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CHO
OYU 2006: Friendship Beyond Borders Expedition
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Date
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Location
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Sun
02-Apr
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Flights
from San Francisco to China. George has cough and sinus problems.
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Mon
03-Apr
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Arrive
in Beijing
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Tue
04-Apr
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Fly
from Beijing to Lhasa
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Wed
05-Apr
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Lhasa
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Thu
06-Apr
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Shigatese
(Xigeze)
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Fri
07-Apr
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Tingri
(Lao Ding Ring)
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Sat
08-Apr
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Chinese
Base Camp--end of road portion of our journey (16,500ft)
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Sun
09-Apr
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Chinese
Base Camp (16,500ft). Pete suffers asthma problems triggered
by campfire smoke.
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Mon
10-Apr
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Chinese
Base Camp--preparing to move higher
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Tue
11-Apr
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Team
moves to Middle Camp (17,500ft)--Tom has severe sinus infection
and fever, descends to Tingri helped by Linda. Severe weather,
road closures and events trap them there for 11 days.
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Wed
12-Apr
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Team
at Advanced Base Camp (18,600ft)--start of Cho Oyu climb
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Thu
13-Apr
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Team
acclimatizing and setting up Advanced Base Camp (ABC) site
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Fri
14-Apr
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Team
acclimatizing and setting up Advanced Base Camp site
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Sat
15-Apr
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Massive
snow storm hits the region--all roads and passes closed, no
transport available to Cho Oyu camps; no communication with
team possible
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Sun
16-Apr
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Team
acclimatizing
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Mon
17-Apr
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Team
members reach Camp 1 (19,898ft)
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Tue
18-Apr
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Team
acclimatizing/climbing to Camp 1
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Wed
19-Apr
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Team
acclimatizing/climbing to Camp 1
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Thu
20-Apr
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Team
acclimatizing/climbing to Camp 1
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Fri
21-Apr
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Tom
and Linda arrive back at Chinese Base Camp (16,500ft)
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Sat
22-Apr
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Tom
and Linda trek to Middle Camp (17,500ft). Along the way they
encounter one of the team's Chinese cooks. He has walked down
alone from ABC, indicates he's quitting the expedition, and
heads for Chinese Base Camp.
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Sun
23-Apr
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Tom
treks to Advanced Base Camp (18,600ft) while Linda rests one
day at Middle Camp before going higher.That night, Tom descends
to Middle Camp to confer with Linda about how to solve problems
with remaining Chinese cook at Advanced Base Camp (ABC). Cook
refuses to use clean water for cooking and washing, refuses
to cook the food the team prefers, and has threatened team
members with knives when they complain about his behavior.
Linda offers to fire the cook and take over all his tasks
for the rest of the expedition in order to prevent the team
from abandoning their effort to climb Cho Oyu.
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Mon
24-Apr
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Tom
and Linda trek to ABC to rejoin team with a strategy to solve
problems with the cook and get the expedition back on schedule.
However, team has abandoned ABC, given away food and fuel,
and encounters Tom and Linda as they head down to Middle Camp.
Now not possible to continue any attempts to climb Cho Oyu.
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Tue
25-Apr
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Team
arrives back at Chinese Base Camp. Mr. Dorjee of Tibet Mountaineering
Association (TMA) kindly arranges for Sherpas to be driven
back to Nepal. Rest of team is driven by Mr. Dorjee's staff
back to Lhasa (an arduous 2-day drive on very rough roads).
Mr. Dorjee is a most honest and helpful person.
He
is our hero!
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Wed
26-Apr
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Overnight
stop in Shigatse. Paved roads from Shigatse to Lhasa make
the last leg of the journey more bearable.
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Thu
27-Apr
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American
team members in Lhasa. Sherpa team members head south to Nepal
border by land.
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Fri
28-Apr
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Sherpa
team members arrive back in Kathmandu, Nepal via overland
from Tibet. American team members in Lhasa. Equipment prepared
for flights to Beijing and USA.
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Sat
29-Apr
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Flight
from Lhasa to Beijing
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Sun
30-Apr
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Beijing
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Mon
01-May
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Beijing
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Tue
02-May
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Return
flight from Beijing to USA. End of expedition.
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