Trip Reports

Mera Peak - 16 Oct to 8 Nov '15

Written by Leader Rob Wymer, November 2015

After a relaxing flight to Kathmandu via Delhi, it was a brief and frantic few hours in the city overnight before we had smoothly landed in Lukla the next morning and were stepping out of the little aircraft into the clear fresh mountain light at 2800m. As ever, the sense of expectation was palpable as we collected bags, sorted portersí loads and met our Sherpa team. Before long we set off south and initially downwards (!) on our way towards Mera Peak, in the opposite direction to those heading up the Khumbu valley towards the Everest region. It was pleasantly warm and sunny during the day, and was to remain so for the days up until we reached Base CampÖÖ

Some strenuous days were to be had in the initial stages, and we were glad of the comfortable teahouses to eat in next to our campsites as we progressed. Bright flowers, wild strawberries and expansive views accompanied us on our travels up hill and down dale, meeting local families and getting to know each other too. Unfortunately, Selva was not able to continue after a few days and so left us along with his wife Kumari. However, we were to be forever reminded of their lovely company thereafter by virtue of the amazing Maple Syrup theyíd left us which we had with our porridge most mornings ñ yum!

Soon we had tackled the Pangoma La and were descending into the Hinku Valley, and then puffing our way back up the other side too! Some peaceful if demanding walking continued for us on the seldom-trekked eastern side of the valley, and we gained some valuable acclimatisation by reaching 4400m before descending to the river again at Kote and found some slightly warmer mornings and more gentle trekking as a we progressed onwards. Oh and our amazing cook Chunbu Sherpa produced some wonderful yak burgers too while at Kote which went down extremely well!

After exploring the ancient monastery just before Tangnag we found we had reached the head of the valley and our approach was almost complete. The realisation that we were about to begin the climb dawned upon us as we halted to acclimatise further and practiced some technical skills required higher upÖÖ. As we reached Base Camp at Khare at 5100m, we found that incredibly there was a band and DJ planning to perform on the summit soon, and while we were bemused at the prospect, we also hoped we wouldnít have to share our summit with them. A number of the Sherpas were not amused at the idea eitherÖ.. After more fixed-rope and glacial travel practice, we were strong, acclimatised and ready to go ñ what a team!

This is where our luck went against us sadly. After 2 weeks of perfect weather, we were hit by the same massive snowfall that scuppered the chances of other expeditions across the region in addition to ours. This lasted 3 days or more and with time against us, I had to decide that we reluctantly had to leave the mountain and join the other groups that were heading down. Still, thanks to Nicola we did manage to watch ëSunshine on Leithí before we descended!

With heavy hearts we retraced the steps taken over the previous few days, to lower altitudes and warmer climes. However, we also knew that we were by no means out of the woods yet as there was the exciting Zetra La pass at 4600m to tackle on the shorter way back to Lukla. More challenging climbing up the valley side over the next 2 days finally saw us reach the Pass, which we crossed successfully in probably the best weather and conditions Iíve done it in ironically. Thereafter it was relatively plain sailing down to Lukla and onwards to Kathmandu for most, while Ruth and I had an extra few days strolling up the Khumbu to the delightful village of Phakding for the night to make the most of our remaining days.

Reunited in Kathmandu again, the team made the most of the cultural sights, cafes and restaurants and the shopping opportunities of Thamel and its maze of tiny streets, in addition to the lush peaceful surroundings of the wonderful Summit Hotel too, before our journeys home again.

This wasnít the first time Iíve not reached the summit of a mountain both as a leader and as a mountaineer myself, and Iím positive it wonít be the last either. So was it a failure? Most definitely not. The successes we had were many; we saw some amazing things, met some extraordinary people and travelled through timeless and beautiful mountain-scapes. We laughed a lot, learnt a lot, and made new friends. Perhaps above all, we stayed safe and gained some wonderful memories along the way. Therefore, my congratulations go to Peter, Jeremy, Bob & Liz, Gunnar, Rolf, Nicola, Iain, Ruth and Stuart for these and the many other successes they had over the past 3 weeks.

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