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| can travel 200 miles per hour, annihilating everything before it. The
avalanche came off near the top and plunged like a locomotive to
the bottom, spreading fan like on the valley floor, It is the
fourth avalanche I have heard tonight. Sunday 11/8
Saturday we made camp at Kara, just below the Mera La. The
pass was glistening white under the intense sun. Kara is a
small landing with fresh water and is a major staging area
for the final approach to Mera Peak. And it was humming with
activity.
Violet is Japanese. She is from San Francisco and now living
in France with, I think, soon to be an "Ex" boyfriend. She
is here as part of a large climbing expedition to Mount Mera.
They are well outfitted and staffed. Included in the group
are three doctors. There has been a lot of dissension within
the ranks and Violet is ready to quit. She suggested that
she would like to join me, but that is out of the question.
I don’t have the space or supplies, or, of course, money.
The problem seems to lie in the differences in philosophy
towards travel. Most of the group has no interest in the
people or their life style, only the myopic goal of climbing
Mera Peak. Whereas that is okay with her: however, she also
came to see Nepal and that includes the people. She feels
she has missed out and I agree. |
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Avalanche Hitting the Valley Floor |
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Where's the Trail? Tough going approaching
the Mera La |
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It’s white cloak is iridescent against the blue black night sky. The
moon, hovering over the north shoulder of Mr. Mera, casts,
three quarters full, it’s icy glow over the sparse land.
My tent sits under the towering rock walls and ice falls
of Mera. Everything about this land seems uncompromising
except the warmth of the Sherpa people.
There were two approaches for the final climb to the top
of the pass. One is up a steep glazed slope and the other up
a rocky spine.
Actually, Dawa had no choice. A major oversight on my
part - no crampons for Dawa. It is the one item I
forgot, and Dawa, being frugal, failed to mention them.
Unfortunately this oversight dooms my Mt. Mera climb. |
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The going was tougher than it looked, and I nearly got myself in
trouble negotiating a rather steep ice wall. Jamming the crampon toe points into the hard ice, my legs with the heavy pack |
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