Expedition - Nepal Science

So far my updates have just been about events of the trip but now that we are back in Canada, it is important to mention the scientific purpose and goals of the trip.

The primary focus is to examine factors that determine susceptibility to acute mountain sickness (AMS) in Nepali Hindu religious pilgrims. These pilgrims are participating in an annual festival called Janai Purnima. During the festival, pilgrims ascend on steep, muddy, single track trails to 4500 meter Lake Gosainkunda. A significant number of these people develop AMS due to the high altitude and possibly exacerbated by the short amount of time pilgrims take to ascend (usually 1 to 3 days). Those with AMS suffer from debilitating headache, nausea, weakness, and difficulty sleeping. AMS can lead to more serious life-threatening illness such as high-altitude cerebral or pulmonary edema.

Expedition - Nepal Update 2

Our second week in Nepal started on July 25th with a 6 hour drive to a small one hut village called Ramche. After Ramche, the road has been broken into small sections by several landslides so from here we had to hike the majority of the way.

Lining up to cross the landslide.

Expedition - Planning

Summer 2012 brings two exciting research expeditions. The first to Bamfield, BC on Vancouver Island, the second to Dhunche, Nepal.

From May 20th to June 8th, I will be collecting data on the effect of exercise in preventing the bends in SCUBA divers. Martin and I will be staying at the Marine Science Center in Bamfield (near Tofino) on the west coast of Vancouver Island. This trip is coming up soon and we are nearly completed with our preparations. All that is left is buying supplies and making sure we don't forget anything.

From July 20th to August 10th, we will be travelling to Nepal to study among other things, the possibility of developing a predictive test for acute mountain sickness (AMS). We just booked our flights on Southern China Air into Kathmandu and from there we will be driving to Dhunche where we will be collecting data on pilgrims headed to Lake Gosainkunda (~4500m elevation).

Stay tuned for more updates on both of these trips.