Wally Berg

Click to hear Wally Berg's audio dispatch recorded over sat-phone.
From Wally Berg's Satellite Phone Call:
This is Wally Berg calling from Lobuche, 16,100'. We've arrived here all together and in good form, in good shape today. We left Dingboche, which you'll recall was at 14,000', and after several days of pretty cloudy and snowy weather, we were treated to a really outstanding view of what is one of the most beautiful mountain walks in the world. We saw the south face of Lhotse which rises 11,000' feet from the Imja Glacier. We were treated to good views of Ama Dablam... Tawoche, and Cholatse Peak as we walked up the valley from Dingboche towards Lobuche.

Lobuche is a small collection of about four tea-shops, and today, quite a crowd of tents and yaks, and various equipment, and people attached who didn't trek in groups, and probably another expedition or two. It's the next to the last stage before Everest Base Camp. Tomorrow we'll move onto Gorak Shep at 16,900', and from there, we'll move in to Everest Base Camp.

I consider 16,000' to be the first serious, real altitude we've dealt with. But we're happy to be here, getting snow now -- it's snowed every day -- but once again, we're really pleased about the clear walk in and great views heading up to Lobuche today.

-- Wally Berg, AAI Climbing Guide