Hello from the Life Bus!! After about a month of being away, FastPam is slowly getting back into the swing of daily life. Had no flippin idea how much of a life change it would be after spending 3 weeks in a 3rd world country in the middle of no-where with a bum tooth. I went from focusing on peaceful daily survival in the middle of the Himalayas to planning weekly business trips with a client in distress and scheduling a root canal. Where do I start? I have gone round and round with how to describe this completely AMAZING adventure and for me, the best way to share the trip is through the images I produced. In a nutshell, I spent 3 days exploring Thamel, Kathmandu and about 15 days on the main trail up to the first Mt Everest Base Camp (17,500 feet) – Into Thin Air actually means something to me now. If you have not read the book, I highly recommend it. There were 12 strangers who hiked over 60 miles, climbed ~9,000k feet and came out in one piece with a greater appreciation for life and for each other.
An amazing group of people, bluebird-sunny days, minimal shower opportunities, shoddy power, no TVs, constant black fingernails and boogers, sherpa squat toilets, frozen underwear and socks, yak dung fires, blankets that smelled like bellybutton lint, a helicopter evacuation, and views of the most amazing mountains in the world contributed to one of the greatest adventures I will most likely ever experience in this lifetime! I hope you enjoy viewing the adventure through my eyes. As you can see, my favorite part of the trip, were the people we encountered along the way. Thanks to REI Adventures for a trip of a life time. If you are interested in the detailed trip itinerary, take a look on the Travel with REI section of the REI website.
Looks fantastic. Love your photos. We went to Nepal last October and did a trek out of Pokhara – but it looks a lot colder now in your pics. What an amazing experience. It can be really hard to settle back into our daily life after an experience like that.
Thanks! It was so much fun! I think I had the post-vacation blues when I got back…just now feeling back to normal – whatever that is! It was quite cold at night and in the morning (below 0 F), but the afternoons were similar to Colorado winters – sunny and crisp. There were a few days we could have worn shorts but pretty sure the hair on my legs was too out of control! 😉
Great post PF …. love your short and sweet version and, as always, you’ve outdone yourself with the pics …. love the Life Bus water bottle photo for sure 🙂
Thanks girl – I ordered a few prints – we’ll see what they look like on paper! And yes, our water bottle will be with me on every adventure!
Sounds like an amazing adventure without the root canal.
Yeah – that part was a little crazy for sure. Course the tooth had to start hurting 3 days before I left! Thanks for checking out the bus!
I see a lot of possible Little Bear donations…Beautiful photos.
Let me know which ones and I will get them ordered!!
Your pictures are simply beautiful! I can only imagine what it feels like to be up there and the beauty of spending time with those fabulous people. I’m also wondering if hiking to Base Camp if you’re not going higher isn’t just… well, biting into the chocolate frosting without eating the whole cake… that’s why I’m only thinking about hiking around… I’m too scared of what I read in “Into thin air” to even consider hiking farther up.
Now that I’ve seen your pictures though… I might change my mind and just eat the frosting !
Thanks for sharing!!!!
and welcome back in the blogging world!
Cheers!
Jul’
Thank you thank you thank you! I had friends convinced I would want to climb the whole enchilada…I was never overwhelmed with that desire! The frosting was pretty tasty!
glad to know!!!!!
WOW :-O The images are amazing!!!
THANKS!! It was hard to take a bad one!
Wow…