Dan Mazur's Kangchenjunga Spring 2002

Dispatch 1 April: We said goodbye to our Nojin Kansa team. We were sad to see them go. It was a successful expedition for two members reached the summit. For the others, we made great friendships and hope to see them again soon. We were so sad that some members had to leave early: Antonis and Dimitris, Brian, Andrew, and Jon. For the others who stayed: Martha, Jean Christophe, Richard, and Michael, we formed a lasting bond. Michael and his partner, Kathleen, have set off for trekking in the Annapurnas. We last saw Pemba and Pinso and Samding, and Pubu Tsering and Tsering and Pemba Tashi drinking tea and joking at the TMA in Lhasa. We send our fondest regards and hope to see them very soon!

2 April Dispatch: We are a team:

Mark Bryant USA
Felix Berg Germany
Steve Dodson USA
Mike Farris USA
Stuart Findlay Scotland
Chris Grasswick Canada-Hong Kong
Malte Hagge Australia
Krishna Lama Nepal
Ian Lloyd England
Daniel Mazur USA
Julio Mesias Ecuador
Paul Rowntree England
Ang Galu Sherpa Nepal
Dorje Sherpa Nepal
Kipa Sherpa Nepal
Dorje Tamang Nepal
Kaji Tamang Nepal
Tek Bahadur Tamang Nepal
Ivan Vallejo Ecuador [Note: Ivan is one of the best in the world, one of four men in the world to summit Everest from both sides and K2, all WITHOUT OXYGEN !]

There is a five day National strike in Nepal. This is going to effect our  movements, because we were planning to drive to east Nepal in a bus with all members and equipment. It has been raining and hailing hard in the Kathmandu valley. 

3 April Dispatch: We got the official bad news that no one is going to be allowed to leave the Kathmandu valley until the early morning of the 6th. Flying is possible. The members do not seem interested to spend more money, so we will most likely be delayed by at least five days, due to the strike. We are stuck in Kathmandu due to a five-day national strike which has closed all roads outside the Kathmandu valley. More rain, wind, cold, and bad weather in Kathmandu. 

4 April Dispatch: 5 members decided to fly early under their own recognizance out to Taplejung. It takes two days to fly there, and they can only carry 15 kilos each: Their trekking packs. These members are: Mark Bryant, Mike Farris, Stuart Findlay, Chris Grasswick, and Ian Lloyd. Tek Bahadur Tamang will accompany the group. We gave them three basecamp tents, so they would have somewhere to shelter at night. They will be responsible for locating their own food and water, trekking around, and trying to acclimatize, four days in advance of our party. The rest of us will be leaving here on Sunday morning (7 April) at 3am, in our bus, with all of the equipment, members, and remaining staff. The national strike outside of the Kathmandu valley should be over by then, we are told. Spring is in the air, but it is still a bit chilly and rainy. 

Thank you very much. Cheers for now. Yours
Sincerely, Daniel Mazur from http://www.SummitClimb.com

Please join us in watching the "live-update" status of 2002 climbing expeditions to Nepal and Tibet on: http://www.everestnews.com/kang2002.htm