Dave Hahn

The road ends just a bit short of the Rongbuk Glacier terminus. The valley is perhaps a third of a mile across and resembles a big, flat, dusty, gravel quarry. That would be an unappealing place to live for a few months if not for the view at the head of the valley. You can really only see one mountain from Everest Basecamp. The North Face of Mount Everest [Click for map] hogs the view magnificently. The Northeast Ridge borders the scene on the left, and the slightly too steep West Ridge forms the right side of our pyramid view.

The Rongbuk Glacier left an old bit of terminal morraine about a half mile from it's present day finish, and that is where the official base camp is. It must be official because there is now a building there and a big Chinese flag. There are a number of expeditions camped just below this morraine and building with a bunch of flags of their own. This was the "traditional" base camp in less crowded times. The British expeditions of the early 1920's camped there, and the old memorial stone to Mallory and Irvine (who didn't make it down from the 1924 climb) is not far from the new building.

We chose a slightly different place for our base camp. Our site happens to be exactly where we based out of on the 1994 expedition that a number of us were on. It is about half the distance left to the glacier and hard up against the East Side lateral morraine. We like it because it is a bit more private, not part of the "village" that the old traditional place seems to have become. But we prefer it for reasons other than antisocial ones as well. There is a frozen river coming out of a side valley just next to us and we figure that is about as clean a water source as can be found in these parts. One certainly doesn't go testing that by drinking "raw" water, but the side valley doesn't get many visitors and so we guess it is alright for boiling. We also figure we get just enough shelter from the local winds in this spot.

We aren't really off alone though, our good friend and competitor Russell Brice is camped nextdoor. Russell is a Kiwi who lives and guides in Chamonix when he is not on Everest. But Russell has surely spent more time than anyone else on the Tibetan side of Everest over the years. He has one client this year, and so is conducting a fairly small expedition. It makes sense to work closely, because we know from past experience that we have similar interests and can help each other in a bind. There is also a friendly group of about eight climbers from various nations just up valley around a small hillside from us. They are from France, Brazil, Belgium and a few other places that slip my mind. Across the way, near "memorial hill" there are two small Japanese expeditions camped. Although we can see them, they are some distance away.

Back by the official base camp, there are many teams. The team far out ahead of the others right now (they came from Beijing and Lhasa entirely and so missed the border road trouble) is a combination Slovakian/ Chinese team. There is an Uzbekistan team, a Russian team, a South African guided team, an Italian team, a Chek team an Indian expedition and two more Japanese trips. There is a Spanish team trying the "Super Couloir" (the Japanese Couloir into the Hornbein) and there is a Danish team on a subpeak of Everest.

Perhaps 150 climbers, not including the Sherpas, is what Nima, an official of the Tibetan Mountaineering Association told me. So there must be about 300 climbers and cooks based on the Rongbuk this season, and right now, another 100 Yak herders, at least.

That is a lot of people, but it doesn't discourage us. All of us have felt the pull of Everest strongly enough that we don't question that it pulls on others just as powerfully. We are not so naive that we come looking for solitude at the base of the North Ridge route during prime climbing season. Even so, there is plenty of solitude left to be had on Everest, all but one of the teams is climbing the North Ridge. For those who want Everest to themselves, the routes are harder and more committing. Privacy does not come cheaply here.

Our base camp is pretty quiet now, just a few Yak bells ringing. We've sent Yak loads of gear up to Advanced Base Camp which we also call either ABC or Camp III. That is the great thing about the North Ridge route [Click for map], ABC is at 21,000 feet and can be reached by Yak. Between base camp and ABC is about 12 miles of rough hiking up the valley of the East Fork of the Rongbuk. It is wildly beautiful in places, but some folks find it difficult to concentrate on the beauty because it is the hardest type of hiking. Up and down loose, uneven, dirty morraine, at altitudes that make one's head approach bursting on that first time up. These days it is difficult to walk easily on that ground because there are hundreds of Yaks working the heck out of the "trail". All of the expeditions are sending up fully laden teams at this stage of the climb. We sent 36 in several waves, 110 lbs on each yak, and an additional Yak squad with our group of Trekkers to ABC.

Yaks are cattle I suppose, but they get treated a little bit more like dogs than cows. They are feisty, big animals, surefooted by most standards. They don't live below 12,000'. which of course is not a concern on this part of the Tibetan Plateau.

On the way in, the Liason Officer for an expedition will stop off in one of the villages a few days walk from base camp and arrange for a team of Yaks and herdsmen. It takes one Yak Driver for every three yaks. When the Yakkers arrive in base camp, they whip up a tent, collect every dry Yak turd around for fuel and set in for the night. The smell of burning dung is one of the triggers for the senses to let one know just what mountains one is climbing in again.

The Yakkers are tough guys, we are careful not to tempt them by carelessly leaving valuables around, but that is not to say they can't be trusted. We normally end up with a pretty good relationship, they know we will ask for the same crew again and that we'll give them some Kerosene beyond the pay that has been arranged by the Liason Officer. They are usually pretty cheerful folks, curious about the people they are working for, but keeping to themselves also. They work with so many foreigners now that you'd imagine they'd start to lose their individuality, but that is not the case. Their clothing is still very traditional Tibetan dress and they are still the "cowboys" of the area, hardworking from closeknit villages.

— Dave Hahn, International Mountain Guides' Expedition Leader

DISPATCHES

COMPLETE INDEX OF DISPATCHES