Trip Reports

Mera Peak - 27 October to 19 November '17

Written by Leader Adele Pennington, November 2017

Midnight on the 11th November 2017, we hear Chitra our cook fire up the kerosene stove, as we anticipate our summit push. With temperatures dipping down to minus 20 in our tents it means we are in store for a very cold night.

The cold was something the Mera Peak team had become acclimatised too and was preferable to the first two days on trek where we had to employ our full waterproofs. Despite the dampness the enthusiasm of the team and their appreciation of this beautiful landscape never waned. Gaining altitude we took a rest day at Chunbu Kharaka. Everyone was acclimatizing well with only the odd mild headache to indicate that we were now at 4200m. The overnight camp was certainly a chilly one with Graham reporting a recording of minus 10 in his tent. The next day the sun shone as we practiced some rope work and soaked up the atmosphere of this remote camp.

From here onwards we were blessed with clear blue skies for the rest of our trek and climb. Descending to Khote was a cultural shock with gas showers and internet. Deciding we preferred the wilder camp the team opted to stay at Dig Kharka. A tricky river crossing saw Aileen's brand new camera go for a swim. Luckily it was rescued and popped straight in rice storage and Aileen recovered well from this disappointment. Moving further up the valley we had a one night stop over at Khare before taking the painstaking boulder field crossing to the glacier. Once on the ice the team moved swiftly up to the Mera La where we camped.

Watching the weather forecast very carefully and wishing to give ourselves plenty of acclimatisation time we rested here the next day and had an ecole de glace. Unfortunately it was here that Carolyn was struck down with a tummy bug and she and her husband (Mark) returned to the comfort of Khare where Mark V had returned to as well.

Having sent Gyan up to High camp a day early to reserve our spot we took up residence on the afternoon of the 10th November. Yes it was mighty cold but a beautiful star bound night confronted us. In four teams we edged our way up the mountain; not daring to stop for too long or expose any skin to the elements. At 6200m Aileen wisely decided to turn around and the rest of us continued. Sunrise came and the temperatures rose s o that each rope team could enjoy the summit and the expansive views of five 8000m peaks.

In no time at all we were all soon back in Khare chatting about our individual experiences; summit success for some, sensible mountaineering decisions for others and a great sense of achievement for Aileen to reach 6200m.

Poor Leslee was now suffering as we took the long walk back to Lukla. Without saying too much I left the team to enjoy the snowy delights of the Zwatra La which raised everyone's spirits as we made the final descent into Lukla. Now back in Kathmandu and having eaten the Summit hotel out of breakfast stock we can now reflect on this truly magnificent experience and would like to thank all the support staff, Sherpas and Jagged Globe for facilitating this adventure.

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