HimalayaNet #58 (6 May 99)
This is the 58th version of HEC's on-line newsletter, a resource for
all
members who wish to continue their connection with the Himalayan region
and fellow travelers'. We encourage you to continue to participate
in the
newsletter.
It was great to hear back from some of you that I met in the Clubhouse
in
the fall of '97. Familiar faces! Familiar smiles! Namaste to all....
Carrie Seitz
HimNet@hotmail.com
IN THIS ISSUE:
1. KAILASH, EVEREST TREKS STILL HAVE SPACE
2. HEC SEEKS STAFF FOR NEPAL CLUBHOUSE
3. ELECTION UPDATE FROM HEC NEPAL CLUBHOUSE
4. SEEKING SHERPA TREKKING COMPANY WITH INTERNET ACCESS
5. SEEKING INFORMATION FOR TRAVEL PERMIT TO CENTRAL TIBET
6. TIBET SLIDE SHOW IN BOULDER
7. SERIOUS MOUNTAIN BIKERS WANTED FOR TRIP TO CENTRAL NEPAL
8. EXPEDITION REPORTS FINDING GEORGE MALLORY'S BODY
9. PALAENTOLOGIST SEEKS FUNDING FOR RESEARCH
10. BIOLOGIST SEEKS CLIMBING ASSISTANCE FOR PAKISTAN RESEARCH
11. RESPONSE: ROCK REMOVAL FROM MT. EVEREST
12. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SECTION
13. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
14. HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE TO HIMALAYANET
15. HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO HIMALAYANET
16. HOW TO POST ON HIMALAYANET
17. HIMALAYAN EXPLORERS CLUB MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
18. HOW TO ADVERTISE ON HIMALAYANET
*********************************************************
1. KAILASH, EVEREST TREKS STILL HAVE SPACE
The HEC is still looking for a few more people to join the June
trip to Mt.
Kailash, in Tibet. We'll be flying into Simikot, in Western Nepal,
and
trekking across the border into Tibet. We'll then complete the four
day Kora
around Mt. Kailash and drive back to Kathmandu. The trip leaves
the US on
June 6th through July 1. Please contact us soon at info@hec.org
if you are
interested!
We also have a few spots left on the fall trek in the Everest Region.
This
trek will approach the region via the Arun Valley, a more remote
trek that
provides a true glimpse into rural Nepali life. We'll also be climbing
Island Peak! The trek and climb are being led by Pemba Sherpa. The
dates are October 20 - November 16, 1999. Please contact us at info@hec.org
for more
information!
*********************************************************
2. HEC SEEKS STAFF FOR NEPAL CLUBHOUSE
The HEC is seeking a Clubhouse manager for the fall 1999/winter
2000
seasons. The manager will work about 30-40 hours a week managing
all
activities of the Clubhouse. Candidates should have some experience
traveling or working in Nepal. The position does pay a stipend.
Please
contact the HEC at info@hec.org or call us at (303)998-0101 if you
are
interested!
*********************************************************
3. ELECTION UPDATE FROM HEC NEPAL CLUBHOUSE
Election Update from Lila in the HEC Nepal Clubhouse: Everything
in the
valley has been pretty mellow thus far after elections in 34 districts
on
Monday, May 3rd. Officials are definitely suggesting that people
not travel
into the Gurkha area, but I've called the Embassy and they say that
the more
touristy areas are fine(i.e., Khumbu, Annapurna, Langtang.)
Elections continue on May 17 in 41 additional districts. Results
will be
announced on May 18th.
*********************************************************
4. SEEKING SHERPA TREKKING COMPANY WITH INTERNET ACCESS
Wanted local guide for trek from Katmandu to Everest base camp
in May, 2000.
Must have internet access. Email reply to walkerg@att.net
*********************************************************
5. SEEKING INFORMATION FOR TRAVEL PERMIT TO CENTRAL TIBET
I am working as a member of a privately funded project to install
a solar
photovoltaic system for electric lighting and water pumping in a
large
monastery being built approximately 1000 km NW of Lhasa. We have
been
working with the rimpoche of the new monastery, as well as the local
architect involved in its design and construction, in order to design
a
simple system that meets the needs of the building's inhabitants.
We have *just* been informed by the architect that there may be
difficulty
in obtaining the necessary permission from the government for 2
Americans
(along with approximately 4 Chinese and/or Tibetans and one interpreter)
to
travel to the site in order to install and test the equipment. Our
hope is
to arrive in Lhasa in the 3rd week of June, travel to the monastery
site,
and stay there for roughly 8 weeks to complete the installation.
Can anyone out there provide some assistance by directing us to
appropriate
officials who have authority to provide us with visas and travel
permits?
Any advice, contact information, or references that you could provide
would
be enormously appreciated. Please contact Mike Sullivan at zarmot@yahoo.com
*********************************************************
6. TIBET SLIDE SHOW IN BOULDER
HEC director Scott Dimetrosky will be giving a slide show on Tibet
on
Wednesday, May 12, at 7PM at the Boulder Eastern Mountain Sports.
