Trip of a Lifetime is here - Himalayan Trip

Well in two days I am off to the Himalayas in India. I won this trip from Marmot and the dZi foundation and have been counting the days. For me this is a trip that I have dreamed of since I was a kid, when the days of climbing was not about how many carbs where you eating but how many beers you could drink. I remember meeting Don Whillans before he died and what an amazing climber he was and how some of my friends still could not climb like him and that is how I started climbing and still carries over to this day.

This is my 40Th year and I made it this far which amazes me through some of the mis- adventures I have been through.

I fly to India on May 18th and then fly to Leh which everyone tells me is an amazing flight over the Himalayas. We then stay for a day in Leh as we fly in at 11,000ft and then we are off for 3 days by jeep to tour the area that people just never get to see. After that we are volunteering in a clinic for 3 days which will truly be amazing to give something back. Then we start the big trek that starts in:

Chilling in the Ladakh Range, try googleearth.com its cool. Then we hike through the Markha valley to places like Kaya, Chalak and over to 16,500ft to Hangkar and finally ending in Hemis. Wow is all I can say.





Chilling, Start of the trek








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Wired to the Himalayas

In today's modern world it’s easier than ever to stay wired and in tune no matter where you go. Remember no less than 10 years ago those big heavy adaptors for your camera, cell phone and oh yeah those CD players, memories. Children born after the making of deliverance probably have no idea what I am talking about.

On my trip to the Himalayas I want silence, but also a little bit of music, come on, we all do. After doing some research on MP3 players I bought the Creative Zen player because it’s small, I mean I can fit it into the palm of my hand small, and holds 1GB or 500 songs. I have to tell you like all my friends have told me 500 songs are not enough, and they were right of course. It’s amazing how much music you put onto a player.

Here is some of my Playlist:

Pink Floyd - Divison Bell
Gnarls Barkley - Kind of funk
James Blunt - Back to Bedlam
Mozart in Egypt
Lilly Allen - British Rap singer
Streets - British Rap singer
Cowboy Junkies
Diana Krull - Live in Paris
Art Blakey - Old Jazz
U2 - What you can't leave behind
Andrea Bochelli - Opera
Coltrane - Jazz
Il Divo - Opera
Puccinni - Classical
Neil Young
David Grey - Whiteladder and Sell, Sell, Sell
Ella Fitzgerald - Jazz

If anyone has some interesting new music let me know. I would love to listen on that long plane journey.

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dzi Foundation in Nepal

If you are not sure what the dzi Foundation is, here is a link to their site: http: dzi Foundation. It is on behalf of the dzi Foundation and Marmot that I am going to the Himalayas. The dzi foundation helps provide health care, dental, starting schools and education on nutrition in Nepal and India in the Himalayas where these services have never existed.

Here is the dZi April newsletter by

Jim Nowak, Executive Direc.

Namaste, Friends and Supporters of dZi,

The other night I was at a dinner party and a friend asked me what I thought would be the highlight of my upcoming trip to Asia this spring. I told him that it is always an adventure and I am constantly surprised at what evolves as I travel from region to region to review our projects. Projects that you thought were “spot-on” have an issue or two that need to be dealt with, and what you thought was a problem with an individual, method of deli.

We have not been able to go back to the villages of Chhulemu, Deku, and the Taksindu Monastery area for the last 5 years due to the Maoist conflict. This is the area where Kim and I were married in a Sherpa “Demchang & Zendi” Ceremony that lasted 4 days with 200 Nepali friends from the surrounding area. You want to talk about a party! As we trekked for days to get to the site, the going joke was, “Walk 75 miles and bring a covered dish to Jim & Kim’s Wedding.”

Since our last trip, the Nepal Army and the Maoists have ravaged this peaceful area of the Solu Region, each attempting to control the area. The Maoists ruled by night and the Nepal Army ruled by day and, as in most conflicts, the villagers were caught in the middle, terrorized by both sides. With this 10-year chapter of Nepal’s history (and 12,000 deaths) hopefully behind us, we look optimistically towards the future.

