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Running with Sherpas
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I was raised with Sherpas, I have trained them well for running, biking and swimming. Unlike dogs and tigers, they are people. I am almost sure when I run or bike with them that they won't attack anyone, unless someone of course is trying to steal my protein bars and hammer gels and or other equipment from them, as they follow behind me, lugging my equipment. They help me out. They bring my Endurox, Advils, Caffeine, bike equipment, supplemental oxygen and GPS monitors where ever I go. I have a right to run or bike with them. Just don't get in the way of our "train." Yesterday, Sherpa Longhi Tar ran behind me for fifteen miles with our Pose Method Leg ropes, from base camp. It was a long ordeal and walk back to base camp after that.



I have a right to run and bike with Sherpas. This is not prohibited by the USTA.



I can assure you that they won't hurt you. They NEVER bite. This feeling that a human is more valuable than a Sherpa is just plain silly. People who are afraid of Sherpas should get over it.

My Sherpas love to run and romp , it makes them so happy, they are more important to me than anyone other than my family.
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Re: Running with Sherpas [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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Strange you shouold mention this.

I ran from the high camp on Mt. Kilimanjaro to oone of the first lower camps on summit day along with a porter for our expedition. We were both wearing packs, running downhill for probably four hours at (decreasing) altitude.

The porter was an incredible athlete. I had trekking poles and trail running shoes. He had a worn out pair of Chuck Taylors.

The next day we ran to the park exit, also wearing packs- about 12-15 miles.

I was amazed at the fitness of the porters. Incredible.

Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com
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Re: Running with Sherpas [Tom Demerly] [ In reply to ]
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Have you scaled the Seven Summits?

I'm on a reading kick on mountain climbing feats; interestingly, I note that Gordo Byrn "summitted" Denali (Mt. Mckinley), and others. That is an extremely dangerous climb. Not surprisingly, there is an eerie similarity to the personalities which mountain climb and triathletes, at least, at the level of serious hobbyists in those sports, I'm talking about people who dive into it with their marrow. Both groups are successful professionals in their day jobs, cynical about any ultimate truth which does not involve pain or danger, competitive realists who are highly organized and driven, with a dash of adrenaline junkying, all of whom are willing to physically torture and train every molecule in their blood, muscles and tissues, while at the same time, sickly enough, track, chart, monitor, log, and research out the wazoo their own bodily degradations and deprivations, scientifically, all to complete an extremely dangerous abnormal feat. And then get drunk after it, and start a new goal like this again, whether the spouse wants to divorce them, or throw their shit out in the yard, or not.

I just read, Beck Weather's book, "Left For Dead." He was the guy who jumped back up from the dead to survive the diseasterous 1996 expedition on Everest. I honestly couldn't put it down. You can read it on ebooks.com for five bucks. Once you start the book, you should block the rest of your day off. As I was reading about his life, I said to myself, this guy isn't any different than hard core triathlete age groupers, striving for the Ironman distance goal. Same personality. Exact same.
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Re: Running with Sherpas [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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In case you didn't know. A porter is a job title. A Sherpa is an ethnic group from the Kumbu valley in Nepal.

If you want to read about climbing, read:Herzog's Annapurna, Rheinhold Messner's account of his solo oxygenless ascent of Everest, or Gaston Rebuffat's Starlight and Storm.

What ever you do don't read Krakauer's Into thin Air, or any of that other '96 Everest tripe. I like John as a person but his writing is too magazine oriented for me. His older stuff about real climbing is much better. What people don't realize is that many or more people die on Everest every year but not with outside magazine writers present. Of all the clients on that trip, ironically John was the only climber and most people blame the press coverage for the guides' decisions and the deaths.

The Sherpas I know think running for exercise is silly. They just walk every where. Of course they walk 4-5 mph for a day and half at 18000 feet without stopping except to brew some tea and eat some rice and smoke.
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Re: Running with Sherpas [ncooksey] [ In reply to ]
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Too late, I've read "Into Thin Air."

Also, you seem to be in the know, do you know if anyone has tried mountain biking from Lukla to Base Camp, or, strike that, done the 35 mile Khumbu hike to base camp, specifically on an extra large, black EPX Speedster? Good news: I'm already hypoxic. Bad news: I'm afraid of 7,000 foot ravines. I think I can do it if the Yaks don't slow me down. I'll send the bike to Demerly and we can stick on some crampon thingies on the tires and get this thing "Glacier Ready."
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Re: Running with Sherpas [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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I haven't hiked that specific trail but the other trails I've hiked in Nepal were not bike friendly. When following a large valley, the Nepalise don't follow the contours or switch back they just go straight. Up and down relentlessly. If it's really steep, they put stairs in. The yaks are few and far between compared the endless donkey trains. I wouldn't be suprised if someone tried biking it though. The most impressive portering feat I saw there was a porter carrying 7 cases of Coke. 140kg (308 lbs) in total, in sandals. All the weight on a tump line across his forehead. Kind of explains the 40 year life expectancy.

