Journeys & Treks | Everest Medical Trek | Meditation By The Beach
Medical high altitude Everest trek
This fantastic trip, led by Dr Jim Duff and his partner Rejane Belanger, is designed for doctors plus anyone with a medically related background, and their partners.
View from Gokyo Ri
While this 20-day trip (15 days trekking in the Everest national park) is of special interest to doctors and allied health professionals, partners and friends are welcome. Despite being physically engaging, there is plenty of time to relax in wild places and enjoy Sherpa culture.
We take the trail up to Everest via the Sherpa capital, Namche Bazaar, then enter the staggeringly beautiful Gokyo valley. The high point is the ascent of Gokyo Ri (5483m). This is one of the best viewpoints for Everest and we can also see three other 8000m peaks plus Nepal's biggest glacier. If you feel you may not be up to the final ascent to Gokyo Ri it is possible to sit it out with no inconvenience. This makes the trek much less strenuous while still very worthwhile.
We return via a superb high level 'sky-walk' down to the delightful and little visited Sherpa village of Phortse. From there we trek to Thangboche monastery then Khunde village and the Hillary hospital. Needless to say the scenery is stunning with mountain views of Everest, Lhotse, the Lhotse-Nuptse wall, Cho Oyu, Makalu, Taweche, Ama Dablam, Kantega and many more peaks. Jim's intimate knowledge of the area ensures we will use lesser known trails and hidden campsites whenever possible.
As well as being a splendid trek, there is the opportunity of seeing and experiencing high altitude and wilderness medicine. Jim will present an orientation slide lecture in the hotel on arrival in Kathmandu. Aided by Jim's medical contacts through 30 years of working in Nepal, we will visit institutions such as the HRA (Himalayan Rescue Association), the world famous CIWEC clinic and the Bir hospital while in Kathmandu. (Rejane will take those with their sights set more on retail therapy to the best women's co-operative shops with a wide range of quality local products). In the mountains, we will visit the Ed Hillary hospital at Khunde above Namche Bazaar and the site of the new Porter Shelter and Rescue Post at Machermo. Jim has been instrumental in setting this up through his work with the International Porter Protection Group. We will also make use of clinical material arising on the trek itself to upgrade our wilderness medical skills. While at high altitude we will look at PAC (Portable Altitude Chamber) technology.
Each trekker will be presented with a copy of the Pocket First Aid and Wilderness Medicine, a definitive pocket manual Jim co-authored with Dr Peter Gormly, medical officer at ANARE.
This activity has been approved by the RACGP QA & CPD Program (Australia). Allocated 2 points/hour. Total CPD Points: 80, Group 2.
Doctors from other countries will be enabled to make personal applications for their Post Graduate Education points.
Dates:
4th October - 23th October 2004 (15 days trekking)
For more details & bookings, contact World Expeditions.
Camp by one of Gokyo lakes
About the leaders
About the Leaders
Dr Jim Duff divides his time between work and activism in Nepal and general practice.
Jim has spent 30 years climbing, travelling and working in the Himalayas. As a doctor, climber or leader he has been on six major Himalayan expeditions including the South-West face of Everest 1975 (first British ascent), the West Ridge of K2 1978, and Everest North face 1984 (first Australian ascent). He has worked for two seasons for the HRA (Himalayan Rescue Association) aid posts, in Pheriche in 1977 and in Manang in 1997.
For the past 20 years Jim has been training Nepali, Indian and Tibetan guides in the principles of wilderness medicine, first aid and leadership and he has extensive experience in dealing with acute mountain sickness, frostbite, hypothermia, injuries and third world medicine. In 1997, in response to the death of a trekking porter who died just hours from the medical aid post that he was manning in Nepal, Jim set up the International Porter Protection Group (IPPG) to raise awareness of the neglect and exploitation of these people, which occurs worldwide in the trekking industry.
The co-author of Pocket First Aid and Wilderness Medicine, Jim is the co-developer of the Australian-made PAC (Portable Altitude Chamber) for the treatment of altitude illness. He is also consultant on mountain safety to World Expeditions, Australia.
Rejane Belanger was born in Quebec, Canada. She has always been a keen traveller and has spent many years exploring Asia before settling in Australia. Her main interests now are helping to run the large community where she usually lives with Jim, and working in Nepal. Rejane is a key member of IPPG, is the editor of ‘Pocket First Aid and Wilderness Medicine’ and is a wilderness first aid and medicine course instructor.
Journeys & Treks | Everest Medical Trek | Meditation By The Beach
PO Box 53 Repton, NSW 2454 Australia Fax/Phone +61 2 6653 4130
email: info@treksafe.com.au
Website design Dynamic Web Solutions
Last updated: July 2007