Anker

Climbing in the Himalaya is a unique experience. At first glance, one notices the tall, glaciated mountains stand as tall as a summer cumulus cloud over the plains of Kansas. The valleys and gorges that defy one's sense of proportion — immensely deep, carved by rivers fed by the majestic mountains. Upon arrival, one realizes there are people that live amongst these peaks. In North America, we view mountains as parks and preserves. The land that was not worth farming or mining ended up becoming our national treasures. Yes, people live near and amongst the mountains of North America, but it is only a recent adaptation; culture is limited to rubber tomahawks, fast food and similar novelties. In the Himalaya, people have been living with the mountains for centuries.

Climbing an 8,000 meter peak requires a good bit of patience. The human body isn't designed to function on limited oxygen — to do so requires acclimatizing to the rarefied air. As of yet, the best way to ease one's body into the pains of altitude is to be there where you want to climb. This requires living at a high altitude for a while — to make this easier, expeditions have employed the indigenous local people from the surrounding villages. The first surveyors relied on the knowledge and help of the local people. The first ascent of Everest in 1953 wouldn't have been possible without the assistance of the Sherpa people. Living in the shadow of the world's highest peak, the Sherpas have become the strongest group of people to work in the mountains.

Hiring people to help with camp life in the Himalaya is a function of how remote the mountains are. Many objectives are a week's trek from the road — Makalu requires 12 days of hiking to reach Base Camp. Combined with the provisions required for the climb is a vast amount of freight that must be hauled and attended to. On a Himalayan expedition, one relies on the local people to move gear, prepare meals and assist around camp. More than this, the people we meet on these expeditions are a window into their culture. Our group is fortunate to have the help of three Nepalese, two Tibetans and two Chinese. We are very grateful to these people — for without them the climb would be far more difficult.

Our trekking agency in Kathmandu, Great Escapes, has been of great assistance procuring the required permission from the Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA). From Great Escapes we have the core of our camp staff: Ang Kami, Boudda, and Chipi. To assist with the film crew and help around camp we have hired two Tibetans: Dawa and Pubu from Nyalam. The CMA has assigned us a liaison officer, Mr. Zhao, and an interpreter, Mr. Wang.

Ang Kami Sherpa is our sirdar. Sirdar translates to "head man." It is Ang Kami's job to coordinate the yak drivers, purchase food and translate with the various people we meet along the way. From the village of Solo in the Khumbu region of Nepal, Ang Kami, 32, has been working in the trekking/tourism business for nine years. He and his wife, Pemba Sherpa, live in Kathmandu and have two sons: Lam Phuri is nine years old and Ang Phula is five years old. Ang Kami spends six months of each year working with tourists in the Nepal and Tibet Himalaya. Ang Kami has worked with six expeditions and finds them a nice break from trekking groups. On expeditions, he has a longer time to get to know the people he works with. When asked about what he cares about he replied the education of his children. His oldest son attends school, with help from yearly stipend donated by a friend in England. He is very proud of his job — evident in the way in which he is keen to help with all aspects of the expedition.

Boudda Tamang hails from the Sampang village in the Khumbu district and is our cook. He is 30 years old and has been in the trekking business for 10 years. He and his wife Maya have two sons and a daughter: the sons are Chandra, 10, and Partap, 1; and their daughter, Yangze, is 5. Boudda is burly — he is stocky by Nepali standards, yet his broad smile is a calming reminder of who he was named after.

Chip Booth is our assistant cook and is, at 26, the youngest of our Sherpa staff. He is from Heath a small village in the Makalu region. He is looking forward to his wedding in five months. One our first foray to ABC, Chip strolled along for the walk and proclaimed our ABC site on the beach to be "Derri Ramro!" or "very good!"

Dawa, from Nyalam, is a 30-year-old Tibetan who makes his living as a farmer. He is helping the film crew carry about the 16mm equipment. Putar Tashi or Pu Bu is also from Nyalam and is 22 years old. He farms and does a little commerce with his Nepalese friends in Kodari. In addition to helping with the film crew, Dawa and Pubu bring fresh vegetables up from Nyalam.

The Chinese Mountaineering Association has provided us with two fellows to help out with the task of making sure we climb the south face of Shishapangma and assist with any problems which may arise. Mr. Zhao Lianyou is 48 years old and lives in Beijing, the capital of China, with his wife Chunhau and their daughter Zhao Zhao. Mr. Zhao has been working with the CMA since 1975. He was a member of the 1975 Chomolungma expedition and has remained affiliated with the CMA ever since. Mr. Zhao likes nature, photography, and mountaineering.

Our translator is Mr. Wang Hauming, who, at 23, is the junior-most member of the expedition. He is from the city of Xiang Fu in the province of Hubei. He has a postgraduate degree from the Wulan University in physical education. He has been studying English for 12 years. Ever excited to improve his grasp of our language, Mr. Wang has a dictionary. He has been helping us learn a few words of Chinese. Mr. Wang likes reading history, fiction and viewing art from around the world. Mr. Wang enjoys being with his grandfather, parents, and younger sister. Mr. Wang is "having no girlfriend," which is a source great consternation to the whole expedition.

Without these wonderful people, our group would have a far greater task at hand. Their help is deeply appreciated and is a wonderful way to learn about their culture.

All for now.

— Conrad Anker, MountainZone.com Correspondent

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