Lukla, Day...something...4, maybe??

There has been little change in the weather forecast or prospects for getting out of here today. The latest forecast shows no improvement in the outlook until mid-next week. We believe our best bet may now be to descend, village by village, hoping for helicopter pick-up along the way. Failing that, we will walk out to Jiri, a 5-6 day trek.

Mark Koss opted to leave for Jiri today, hooking up with another party of high-speed hikers aiming to do the 58 mile, six day trek in three, hoping to be in Kathmandu by Monday. The rest of us still do too, but by aircraft rather than on foot. We'll see who wins that bet, but either way, it's good fun in the Himalaya.

Once below Lukla, access to Internet and e-mail will be very unreliable. I will post whenever possible, but may not have the opportunity until late next week. We are healthy, well-funded, and there is no reason to have concern for our safety. Many other stranded Trekkers are doing the same, so we will not be alone on the trail.

Namaste,
Jim Ronning

Lukla, Day 3

No change today in this persistent weather pattern. Nothing is flying at all, whether fixed-wing, helicopter or hot-air balloon. We hear that Nepal authorities are considering allowing a military evacuation effort, as this weather pattern is now being projected to last until Monday. By my rough estimate, as many as 1600 trekkers and climbers may be stuck here already, that number increasing by as many as 400 per day as they conclude their activities in the higher elevations and begin to make their way here for flights out.

Please keep us in your thoughts and the kharma flowing east. (-:

Namaste,
Jim Ronning

A full house at Starbucks

Waiting out the weather...in relative comfort...at Starbucks - Lukla

Night 2 in Lukla

Still raining. No flights in or out all day today. Tension is rising and the town is filling. Word is spreading up the Khumbu to stay put and not try to come down here.

We have lined up a Russian 24 seat transport helicopter for tomorrow, but it too is weather dependent. At least we will now be first in queue for the helicopter instead of 800th or so in queue for a seat on a fixed- wing aircraft when they start flying again.

On the plus side: we have rooms in a lodge (some don't, already) and food is still plentiful (though Starbucks ran out of chocolate chip cookies tonight - I had to make do with coconut); we are dry, and we have a couple more days to wait before we are in danger of missing our international airline connections.

So, things could be worse. We continue to hope for a break in the weather tomorrow, at least enough to get our chopper in. Keep the positive thoughts coming.

Namaste,
Jim Ronning

Lukla street scene - after closing time

"you don't have to go home, dude, but you can't stay here"

The last night in Lukla for our porters

For our porters, the trek ended last night, with pay-off, goofy two-language speeches, and LOTS of handshakes!

Lukla, Nepal

We are now back in Lukla, following a seven hour trek from Namche in a mild drizzle all the way. Lukla has been socked in for two days now, with no planes getting in or out, so the place is pretty crowded with frustrated trekkers trying to make connecting flights in KTM.

Our scheduled flight is tomorrow, so we can only hope for a break in the weather tonight so planes can land in the morning. Please send us your best wishes - can't hurt, might help.

Namaste,
Jim Ronning