All programs are free and open to the public. Reservations are not required.

Directions & maps to...
Saratoga Springs Public Library
First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls

Ron Lester goes to the Everest Base Camp

When: 7:00pm, Thursday, April 24
What: Slide Show by Ron Lester
Where: Saratoga Library

If you have been a member of Glens Falls/Saratoga Chapter of ADK for any time you are probably familiar with Ron Lester. Over the last ten years or so, Ron has evolved from a hiker to a hike leader to a leader of big hikes to a world traveler and mountain conqueror while still remaining the same old Ron, always pleasant, easy going, and willing to take any neophyte hiker up Allen in the worst possible conditions.

Last April Ron decided to go to Nepal. Unlike most of us, Ron doesn't do the "Big Trip" in a big way. He looks in his wallet, sighs and does his adventuring on the budget available. This time he used the Internet to hire himself a guide and a porter whom he met in country. After a brief overnight in Kathmandu, the tiny expedition set off for Lukla on one of those one plane air-lines that Nepal is famous for, the kind where you put cotton in your ears and try to relax as you fly through, not over the highest mountains on earth while the single engine labors and those around you look dazed or ill.

During the trip from Lukla to Everest, Ron enjoyed the beauty and courtesy of the gentle and friendly people of the high villages of Nepal. Having taken himself to Mount McKinley, Aconcagua and many other strange and lesser known high peaks without benefit of porter or roof over head, Ron considered nights in unheated tea rooms to be a luxury. He had plenty of time to take lots of pictures and is now looking to find a way to cut down his collection of over 600.

Ron and his guide, Kaji, arrived at the Everest Base Camp after a leisurely stroll from Namche Bazaar and then ascended Balapatper, a small peak which at 18,200 feet affords one of the best views anywhere of Everest Peak. On the way back, Ron and company teamed up with a young Japanese and some other internationals to climb Island Peak, a 20,000 footer. At this point, Ron became his own expedition leader setting ropes with his Japanese partner for the group. They made their way to within 150 feet of the summit only to be stopped by vertical ice face with an "old clothesline" as the only climbing aid available. Little did Ron know at this point that his failing guide was actually suffering from a form of pneumonia. As they headed back from the top, Kaji became so ill that Ron ended up carrying him down the mountain and all the way to the clinic outside of Namche Bazaar where he took a week to recover.

We invite you to be present as Ron relives this stunning adventure at a slide show at Saratoga Library at 7 p.m., April 24. Don't miss this one!

[back to top]