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Trekking time again? Nepal ...

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MorrisonDullforce
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Re: Trekking time again?

Post by MorrisonDullforce »

Very glad to hear from you Pouzar. Sounds like a hell of an adventure.

Hope we didn't appear overdramatic. Not a very British trait :wink:

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WilBert
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Re: Trekking time again?

Post by WilBert »

Pouzar99 wrote:The fourth dy was my 66th birthday and we celebrated in style, with massive bottles of San Miguel, really tasty rum mix, presents, a good roasting by my trek mates and finally a delicious chocolate cake with one candle with "Happy Birthday Tom," on it.
Glad you're safe, happy birthday, pleased you had a good roasting :wink:

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murf
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Re: Trekking time again?

Post by murf »

Glad you are safe Pouzar. Glad you are enjoying your adventure - life is precious and you aren't wasting it!

Pouzar99
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Re: Trekking time again?

Post by Pouzar99 »

Thanks for the thoughts everyone.

Bert.
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Re: Trekking time again?

Post by Bert. »

Pouzar99 wrote:...walking to Lukla, the airport in the Everest region...
Tensing/Hilliary Airport - if you fly in/out of there, have a change of underwear handy ;)

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Re: Trekking time again?

Post by Striker »

Really, really, chuffed to see you popping up here Pouzar, alive and well.

Mind you, may not be so pleased next time when you start spouting another conspiracy theory. :wink: :lol: :wink:

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paisleypark
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Re: Trekking time again?

Post by paisleypark »

Good to hear from you Pouzar - even my wife was getting concerned once she realised that you were a real person not just an internet Fantasy of mine.
It must have been really difficult coming to terms with the news especially as you were so close to the accidents.

Hope you recover and enjoy the rest of your trek. It is something that will stay with you forever and I cannot imagine what people have gone through in that region. All the best from your fellow 66 year old!

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morganb
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Re: Trekking time again?

Post by morganb »

It is funny how a internet forum predominantly dedicated to fantasy football can occasionally possess stories like this.

I'd not paid much attention to the early posts but once I realised that someone from the forum was trekking in the area where the tragic events were unfolding I kept an eye on this thread, starting from the initial realisation that Pouzar could be in the disaster hit region, to the detective work to try to work out his location, to his recent post to say all was well.

Enjoy the rest of your adventure and stay safe. You should write a book on your return!

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Re: Trekking time again?

Post by admin »

Glad to hear you got out alive :) . Vid was on standby to make the trip out with a fiso commemorative plaque. :wink:

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Tricky Tree
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Re: Trekking time again?

Post by Tricky Tree »

Thanks for the update, pleased to hear you are ok and had a good roasting. :|

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bluenosey
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Re: Trekking time again?

Post by bluenosey »

