Expedition Journal ~ Unexpected Crisis on the Mountain

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Spring 2006 Cho Oyu Expedition

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Updated by Linda McMillan

Sunday, April 23, 2006
Tom and Linda trek to Advanced Base Camp with plans to sort out problems plaguing the expedition

Feeling extremely weak, I decide to stay here today to rest and acclimatize at Middle Camp as Tom pushes on to meet with our team at Advanced Base Camp. I spend part of the day in one of the Tibetan teahouse tents, enjoying getting to know the small group of women who live and work here with their families. It's a "ladies only" afternoon, and we have fun together listening to Tibetan songs and playing with the little child of one of the women. Even in the most remote places of the world like this, bonds of gender and societal roles can create instant trust and friendship beyond the borders of nations and cultures. We have a great, memorable afternoon together. It offers a few precious hours of calm, freed from having to take care of anyone else, before I have to throw myself back into the expedition logistics maelstrom.

Later that night, Tom arrives with the maelstrom. He descended from his brief visit to our team at Advanced Base Camp with news of huge problems created by our cooks and tents, and a resulting depression gripping our team. He is extremely angry about what he has seen and heard reported to him at our expedition camp at ABC. The litany of complaints is long and serious:

Broken Tents
The cheap base camp tents all have broken inner door zippers so do not close completely. However, the big snowfall has helped to insulate and block the wind blowing into them. Fortunately, our expedition facilitator is finally sending some strong replacement tents, which should arrive at CBC soon.

Dangerous, Maniacal Cooks
The cooks have erected their tent INSIDE the dining tent in order to be warmer and keep control of all the food and cooking gear. It seems that although the cooks had promised to all of us at the start of the expedition that they would cook Nepali food for the team whenever they wanted a change from the standard greasy stir-fried fare they produced, this was not done. Not only did the cooks refuse to cook what our team members wanted to eat, but when the Sherpas complained about this broken promise and tried to cook their own food, the cooks tried to attack them with kitchen knives!

Cooks Denied Team Use of Kitchen Equipment
They also would not let any of our team use any of the cooking or dining equipment without their approval. They prevented the team from cooking for themselves by never allowing them to use the kitchen equipment. This maniacal behavior was underscored by our Sherpa team members who complained that when the team held their traditional puja blessing ceremony a few days after they arrived at ABC, the cooks refused to let the Sherpas use even one cup from the dining tent! It's stupid enough to mistreat your paying clients, but the cooks also disrespected the traditions and religious beliefs of our Sherpa team members. Undoubtedly the mountain gods will find suitable punishment for the worthless cooks eventually.

Cooks Refused to Cook Meals and Keep Dining Facilities Clean
In addition, we were told by our team that some days the cooks never even served lunch, only breakfast and dinner, and they rarely cleaned the dining table. I guess once they saw how effectively they could terrorize and paralyze our team members with threats, they decided to reduced their work load further? However, Nawang pointed out that when Tom suddenly appeared at ABC, the cooks made sure everything looked clean and "normal", including the appearance of a hot lunch that day.

Cooks Endangered Team Health by Refusing to Fetch Clean Water for Drinking and Washing
Most alarmingly, our team also said the cooks refused to perform their important duty to fetch water from a clean small lake at ABC. Instead, they simply melted dirty snow contaminated by human waste near the cook tent to use for drinking and washing. Repeated strong complaints and warnings about this hazard and unprofessional behavior were again countered by threats from the cooks, or pretending not to understand English or Tibetan instructions. These lazy and unprofessional cooks instead tried to convince our Sherpa team members that fetching water was their job! These cooks exemplified the worst possible behavior and lack of human decency. They have shamed their employer, their families, and all the decent people from Xinjiang province. Clearly they are dangerous, wretched men with absolutely no regard for anyone else. We hope they never are allowed to serve another expedition!

HOWEVER, as I listened to Tom's report I was totally amazed to hear that no one on our team had ever thought of simply firing the cooks when they first started misbehaving. That could have been done quickly and easily. It now seems obvious that the cooks hated being at ABC, as one of them eventually fled. So I'm sure they might have been happy to be told to leave.

Each of our team members at ABC had some cooking experience, especially each of the Sherpas. Early in their careers, they all had followed the traditional apprenticeship path for expeditions, learning all the important cooking and meal preparation skills before moving up to the guiding jobs. Why did our team allow the cooks to ruin their expedition experience and compromise their health instead of removing them from the mountain? I'm simply amazed.

Five smart, burly climbers versus two cooks. Maybe they were waiting for Tom and me to get to ABC and solve all the problems instead of pulling together and working through them there? Although Tom had done much of the planning of the expedition, we made it clear that the expedition members could not rely on him (or me) for all decisions, but needed to be proactive in taking care of their needs when we were not around (as in the case of members separately working their way up the climbing route). When we left the team and headed back to Tingri with Tom ill, I estimated that it might take a week for Tom to recover. I told the team "We'll see you in a few days", not expecting storms to delay our return further. So maybe our team was just waiting for us to return and deal with the problems?

After listening to Tom's report, I lay out an action plan to revitalize the expedition and the team. The plan starts with me firing the cooks and taking over all the cooking and kitchen needs for the expedition members. I also plan a way to effectively treat the sinus ailments of Tom, George, and Pete with the clever "steamy thermos" idea Tom used in Tingri that brought him relief. Tom and I had purchased two new large thermoses in Tingri before we headed back up the mountain, and these will be perfect for the sinus treatment.

With the maniacal cooks cast off the mountain, I also plan to have a local lama perform a new puja ceremony for our team. This should help to "reboot" our expedition psychologically, and put us back on a path of harmony, teamwork, and success, not failure. With firm plans conceived, I am able to fall asleep for a couple of hours before dawn arrives. Before turning in for the night, I step outside the tent to drink in the spectacular night sky with its brilliant stars and planets at this altitude. I'm looking forward so much to getting to ABC, and having the chance to enjoy more starry, high-altitude spectacles like this.

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