By Charlie Harlan
Those of us who live in the flat sea-level environs of South Texas are
drawn to mountains by their sheer majesty and beauty, and we enjoy
the wonderful recreational opportunities they provide. Mechanized
lifts take us to manicured ski slopes where we are near comfortable
lodging with ample supplies of hot chocolate, food, and adult
libations. There are warm and sanitary indoor bathrooms. At the end
of the day comes the pleasure of wine and good food in the presence
of a toasty fireplace. Much anticipated sleep in a warm bed relieves
the tiredness and fatigue of the day’s activities. Most of us rarely see
“the other side of the mountains.”
“The other side of the mountains” tests our ability to meet and
conquer significant challenges. It means climbing in remote locations
far away from familiar amenities, constant fatigue, unpredictable
weather conditions, sleeping on very cold ground, altitude acclimation,
many days without a shower, and accidents or illness that may turn
into a survival scenario.
The Inspiration
My wife Kathy and I spent three weeks in Nepal on an Elderhostel
visit in the fall of 1996. Our goal was to learn about Nepal’s customs
and traditions, interact with its culture, and experience its incredible
countryside, which rises from a jungle area of about 300 feet
elevation to the highest spot on earth, and have fun in doing it. On
the 48-hour flight into Kathmandu, we got a glimpse of Mt. Everest
on our descent, and what a sight it was.
 Our group trekked in the foothills near Kathmandu under the
leadership of a wonderful Sherpa guide from Above the Clouds,
a well-established company in Nepal. We traveled through open
country and many small villages, enjoying the remarkable scenery
and interaction with the locals. I decided somewhere in the middle of
that trip that I had to return to Nepal and do some serious trekking
in the Khumbu, the area near Mt. Everest, and reach the legendary
Mt. Everest Base Camp. I was aware of the risks involved in high
altitude climbing. Two of my former work associates lost their lives
on “the other side of the mountains,” one on Mt. Aconcagua in
Argentina, and the other on Mt. Everest on the Nepal/China border.
Although both lived at Clear Lake’s 20-foot elevation, they were
with experienced climbing expeditions and had prepared for the
challenge. One was the victim of a bad decision following a sudden
change in the weather above 19,000 feet, and the other contracted
High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) at about 21,000 feet. Both
these climbers believed that they would make it home as they took
their first step toward the summit.
It is my opinion that an adventure should be an undertaking that
you don’t do on a daily basis; it should contain a significant learning
or educational opportunity and above all it should be fun. That being said – what is an acceptable risk level is also a moving target
with one’s age and physical condition.
The Adventure
Having successfully convinced our families of the low risk involved
in climbing to Base Camp, Russell Herring and I set out on an Everest
Adventure in 1998, once again under the direction of Above the
Clouds. The trip ended much too soon for me. On a relatively easy
part of the trail, I lost my footing, fell into a rice paddy, sliced open a
leg, and made the difficult decision to return to Kathmandu. It was the
possibility of an infection, far from good medical care, that convinced
me to return. After two days of walking, with a Sherpa guide for
company, I had emergency treatment in a Kathmandu hospital with
a taxi driver holding my leg. Known at the hospital only as Charlie,
and charged $20 for the medical treatment, it became clear I made a
good decision. The leg became infected and it took weeks of care and
antibiotics back in the U.S. before it healed. Had I stayed on the trek I
could have lost the leg.
The next year I headed back to Kathmandu for a trek to Base Camp
with my brother-in-law Jim Schoning. There are two climbing seasons
for Mt. Everest: late spring before the monsoon season starts, and in
early fall at the end of the monsoon season. Winter is out for obvious
reasons. We were lucky in catching our flight from Kathmandu to
Lukla (altitude 9,300 feet) as the weather was good enough to fly into
the mountains in a small airplane. Sometimes, you can wait days for
clear weather to fly into and out of Lukla. From there we would trek
to Everest Base Camp and Kala Pattar in about ten days. Kala Pattar
is 18,200 feet and is the best place to view Mt. Everest. Mt. Everest
cannot be seen from base camp since it is located in a valley that hides
the mountain from view.
Our young but very able Sherpa guide, Lhapka, was competent,
friendly, fun, and knew a lot of the local people along the trail. He was
well versed in the method of acclimatizing his group to the altitude
changes (hike up – sleep down) and steadily moved us up the trail.
From the start, I had confidence in our guide and his staff of assistants,
his kitchen crew and the porters he chose to carry the heavy loads
uphill. The clients were a mixed group in age from 30 to 61, with Jim
and me at the top of the age group.
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