airways for part or all of the trip to Nepal.  Crossing the International Dateline the flight takes three calender days, and requires a layover in Bangkok, Thailand.  We usually stay at the Airport Amari Hotel which is very convenient when we arrive in Thailand at 11:30 pm after 18-20 hours on the plane!  The hotel has a great breakfast buffet and there is plenty of time before we board a Thai Airways flight at approximately 10:30 am for the three hour flight into Kathmandu.

Day:3

Day: 3  After a three hour flight from Bangkok, you arrive at Tribhuvan Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal.  Have a pen, $30 in US currency and your visa application filled out.  You'll get the application on the plane before landing in Nepal.  After passing through customs and collecting your baggage, you will find me waiting for you outside the baggage claim area.  I will be there with some of the Sherpas to collect you and drive to the Summit Hotel.  The Summit Hotel is a serene environment with beautiful gardens, a pool and most importantly, a good restaurant.  We'll start with a briefing at the hotel and answer all of your questions and explain the next two days activities.  Then it's time to stretch your legs and see some of the fascinating city of Kathmandu.  Time for a little culture shock!  We'll have a traditional Nepalese dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in the city.  Afterwards, it's back to the Summit for a very welcome night's sleep!

Day: 4

Day: 4  We will have one full day in Kathmandu before departing on our trek.  It will start with a gear check at the hotel to be sure everyone has all the equipment they will need in the mountains.  Then the rest of the day is for a sightseeing.  Bhaktapur, Bhoudinath and Thamel are but a few of the places to visit in this fascinating and ancient city.

Day:5 Rowaling

Day:5  We depart Kathmandu early in the morning.  It's a 7-8 hour bus ride through the foothills of Nepal, to the village of Dolakha.  We'll stop along the road for lunch.  In Dolakha we unload our gear, meet our porters and begin our trek.  That afternoon we walk downhill, losing about 2400 feet in elevation, as we decend to the Tamba Kosi (river).  It's just a 2-3 hour walk that afternoon to our first camp at Malepu (2904'). 

Day:6 Rowaling

Day:6  We begin the first full day of our trek with hot wash water and tea delivered to our tents.  After breakfast our walk takes us up valley along the Tamba Kosi.  Following the trail through rice paddies and Tamang villages, snow covered Gaurishankar (7135m) can be seen in the distance.  Camp that evening will be at Surya Dovan where the Khare Khola flows into the Tamba Kosi. 

Day: 7 Rowaling

Day: 7  We continue our slow ascent toward the Rowaling valley, passing through more Tamang villages.  Camp that evening will be at Gongar (4593') along the Tamba Kosi.

Day: 8 Rowaling

Day: 8    We leave the Tamba Kosi far below and make the gradual climb to Simigaon.  The lower section of this sprawling agricultural village is occupied by Tamang people but the upper portion is Sherpa and there is a Buddhist Monestary nearby.  Here we are on the edge of the Rowaling valley.

Day: 9 Rowaling

Day: 9    Leaving Simigaon behind we enter the Rowaling valley.   Closed to westerners until 1989, the Rowaling was considered a beyul or "place of refuge in troubled times".  Following the Rowaling Khola (river) along the south side we gain approximately 3100' in elevation as we climb beneath the lower ridges of Gaurishankar (7135m).  The air is cooler now and we see few signs of habitation before Beding. 

Day: 10 Rowaling

Day: 10    The trail continues up valley crossing to the north side of the Rowaling Khola.  Along the way we have glimpses of Chekigo (6257m) a newly opened trekking peak.  We camp that evening at Beding (12,200'), the main Sherpa settlement in the Rowaling valley.   Now we are entering high altitude and will spend two nights camped in this picturesque village for the purpose of acclimatization.  There will be ample time to visit the Gompa (monestary), one of the oldest in the area.

Day: 11 Rowaling

Day: 11    The best way to spend an acclimatization day is to "climb high and sleep low" and that's what we'll do.  There is a trail just east of Beding which goes up and over Manlung La, an 18,202' pass leading into Tibet.  We will climb as high as time allows, have lunch and enjoy the views, spending the better part of the day before heading back to camp in Beding for a second night.

Day: 12 Rowaling

Day:  12    Continuing up the Rowaling, we trek to Na at 13,800'.  The Sherpas use this small, primitive settlement in the summer when they move their yaks to higher pasture.  Surrounded by high peaks, we spend two nights in this camp as we continue our program of acclimatization.

Day: 13 Rowaling

Day: 13    Taking another day at Na for acclimatization, we hike up to a small lake called Omat Tsho.  Omat Tsho is a sacred place and this is always a special day.  Located near the Tibetan border, it is used by the local lamas to perform pujas.   We'll gain 1500' to 2000' in elevation, have lunch and do a little training on fixed ropes before the first climb.

