Mick Canning

Travel Photography and Paintings

Nepal - Everest Region

Go trekking to Everest Base Camp! Visit:    
www.spirit-of-adventure.com/holidays/category/nepal

Everybody knows the statistics - Everest, also known as Sagarmatha by the Nepalese and Chomolungma by the Tibetans, is the highest mountain on Earth, at 29,028ft or 8848m. First successfully climbed in 1953 by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay from the British Expedition led by John Hunt, it has now been climbed by around 2,500 climbers. There have also been some 210 deaths on the mountain, or slightly more than one death for every 12 summiteers. A grim reminder that whilst nowadays if you have the money you can virtually buy your way to the top, it is still an extremely hazardous venture.






Everest from the summit of Mount Kala Pattar (5545m). (Photo NeE01)  In the foreground is the Khumbu Glacier, the summit of Everest is the dark peak against the central skyline, with Everest West Shoulder directly in front and Nuptse (7879m), apparently the tallest peak in the picture, to the right of them. Changtse (7550m) across the border in Tibet, is to the left. Lhotse (8501m) can be glimpsed to the right of Everest, behind Nuptse.






Cairns to climbers who have died on Everest (Photo NeE02), near Dhugla (Thokla). And a very sobering sight they are, too. Some have plaques, some simple inscriptions, many are anonymous. As you walk further up the Thokla Pass, you look back to this line of cairns on the ridge.







Local transport (Photo NeE03). A caravan of dzo - a cross between cattle and yaks - pass stone seats provided for travellers. Dzo tend to be both larger and stronger than yaks, an obvious advantage in an animal used for carrying heavy cargoes! They can also go down to lower altitudes than yaks, who are adapted for life at high altitudes.







Traditional door in old house, Khumjung village, near Namche Bazaar (Photo NeE04).






Inside The temple of Tengboche monastery (photo NeE05). Although the temple is beautiful both inside and out, my dominant memories are of sounds - the chanting of the monks at Puja, when I sat in the temple one afternoon, completely unable to meditate, since I could not focus on anything except my freezing feet. Also the sounds of the bells, drums and horns that woke me at 7 o'clock in the morning - beats an alarm clock any time!





Entrance to Tengboche Monastery and Temple (Photo NEe07)





Khumbu Glacier at Lobuche (photo NeE09).




Ama Dablam from Khumjung village (photo NeE10). In the foreground is one of the schools built by Sir Edmund Hillary, rightly revered throughout the Sherpa community for the huge amount of work that he and his Foundation put into improving the lives of the poor in this area.



Traditional house in Khumjung (photo NeE11).




Himalayan Accentor on top of cairn on Nagartsang Peak (Photo NeE12). This is a 5083m 'Trekking' Peak, ie one that can be ascended without having to use climbing skills. Apparently in America cairns are referred to as 'ducks', due to their shapes. So, for American surfers, Bird on Duck.




Looking down onto the Khumbu Glacier (Photo NeE13). Although looking rather like a rubble-strewn pathway, in places one can see the bluey-green ice. Here it shows clearly around a glacial lake. As I watched, I could hear the sounds of cracking and splitting as the glacier ground it's way incredibly slowly downhill.




Yak skull on mani stone with katas (silk scarves) and prayer flags (Photo NeE14). Cairns are not always simple piles of stones.




Yak train crossing new bridge near Phunki Drengka (Photo NeE15). The old bridge was washed away.




The old bridge (photo NeE16).




Khumjung Gompa, where a yeti skull is kept (Photo NeE17).




The yeti skull (Photo NeE18).




Sunset, and Ama Dablam appears through the clouds (Photo NeE19).




Looking south from Dengboche (photo NeE26).




The Spirit of the Himalaya (Photo NeE20).




Moody autumn shot just outside Lukla (photo NeE21).




Nuptse (on left) and Everest (on right) at sunset, from Tengboche (Photo NeE22). In February 2008, when I visited, I saw nothing but clouds and mist. When I returned in October we were treated to the most marvelous sunset and sunrise.




Monks blowing conch shells at morning puja, Tengboche monastery (photo NeE23). The monks at the top left hand window are blowing the shells that make a hoarse, trumpet-like sound, during the sunrise puja.



Autumn colours (photo NeE25).




Prayer wheels (photo NeE27)




Ploughing a field with a wooden, oxen-drawn plough (photo NeE28).




Namche Bazaar from above (photo NeE29)




Carved Mani stone near Tengboche (photo NeE31).