Nepalese Porters

One of the first things to strike you when walking on the Everest Base Camp trail is the porters or guys carrying large packs on their backs, These can be anything from food to drink to anything that will be needed further up the trail, The trail does not allow for any motorized vehicles so its either yak, horse or human, We watched a young guy carrying bottles of water and tried to estimate the amount of bottle and then estimate the weight, We calculated that the weight on his back was more than himself, How can they do this day after day, Mile after mile and at altitude as well, Here is an article on that very fact

Nepalese porters

You will never moan about the increase in cost of a bottle of water as you get higher after watching these guys carrying it up


Dave

Rab Andes Jacket

A few days ago i was surfing the web as i have done for the last couple of months looking at gear that i need/want to go on my trip to Mera Peak next year, Its still a long way off but i do love a bargain, I had decided on a couple of makes of jacket i would like, The jacket would need to be 'down' and minimum 800 fill, Both companies being British, One was Rab and the other PHD, Rab have had a great reputation although in the last couple of years i have heard that they may not be quite as good as on years past, PHD make excellent clothing for extreme weather adventures but the cost once you take off the UK tax but add 30% import duty makes them very expensive, Obviously you cannot put a price on your life or even a couple of toes/fingers but everybody has a budget, I contacted Rab and had a very nice conversation with a sales guy, I explained my plans and he pointed me to 2 jackets, The Positron which on their website states that it is rated to around 6000m and the Batura which is for real extremes and could be taken to the summit of Everest or across the Poles, Most companies bring out updates and if you look around, last years best becomes affordable in the sales and so it was when i came across the Rab Andes, its probably closer to the Butura than the Positron and has more 'fill' than the Positron so should be warmer, Originally the Andes sold for $599 but i found it on Moosejaw's website for $338.99, Using the 'Honey' app dropped the price to $322.04 with free delivery, They had one in stock and it was my size so i quickly put it in the cart, I had a quick scout around the internet and could not find out cheaper and all the other places were $100+ so i hit the purchase button and soon the receipt popped up in my email box, The shipping was free but said 6-10 business days unless you wanted to pay more, I hate to wait but decided to get the free shipping, That was late on Saturday evening and today (Wednesday) it arrived, That was about an hour ago so a quick first impressions

1. Its quite big but very light, No bigger than my 600 fill mountain Hardwear that i have had for years
2. It looks exactly the same as it does on the web, No nasty surprises with colors (i am fussy)
3, The Zip is British so is on the other side, i knew this so no problems and the Zip is very smooth and so far has not been one of those that catches as you zip it up
4, I ordered the Large size and there is room for layering, When i go i expect to be 15-20LB lighter so even more room
5, It was instantly comfortable, No seems poking or rubbing
6. Its very warm, Today in NC it is cold and in the minus in the wind and no problems as there should not be, On Mera it could be freezing
7. It has plenty of pockets, 2 at the waist and 2 on the chest as well as 2 inside (handy for camera batteries etc)
8, The hood is well insulated and has room for a climbing helmet

Now being a bit of a tart i do like the new styles with the contrasting color zips, the Andes does not have this but for the amount i paid for it it seems a bargain

So first impressions are good, A very good jacket at a great price, A big shout out to Moosejaw for their service

Here is a quick snap of me in it and i will post a few more in the next couple of days

Two large elasticated pockets on the inside

 Now if it only had Orange Zippers

 I could not resist on going for a 2 miles walk last night as the temps dropped and the wind chill was in the minuses, Nice,warm and very comfortable, You can move your arms freely, The chest pockets are so deep you can put your hands under your armpits, The pockets on your waist are plain nylon inside, I would have prefered a softer material like on my Eddie Bauer jacket, No problem as the pockets are warm but just would be a nice feature


Dave

Diamox

Altitude sickness is the biggest killer in the mountains and there are ways of helping to either not get it or keep it manageable, Firstly walk very slowly, Follow your guides pace and if he says to slow or stop then do exactly that, Hydration, You need to keep hydrated as you can get severe headaches which lead to tummy troubles and will get worse as you go higher, I was told to drink a minimum of 5 ltrs a day when going to Everest Base camp, I did that and with the help of Propel electrolytes i had no problems, The other thing to take is Diamox, You get these from your Doctor by way of prescription, I started taking these when i got to Phadking, A few others started at Namche Bazaar, If like me you live at sea level then take them as soon as you get above the norm, I met a few people who were feeling the effects in Namche so dont delay, Like all meds there are and can be side effects, With Diamox most people will Pee a lot more than normal and with me the need to pee came on very quickly, Sometimes i just had to stop and do it then and there, No need to be proud in the mountains, The very first time i went to the bathroom after taking Diamox i had the most painful pee i have ever had but luckily it was just the once, The other side effect which a lot of us had was very tingly finger tips especially in the morning and sometime my cheeks were also very tingly, You are always concerned that you are in the first effects of getting altitude sickness but as others got the same symptoms it made me feel better, If you have a feeling you are unsure of talk to others or talk to your guide, Even with the side effects it is worth the discomfort in taking Diamox and getting to Altitude safely, As soon as you have descended you can come off of them, I stopped taking mine when i got back into Namche Bazaar, Always talk to your doctor before taking meds ,Here is a good article on taking Diamox

https://www.tusker.com/Geografica/should-you-take-diamox-at-high-altitude/



Dave