Jamie Clarke’s Expedition Hanesbrands Everest Dispatch

March 26 - 31, 2010 – The Clarke Family Returns to Nepal

The months and months of training, planning and preparation for an Everest expedition can take its toll. It is perhaps difficult for someone who has never done a Himalayan climbing expedition to imagine the mental and spiritual commitment that a summit climber like Jamie Clarke has made and the support that he needs.

When the equipment and food lists, computer and satellite phone technical issues, and time at the gym trying to stay in shape got to be too much, Jamie had dreams of the blue Himalayan sky, the majestic peaks and the warmth of the Sherpa people to keep him centered and focused.

On March 26th, Jamie’s journey to climb to the summit of Everest with Expedition Hanesbrands finally got underway when he and his wife Barbara and their children Khobe, aged 9 and Jayla, aged 6 stepped off the plane in Kathmandu.

Almost thirteen years earlier on May 23, 1997, Barbara was in Kathmandu and she took a phone call that had been patched to a radio transmission from the top of Mount Everest. Jamie had reached the summit and from this lofty, windy perch he asked Barbara to marry him. One week later, on June 1st they were married in a joyful Sherpa wedding ceremony in the village of Khunde.

Now, in the spring of 2010, the journey from the crowded colourful streets of Kathmandu, to the famous airstrip at Lukla and up the scenic trails to Namche Bazaar have been a joy to share with Jamie and his family. The real world of the Khumbu, with its spirituality, dusty yak trails and the lure of the world’s greatest peaks above is inspiring us, and the fun and energy of a new generation of Clarke adventurers makes it all the better.

— Wally Berg, Namche Bazaar March 31, 2010