The people who made it happen...

The hike was spectacular and our climb was successful, but the warmth and friendliness of our Sherpa staff is what really made the trip one to remember for a lifetime. Our trip would have been impossible without them. Pam, Barry, Peter and myself had eleven people supporting us- a sirdar, his son, a climbing guide, the head cook, and seven porters. It sounds like a traveling circus, but all of the staff worked well together as a team, and the whole trip went very smoothly. Many of the staff lived in the same village as Angkitar our sirdar, and so they already knew each other and had worked together before. Often in the afternoon when we would collapse into our tents, Angkitar and the others could be found in the kitchen hut or tent playing cards together. Besides those mentioned, two other porters- Pasang Sherpa and Pahkatri also worked with us for several days before returning to Lukla.

Here are some snapshots of our new friends in Nepal, with photos of the Trekking Coyotes at the end of the page-

Angkitar Sherpa.

Angkitar was our sirdar, or head guide. The role of the sirdar is to handle logistics and keep everyone organized, and Angkitar was exceptional in that role. Angkitar has been working with trekkers in Nepal for twenty years, starting as a porter and working his way up to being a sirdar. Not only was he good at keeping the rest of the staff organized and happy, but also he was also very attentive to us. He spoke decent English, and it was fun to stroll along the trail with him and learn about Nepal and the people we met. He had traveled our route many times, and every day he would duck into the house of a friend or meet someone he knew on the trail.

Nawang Sherpa.

Nawang was the head climbing guide for our trip.  He was responsible for looking after us and leading the climb on summit day.  He was quite experienced having led a successful climb of Ama Dablam just prior to our trip, and with Kachenjunga and many other Himalayan peaks on his resume.

Pemba Tenzing Sherpa.

Pemba was the head cook who planned the meals and organized the kitchen staff. The food on our trip was tasty and copious, and we never left the dinner table hungry. Dinners were generally four course affairs, with soup, salad, main course and desert. Needless to say, I didn’t loose any of the weight I had hoped to!

Sumden Sherpa.

Sumden was Angkitar’s son, and did a little bit of everything on our trip. Rare was the day when we didn’t hear Angkitar say “Aye Sumden, help with the tents” or “Aye Sumden, bring some water.” Despite the work, we got the sense that Sumden enjoyed spending the time in the mountains with his dad, and he aspired to be a climbing guide some day.

Surkie Sherpa.

Surkie was our favorite porter who carried much of our personal gear. The diminutive sherpa was quiet and hard working, and always had a big grin for us when we greeted him on the trail. We were a bit mortified to learn that he was also a Buddhist Lama, and at the end of our trip he shaved his curly locks before heading home for the winter to serve in his local monastery.

Sangay Sherpa.

Sangay also carried personal gear for us.

Lahkpa Sherpa.

Lahkpa carried food and kitchen gear, and helped out in the kitchen. We joked with him about being a soccer star in his spare time because he often wore a pair of soccer shorts from the British team Arsenal.

Kagee Sherpa.

Kagee also carried food and kitchen gear.

Jidbaduri.

As did Jidbaduri. He was one of several porters who were not Sherpa, but from another ethnic group.

Dankumar Tamang Sherpa.

Dankumar was "Stove guy", carrying several large stoves and the fuel for all of our meals.

Baktubaduri.

Baktubaduri also carried food and kitchen gear.

And now photos of the Trekking Coyotes:

Peter.

Peter joined our trip in Kathmandu. Raised in Aberdeen, Scotland, he recently left the wonderful world of IT (information technology) to start a company guiding climbs of Kilimanjaro with a friend from Nairobi.

Pam and Barry.

The original Coyotes- still going strong.

Mark.

Yours truely, looking a bit scruffy after 18 days of trekking. Mera peak in the background as seen from below Chetra La.