A final message from our Makalu expedition.

After a few days waiting for our porters to trek up from the villages down valley, we were able to pack up our equipment and trek down into the forests of the Makalu region for several days. Our plan was to save time by flying by helicopter for some of the route back to Kathmandu but bad weather and limited availability of the helicopter delayed the flight. Finally, we were able to reach the village of Tumlingtar and make our way from there back to Kathmandu.

Our late ascent of Makalu and the delays to the journey back to town meant that some urgent changes to our international flights were necessary but hopefully our arrival home won’t be too late.

Whilst I didn’t get to Tibet to finish Shishapangma, plans are already in the works for that climb, and if nothing else, it gives us a climbing project to look forward to. Makalu was a great climb and my sincere thanks go to all my sponsors and many supporters behind the scenes. (See my website home page for a list of major sponsors. www.andrew-lock.com)

I hope you’ve enjoyed the despatches from this expedition and I’ll be back with more when heading back to the big hills.

Until then, adieu.