The show
will focus on the culture of Tibet and the impact of the Chinese
occupation,
as well as details on his 1997 self-supported bicycle ride from
Lhasa to
Kathmandu.
*********************************************************
7. SERIOUS MOUNTAIN BIKERS WANTED FOR TRIP TO CENTRAL NEPAL
Riders Wanted. Two weeks of single-track thru Central Nepal, $500,
food,lodging & transportation to/from trailhead included. Experienced
guides. No brochures. E-mail mtbnepal@hotmail.com...serious inquiries
only,
please.
*********************************************************
8. EXPEDITION REPORTS FINDING GEORGE MALLORY'S BODY
Eric Simonson's expedition reports that they have found George
Mallory's
body at 27'000 on Everest:
http://www.everest.mountainzone.com/99/
*********************************************************
9. PALAENTOLOGIST SEEKS FUNDING FOR RESEARCH
I am writing to inquire about the possibilties obtaining any grants
or
fellowships that involve work in the Himalayan region. I am a student
of
palaeolithic archaeology and I will be taking up a PhD topic at
the
University of Sheffield in ENgland and the work will consist of
fieldwork
in Himachal Pradesh in Northern India. I will be working with one
of the
foremost archaeologists in the field- Dr. Robin Dennell who has
discovered
1 to 2.5 million year old sites in Pakistan.
For your information and/or consideration, I will send my Resume
and Topic
Proposal.
Thank you very much. I appreciate your time.
Sincerely,
Parth R. Chauhan
31 Glynn Court
Parlin, NJ 08859
USA
prchauhan@hotmail.com
*********************************************************
10. BIOLOGIST SEEKS CLIMBING ASSISTANCE FOR PAKISTAN RESEARCH
I am writing to get some information on climbing or rappelling clubs
here in
the U.S. I am a conservation biologist with WCS (Wildlife Conservation
Society, or the Bronx Zoo), and I perform research on the endangered
woolly
flying squirrel in Northern Pakistan. Northern Pakistan is the confluence
of
the Himalayas, the Karakorams, and the Hindu Kush mountain ranges,
so it's
pretty vertical (over 100 mountains with peak elevations over 20,000
ft).
The woolly flying squirrel is the biggest squirrel in the world
(four feet
long), and was thought to be extinct until my work. One of the things
I
discovered was that the squirrel rests by day in caves on vertical
cliff
faces (between about 8,000 and 13,000 ft), which is one of the reasons
why
it was MIA to the scientific community for 70 years.
Anyway, the only method of capturing squirrels is to climb up or,
more
often, rappel down to a likely cave site and grab the squirrel (they're
extraordinarily easy to handle, assuming one can reach them). While
local
people are pretty darn good at this, they tend to use local equipment,
which
tends to be old frayed ropes and old tire rubber wrapped around
their feet.
To make a long story somewhat shorter, I am trying to discover
if any
climbing/rappelling organizations would be interested in making
a summer
pilgrimage to the "Roof of the World" to practice their
skills just down the
road from K-2, Rakaposhi, and Nanga Parbat, and to perform important
work
for science and conservation at the same time by searching for and
capturing
woolly flying squirrels for this study.
If you could recommend some possible clubs or organizations, I
would be
very, very grateful. Thank you for your consideration, and I look
forward to
hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Peter Zahler
piz@forwild.umass.edu
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11. RESPONSE: ROCK REMOVAL FROM MT. EVEREST
Should mountaineers be removing rocks from the tops of mountains
and selling
them?
Why not ? They've paid a great deal of money to get up there and
employed a
lot of effort and time to be successful, not to mention risking
their lives.
Carry as much as you like and as much as you're able to. A different
question would be to evaluate the worth of such an object in terms
of
usefulness and collector's value against its price. Fortunately,
we are all
free to make our own purchasing decisions. In my opinion, they possess
a
mere sentimental value, no more than this. I suspect that who posed
this
question has never been to the mountains: it seems to be implied
that
"Everest summit stones" can become a rarity! I don't think
it is possible
because there is a mass of 8848m of rock to be picked up.
The only serious consequence being Everest's summit decreasing
in altitude
with such a "wild" stone picking.
Gonzalo Velez
PS: I climbed the summits of Annapurna and Cho Oyu and forgot to
bring such
souvenirs. I brought 1 or 2 pieces from down below, offered them
to my wife
and they conserve as much value as if they had come from the summit.
*********************************************************
12.CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING SECTION
(updated 4-May-99)
TREK PARTNERS WANTED
CLIMBING PARTNERS wanted for technical climbs in Himalaya Nov 12
- Dec
15,1999. This is my first trip to Nepal so I know little about the
area. I
have climbed (ice and trad) extensively in Colorado and Utah and
am climbing
Rainier in August. Not interested in climbing K2-like epics but
would like
to get on something moderately challenging. Please email at
kokinis@cs.utah.edu or call at 801 534-0871. Cheers, John Kokinis
GUIDES
CHO OYU -- Fall 1999 expedition to Cho Oyu is still seeking members.
