Beyond the Lunatic Fringe- Travels with Robert

Our Trek begins with a flight from Kathmandau to Lukla. Before this airport was built it was necessary to start trekking much lower (Jiri) which made the journey much longer but had the benefit of allowing more time for acclimitization.

The trek is in total one hundred and eighty six miles with 17 thousand feet of gain, NOT counting all the ups and downs, just counting the village to village altitudes. We will climb to over 18 thousand feet three times on the Trek.

Why go on this Trek at all? It has always been on my life list of must do's. But I was inspired by the death of Sir Edmund Hillary (with his Sherpa Tenzing Norgay the first to summit Everest) to go now .

Sir Hillary decided after receiving so much help and forming many bonds with the people of the Himalayas to found the Himalayan foundation .They help the local people, build bridges, medical clinics, the Lukla airport, etc. I decided to find a worthy charity to support to do my small part to help the country I planned to visit. That is when I learned of the American Himalayan foundation. Sir Hillary was a board member.

My goal is to raise at least 2000 dollars,when I reach that I'll set another goal. Please visit the website of the American Himalayan foundation. They help support the very poor people of nepal and Tibet. If you pledge please put Rainey christmas trek in the infor to AHF line.

If you are more comfortable sending a pledge the address is available on their website. RR

12/15/2008 Fly to Lukla, trek to Benkar or Monjo
12/16/2008 Namche Bazaar
12/17/2008 Namche Bazaar, day trip to Khunde & Khumjung
12/18/2008 Phortse (3810m) via Mong
12/19/2008 Dingboche (4410 m)
12/20/2008 Chhukhung (4730 m), climb Chhukhung Ri (5550m)
12/21/2008 Hike to Nupse Face?
12/22/2008 Lobuche (4910m) via Kongma La (5535m)
12/23/2008 Gorak Shep (5160m), climb Kala Patar (5540m)
12/24/2008 Everest Base camp
12/25/2008 Zonglha
12/26/2008 Dragnag via Cho La
12/27/2008 Gokyo, climb Gokyo Ri
12/28/2008 fifth lake and beyond
12/29/2008 Rest or easy dayhike
12/30/2008 Lundgen via Renjo La
12/31/2008 Lundgen to Namche
01/01/2009 Namche to Lukla

Here are a few Photos from Jim's trip in 2005. He is my hiking partner for the 2008 trip.
Jim is the guy in the last Photo.

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It was a beautiful weekend here In Los Angeles. On Saturday I ran a moderate pace out on the Sullivan Ridge trail up to the tree about 8 miles plus.Then On Sunday I drove down to near the intersection of Western and Exposition to meet a friend for the 2nd half of the Los Angeles Marathon. We ran a mostly even pace, She had a little problem with cramping in her calfs and toes so just missed running a 4.5 hr race.

I decided to set a very ambitious goal in my fundraising 100 dollars/year of my life. Therefore my goal is...... 5000 dollars. From the http://www.himalayan-foundation.org/live/home/home
website. these are the things your dollars can do

$63 gives an elder a year’s worth of rice, tsampa and warm clothes in Tibet.

$86 pays for 100 doctor visits for poor Tibetans and Nepalis at the Friends of Shanta Bhawan Clinic in Kathmandu. (That’s 86¢ per patient.)

$90 lets a Tibetan orphan live in a school hostel for a year: food, medicine, and warm clothes.

$100 saves a young girl from prostitution and keeps her in school for a year.

$120 supports a young nun in her studies in Kathmandu for six months.

$123 gives a child a whole year in a Mustang day care: safety, learning and hot lunches.

$143 purchases a pair of goats ($80 for the billy, $63 for the nanny) so a woman in rural Nepal can start an income-generating business. Baa! Baa!

$150 gives a disabled child life-changing surgery at the Hospital and Rehabilitation Center for Disabled Children in Kathmandu.

$212 feeds a child in Choudon Orphanage in Lhasa for an entire year.

$230 pays for one day of cleaning Buddha images in 15th century monasteries in Upper Mustang. Want merit?

$550 keeps a destitute Tibetan elder safe and warm for a whole year – in a home in Kathmandu or Tibet.

$1,650 gives a classroom of disabled children a teacher for a year at the lovely Navjyoti School.

$2,080 builds a new bridge in Upper Mustang with the Youth Group so villagers, especially young children, stay safe.

$2,880 pays for an eye camp in Tibet, where 50 nomads suffering harsh weather and light, receive sight-restoring cataract surgery.

$9,970 pays for a whole water system for a rural Tibetan village. Clean water from artesian springs means better health and no more hours of women carrying water.

$17,200 builds a bridge for a particularly poor nomad community in eastern Tibet.

RR