Scotch College

Summer for all in Nepal

Nepal 2000, the first Scotch College high altitude trek, was the first time a small group of exclusively senior students and a few adults had attempted to reach the region of Mt Everest Base Camp and beyond.

A party of 21 travellers set out from Melbourne on the evening of 7 April 2000 arriving in Kathmandu the next day, departing fewer than 24 hours later for Lukla, whose airport offers landings and take offs legendary for upsetting the strongest of stomachs. The opposite ends of the runway are punctuated by a sheer drop of a few thousand metres and an equally abrupt headwall at the upper end.

Until this year, Scotch groups had contented themselves with the objectives of Tyangboche Monastery and the heights of Poon Hill, this year the target was the top of Kala Patar, a 5545 metre 'hill', across the Khumbu Valley from Mt Everest.

Once on the trek, hillside villages passed revealing the pattern of life of the Sherpa people. Snow capped peaks whose names are far from well known, soared inspiringly above the valleys.

The terrain became progressively less hospitable as Namche Bazaar, the Sherpa kingdom's capital, and then Tyangboche Monastry were overtaken. Trees became sparse giving way to shrubs and the boulders grew to enormous size. Eventually, the deep river gorges gave way to the rubble strewn glaciers whose courses varied from scree fans to sheer vertical, blue ice walls lurking at the bottoms of frighteningly steep, eroded ravines.

Genuine Sherpa friendships

The boys developed a genuine friendship with their Sherpa guides and shared a sense of relief as the team reached the lunar landscape of Lobuche, the penultimate campsite. Lobuche is a bleak place, with only two stone huts and a few "flat" places for tents to be erected. The coldest and most uncomfortable night of the trek was experienced at Lobuche.

Gorek Shep, the highest campsite attained, has been carved out of a geologic morass on the shores of a dried glacial tarn. It was the site of the failed 1951 Swiss Mt Everest expedition's base camp.

From Gorek Shep the Scotch group trudged upwards - "40 steps, stop, 10 breaths, go" reduced to " 10 painful steps, stop, 20 searing breaths, go" - towards the final goal. Near the top of Kala Patar, the sun rose over Mt Everest accompanied by a cacophony of ice avalanching from the south face of Nuptse. Frozen toes and fingers thawed as the glow of success warmed everyone who reached his objective.

From Kala Patar the Mt Everest base camp, crowded with over 300 climbers and porters' tents, appeared as little more than a collection of miniature multi-coloured dots below. The vast Khumbu Glacier and the summits of Pumori, Lhotse, Nuptse and Mt Everest were framed by a sky of deepest blue and seemingly within reach.

After 100 kilometres and 11 days of hard slog, the route had to be reversed. Weary and ready for a hot shower, a soft bed and a less spicy meal, the trekkers arrived in Lukla only to be greeted by hail, fog and rain. A few worrying moments gave way to elation as the fragile twin engine aircraft leapt into the mountain air on their way back to Kathmandu.

Sore feet, yak dung and too much curry became mere memories. Civilisation, smog, traffic, temples, holy men and holy cows awaited and a once in a lifetime experience had been tucked away in the rucksacks, the minds and the hearts of a few special Scotch boys.

Mr Ken Wheat