Well, I am back in the land of sounds, smells, and climbers, although at this point they are not responsible for the smells of Kathmandu. Give it a few months and it will be all their fault. I have been meeting wtih Chhiring Dorje and his amazing crew gettting all the last minute preparations ready to go. I have been able to meet his family and share a few meals. I have also been staying with my great friend Billi Beirling. She bikes around Kathmandu interviewing all of the teams heading out to the mountains for Miss Elizabeth Hawley who has been chronicling 8000 meter peaks since Sir Edmund Hillary's time. It is really quite amazing the information they provide on an ongoing basis.

The rest of the team will be coming in over the next week and we will be heading out to the Makalu on the 14th of April. I am not sure if my satellite email is working yet, I have tried it a few times and emails are not seeming to go out. So hopefully I can get that resolved so we can keep everyone in touch.

Chris Klinke, Reporting from Kathmandu