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Al Burgess at the Mustang
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Jim Bridwell
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Holiday Inn, Kathmandu
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We spent the first few days of the trip in Kathmandu, getting our gear together and getting to know the other people in the group. Along with our guide, Al Burgess, another world-famous climber, Jim Bridwell, was staying at our hotel. Jim had just come off of the north side of Everest. He had some extra gear he was peddling (I bought a North Face bivy sack from him, that he claimed he had with him on Everest. At least, that's what I'm going to tell people.) Ngawang, the owner of the Mustang Holiday Inn, is a very personable Nepali who speaks flawless English. He runs the place, along with his brother Tenzing. Our group:
Al Burgess
Forty-nine year old Himalayan climber and author. One of the famous/infamous Burgess Twins. Entertaining and down-to-earth, but serious about what we were doing.
Brad Johnson
Forty-two years old. Our assistant guide, and a veteran of expeditions to Makalu (two near-summits), and to K2 (with the Burgess twins in 1994).
Dave Mellor
Fifty-six year old Brit (like Al, from Sheffield) who's lived in the Bahamas for the past 30 years. An experienced climber in his younger days, he's decided to start spending less time on the beach and more time in the mountains. A great, entertaining guy.
Nick Gubser
Fifty-nine years old, living in Colorado. He has, in recent years, climbed Aconcagua and Denali. Another fit and experienced climber. He and Dave planned to accompany us only to Mera and over the Amphu Labtsa pass, then they would go on to Ama Dablam, to climb it with Henry Todd's expedition.
Bob Knapp
Retired US Airways pilot, sixty-two years old. He'd been trekking in Nepal before (once up to Kala Pattar). The oldest member of the trip. It took me three weeks of trekking before I could keep up with him on the trail.
Dan Bergin
A 737 First Officer for Delta, from Salt Lake City. In his mid-thirties.
Dan Solinski
A stock broker for Charles Schwab in Denver. At thirty-years old, the youngest member of the group.
Chris Bidle
Forty-two years old, owns his own business in San Francisco.
Joe Giammarco
Me. Forty years old. A systems engineer for Auspex Systems, a company in Silicon Valley.
Mil Jones
From Sacramento. A therapist, she'd been on one trek before.
Stuart McLaughlin and Taz Wilson
A couple from New York State. They met up with the group in Lukla. They'd been trekking with Al before.
Sherpa Staff
Actually, none of the Nepali staff were, strictly speaking, Sherpas. Most of them were from the Makalu region.
John Lama Our Sirdar (Sherpa leader)
Kedar Our chief cook
Phrua Climbing Sherpa. He was on K2 with the Burgess brothers (and is mentioned in their book), and he's summitted Ama Dablam. Always has a smile on his face.
Lhakpa Phrua's climbing partner. Incredibly strong. Another veteran of many Burgess expeditions, including Ama Dablam.
Pema A cookboy. Mature for his age, he was instrumental in getting a number of clients (me included) up the mountain and back down again.
Pemba Cookboy. One of the few Nepalis I've seen who stands around six feet tall.
Shipu A young porter who was drafted into staff duty.
Phrua Climbing Sherpa. He was on K2 with the Burgess brothers (and is mentioned in their book), and he's summitted Ama Dablam. Always has a smile on his face.
Lhakpa Phrua's climbing partner. Incredibly strong. Another veteran of many Burgess expeditions, including Ama Dablam.
Pema A cookboy. Mature for his age, he was instrumental in getting a number of clients (me included) up the mountain and back down again.
Pemba Cookboy. One of the few Nepalis I've seen who stands around six feet tall.
Shipu A young porter who was drafted into staff duty.
Pema A cookboy. Mature for his age, he was instrumental in getting a number of clients (me included) up the mountain and back down again.
Pemba Cookboy. One of the few Nepalis I've seen who stands around six feet tall.
Shipu A young porter who was drafted into staff duty.
Shipu A young porter who was drafted into staff duty.
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Oct 5
Al sat us down for a meeting in the Mustang. Al discussed helicopter evacuations, various ailments and remedies, his book ("The Burgess Book of Lies"), Jon Krakauer's story ("The Burgess Boys", in his book Eiger Dreams, an colorful account of the Burgess twins' lives... When Al and Adrian confronted Krakauer about the sometimes critical tone of the article, Krakauer blamed his editor), etc. After dinner in the Gokhra Palace and beers at the Maya (a typical evening in the Thamel district), we turned in.
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