After 28 days of hard work, determination and emotional highs and lows, we were like a family, especially when we were rejoined with Kim and Steve in Pheriche.  Our celebration was in true Nepali fashion with a meal of dal bhat - rice (bhat) with a soup made of lentils (dal) poured over it - and chocolate cake prepared by our chef, Sonam Sherpa.  Following dinner, we spread the tables to allow room for our porters and Sherpa staff to be acknowledged for their hard work and great patience.  Rounds of applause filled the tent as each came forward to be recognized for their special talents and contributions to the team. Then the party began!  Dancing, singing and testing the local concoctions that made everyone smile a little bit more!  Team Everest '03 ROCKED the Khumbu that night! 

As expedition leader, I was honored to announced the special team awards. Ms. Christine White received the "Snow White" award for her uncanny ability to not get a drop of dust, dirt or yak dung for the entire journey.  Her clothes were always the cleanest and her hair the healthiest looking.  Jose Reyes received the "Yak Whisperer" award for the special relationship he had formed talking with the yaks. Our photographer Erich Schlegel of the Dallas Morning News was honored with the "Action Hero" award for his untiring work capturing the spirit of the expedition to base camp. (And for those who don't know Erich, he has the chiseled features similar to the action toy heroes we all had as children.) Everyone was recognized to the great delight and laughter of all team members. The party went late into the night as all enjoyed our last evening in the mountains together. 

Our helicopter arrived on schedule early the following morning for our flight to Lukla (where planes were waiting to transport us to Kathmandu).  The Russian pilots were as patient as they normally are as we struggled to fit all members and gear into one huge MI-8 helicopter.  We were overweight and decided that a few of us would wait for the next chopper.  Mysteriously, by the time it arrived, practically the entire village of Pheriche had miraculously disappeared.  We were baffled by this exodus of people from the village.  Soon, we discovered that the majority of these folks had boarded the helicopter through the back entrance and were ready for their flight to Lukla. 

Upon arrival into Kathmandu, we were met by the local media and many well-wishers. We celebrated Saturday evening with representatives from the American Embassy in Nepal, and had the opportunity to discuss how America is all about having freedom and Team Everest '03 is about expanding the freedoms of individuals with disabilities to live, work and succeed in the community of their choice, regardless of ability and disability.  Thanks to the staff at the Hyatt Regency Hotel - you guys are great! 

Monday morning, as the Challenge Team departed for home, we said our tearful goodbyes at the airport.  We'll have a day to rest here in Kathmandu before Janis, Nima Dawa Sherpa, Christine and I fly back to the hills. We'll be taking the Team Everest '03 expedition into phase II of it's mission: to raise awareness of the potential of people with disabilities to new heights, to the top of the world!  The Challenge Trek team's determination and inner strength will be the fuel we need as we ascend the world's highest mountain over the next 6 weeks. 

April 16, Pengboche - We departed Kathmandu at 6:00am this morning to rejoin the expedition Summit Team at Everest Base Camp.  Janis Tupesis, a physician from the Emergency Medicine section of the University of Chicago, is now famous in the Khumbu for his miraculous medical skills and his warmth toward the Sherpa people.  Christine Kane, who is staying on as Base Camp manager, continues to share her experiences with her students at Texas School for the Deaf in Austin.  Expedition leader Gary Guller is mentally preparing for his attempt on the world's highest mountain Mt. Everest at 29,035 feet.

Our plan was to fly to Lukla, and begin our trek to Base Camp from there, but thanks to the great juggling and negotiating skills of your one-armed leader, a "helicopter" was secured to fly us higher on the trail to the lovely mountaintop village of Tengboche.  Unfortunately, what was actually secured was a tin can with three out of four working rotors.  We waited patiently as the pilot used a crescent wrench and screw driver to hotwire our "chariot of the sky".  Luckily his skills proved able and we made it safely to Tengboche, a round of applause from the lamas and monks at the monastery welcoming us.  From here, we made the short hour's walk further up the valley to Pengboche, arriving right before the clouds fell and the temperatures dropped.

A quick thank you to some of our very generous sponsors: The folks at Nike ACG - the great shoes are now on the way to Everest Base Camp for the second time and our friends at BITE Footwear - the Sherpas are still loving the sandals that you so generously supplied - we'll be taking a pair to Camp 2 at over 23,000ft. And on behalf of the expedition and the Coalition of Texans with Disabilities, a big Himalayan thank you to the private donors who have supported us. We will continue to work hard on the mountain to get the message to the top.  We'll write again from Base Camp.  Namaskar from Gary Guller!