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Gear Review - Sleeping Pads

Yep, I have thought this one over quite a bit recently for my trip to the Himalayas. How am I going to get the best nights sleep without carrying a ton? I already have a Thermarest, the Thermarests that I take when I am backpacking or car camping would probably be fine when push comes to shove, but I did a shop test of the Exped Down mat and I have to tell ya, it's comfortable, I mean really comfortable.


So you guessed it, I am taking the Exped Down mat to the Himalayas. It weighs pretty 28oz give or take a couple of ounces and it packs down pretty well for the amount of insulation you get.


The Exped Down mat is insulated with down so the only hang up is that it seems to take a bit longer to fill up as you need to use the pump bag that doubles as the stuff sack to pump air into the Exped. The Exped Down mat is also made from tough polyester so it will stand a good beating on the trail, but just in case I am really too tough on the Exped it does come with a repair kit.


Yep I think my nights are going to be pleasant under the Himalayan night sky, so I hear!

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Gear Review - Down Jackets

I was looking into my gear closet and I noticed that my once down filled jacket will no longer do for a pillow in the summer, never mind going to the Himalayas, it's time for a new jacket. Teary eyed, I gave up my 10 year old Rab down jacket to the local thrift store and headed out to do some research.

I was drawn to two jackets the Marmot Ama Dablam and the Patagonia Down Sweater.

Marmot Ama Dablam Jacket:

The Ama Dablam jacket has 650+ fill goose down with an adjustable down filled hood that packs down really well, but will keep me warm in May in the Markha Valley. I also liked the Drimclime chin guard for days when we are heading into a wind. The pockets on the inside and outside are actually big enough to put a headlamp, map etc in them. The fit on the Ama Dablam for an athletic woman, well, it fit's, other jackets you know have made a smaller version of the men's.

Patagonia Down Sweater:

The Down Sweater as 800 goose down without a hood. The Patagonia Down Sweater weighs only 10oz and packs down to a small chalk ball. The 800 down fill gives you the added advantage of packing down while lofting better. The zippers on the Down Sweater are lightweight but can easily catch while trying to open and close pockets.

It was a hard choice but I choose the Marmot Ama Dablam becasue of the insulated hood and the Drimclime chin guard, knowing that Himalayan temperatures will drop to +15 or less at night.

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Gear Review - Trekking Poles

Well as I continue the final count down to the Himalayas in May, I am gathering the outdoor gear I am taking with me as well as the person I am taking with me. I and my guest are taking different styles of trekking poles so it will be interesting on what the end result will be at the end of our Himalayan adventure.


I am taking the Black Diamond Contour Compact Trekking Pole:



I am taking the Black Diamond Contour trekking poles because they are compact and will fit into my travel duffle. Besides that, after trying them out a few times the Contour's are light and the 15 degree angle is really nice with a non slip foam grip that even after a days hiking did not make me sweaty. I feel comfortable with the Black Diamond Flick Lock system and the binary system on the lower half and find them easy to use.



My Guest is taking Life Link Guide Ultra Light trekking pole:


My guest is taking the Life Link Guide Ultra Light trekking poles because they to, are light and have a foam grip handle. The concerns my guest has with the Black Diamond is the flicklock system and will it hold up in the Himalayas and take a good beating. But the Life Link Guide Ultra Light trekking poles also have moving parts so we will see which pair hold up to our test.

Next week's review will be down jackets for the Himalayas.

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Gear Review - Week One

This is the first of my weekly gear reviews on what and why I am taking certain gear to the Himalayas. I am trekking in the Markha Valley in May/June and will reach an elevation of 16,500ft.

Marmot Couloir Sleeping Bag - 0 Degree down

The Marmot Couloir is a 0 degree down bag with 800 down fill that will not only loft better than a 650 degree down bag, but also compresses down far better so you get more space for your buck. The climate will be dry so I wanted something that was highly breathable but with a DWR finish. Also as a woman I do get cold especially in the feet and hip area the Couloir provides great insulation in these areas.

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