Blog
Here you’ll find our blog posts, listed by main category. To receive posts by email as they appear, sign up for updates here!
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Mt. Kilimanjaro, Summit and Success with Preparation and Passion: Leigh Zimmerman's Story
We are so fortunate to welcome Leigh Zimmerman to Musa Masala. Leigh has been a wonderful supporter of our programs. We originally met through our friends at Wongchhu Peak Promotion with whom she trekked to Everest Base Camp. She recently returned to the mountains, this time the stunningly beautiful Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. This is her story. She barely mentions the medical mountains she has climbed in her life. We are in awe of her drive and passion.
How a Social Worker Reclaimed Herself Through Nature During the Pandemic
Tamar Izcovich is a clinical social worker with a private practice in NYC. She is an avid hiker and is always up for an adventure outdoors. Here she shares her personal story of how being in nature helped her reclaim part of herself during the pandemic. She also discusses some of the science of how nature strengthens our mental health. Also check out Tamar’s previous post, “Traveling Solo: Lessons Learned From Loose Rocks in the Himalayas.”
Ultrasound now at the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital!
Here is a short film of a real journey: members of the Himalayan Yokpu Foundation bringing the new Ultrasound Machine to the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital, traveling by four-wheel drive in rain-soaked road conditions.
Big thanks to Sonam Sherpa, Pasang Sherpa and Phula Sherpa, who delivered this much needed diagnostic tool. Sakar Shrestha filmed this piece in his beautiful style.
Everest: Who Takes the Trash Out?
We are back with a new show! Want to know about who is out there making effort to clean up the park and mountain? Want to know a little history of the cleanup operations over the years? Did you know there have been active clean up efforts going on for awhile on Mt. Everest? Want some firsthand accounts of the situation at the high camps this season?
Remembering Dr. Paul Auerbach
From all of us at Musa Masala, we send our love and biggest hugs and unending gratitude to the family and friends of Dr. Paul Auerbach. Paul left us last week, after a year's battle with a brain tumor. Battle he did to the end, facing his future and walking right up to it. Few have a life as amazingly successful as Paul did, and few have truly changed the world for the better as Paul did.
Remembering Gary McLean
We are shattered to let you know our friend Gary McLean died Monday, June 14th, during our trip in Portland, Oregon. We had just celebrated his birthday, a wonderful evening with friends.
Gary was a Air Force Vietnam veteran, a member of the first paramedic class in Oregon, a firefighter and a nurse. He was a friend and mentor to so many. Gary showed by example that you can be a holy man without preaching, an empathetic caregiver and an enthusiastic partner to go into the world with and make it better—act by act, patient by patient, deed by deed.
The Mystery of Mallory and Irvine: 10 Little-Known Facts
Do you think George Mallory and Andrew "Sandy" Irvine made it to the summit of Everest in 1924 before disappearing? Everyone who is intrigued by the story has their opinion. We are here to help, whether you're an old hand to this mystery or it’s the first you have heard about it.
To celebrate our first Facebook live event, we thought we would post 10 things you may not have known about the mystery of Mallory and Irvine that you can learn from our show!
Join us Thursday night! With Special Guest, Thom Pollard
Join us for a special event on May 20th at 8pm EST for a live event on our Facebook and YouTube pages. Listen in and join with comments and questions as Thom Pollard discusses the mystery of what happened to George Mallory and Andrew Irvine on Mt Everest in 1924.
Thom was a member of the 1999 expedition that found the body of George Mallory. He was also a member of the 2019 expedition that searched for Andrew Irvine, which inspired the National Geographic film, "Lost on Everest." Recently teammate Mark Synnott wrote a book about the experience, The Third Pole.
Introducing: Thom Pollard, All about Everest
Musa Masala is going live! On May 20th, EST, we are opening our new Facebook Live Series with mountaineer, cinematographer and spiritual adventurer Thom Pollard. The topic will be The Great Everest Mystery, Mallory and Irvine.
