Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa

I'm a night dreams.

I'm a day dreams.

And when I dream, I see the beautiful mountain.

I go up in the mountain

I grow bigger and bigger and bigger.

- -

I go down,

I'm a small mouse.

- Base Camp, Base Camp, Base Camp. -

We no go down because we really work hard

we're almost here.

One night wait here, one night try.

I want to be somebody.

I want to do something good.

I want to show my two girls how to be brave.

Look like not give up.

Base Camp transmit, copy, copy.

10-4.

- But the people in Camp Four are going up? - Mm-hmm.

- Yeah. - Even in the bad weather?

No. They, they're trying to contact Camp Four, your mom.

If any...

How many tanks of oxygen does each person have?

It holds maybe fourteen hours.

In Sherpa culture, Everest is Chomolungma.

It means, "God and Mother."

I respect it like my mom.

The Mountain Everest I look.

My life has hurt me, you know?

I'm hurt everywhere I go.

You know? You make me

so look like strong, look like you.

You are mountain queen.

You make me queen too.

Mmm.

Oh! Oh, beautiful!

Sunshine! Ooh!

I wish I can be all the time outdoors

but I can't, I need work

eight hours, nine hours, you know?

Whole Foods looks like a jail.

But I'm out and I feel, "Woot!"

My God I'm out of the jail. Somebody bailed me out, you know.

The sun takes all my bad energy.

My bad energy be dried by sun

and I have good energy come and after I go back.

I know which direction I need to go Everest.

That's it.

Shiny,

say, "Nice working with you all."

and send heart.

I wanna change my life for my children.

But I want something, I must work hard.

- Hello. - Hello.

Hey, Mingma, how are you doing?

Just getting Base Camp ready.

Why don't we get there through Jiri like the old expeditions?

Okay, through Jiri.

Old Hillary's style, like Edmund Hillary did it, on foot.

I want to do it that way.

Okay, I'll organize that.

You want to carry this, Shiny? Kathmandu?

Here.

You understand Sherpa language a little bit, right?

- You do? - A little.

Yeah.

I wish Sunny also come.

But my bugging no work.

I don't want to get sick though. Like, altitude sickness.

Yeah.

This is my dad

at the top of Everest, and he's holding a picture of his dad.

I've asked my mom about my dad, and, like, to tell me stories,

but she wouldn't want to go there.

And my sister doesn't even try to talk to us, really.

You okay, right, Sunny?

You okay?

I know you had many problems.

I tried my best in changing my life, you know?

Also our life.

I go climbing up and maybe we will change our life a little bit.

Sunny, Mama loves you.

I care about you.

But I need to go.

I need to go.

I hope you will stay nicely here, you know?

Keep an eye on your sister.

And help her shopping.

Okay, I will.

Alright, bye.

- Bye. - Just text me when you're in Nepal.

- Okay. Bye. - When you arrive.

Should I begin?

I was born in Shersong, Yak Kharka.

And my parents were yak farmers.

We Sherpa is a few people.

Living a very hard life in the mountains.

And all people last name is Sherpa.

Sherpa, Sherpa, Sherpa.

First name decide by which day born.

We born Wednesday, we put a "Lhakpa."

We born Tuesday, they put a "Mingma."

At that time in Nepal system, only boy go to school.

Girl doesn't matter.

So I carry young brother two hours to school,

and two hours back. No good road, you know?

I'm a very good yellow bus.

But I'm not allowed to go inside because only boy.

One day I look, "What are they teaching?"

I still remember...

...like that teaching.

I remember. Still I remember.

Nepali A-B-C-D.

All Sherpa is make arranged marriage.

My mom and dad and all my sisters and brothers

have arranged marriage.

They never no fall in love,

they never no kissing.

My little sister already marriage.

And I'm still no marriage because my mom said I'm too tall, too tough

and I'm very, very bossy.

Really I'm very upset at that time.

I feel nobody like me.

I feel I'm ugly.

I told my mom, "I never no wanna marriage look like you."

I'm living life in the mountain.

She no have an outside life.

I'm so stuck.

I'm a wild girl.

You know, nature girl.

I wanted something different.

I wanted what my heart want.

Hello.

In Hartford, I don't talk about my home.

I don't talk about my personal life.

If kids were to ask where I lived,

I'd have to explain, "My mom didn't have an education."

"She couldn't..." You know? People might think you're poor.

And I just don't wanna do that.

My room, I share it with my mom, and there are mattresses.

We don't have bed frames or anything like that.

My mom really wanted this summit to be

the summit where everything starts getting better for our lives.

But, I'm not sure how much our whole life is going to change.

By my estimate we'll reach Base Camp around April 26th.

We'll have to move slowly with the children.

We'll be fine if we take it slowly.

The first thing is just to get the girls to Base Camp

and we can teach them along the way.

Yes, so we'll have to go slowly.

They'll slowly figure it out.

On this expedition, Shiny and Jangmu will stay at Base Camp.

They'll learn how we do everything there.

Jangmu and Shiny are still domesticated,

they're like zoo tigers.

We're going to have to train them to turn them into wild tigers, like us.

They'll figure it out eventually.

- Mmm. - They're still young.

- We'll take it slow. Baby steps. - Yes, baby steps.

Wow, two sporty girls.

One American girl, one Nepali Sherpani.

I'm your guide.

- Nice to meet you. -

You're ready for Everest Base Camp?

I'm a sherpa coming, "Hey!"

"Madam, madam, come, come."

- Hey, I'm a good guide? - Yeah.

Here, that is Everest Base Camp.

That is the Khumbu Icefall.

We are very danger in this part.

This area's Camp Four, here.

And after Camp Four we'll walk all night climbing up eight thousand meters.

Fifty meters technical rock climbing

and after we reach the summit.

One day I'm thinking about it:

I no see back side of the mountain.

I wish I can climbing up on top, and I can look.

I wanna see other side who live.

I asked my grandmother. And grandmother say,