Pouzar99 wrote:I am not dead. Thanks for caring. We were hit hard in Upper Dolpo by that killer snow storm, but, yes, we were in a good spot, the village of Komogoan, and had no idea about the carnage all around us on Oct. 14th. We got about 2 feet of snow, the worst hit places got 6 feet. Luck of the draw. We were a day ahead of schedule and the extra day waiting the storm out just put us back on schedule. We were headed for the 18,070 ft (5,560 m) Jungben La (pass) and just hoping enough snow would melt so we could cross it and catch our flight from Jomsom. Unfortunately western Nepal is probably one of the worst places on earth to be if you want to know what is happening in Western Nepal.
A few days later one of our US trekkers got a text message from his wife about all the deaths on the Annupurna Circuit, Mustang and Daliguiri, but nothing about Dolpo. I was devastated by the news, especially all the deaths of people crossing the Thorung LA, which I crossed 6 years ago. I didn't sleep a wink that night, imagining those poor souls dying horribly in a place I knew well.
Dolpo is unimaginably cold in October and turned far colder after the storm and things got really tough. We finally made it to Charka on the 21st, ready to cross the pass, but as we walked up the valley towards the village we noticed 4 separate rescue helicopters landing in the village and wondered what the Hell was going on. We soon found out. The pass was closed. There were at least nine dead bodies at the top (recovered the next day) and there was no way to get to Jomsom except by helicopter. During our 36 hours in Charka 12 rescue helicopter landed, mostly evacuating groups that were out of time and folks that were simply exhausted by the toughest trek I have ever walked. We lost one guy who was simply gassed out. Luckily, we had a bit more time and our trek leaders, Kim and Lapkha knew a brutally difficult 6-day 'escape route' to Juphal, site of Dolpo's only airport, which would turn out trek route into a circuit. They walked the route 5 years ago and vaguely remembered.
We shared the info with Ducth group who followed a day behind us and we all made it out, altough i was a real adventure, with six thigh-high river crossings against powerful currents on the first day, some extremely exposed walking on tiny, narrow paths with 100 meter drops I tried hard not to look at it, very very rough surfaces, constant ups and down and between 21 and 25 kms to cover every day. Not for the faint of heart, but there were incredible mountain views, no other trekking groups encountered, lovely villages and in a few places cold beer. The fourth dy was my 66th birthday and we celebrated in style, with massive bottles of San Miguel, really tasty rum mix, presents, a good roasting by my trek mates and finally a delicious chocolate cake with one candle with "Happy Birthday Tom," on it.
On the final day, 4 Aussies and I commandeered a gazebo, found the only store in Juphal with a fridge and over 3 or 4 hours emptied it of cold beers twice, while sharing the kind of bawdy stories one does on the last day or a trip. I felt like an honrary Down Under man. Flying in and out of Juphal, a village on the edge of a mountain ridge with a ridiculously small landing strip, is the dodgiest experience of the entire trip. The flight in scared all of us to death, including our trekker who is a pilot and couldn't believe how little space they had to operate, but was impressed by the pilot's skill and nerve, plus the fact they breathalyzed him first.
There is lots more to tell. Like how the trekker that is a doctor performed a life-saving operation on the edge of our dining tent on an injured horseman. Or my nightmare day in Langtang where I nearly stepped on a poisonous snake, fell and smashed my head on a boulder and was tormented by rampant leetches, pulling 24 off my body along the way. Etc.
Again, thanks for caring and I must say your detective work was pretty good. I have been going for 84 days now, with 39 left to go. I am off again on Sunday, taking the bus to Jiri and walking to Lukla, the airport in the Everest region, where I will meet up wit yet another team of trekkers for a 21-dy walk to all the Everest Hos spots. Apart from some sunburn on my nose, a minor bout with snow blindness in my right eye and two feet that vaguely resemble human ones, I am doing fine and out-walking everyone in sight except for Roger, the Englishman who was my walking companion in Dolpo.
Cheers
So pleased you are OK 8-)

I'll bump this bit again - it deserves it.

Pouzar99
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Re: Trekking time again? Nepal ...

Post by Pouzar99 »

The FISO commemorative plaque would be almost worth dying for. Almost.

Pouzar99
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Re: Trekking time again? Nepal ...

Post by Pouzar99 »

After 4 months of tough trekking and various adventures I arrived home today, safe, sound and as satisfied as I can be, if a bit worn out. I have lots of catching up to do, but will post about the trip fairly soon and get my photos up. I must say the "High Everest" trek was totally incredible, featuring an incredibly demanding itinerary and the most spectacular mountain views on earth. I still can't get over the fact that my fellow FISOers did such great detective work sorting out my fate after the killer cyclone hit, just as my family was doing the same thing back in Canada. Thanks for the thoughts, gentleman. I actually got to watch BPL games live on the telly in Kathmandu and at the world's highest Irish pub in Namche Bazarr, and now I can watch tons of them at home and start planning my return to FF for next season. Take care.

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Surprised
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Re: Trekking time again? Nepal ...

Post by Surprised »

Sounds like you had a hell of a good time!

Pouzar99
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Re: Trekking time again? Nepal ...

Post by Pouzar99 »

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... to_comment" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I am just getting to work on my photos. Many more to come.

Here's another.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Last one for now. Now THIS is a face!!!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Pouzar99
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Re: Trekking time again? Nepal ...

Post by Pouzar99 »

Okay, this should give you access to 149 photos from my four month marathon, plus 144 from the treks I did in 2008. This should take you to the photos on my face book page under "Your Photos." The first 46 are from the Everest Region trek, followed by 14 from my walk in with a guide porter to the region, where I met up with my nine fellow trekkers. The next 45 are from Upper Dolpo, where I was when the killer snow storm hit. Than there are 12 shots from my hiking trip in Langtang, Gossainkunda and Helambu with a guide porter, followed by 32 from the Zanskar trek in northern India. After that there is the 66 shots from the Annapurna Circuit and Sanctuary, one of my cat Betty, then 77 fom The Snowman Trek in Bhutan.

https://www.facebook.com/tom.barrett.142/photos_all" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Pouzar99
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Re: Trekking time again? Nepal ...

Post by Pouzar99 »

Her is the photo album from my trek in the Everest region last November. Other trekking albums to come.

https://www.facebook.com/tom.barrett.14 ... 866&type=3

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