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Magical Place
Kathmandu - Saturday, March 25, 2000
DISPATCHES
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Good morning Mountain Zone, it's Wally Berg on the 25th of March from the same place I called you yesterday, the rooftop of the Hotel Tibet — very different day though. I described the thick fog yesterday, absolutely clear today. The rain settled the dust around the valley and as the sun comes up I'm looking at the peaks...the hills that ring the Kathmandu Valley, and of course some of the high snow peaks off in the distance — absolutely clear day, beautiful place here.
Today's a pretty significant day because most of the 15 or so folks that are going to be trekking through the Khumbu and visiting Everest Base Camp with me are probably getting ready to get on their international flights today. Some will be coming from elsewhere in the world, but those coming from the States — it's still the night before, being 12 hours different — but soon they will be going to the airport and they'll be flying to Bangkok and a brief night there and on to Kathmandu where I'll meet them day after tomorrow.
At the same time, we have a lot to get ready for to support this trek, as well. As the big deal, of course, the upcoming Alpine Ascents' Everest 2000 climb. So on that score I have a chartered helicopter that is leaving the airport this morning for Lukla with supplies: a lot of food and equipment for this trip — both the trek and the expedition. Pasang Rita and Pemba, two key Sherpas that will be helping me take this journey to Base Camp, with these folks, are going to be on that helicopter and I won't see them until we arrive in Lukla a number of days from now. They are going to be plenty busy getting ready: hiring porters, getting things ready to go. Yesterday was spent in the markets buying a lot of the vegetables and fresh foods to supplement the other stores that we had bought prior.
So big scene supporting a trip like this and it's all underway now. And I'm the lucky guy that gets to wait in the Kathmandu Valley and tend to a little more business, but also just enjoy being in this magical place in a time like this. So we'll continue to tell you how things are going, as the situation develops and for now we'll say goodbye, but I'll talk to you soon.
— Wally Berg, Alpine Ascents Guide and MountainZone.com Correspondent
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