Cybercasts

Namaste friends, family and loved ones!

After a short and very cold wait in the lovely Lukla Airport, our plane eventually took off. The flight took “the scenic route” back from Lukla, as air traffic control sent us in circles for a short while. Even so, we were able to safely land back in Kathmandu by late morning.

Our get away vehicle!

Once ensconced at the hotel, we enjoyed showers and then hit the streets for some shopping and more sightseeing. The bustle and noise of the city seemed a bit overwhelming after several weeks of peace and stillness in the mountains, but the diversions (cappuccinos, shopping and pizzas) provided a different sort of excitement for the team.

Tongba drinkers

We gathered for our last supper this evening. Fun (but, sadly, no tongba) was had by all.

Bamboo and bright lights.

We want to thank our really great team and equally great local crew for making our 2021 Mera Peak climb a success.

Carole & Vern Tejas

Namaste Friends, family & loved ones,

Exceptional weather today for our last day of hiking. We started bright and early and climbed 1,200 feet to cross the Zatrwa La Pass at about 15,150 feet.

It was all downhill from there— more than a vertical mile. We navigated hundreds of snow covered rock steps, descended dirt and scree trail, dropped into rhododendron and bamboo forest, crossed more than several “rustic” log bridges and finally, over 7 hours later, we cruised into Lukla.

Here, things really got exciting as the team rushed to put in their dinner orders of chicken chilly and raced off to hot showers and a change of clothes.

We’ve had a great last two days of hiking on exciting trails and are hoping for good weather tomorrow for our flight back to Kathmandu. Tonight, we will celebrate!

The Whole Crew!

Thanks for following,

Carole and Vern Tejas

Namaste friends, family and loved ones

Saying goodbye to Mera is not easy but it’s time.

We passed over the lovely Sanu Khola on our way out of beautiful Khote. Our route over the ridge requires we first descend through the devastation 23 years ago when the Hinku valley flash flooded.

We turned west into forest of Balsam and Bamboo and began our ascent. We were excited to climb through giant rhododendron, still acclimated from Mera. Thoughts of Lukla on our mind we kept our steady pace until we made Thuli Kharka 4200m our home for the night. Team is in good spirits enjoying the extra oxygen and we are thinking about you.

Thank you for following us
Carole and Vern Tejas

Namaste Friends, Family & Loved Ones,

Greetings from Khote at just under 12,000 feet!
We descended from Khare this morning under sunny skies, with a constant but manageable breeze. The trail followed the Hinku River down valley and, other than the moving water and a handful of local people on the trail, there was stillness all around us. We soaked it in.

What a difference a 4,000 foot descent makes— thick air packed with oxygen, Swiss style potato rosti at our tea house, an actual shower with hot water. Even marinated olives from Trader Joes at teatime. It just doesn’t get any better.

Below are some pics from yesterday, including two summit shots.

Thanks for following!

Carole & Vern Tejas

Namaste friends, family & loved ones,

A quick note to report that all of the Team stood on top of Mera Peak this morning! Everyone is already off the glacier and making their way back down the trail to our tea house in Khare, where we will rest, rehydrate and, of course, celebrate our success. It was a spectacular day to climb and we were afforded amazing views all around. Photos and a more detailed report to follow— especially when our internet service is more reliable! Congrats to a cohesive and very strong group who climbed this peak in style!

Tomorrow we will start to make our way back down the valley. We’ll report back to you then.

Carole & Vern Tejas