India 2010

A good round number - 10 years since the first real PH India trek - and the first time since last summer I have blogged - thus a lot of updating to do...

The Chadar 2009

Writing from the warmth of Fort Cochin in Kerala, south India, just a short week after our return...managed to pack in two nights in hospital in Delhi having my fingers fixed after they were damaged in an avalanche on day six of our 2009 trek - thank goodness for a great team; Piotr (Poland) Hauke (Germany) Ali (UK), Jerry (USA) and briefly Manish (India).

The 'usual range of challenges' and some pictures...now I am off for a Goanese prawn curry and tomorrow a night drifting down the Keralan backwaters on a house boat. Not too bad.

THE CHADAR EXPEDITION 2009

As I write in my Delhi hotel room I can see nothing but piles of gear...packets of food, cheese, biscuits, tomatoes and green veg - none available in Leh in winter; twenty insulated jackets for our porters and other insulated stuff. Jerry, Hauke and I met for breakfast this morning and had an excellent time getting to know each other in the surroundings of the Imperial, Janpath. Piotr joins us tonight, then Ali and Manish tomorrow...I spoke with Lobsang in Leh this morning and looking forward to our flight on the 17th - the most exciting and demanding trek on the planet is about to begin!

And so to Leh; our flight was cancelled on the 17th due to bad weather, but we flew up on time today, descending through cloud into a snowy Leh to be met by Lobsang And Angchuk, and at our hotel the fire in the dining room was blazing, a good breakfast and I introduced our trekkers to what I consider my home, Leh, the capital of Ladakh...

Kanchenjunga...

The Kanchenjunga trek...a recce to see if we could do it in a shorter time, with our India style; no long stops for lunch, and no cumbersome crew of pointless people dancing around like a bunch of 'Kansas city faggots' as Mel Brooks would say.

We did and we can! Thanks Sunil, Bob, Lobsang and Punsok!

Let My People Trek..

Images from an incredible summer...words to follow!

Images from the summer of 08...

Singge...

This summer for the first time Singge trekked with us as all round kitchen boy, horseman, and general good company person - after consultations with Lobsang and Tenpa, we took him on during a busy summer here, mainly because he was not happy jusy hanging out in his village for a few months. Today he left for Manali with our staff, on his way to school with a huge amount of new experiences and friends, not least on the second trek, which he dubbed the 'Fun girls'!!.

As soon as I get time in my slightly hectic schedule I will post more pictures and a full account of his adventures; along of course with details of the incredible new treks Lobsang and I and the guys have created for 2009, the 10th Anniversary of our coming together as a team...

Until then!

Joel

And so it begins...

The 2008 trekking season, that is, with a delightful walk through the Everest region with Fred Mauren on his 2nd trek with us...lovely weather, and the usual Sherpa welcome...some pictures...
Joel