Contacting Dick by email, I got information on the trek. The trekking company that was running the trip was Snow Lion Expeditions. After visiting these websites and talking to Snow Lion, I made the decision in December of 1997 to join the trip. The scheduled dates for the trek were May 10 to June 6, 1998. I decided that I would have enough time to get ready, plus undertake a physical training program.

I turned 49 on during the first week of the trek. By profession, I am a computer software consultant. This profession has some good and bad points, but for the purpose of travelling it gives the necessary flexibility. At the time I decided to go, I was working in downtown Boston and commuting weekly from my home in the northern Atlanta suburbs. Being disenchanted with the cold Boston winter was an added incentive to terminate my Boston engagement.

I am married to a wonderful woman who puts up (sometimes even cheerfully) with my pecadillos. It must be said that leaving home for 5 or so weeks strained even her level of understanding to the limit. The worst part of such an absence is the inability to communicate for weeks at a time. Once on the road in Tibet, there is no way (short of a satellite phone setup) to keep in touch. Both of us imagined the worst - the other being killed suddenly - while the other was completely out of touch. The fact that I have two small children (4 and 1 at the time of the trip) was an added strain. In any case, these are the sort of things that one must consider when voyaging into remote and difficult regions.

I had never hiked before, nor had I camped for many years. These facts had two primary consequences: first, I had no suitable clothes or equipment for such a trip; second, I needed to get into physical shape necessary to meet the rigors of the trail. A third, and less problematic, issue was to obtain the necessary immunizations.

Shopping primarily at REI, I purchased the following major items of equipment:

• Hiking boots (Montrail Moraine AT), liner socks, wool trekking socks
• Trekking poles (Leki Super Makalu Cor-Tec)
• Sleeping Bag
• Capilene mid-weight thermal underwear (tops & bottoms, two sets)
• Hiking Pants
• Backpack
• Cargo duffel and stuff sacs
• Water bottles
• Swiss Army multi-tool (like a Leatherman)
• Waterproof trekking hat (with wide brim)

Being in Boston during the week at an office job, I was not able to take practice hikes. Thus the physical training was reserved for a health club, which I attended 2 or three evenings a week. I concentrated primarily on aerobic conditioning via Stairmaster and treadmill. By the end of April, I was able to do a 30-40 minute Stairmaster routine. In retrospect, this was just barely enough for the level of activity required by the trek.

One thing I did do was to break in my boots by hiking to the subway station from my house almost every day. In a trek like this, having properly broken-in boots is of utmost importance. Nothing can ruin your day on the trail like blistered feet.

Jumping ahead to the end, I can report the following on potential equipment issues:

• Camera; I took the pictures for this site using a Nikon 6006 SLR with a 35-70mm Zoom lens and Kodak 400 color print film. I also took a Nikon 20mm lens for extra-wide shots. This latter lens was not as useful as I hoped (for mountain shots). It would have been preferable to have a telephoto lens such as a 80-210mm zoom. I used a polarizing filter as well as a UV filter.
  
  Because of the thin air, it is difficult to get good contrast from outdoor shots in full sunlight. Using the program modes of the camera, the pictures were typically overexposed a bit. A more proficient photographer would do well to stop down the camera manually for these shots.
  
  I also took along a separate flash unit. This was mainly useful for interior shots at the Tsaparaing temples, which are quite dim inside. Additional recommendations: label all of your film canisters in advance with sequence #'s, which you can note in a journal; use a cord holder for lens caps; have something that allows you to carry the camera comfortably outside of the backpack. I missed a lot of good shots when I was too tired to take off the pack to get at the camera.



• Lip balm; this is a must. Take extra in case you lose one. Similarly, plenty of sunscreen, with the highest SPF you can find. I used this mostly on nose, ears, and hands; the rest of my skin was usually covered up.



• Tools; I brought along a leatherman-type multi-tool. I really didn't use many of the gadgets, and a simple Swiss-Army knife with a blade and a bottle opener would have been suficient.



• Eyeglasses; Tibet is very dusty! It would be difficult to keep contact lenses clean on the trail. I took a spare pair, and clip-on polarizing sunglasses. Croakies are a good idea to keep the glasses secure.



• Shortwave radio; I took along a small Grundig radio, and I was able to get news in the morning and evening. As I was the only one to bring one, I was the only source of "contact" with the outside world. At the end of the trek, I gave the radio to one of the sherpa guides who had helped me out a lot on the trail.



• Batteries; bring extra. I took along a 16-pack of AA's and an extra camera battery as well. Since you will need a flashlight, you'll need to keep it lit. Several of the group had the fancy camp lights from REI. I found a cheap equivalent at Home Depot for $15. You want the kind that mounts on your forehead with straps.



• Keeping clean; we were able to bathe only once on the trek. You will be dirty, and need to concentrate on keeping hands, face, feet, and groin as clean as possible. A box of baby wipes is excellent. I took one of the super-absorbent camp towels made for camping; these are excellent, and will dry out overnight when hung from the tent.



• Underwear and socks; I had two changes of the capilene top/bottom, and two pairs of silk inner socks. I changed and washed the socks every night. Having a 3rd change of everything would have been a bonus.



• Keeping warm; I took a pair of winter cycling gloves; these have leather palms and nylon elsewhere. These were a good choice, as it was easy to take off and remove the hiking pole straps on the trail. A heavier pair of ski mittens would be good for camp, but too hot for the trail. I wore mostly wool sweaters when trekking, and had two coats as well. One was a down-filled ski parka which I wore only in camp. The other is a heavy water/wind-proof jacket that I carried in my pack.

For immunization, I obtained the following:

• Hepatitis A
• DT (Diphtheria, Tetanus)
• Polio Booster
• Typhoid
• Meningitis

The first 3 of these I obtained at modest cost at my local county health clinic. The latter two were administered by a travel clinic associated with Emory University. The Typhoid immunization was via a series of oral tablets, and the others are via innoculation.