July 21, 2023

Overview for this week.

1. The Southwest is experiencing a record heatwave as the monsoon arrived in a fury.

2. Good news, the northern lights may make another appearance in the lower forty-eight.

3. Where do you go if you need supplies in the Himalayas? You go to Namche Bazaar, I've been there, it's wonderful.

4. Many of you may be familiar with Reinhold Messner. His son, Simon Messner, is following in his footsteps by making the first summit of a Himalayan peak in Pakistan. 

5. The Messner Mountain Museums honor the mountains and the cultures of those who live in them throughout the world with six stunning locations in northern Italy.

6. In the Book Corner we look at some titles authored by climber and adventurer Reinhold Messner.

7. We'll catch up with Next Gen pianist Brian Wong.

8. In the Pet's Corner, baby Truffle's travels are complete, and he has arrived at his permanent home in Tucson.

Now, to this weeks Flock.

The Southwest is now experiencing record high temperatures across the region just as the summer monsoon has begun. The monsoon is caused by a seasonal shift in the prevailing wind direction with southerly winds bringing moist air into the atmosphere. The monsoon brings much needed cooling rain to the desert, but it also brings large dust storms called haboobs, strong winds, thunderstorms, and flash floods.

From: azfamily.com, July 18, 2023

On Tuesday, July 18th Phoenix, Arizona set a new record with 19 consecutive days with temperatures over 110°F. The old record of 18 days was set in 1974.

From: Arizona 15: By: Amber Sullins

Dust storms can be some of the most dramatic weather events we see in the Valley each year. Another word for a dust storm is “haboob,” which is Arabic for the word blown. Haboobs are giant walls of dust created from high winds rushing out of a collapsing thunderstorm.

From: This is Tucson, By: Samantha Munsey, July 20, 2021

While you wait for some summer weather action, check out these photos taken by Arizona Daily Star photographers in the last two decades that show just how powerful and beautiful monsoon season in Tucson can be. Enjoy this magical time of year. Just remember to stay safe. Seek shelter if you see the big ones coming!

The normally dry Rillito River in Tucson flowing after Monday's monsoon.

The strong wind, which was actually a microburst, from this weeks monsoon toppled several trees in my yard. Sometimes you have no option other than having the tree cut up with a chainsaw and removed, but sometimes they can be saved. On our front we will, of course, try to save each one and honor the trees.

From: Davey.com October 28, 2021

Since trees take a while to grow and provide the shade, look, or privacy you crave, it’s never easy to lose one. Let’s look at the reasons for uprooted trees and what options you have to help save them.

The northern lights glow faintly beyond a group of elevators northwest of Walla Walla, WA.

Greg Lehman /Walla Walla Union-Bulletin/AP

While Earth was reeling from intense wildfires, heat waves and flooding this week, the sun was bustling with impressive eruptions from its surface. The incoming bursts of energy caused a radio blackout and could bring the aurora borealis Thursday to Friday across the northern reaches of the United States and Europe. The activity is just a preview of what’s to come as the solar activity ramps up in the coming years.

From: The Washington Post, By: Kasha Patel, July 19, 2023

Experts say auroras could appear down to the mid-latitudes. For a moderate geomagnetic storm, the dancing lights could be seen in the Northeast, northern and central Great Plains and northern Rockies. If the geomagnetic storm ends up on the stronger side of predictions, the curtains of light could appear farther south.

3. REACHING HIGH: The Himalayas

What do you do if you're on an expedition in the Himalayas and realize you forgot some essential gear? You send someone off to Nachme Bazaar and they will get you the gear you need. Delivery may be on foot, yak, or helicopter. Nachme Bazaar is your last good chance for gear and supplies in the Himalaya.

A bustling market town called Namche Bazaar lies in Nepal's Khumbu area. At 3,440 meters (11,286 feet) above sea level, it is the entrance to the famed Mount Everest region and a destination preferred as an acclimatization location for hikers and climbers. Namche Bazaar is renowned for its amazing natural beauty, vibrant Sherpa culture, and breathtaking vistas of the neighboring Himalayan ranges. The local Sherpa community gathers in Namche Bazaar, which has a number of hotels, lodges, restaurants, and shops that sell anything from traditional handicrafts to mountaineering equipment.

4. MOUNTAINEERING: First Ascent

Messner and Sieberer at Yemanendu Base Camp. photo: Discover Karakoram

I am so fond of Himalayan mountaineers who try to do the impossible, not only on the Nepal side, but on the Pakistan side too. In this last week two young climbers achieved the first summit of the 7,163m peak of Yermanendu in the Pakistani Himalayas. The team included Simon Messner, son of the famed mountaineer Reinhold Messner, and his climbing partner Martin Sieberer.

From: Explorersweb, By: Angela Benavides, July 16, 2023

Simon Messner and Martin Sieberer have completed the first ascent of Yermanendu Kangri.