Thom Pollard is uniquely qualified to talk about the great Everest mystery. The high altitude cameraman for the 1999 expedition that found the body of the legendary George Mallory (Conrad Anker actually found him), he was also on the 2019 expedition for Nat Geo that searched for Andrew Irvine and was made into the film Lost On Everest, and the book by Mark Synnott, The Third Pole. Thom also summited himself in 2016 with his friend, Lhakpa Sherpa.
Hypothermia: Scenarios and Management
Now that you know the signs and symptoms of hypothermia, let’s discuss potential scenarios when hypothermia can set in and how you would manage it in the field. But first, let’s review different ways our body loses heat.
Jeff Sweat's COVID-19 Journey: An Update
As you may know, all of us at Musa Masala have been following the journey of author, Jeff Sweat, as he's battled severe COVID-19 and its aftereffects. We are so happy that Jeff is now back home and improving every day.
Jeff's first-person story is so well told, as were tellings by his wife, Sunny, who stood in when Jeff wasn't yet conscious. Through a writer's view, he's giving us such a tangible, vivid feel for what he and his family have been going through.
Hypothermia Signs and Symptoms
We are back with more on hypothermia. In this post, we will define this condition. We want to give you some basic information on hypothermia. In the next post, we will deal with reacting to hypothermia signs and symptoms. Keep warm, keep active and stay safe!
Battling COVID-19 in a Hospital: Author Jeff Sweat's Story
Jeff Sweat is a Los Angeles-based writer and author with a rich background in journalism and marketing. He’s also funny—very funny—and a loving father, partner, and friend to many. Until a few weeks ago, he was also healthy and active, as well as caring enough to take recommended precautions to avoid catching or spreading the COVID-19 virus.
As he wrote in a Facebook post on January 31st, he and his family had been “insanely careful,” venturing only to two stores and consistently wearing a mask around non-family members before his COVID symptoms appeared.
#RecreateResponsibly and Layering Up in the Cold
In this post, we are going to introduce you to the #RecreateResponsibly consortium. A spectacular who’s who of the outdoor industry, #RecreateResponsibly is a nonprofit organization chartered to help people make good decisions in getting into the outdoors while regarding the significant risks of group activities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Including such groups as the National Park Service, The Wilderness Medical Society, NOLS, The North Face and Musa Masala, #RecreateResponsibly is creating some great content for everyone, along with some wonderful partnerships.
Hospital News and Happy New Year!
Happy New Year from Musa Masala! The very first thing we would like to do is wish everyone a 2021 that allows us to share and grow in health and happiness while helping others. We feel we are getting off to a good start, finishing 2020 with a great fundraiser. In concert with Dr. Paul Auerbach, we passed our matching mark and raised $5,000 for the Wongchhu Sherpa Memorial Hospital in a little under a week. Thanks to all who donated and our Musa team who worked to get the word out last minute.
Season's Greetings to All from Musa Masala
As 2020 thankfully draws to a close, we want to take a few moments to thank everyone who has supported us through this fearful year. Our members and friends have experienced some truly horrible things. We hope you all are coping as best as you can, and that next year will see a new, brighter and healthier time for all of us. We have a few things going on in this post.
The Adventures of an Expedition Doctor: Q&A with Dr. In-Hei Hahn
Dr. In-Hei Hahn is a world traveler, emergency physician, toxicologist and an outdoor enthusiast. She has practiced medicine on many continents in all kinds of environments and situations. She has provided medical care in The Gobi Desert (in China and Mongolia), Transylvania, the Atacama Desert in Chile and many other adventurous and resource-limited places. We are excited to share with you an interview about her work with the American Museum of Natural History (New York), her adventures in Mongolia and what keeps her going.
A Season for Hope: The Musa Masala Holiday Gift Package
This year we wanted to put something special together for the end of the year. We wish you all health, happiness and a brighter future. We celebrate all who have sacrificed so much this year to help others, to save lives and to comfort the sick. All of us at Musa Masala send our prayers and deepest sympathies to anyone who has lost friends or family this year.