The mountain world is changing faster than any of us could have imagined: these changes threaten all of us who live downstream. Glaciers are melting, rainfall patterns are changing, and the world’s most important fresh water supplies are endangered.

Starting next week, The Mountain Institute – in partnership with the National Science Foundation, USAID, the US State Department, and other sponsors – will begin a month-long series of workshops and an expedition to Imja Lake, a newly-formed, potentially dangerous, glacial lake near Mount Everest. We’re going to the field and talking to local people in order to research and educate.

We’re bringing a team of over 30 scientists, engineers, photographers, and journalists to the field to exchange knowledge with local people about monitoring and controlling glacial lakes. We’ll evaluate the danger of Imja, and determine how to control it so it can supply fresh water safely and reliably to downstream communities for drinking, irrigation, and the generation of electricity.

We have an unprecedented set of world-class scientists from Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Nepal, China, Bhutan, Peru, Bolivia, Japan, the US and Europe participating in the expedition. This is the first Andean-Asian expedition in the Everest region to exchange experiences in the control and management of dangerous glacial lakes.

Our expedition to Nepal will also be the first to live-blog the entire journey, with photos, videos, and events as they happen. Members of the expedition will post updates daily, so people around the world can follow us and learn about the dangers of climate change, its effect on the mountain world, and on all of us who depend on fresh mountain water for drinking, agriculture, and daily use.

Followers will be able to ask questions of the expedition members in real-time, making this a groundbreaking project, and a fascinating blog to follow. You will also learn about the work of The Mountain Institute – the only international non-profit devoted solely to helping mountain communities create and sustain environmentally responsible development globally.

Stay tuned to the blog to watch the expedition unfold as it happens, and go ahead and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. While we’re getting rolling, watch this short video about us.

This wonderful expedition that we just took part in was organized by the trekking company called Himalayan Research Expedition (HRE) managed by Dr. Dhananjay Regmi; a friendly and organized man with a heart set on the mountains and their people. With extensive work in Himalayan research and a Ph.D. in geography, it’s no wonder the company’s slogan is “We trek for science!” However, trekking with HRE is not the traditional experience one would expect when going to high altitude for 18 days. It’s more like a five-star guided tour: always staying in nice lodges and being well cared for by the vast, well trained staff. The trekking manager on the expedition was a man named Deepak Rai and our guide was J.B. Rai, both of whom were essential to the success of our trek. The entire staff provided by HRE was extremely friendly, many spoke very good English, and they were always making sure that everyone on the trek was well fed and happy.

To give you an idea of the luxury you can expect when trekking with HRE, every morning we awoke (whether in a tent at Imja Lake or in a lodge along the way) to the soft voice of either Deepak or J.B. saying, “Good morning sir/ maam! Would you like some tea or coffee?” After going around to each of the 30-plus members of the expedition, providing their choice of coffee/ tea with milk and or sugar, they would then bring around a basin of washing water for each member. So, well rested, clean and with a hot cup of coffee, they would then provide a breakfast consisting (usually) of porridge, pancakes and eggs (or something similarly energy-loaded) before the day of trekking. Throughout the day Deepak and J.B. would make sure there were members of the support staff stationed at various places along the trail to serve tea, juice or coffee to the expedition members, and then lunch would be provided at noon (or shortly thereafter). Upon arriving at the next place we were scheduled to stay, more tea and juice would happily be given to us while we awaited our bags to be brought up by the porters. Dinner was always scheduled for 7 pm (unless requested earlier by the members of the expedition), and you could always expect a filling dinner followed by a dessert of canned fruit. The canned fruit may not sound like such a luxury dessert, but after 18 days of wandering in the Khumbu, it comes as a savory treat.

Porters from Himalayan Research Expeditions help pack for the trek.

On top of the phenomenal service provided on the trail, the time spent in Kathmandu was professionally managed by HRE as well. The hotels arranged were extremely comfortable and clean, flights were booked and confirmed per person without hesitation, and even tours of the city were managed for the whole group.

All in all the experience with HRE is one that would be hard to come across from any other trekking agency, and the unique focus of Dhananjay’s service to cater to scientists and researchers is unprecedented here in the Himalayas. Because of this focus, you can be sure that the advancement of conscious eco-tourism, community development, porter welfare, and garbage management is well taken care of so that more people can experience this wonderful, gorgeous place time and time again.
The website for HRE is himalayanresearch.com. Cheers!

-James

After 18 days of trekking through the Khumbu, the expedition team returned to chaotic world of Kathmandu for a two-day knowledge sharing conference and a daylong writer’s workshop. After settling-in to the hustle and bustle of the city, we dug into the task at hand: to pull together our experience and knowledge to create tangible recommendations for future work.

Collaboration between scientists like these, researchers, NGOs, government, communities, and all stakeholders is the way to truly solve the problems of climate change.

On the first day of the conference, we listened to talks on glaciers, glacial lakes, and water management that supplemented the information gained on the expedition. On the second day, we streamlined this information into priority recommendations for future research and action. The writer’s workshop solidified these recommendations by drafting one-page proposal outlines for the key recommendations.

One of the most exciting outcomes of the expedition and the subsequent workshops is the formation of the new Global Glacial Lake Partnership, a network of scientists, researchers, NGOs, government, communities, and other stakeholders that will collaborate to address issues of glacial lake management through research and tangible action. It will be fascinating to see how the Global Glacial Lake Partnership evolves and to see the varied research, action projects, and knowledge that emerge from the members.

As participants depart for their home countries and the expedition ends, there is a tangible excitement for the future. And with the Global Glacial Lake Partnership, future collaboration is inevitable.

Thank you for following our stories from the field, and be on the lookout for future glacial lake expeditions across the globe, including here on The Mountain Institute Expedition Blog. To stay informed of future TMI expeditions and treks, make sure to become a fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter if you haven’t already.

Namaste from Nepal!

- Kate