Trip Report - Kyajo Ri Expedition April 2017

Kyajo Ri Expedition, 22^nd April – 14^th May 2017

Leader: Matthew Brook

23/04/17 – Our adventure began meeting in Kathmandu. Jorge, Glen, Jan and I met at the airport and were soon enjoying a hair raising ride through the streets of Nepal’s capital to the sanctuary of our hotel.  After meeting Eva and Kate who had arrived earlier, we quickly settled in and headed out for dinner. A great first evening, making introductions and getting to know one another before heading back for an early night in anticipation for the days ahead.

24/04/17 – The following morning we had a more formal briefing, looking at the overview for the next few weeks, the logistics and the kit requirements. For the members of team who were new to Nepal, we went on a sightseeing tour around Kathmandu with local guide Tulsi. Tulsi showered us with free gifts, wisdom and buckets of enthusiasm for the places we visited. Thamel is perfect for picking up last minute bits of kit so we gathered all the essentials and packed bags for an early start.

25/04/2017 – Bright and early at 05:00am saw us leaving for the airport shortly after a quick breakfast. The internal flight to Lukla is quite the experience for those that haven’t taken it before. If we thought the drive through Kathmandu was nerve-racking, this was something else. It certainly is a dramatic introduction to the Khumbu, with glimpses of peaks through the clouds as you descend to the famous airstrip perched on Lukla’s hillside. Once we arrived in Lukla we met our local guides, porters and cooks. Junga and Isu, our climbing Sherpas, made these introductions before a short trek to Phadking where we spent our first night.

26/04/2017 – Our second day of trekking we headed out in the direction of Namche Bazaar. Going at a great pace, taking in fantastic views and scenery the day sailed by and before you knew it we were at our destination by early afternoon, enjoying the delights of Namche’s bakeries and pizzeria.

27/04/2017 – Today we had a rest day in Namche to aid acclimatisation. The Everest museum was worth a visit to read about past expeditions and see some of the mountains relics. We also walked up to the Everest View Hotel, where we enjoyed tea and coffee with panoramic views of Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam to name but a few of the stunning peaks.

28/04/2017 – Leaving the bustling Namche Bazaar behind us, we turned off the main Khumbu trail and onto quieter trails away from the crowds. Our next stop was the camp at Mende, 3800m, which we approached on a gentle traverse before the trail rose steeply to our destination. We spent our first night under canvas in the picturesque remote village of Mende, treated to clear skies and twinkling stars.

29/04/2017 – Today was promised to be the most challenging yet. The plan was to head up to base camp at 4500m. We took it gently and with a slow and steady pace – “bistari bistari” as the locals say – we all made it to base camp. Sitting in a glacial cirque at 4500m, Kyajo Ri’s base camp is surrounded by steep sides and feels completely in the middle of nowhere..like an even cooler Lost Valley in Glencoe!

30/04/2017 – Waking at base camp the following morning our plan was an acclimatisation walk up to the lake camp at 4900m. The terrain on the way up was reasonably tricky heading up through a steep gully feature at the back of the cirque, but we were up at lake camp in a couple of hours. We also climbed on to the top of a small ridge to get a good look at Kyajo Ri from a distance – it looked super impressive! It was the first glimpse of the mountain for all of us and only made us more excited about what was to come. Having soaked in the scene we headed back down to base camp for lunch. In the afternoon snow began to fall and was settling on the ground.

01/05/2017 – Overnight there had been around two inches of fresh snowfall, giving everything a more wintery feel. The day felt much colder as we started heading up to the lake camp, with more fresh snow totalling four inches by the end of the day. The snow did eventually ease and it cleared around mid-afternoon.

02-03/05/2017 – A reasonably tough day today as we made our way up to the glacier camp, which involved around 500m of altitude gain and a 5-6 hour trek. Navigating our way through complex glaciated terrain we arrived at the brilliant camp spot around 5400m in the moraine below the approach to the south col of Kyajo Ri, where we spent two days. Our rest day here was gloriously sunny so we made the most of a relaxed day at camp eating well before our summit day tomorrow.

04/05/2017 – Summit day. With a lot of snow fall overnight (2-3 inches), we awoke to an early alarm and set off from our high camp at 03:00am. The snow fall made the approach to the south col much easier, covering the moraine and boulder choss in a nice layer of snow. We made it to the fixed lines in great time and after a short break to gear up we started climbing up the lines. The rocky buttresses provided a great challenge initially, followed by more straightforward gentle snow slopes. This didn’t last long however, as the ground soon became much steeper, similar to Scottish grade II/III ice, leading the way towards the top. Over energy-sapping terrain, with the top never appearing any closer, the team dug deep and carried on. Everyone reached the summit within about twenty minutes of one another. Being midday, the clouds and afternoon weather had started to come in, so sadly we couldn’t stop for a summit selfie! After soaking in the sense of achievement, we made our way back down the fixed lines. Everyone agreed afterwards that it was the most physically challenging experience for all to date.

05/05/2017 – Today most of the team descended to lake camp. Having had a rest day the previous day, Eva made her summit bid today and was pleased to achieve a new personal high point of the mountain of around 6000m.

06-07/05/2017 – Waking at the lake camp with a relaxed start, we made the long walk back down to Namche Bazaar for some well-earned cake and tea house comforts. We spent a much needed rest day here, doing very little and letting our achievements soak in. The highlight of the day was a coffee and a brownie whilst watching a film in Café 8848 – what luxury!

08/05/2017 – The walk back down from Namche to Lukla was a long day but was worth the effort for a relaxed evening of the odd beer and Raksi, the local alcoholic beverage of choice.

09/05/2017 – We flew back to Kathmandu after a bit of a wait in the airport. There’d been a back-log of travellers after several days of bad weather.

The last couple of days were enjoyed in Kathmandu, exploring Thamel’s shops and eating and drinking well – first stop was a protein hit at the Mountain Steakhouse! Excellent effort from all team members and a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable trip!

Matt

Find out more about our Kyajo Ri expedition