Paolo
Paglino, an Italian UIAGM certified guide, will be leading the trip.
Cost is
only $6,500, very reasonable for this 8,201 meter peak (the 6th
highest
mountain in the world). If you're looking for a great high altitude
experience, this one is it. For more information contact adventur@mos.com.np
Pakistan with Pakistanis: Concordia Expeditions, your premier connection
to
Pakistan, offers superior and affordable adventures to K2, Hunza,
Snow Lake,
Chitral, and the Karakoram Glaciers. Contact Concordia Expeditions,
PO Box
4159, Buena Vista, CO 81211 (719)395-9191, info@concordiaexpeditions.com,
http://www.concordiaexpeditions.com.
Explore Himalaya: Join us in fall 1999 on Cho Oyu (only $6,500!).
Other
upcoming trips: Ama Dablam Sept 14 - Oct 18, 1999 ($4,000), Kanchenjunga
trek and Tengkoma climb (just opened trekking peak) Oct 11 - Nov
4, 1999
($2,080). Can also arrange individual/group holidays to all destinations
in
Nepal, India, and Tibet. High altitude treks & climbing, mountain
biking,
and white water rafting. Contact Suman Pandey, PO Box 4902, Kathmandu,
Nepal, Fax:977-1-252 115, e-mail: adventur@mos.com.np
Join the Himalayan Explorers Club in the Himalayas! Pemba Sherpa
leads
Everest trek and Island Peak climb via the remote Arun Valley and
Island
Peak (September 1999). Info@hec.org or call(303)998-0101.
JOURNEYS International. Nepal, Ladakh, Bhutan, Tibet, Mongolia,
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Join our group departures or set off on your own personally-guided
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details. Or e-mail info@journeys-intl.com, http://www.journeys-intl.com.
KE Adventure Travel. Unique trekking, climbing, mountain biking
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free, color brochure. (800)497-9675, ketravel@rof.net,
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NEPAL, TIBET, SIKKIM, LADAKH, & BHUTAN. Scheduled treks &
tours with USA
leader of 33 Sierra Club Himalayan trips. From $800. Custom itineraries.
Off-the-beaten track areas. Environmentally sensitive and porter
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E-mail peter@lotusnrg.com.np or Website www.instantweb.com/p/peterowens
or
phone (800)223-1813 or (510)222-5307.
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wowadventure@earthlink.net
TRAVEL
Adventurous Traveler Bookstore offers the world's most complete
selection of
outdoor travel books and maps. Books, maps, and videos for the entire
Himalayan region. Call (800)282-3963 or order on the web at
http://www.adventurousTraveler.com. HEC members get 10% discount!
Get The Asian Trail, the zine of work and adventure in Asia. Each
issue
contains information on working and traveling in Asia. Job listings
too!
Four issues only $6.00/Foreign $15.00. The Asian Trail, 1440 Coral
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Drive, # 164, Coral Springs, FL. 33071
http://www.asiantrail.com
Himalayan Treasures and Travel. We have seats to Kathmandu all
the time.
Call us for the best price and best service. We book for many HEC
members
and give HEC discounts! Call (800)223-1813 or (510)222-5307,
govindsh@himtrek.com
Ticket Planet. We are America's leading round the world air consolidator,
and also your Nepal airfare experts. We can get seats to Kathmandu
when
others can't. We broker over 50 airlines. We have over 15 years
of
experience pricing international airfares. Please contact us at
(800)
799-8888, (415) 288-9999, fax (415) 288-9839, see our website
http://www.ticketplanet.com, or email us at himalayas@ticketplanet.com.
*********************************************************
13. VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
HEC's "Volunteer Nepal Himalaya" offers participants
a unique opportunity
to volunteer in local Sherpa village in the Himalayas. Participants
spend
the first ten days in Kathmandu, doing an orientation in Nepali
language and
culture. Volunteers then fly to Lukla, the gateway to the Khumbu
region of
Nepal, and teach English in a Sherpa school for three months (while
living
with a family). While not teaching, volunteers will be free to stay
in the
village or explore the endless trails and villages of the Khumbu
region.
Upcoming programs Sept-Dec 1999 and Feb-May 2000. For more information,
please contact the HEC at info@hec.org or call (303) 998-0101.
HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO HIMALAYANET
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HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE TO HIMALAYANET
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HOW TO POST ON HIMALAYANET
- Send your HimalayaNet postings to himnet@hotmail.com
Be sure to include your membership number in your email. Only
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- Put your email address at the bottom of your posting.
- Send responses to postings directly to the author at the address
listed.
- If you receive responses to your posting, please send the moderator
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summary if the topic is of general interest so it can be sent
it out to all members in the next issue.
HOW TO ADVERTISE ON HIMALAYANET
- Ads for trekking partners are free to HEC members. Just e-mail
himnet@hotmail.com
- Others that wish to place advertisements can contact the HEC
at
info@hec.org
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