There is an everest marathon you might want to sign up for
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Re: Running with Sherpas [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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i've been to everest before and am heading back in april. i believe that lukla-base camp would be largely doable on decent bike, though you'd have to shoulder it at a few points. especially past namche, though, it's what we'd call 'flat and fast' if it weren't all above 4000m. a seriously cool t-shirt, the world's most ferocious case of haemorrhoids (and gatorade sponsorship?) await the first brave cyclist.

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/
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Re: Running with Sherpas [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]
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I hiked Lukla-Tenboche last year. Much off the trail could be biked and it would be spectacular. But, bikes would be illegal, especially once you enter the national park. Plus, there are too many people, yaks, etc. The most impressive porter feat I saw was the 5ft porters in flip-flops carrying sheets of plywood. One of the porters was resting and I tried to lift his load. I could not budge it. Interestingly, most of the porters today are poor lowland Nepalese (the Sherpas don't need that kind of work) who often do very poorly at altitude. There are a lot of horrific stories about porters collapsing, freezing to death, etc.

Andrew Inkpen
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Re: Running with Sherpas [iron_mike] [ In reply to ]
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Incredible the kind of people who post here. No less than 3, so far who have treked that area. Just curious. Did any of you summitt the great Mt. Everest?

I had to go out this afternoon and buy the Imax DVD, sitting here on the cycle ops, watching this shit. Maybe if I hit the lottery, and just get one of the outfits to haul my ass up there, for 65 grand.

BTW, whoever this Spanish chick is, who is climbing with the Imax group in 96', and the American mountaineer, Vieturs (sp?), is she hot or what? She made it all the way to the top.
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Re: Running with Sherpas [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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Given the odds of dying on Mt Everest (about 1 in 20 I think) it is not for me. My trip on the Everest trai was a family trip in the winter (wife plus 15 and 11 year old girls). Definitely the season I would recommend if you don't mind some cold nights.

Andrew Inkpen
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Re: Running with Sherpas [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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I've also been on the trek to base Camp, Gokio and around Annapurna. I think you could definitaly do it on an appropriate bike. You will have to be careful with the yak at certain places (get off your bike and out of the way) though. Depending on the season, you dont really need special crampons since the Glacier is mainly rock (on the surface of course).

By the way, dont start from Lukla, take a bus to Jiri and start from there. On the way back, take a flight from Lukla. I think the part from Jiri to Lukla is harder than the one from Lukla to BC. And it's really worth it.

Also, climb (trek) Chokung ri and Chokung tse...great view on Ama Dablam, the most beautiful mountain in the world! I'll be on it's summit one day.

Richard


Richard

"You're only young once, but you can be immature forever" - Larry Andersen
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Re: Running with Sherpas [boothrand] [ In reply to ]
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Oh, don't get my going on this topic.....

When I first got divorced a decade a go my ex handed me the kids and took off for awhile. She told me she was going to Nepal because "she had to find herself". I've never understood why she couldn't do that at home, but who I am to question her.

She went to Nepal and hired some Sherpa guides to take her high up the mountains so she could meditate and find the meaning of life. She showed up on my front door about four months later and wanted the kids back.

As far as I can tell, she still hasn't found herself.
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Re: Running with Sherpas [a.i.] [ In reply to ]
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as it happens, the death rate is far, far higher on Mount Blanc and the success rate lower on Kilimanjaro. sort of like how DNF rates are incredibly low at IM races: you don't show up in the first place if you aren't ready to roll. i think everest has been anthropomorphized to such a ridiculous extent that its image in the popular imagination has almost nothing to do with the mountain itself.

i'm heading over to work at basecamp april/may, and may take a crack at some of the prettier (and free) trekking peaks in the neighborhood. everest remains out of touch for people without guiding jobs or bottomless resources, but there is a ton of great, high climbing in the himalaya that's still open to average joes - i'm going in 2005 to put up some new routes on lobuje east.

as for the seasons, riding a bike lukla to EBC would be no worries in February - you'd have quiet trails and no rain. april or october would likely be a gong show.

either way, it would beat riding around downtown edmonton: it's warmer in the himalaya, for starters.

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/
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