Look Down Not Up: The First Ever Mushroom Trek to Everest Base Camp

2309 18th Street Northwest,Washington DC 20009

27 August, 2022

Description

In June and July of 2022, a local D.C. company, International Mountain Trekking (“IMT”) www.imt-nepal.com launched the first mycological exploration of the Khumbu (Everest) region of Nepal. The trek was led by Shiva Devkota, Ph.D, Nepal's foremost mycologist and high-altitude mountain guide Sonam Jangbu Sherpa of Phortse Village, Solukhumbu, Nepal. Along with Dr. Devkota, IMT was joined by Britt Bunyard, Ph.D, Thomas Roehl of Clark University and other mushroom citizen/scientists. The Khumbu region is situated in the heart of the Himalayan Mountain arc which runs for over 2,414 kilometers through the center of the Eurasian continent. IMT’s trek went through localized microclimates which displayed an abundant fungal and floral diversity. This presentation will explore the rich bio and cultural diversity of Nepal, it’s unique geomorphology and the challenges and adventures of this mushroom trek. Rick will report on the trek’s success in identifying over 150 species of rare, unusual and possibly new species of mushrooms. In this presentation, Rick will talk about this exciting new aspect of trekking in the Himalayas and will introduce us to the challenges and fun of finding mushrooms in the throne-room of the mountain gods.