The 7,163m peak lies very close to Masherbrum and not far from busy K2, but the climbers were completely alone when they set up Base Camp on July 1. Conditions in the Baltoro have not been good until recently. Messner (the son of legendary Reinhold Messner) and Sieberer only announced their summit push two days ago.

5. MUSEUMS: Messner Mountain Museums

Reinhold Messner outside the Messner Mountain Museum Corones

Reinhold Messner grew up in the Dolomite mountains of northern Italy and developed a love for the mountains and climbing at an early age. Messner is the first person to make a solo ascent of Mt. Everest and along with Peter Habler made the first ascent without supplemental oxygen. He was also the first climber to ascend all 14 peaks over 8,000m above sea level. He was first to cross Antarctica and Greenland without the aid of snowmobiles or dog sleds. I had a chance meeting with Reinhold Messner on a side trail in the Himalaya. I asked him if he had all his toes. He said, " Hell no! None of us do! You don't do what I do and have all of your toes, or all of your fingertips." Since the early days, hand and toe warmers have come a long way.

From: Dolomites.org

Once upon a time... there was a small house in Sulden in Vinschgau, where extreme mountaineer Reinhold Messner opened his mini-museum Curiosa in 1993. Two years later, when MMM Juval was opened, the success story of the Messner Mountain Museums began - by the year 2016, 5 more museums were added: Dolomites, Ortles, Firmian, Ripa and Corones.

6. BOOK CORNER: Titles by Reinhold Messner

Along with being an master mountaineer, climber, and member of the Explorers Club, Reinhold Messner has authored over 80 books. Below is a selection of some of his titles.

My Life at the Limit reveals a more thoughtful and conversational Messner, covering not only the highlights of Messner’s climbing career, but also his treks across Tibet, the Gobi, and Antarctica; his five-year-stint as a member of the European Parliament; his encounter with and study of the yeti; his thoughts on traditional male/female roles; and much more.

On August 20, 1980, Reinhold Messner, the world-renowned master of alpine-style climbing, became the first person to reach the summit of Everest solo and without supplemental oxygen. A vivid account of Messner's expedition, The Crystal Horizon also reflects on how he explored his innermost thoughts while facing the most extreme physical challenge he had ever encountered. The furthest point for mind and body he calls his crystal horizon.

In a terrifying moment during a solo climb in eastern Tibet, renowned mountaineer Reinhold Messner confronted a large unidentifiable creature that moved upright with astonishing agility. Convinced that he had found living proof of a legend, Messner began a quest to the remote monasteries and isolated villages of Nepal, Bhutan, India, and Tibet, seeking an answer to a mystery that has haunted the imagination for generations.

7. NEXT GEN: Pianist Brian Wong

Brian Wong with soprano vocalist Virginia Sheffield

Recently the young pianist and Flock regular, Brian Wong performed works by Franz Schubert along with soprano vocalist Virginia Sheffield at the Then Sings My Soul Summer Music Series in Winston Salem, North Carolina. We first featured Brian in our July 29, 2022, issue. We catch up with him and his growing list of academic credentials below.

From: Musicians Club of New York

Brian Man-ho Wong just earned his Master of Music degree in Piano Accompanying and Chamber Music at the Eastman School of Music under the tutelage of Dr. Jean Barr. Brian has been inspired by professional musicians who have shaped this collaborative piano field, such as Anne Epperson, Kevin Murphy, Alan Smith, Eric Weimer, Howard Lubin, Julian Jacobson and Benjamin Zander.

A graduate of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, he studied piano and fortepiano with Dr. Mary Mei-loc Wu and Ms. Constanze Lee. Besides holding a LTCL Diploma, Brian was awarded the Brown Loranger Fellowship at LA SongFest. In recognition of his performance in music, Brian was awarded the Jean Barr Scholarship, Ruth and Arno Drucker Scholarship and Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme to fully support his studies at Eastman. He will continue his studies at the Juilliard School.

Aside from his role as a pianist, Brian has been selected as an Arts Leadership Certificate student at Eastman School of Music. He was awarded the title Hong Kong Scholar” by the HKSAR Government in 2017.

8. PET'S CORNER: Baby Truffle Update

Baby Truffle arrived at his forever home in Tucson. Welcome to your new home baby Truffle. He survived a lot of turbulence in his flight to Tucson, but his travel guardian Ryan got him through safely.

Baby Truffle, a little pooped and happy to be done traveling.

After the Flood

A Redtail hawk catches the morning sun along the Rillito River in Tucson, AZ.

Don't Be Shy: Share Your Stories!

I'm looking forward to sharing more of your personal stories - oral, written, or otherwise, as we enter our second year. I'd so love to present them to The Flock, hit a mailbox below to share your story.

Holualoa Ed Fit Wellness & Culture 2

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