Wednesday, March 31

KTM & the lovely Marshyangdi breakfastgarden

Back in Kathmandu, which is now a very familiar spot
Flights all good, albeit quite bumpy and sideways landing. Delhi was boiling hot but KTM cooler due to a rain storm (caused by change to jet stream). So this morning is lovely, fresh and clear. Loyal Kedar from Explore Himalaya http://www.explorehimalaya.com/ at the airport to meet us. If you ever need anything organised in Nepal can highly recommend them.
Good to see Jamie this morning, fresh off a trip up Aconcagua. Sounds like a great trip to go with Claire.
Plan is to repack barrels today, after clearing my luggage at customs that was sent before me. Will also be picking up two barrels left with Jamie. Will then have 90% of gear and will just need to stop at local store to get balance of food etc.
Tomorrow Peter & I will go via local bus (7 hours on a packed bus, locals, chickens, goats, loud music and crazy driving) to Dhunche, the start of the Langtang valley. Then peace and quite up the beautiful valley following the river Langtang Khola to Kyanjin Gompa. From Tsergo Ri at the end of the trail, it is possible to see Shishapangma - lets hope for clear weather!
My intentions are to have two streams of updates - one will be pretty factual, the other an exploration of what's going on in my head. Although the climb is pretty physical, the challenge is overcoming any negative thoughts I will have. It's a continuous fight - keeping motivated, surviving the loneliness, trying to stop the vivid dreams from interrupting my sleep and generally keeping focussed on achieving my goals. The trip to Langtang will give me some time to prepare myself, the calm before the storm.
Thanks for reading and all the best
Hoseman

Wednesday, March 24

The Ones Left Behind: An Essay by Alan Arnette

Hi All
I met Allan while he was with Jamie's expedition on Shisha back in 2007. A great guy, good cause and great raconteur. This essay gives an interesting insight as to what is going on in the Hose household at present...

Climbers from all over the world are deep in thought as they go through the final stages for Everest 2010. The deepest thoughts may be reserved for the ones left behind.

The climbers stare at their gear, probably all laid out on the spare bedroom floor. They stand there visualizing each part of the climb – sleeping at 23,000′, trekking to base camp, adding a layer in howling winds.

The sharp crampon spikes and ice axe absorb an extra long look. The goggles, the huge down mittens, water bottles and a thermos. What is all this stuff?

Standing supportively nearby, another stare takes hold. Will all this keep them warm, protect those fingers, the touch. Holding hands while walking on the grass.

Climbers are anxious. Will I be strong enough, tough enough, skilled enough when the times comes? Will the weather hold on summit night? Have I trained hard enough?

Others also wonder. Will I be strong enough, patient enough when the time comes. I have I said everything I needed to say; wanted to say?

The drive to the airport is like a first date.

The hug last forever but not long enough. The look in the eyes says it all. The climber walks through the door, alone just pulling the duffels; the small pack on their back.

Driving home, the tear forms. Slowly falling down the cheek. Rub it away or let it sit? The tear stays; for a while. Traffic is a blur, The radio plays that song but it is not heard.

Day one of sixty has begun.

As the jet gains altitude, the climber looks out the small window for cars on the highway, maybe it is there. Then the clouds move in.

Climbers know what each day is like. They share the cold, the hunger, the pain in their lungs; and their hearts with teammates. They know the unknown.

Back home, the unknown is a mystery. Days go by with no information. No news is good news, they were told. But no news creates demons.

Then the phone rings, the computer beeps and all is well. Contact again. Smiles, a laugh, a tear of happiness. The team is together, focused on one goal.

A moment of clarity. The unknown is known. A deep breath. Then the silence returns as the connection ends.

The next day is one more closer to the last day.

Climb On!

Alan Arnette

Monday, March 22

"Bags are packed and ready to go"

53kg's of gear left the London today bound for KTM with Excess Baggage Company. Must already be 25kg's in Jamie's store room so a fair amount of gear to get up the hill. Might have to do some additional negotiations with Dawa of Asian Trekking in regard the the allowances that the yaks will carry from Base Camp (5,000m) to Advanced Base Camp (5,600m)

Saturday, March 20

Shishapangma Spring 2010

Hi All, herewith the first despatch for 2010
Well its that time of the year again and the flat is "prop vol" of mountaineering gear & supplies. I have been doing my final packing and re-packing in preparation of my 4th attempt on Shishapangma in Tibet. Shisha is the lowest of the fourteen 8,000 meter peaks in the world and is approximately 835 meters lower than Mount Everest - that's quite a bit lower as the latest tallest building in the world, the Burj Dubai is 828 meters!





To put the climb in perspective, I will need to ascend the equivalent of three times the height of the Burj Dubai but due to the multiple carries required to get my gear up I will probably climb closer to six times in total!








Its a relatively non-technical peak, hence my objective of climbing it without any support or climbing partners from Advanced Base Camp onwards. This does add some complexities as in effect I will just be a "yak" for the 8 weeks while ferrying my gear upwards. Check the links above to see further information about my plans and objectives.

My plan is currently as follows:
Depart for Kathmandu, Nepal on Monday 29 March
Trek in Langtang valley until 8 April
Enter Tibet 10 April
Climbing until 18 May
Return to Kathmandu 20 May













Watch out for further updates and trigger links from Facebook

Thanks

Mark Hose (Hoseman)

Thursday, March 18

Leonardo da Vinci Quote

"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will always long to return"

So I may not be able to fly (on my own), although with wing suits getting very close, but I hope on this next trip to Shishapangma to get high enough to see the same "view" as if I were flying!

Tuesday, March 16

Lance Mackay - Iditarod Champion



Listen to what he says around the 2:30 mark...

In case you haven't heard about it:

The Last Great Race on Earth
You can’t compare it to any other competitive event in the world! A race over 1150 miles of the roughest, most beautiful terrain Mother Nature has to offer. She throws jagged mountain ranges, frozen river, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast at the mushers and their dog teams. Add to that temperatures far below zero, winds that can cause a complete loss of visibility, the hazards of overflow, long hours of darkness and treacherous climbs and side hills, and you have the Iditarod. A race extraordinaire, a race only possible in Alaska.

From Anchorage, in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast, each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover over 1150 miles in 10 to 17 days.
It has been called the “Last Great Race on Earth” and it has won worldwide acclaim and interest. German, Spanish, British, Japanese and American film crews have covered the event. Journalists from outdoor magazines, adventure magazines, newspapers and wire services flock to Anchorage and Nome to record the excitement. It’s not just a dog sled race, it’s a race in which unique men and woman compete. Mushers enter from all walks of life. Fishermen, lawyers, doctors, miners, artists, natives, Canadians, Swiss, French and others; men and women each with their own story, each with their own reasons for going the distance. It’s a race organized and run primarily by volunteers, thousands of volunteers, men and women, students and village residents. They man headquarters at Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Nome and Wasilla. They fly volunteers, veterinarians, dog food and supplies. They act as checkers, coordinators, and family supporters of each musher.

Sunday, March 14

Cape Argus Cycle Tour Results

Great to "ride" with Lance, well not really but sort of. A little windy but my Felt performed like a dream after a service by The Epic Bike Shop. Thanks (another) Lance! Two sets of cramps (bottom of Champmans & Suikerbossie) but Endurolytes did the job - lost the lead FF group though in which I had been doing quite a bit of the work!



Name and Team Hose, Mark
Start Group FF
Race Time 3:52:33
Overall Position 4357/28741
Lance Armstrong ! 9/28741
Gender M
Gender Position 3980/22139
Age Position 603/3050
Group Position 20/428
Avg Speed 28.38