Day: 14 Rowaling

Day: 14    Leaving Na, we head east and cross to the south side of the Rowaling Khola.  Taking the trail to the south, we turn up the drainage of the Yarlung and Ramdung glaciers and climb to the base camp of Yalung Ri at approximately 16,000'.  This is a beautiful and remote camp offering great views of Chobutse and the Tibetan peaks beyond. 

Day: 15 Rowaling

Day: 15     For our first climb Yalung Ri (18,580') is a very straightforward and enjoyable snow climb.  We'll get an early start and follow the morraine of the Yalung glacier to the northwest ridge which will lead us to the summit.  This is a fun climb and great conditioner for the higher, more challenging  Parcharmo. 

Day: 16, 17 ROWALING

Day: 16, 17    We have two days to move into striking distance of the summit of Ramdung Go.  While not much higher than Yalung Ri it is farther back up the Ramdung Glacier and we will have to move camp at least one time, depending on conditions, to be near enough for a reasonable summit day.  Then we will approach the mountain from the north-east flank for a straight-forward climb to the summit.  Ramdung affords great views of Melungste and Gaurishankar!

Day: 18 ROWALING

DAY: 18    We approach and climb Ramdung Go via the north-east flank.  This is a straightforward snow climb which leads to a summit the offers fantastic views of Gauri Shankar, Melungste and the Tibetan peaks beyond.

DAY 19: ROWALING

DAY 19:    Our first two climbs behind us, we descend to the main valley trail and follow it to Kobuk.  Our camp is in a meadow beneath the morraine that forms Tsho Rolpa, a large glacial lake at the foot of the Trakarding Glacier.

DAY: 20 ROWALING

DAY: 20    From Kobuk we follow along the terminal morraine forming Tsho Rolpa.  Before long, the trail turns uphill and we make a 1500' climb detouring around an area of dangerous rockfall only to drop immediately back down to the Trakarding Glacier.  We follow the trail through boulders and glacial debree untill reaching a somewhat flat area on the glacier where we spend the night.  This is a challenging day!

DAY: 21 ROWALING

DAY:  21     This too,is a challenging day of glacial travel.  Continuing to the head of the Trakarding Glacier beneath the slopes of Bigphera-Go Shar, we turn north and climb up to the Drolambao Glacier.  We then follow it to the base of Tashi Lapcha Pass (18,881') and begin the ascent.  We will camp on the pass, conditions permitting, to gain easy access to our final climb, Parchamo.

DAY: 22 ROWALING

DAY:  22    Today we have the option to make the last and highest climb on our trek, Parchamo, 20,700'.  This is another snow climb and camping on the pass, will probably be the coldest of the climbs.  Rockfall is a concern while crossing the pass and the members opting not to climb Parchamo will get an early start and descend beneath the walls of Tengi Ragi Tau and down the valley into Mt. Everest National Park.  The climbers will follow late in the day after returning from the summit.

Photo:  Dave with friend and Exum Guide Forrest McCarthy on Parchamo

DAY: 23 ROWALING

DAY:  23    We have now reached the high point of the trek and the rest is downhill!   We continue to descend the valley leading into Mt. Everest National Park.  This is a beautiful segment of the walk from Tashi Lapcha to the village of Thame as we pass beneath the enormous walls of Teng Kang Poche.

DAY: 24 ROWALING

DAY 24:    Today we reach Thame, a classic Himalayan village with it's monestary perched on the mountainside.  We will spend the night here and have time to visit the gompa (monestary) the next morning.

DAY: 25 ROWALING

DAY: 25    Today we take time to visit the Thame monastery after breakfast.  One of the oldest in the Khumbu, it sits perched on the mountain side above this picturesque village.  Then we head down the trail to Namche Bazaar.  Namche is situated at the crossroads on the trail from Tibet, Everest National Park and the mid-hills of Solu Khumbu.  From park headquarters on top of the hill, we get a glimpse of Everest.   

DAY: 26 ROWALING

DAY: 26    It's downhill today as we make the steep descent from Namche and  follow the Dudh Kosi (Milk River) to the village of Phakding, 8500'.

DAY: 27 ROWALING

DAY: 27    Our last day on the trail, we make the slow climb up to the airstrip at Lukla.  We'll spend the last night in a teahouse near the airport and be ready for an early flight the following day.

DAY: 28 ROWALING

DAY: 28    We'll get up early and be ready for our flight as the first planes come in from Kathmandu.  Lukla is a busy place with hundreds of trekkers eager  to catch their flight back to the city, a shower, and a real bed!  You will be too!

DAY: 29 ROWALING

DAY:    This is another free day in Kathmandu.  You can do a little shopping, or explore on your own and I will have a van available for some sightseeing.

DAY: 30 ROWALING

DAY: 30    Our trek has come to an end and it's time to leave Nepal behind.  The Thai Airways flight leaves Kathmandu in the afternoon and gets into Bangkok around 6:00 pm.  You can spend the night in Bangkok and return home the following day or detour to the beaches  in the south and delay your return just a few more days!

DAY: 31 ROWALING

DAY: 31    It's chillin' on the beach or back to the USA!