McLean

Saari

Anker

Lowe

Andrew McLean
Finally, and with great relief, we have escaped the heat and mayhem of the lower valley and jumped up 6,000' to the town on Nyalam in Tibet. We met up with our Liaison Officer and the Interpreter, and at first glance it appears we will need and interpreter to understand our interpreter.

After slugging it out for days in load, open trucks, once we crossed into Tibet, we were split up into deluxe Toyota Land Cruisers and drove up one of the more incredible valleys I've ever seen. The road fell away thousands of feet down to a roaring river on one side and shot straight up into the clouds on the other. The scenery was incredibly lush and the road featured a waterfall that we had to drive through.

All in all, it was a great day. Here's a list of new experiences.... 1) Eating Yak meat.
2) Seeing people drying Yak dung on their front porches.
3) Walking through high-altitude Tibetan potato fields.
4) Listening to Chinese disco music while riding in a Land Cruiser with three other people chatting away in Chinese.

Hans Saari
In the eyes of the youth.

Rototiller

We are in the dry valleys of Tibet and there is no snow in sight. Tomorrow we head 2000 feet above Nyalam to catch a morning glimpse of Shishapangma. It's only 15 or so miles and towers 15,000 feet above our hotel tonight, but we can't see it. I can feel its presence though and my imagination is going wild. Last night I pictured myself turning off the summit at 8000 meters and it made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

We've been through so many different time zones and countries I can't keep the time straight. Nepal and China are two hours and 15 minutes apart. Go figure.

I am happy to be above all the grunge and bad air. No bronchial infection, luckily.

Notable quieted: "On this trip I am going to be reversings" — Mark Holbrook

Conrad Anker
The mighty Sun Kayos river cascades down from the Tibetan plated. The power of this river is amazing. Hydraulics capable of folding steel girders, drops that truly warrant the word "extreme" and side streams with volume greater than 90 percent of the rivers in the western US. The rivers in the Himalaya are as grand as magnificent as the mountains the originate from. Two aspects of the river provide fodder for my mind to ruminate as I jostle around in the seat of our car.

Nepali Tram

Long before people had the luxury of vehicles and bridges to cross the crest of the Himalaya, travel was by foot. The trails used by these early people, had a major obstacle to surmount. The greatest of these being the rivers. How did they cross these raging torrents? Would they have to hike a great distance over passes to find an easier path? Did they weave rope and span these chasms? Were they brave enough to try and ferry across them? We know they made it across - but how did they do it?

In our modern times, where luxuries are deemed necessities, we think that all the world has been tamed for the benefit of mankind. Looking down two thousand feet to the angry river, spraying clouds of mist, I am comforted to know that there are places on our fragile planet that were never meant visit. The rivers of the Himalaya, great serac guarded faces on Himalayan peaks are examples, where humans (without lots of big machines) were never meant to be. And this is a humbling and comforting thing.

Alex Lowe
7000 rejuvenating, invigorating and life-giving feet of elevation gain today. We bid farewell to the humidity and heat of the lowlands and arrived on the high, dry and cool Tibetan plateau. Proud, tough, Tibetans, their coal-black hair braided and wrapped on their heads, stroll resolute and aloof through the tacky streets of Nyalam. Grimy kids plague us for money, garrulous curs snap at each other and very high mileage Dong Feng lorries growl inexorably through town. There's a visceral allure to these tough, gritty plateau towns. Hard places inhabited by hard individuals. It is wonderful to be back. Back amongst mountains that remind us of our vulnerability, our ultimate lack of control over the world we live in. Mountains that demand humility and yield so much peace in return.

— 1999 American Shishapangma Expedition, MountainZone.com Correspondent

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