Potterfield

Click to hear Peter Potterfield's audio dispatch from Namche.
From Potterfield's Audio Dispatch:
We arrived on April 3rd. We flew from Kathmandu in a Russian Mi-17 helicopter. In addition to the usual characters: Charles, me, Freddy, and Wally, there was Leslie Buckland on a guided climb led by Eric Simonson and Greg Wilson, and we landed in Lukla around 9 in the morning; we sorted gear; we hiked in a drizzle; spent the night... got up on the morning of April 4th and trekked... to Namche Bazaar. It's a long haul up the endless switch-backs on the Namche hill, but everybody was in good shape, and we made it without problems. We finished that trek in a snowstorm, and it snowed most of last night, however we woke up to a beautiful morning on April 5th.

Wally and I hiked about 15 minutes above Namche Bazaar and got beautiful views of Mount Everest and Ama Dablam and the Thyangboche Monastary sitting on the ridge in between. That will be out next objective, and we'll probably trek toward Thyangboche on Monday the 7th. Although that, to a certain extent, depends on when Todd arrives. [Todd Burleson, the expedition leader, is stuck n Kathmandu awaiting a required ministry signature. See his previous update for more info.]

We're staying in Namche Bazaar at the Panorama Lodge, one of the most comfortable places in the Khumbu. Our sherpa staff prepare meals for us, but we eat in the lodge. We wake in the morning to the sound of yak bells which hang from the yaks. Yesterday, the 4th, was a pretty tiring day. We got in mid afternoon. Today was sort of a take-it-easy day, and we went to the market which is quite a scene here. It's where people come from all over the Khumbu -- even from Tibet -- to sell their wares. Everything from Chinese shoes to rings to meat -- you name it, they've got it here. We climbed up on a rock right in the middle of Namche Bazaar and took a picture with the surround camera. [This is a special camera that spins to capture a full 360-degree panorama shot. The team's goal is to shoot it throughout the trek, and take is as high on the mountain as possible. Watch the Video Page for the new shots as they come in.] So hopefully that's going to get back to you soon.

We are now at Namche Bazaar; plan to leave for Thangboche on Monday the 7th; tomorrow we'll take an acclimatization hike up above Syangboche and up beyond The Everest View Hotel. Everybody is in good health. We're waiting for Todd, but if he doesn't show, we'll go on to Thyangboche where he'll catch up.

You guys take care. So long.

-- Peter Potterfield, Mountain Zone Correspondent