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Saturday, May 27, 2006
Rob and Katrina at the summit
We have arrived safely down to Lobuche (which is just below Base Camp) and we are now making arrangements to get transportation to Katmandu.
Everyone is healthy and doing well and still enjoying the 'high' of having summitted Everest.
Katrina and I very much appreciate all of the support that everyone has been giving us, following our climb on our web-site. We really appreciated everyone's kind encouragement during our climb of Mount Everest. We have now successfully climbed the Seven Summits and are looking forward to getting back home and catching up with everyone as soon as possible.
We did dedicate our climb to Altruvest, and if anyone would like to make a contribution to the Altruvest Vision Fund which will become an endowment to ensure that Altruvest can continue to build tools for charities for many generations to come, we would really appreciate you doing so on the web-site or calling us directly if you prefer.
We would like to take this opportunity to again, thank everyone for their support of our climb - it was an absolutely fabulous experience and we are convinced that your good wishes brought us good luck and good weather which made our summit possible.
We look forward to seeing you all very soon.
Rob and Katrina
Friday, May 26, 2006
Team Canada at Base Camp
We had a long day descending from Camp 2 down through the icefall today and have made it safely to Base Camp. Our bodies are tired from the climb but everyone is doing well and very much looking forward to coming home.
We will rest at Base Camp tonight before leaving tomorrow for our walk down to Lobuche, where we will spend one night. Our plan is to take the chopper out to Kathmandu the next morning.
It has been an incredible journey, which I look forward to sharing with everyone at home. Thank you again to our wonderful sherpas, guides, and all our supporters.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
We got up very early this morning again to try to miss the sun's heat. We climbed all the way down to Camp 2, which is where we are now. Tomorrow we will be climbing all the way down to Base Camp, where we can start to recover.
Final Summit Push Recap
We left early in the morning on May 21st from Camp 2 and climbed to Camp 3, where we went on supplementary oxygen. The oxygen helped us get a good night's sleep at Camp 3 and we got up very early the next morning to go to Camp 4.
We climbed over the Yellow Band Rock, then up and over the Geneva Spur, which put us up at 8,000 m. We were on oxygen the whole time to help keep our heads clear. We were thrilled when we arrived Camp 4, which we did not reach last year. As we carefully watched the weather and let our bodies adjust to the new altitude, we decided that it would be best to take a rest day so we stayed at Camp 4 for two nights.
At 8:30 p.m. on our second night at Camp 4, we decided that we would leave because the weather was good. We started climbing the big ice bulge, up the Triangular Face, and we arrived at The Balcony (at 12:40 a.m.), where we expected to arrive at 5:00 a.m., way ahead of schedule since we were all feeling very strong.
The next goal was the South Summit. The South Summit was absolutely gorgeous, climbing through the night where we could see millions of the stars and the Milky Way as well as the lightning storms way down below us over Kathmandu. The moon rose at about 4:00 a.m.
We had a magnificent sunrise during our climb to the South Summit. We were fortunate to be blessed with good weather - it stayed clear; none of the clouds came up; and it was relatively not windy (winds can reach up to 100 kn., which is 190 km/hr). Once we got to the South Summit, it was very exciting to see the whole ridge. It took about another hour and half to the Hillary Step. We were lucky that the Hillary Step had a lot of snow on it so it was easier to climb. We then crossed the ridge, which is a snow cornice, to the summit.
The summit was full of prayer flags because sherpas were able to summit this year and they believe heavily in the goddess that is at the top of Everest. We took some photographs before going back down. We made our way down in really good time and arrived back at Camp 4 by 10:30 a.m. It was a 14 hour day, which was reasonably fast. At Camp 4, we rested and hydrated.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
6:05 a.m. Nepal Time
Greetings from the top of the world! We have summitted!
Our sincerest thank you to our guides and sherpas for all their incredible work and for keeping us safe. We also thank all our supporters for their good wishes.
Due to fabulous weather conditions, we were able to spend close to an hour at the top of the world to take some photos of our summit and the spectacular views so that we can share them with everyone back home.
We look forward to seeing all of you soon.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
12:40 a.m. Nepal Time
We have arrived at the Balcony and are going strong. There is almost no wind, which is helping us make good progress. It should take us about three hours from the Balcony to reach the South Summit and another hour and a half to two hours to the summit.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
8:30 p.m. Nepal Time
We are leaving the South Col for our summit bid. Climbing conditions look good as it is clear and calm at the Col. We expect to take between five and six hours to climb the Triangular Face to the Balcony, where the route from the South Col intersects the South East Ridge.
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Team Canada walking across the South Col to Tibet
Tonight's the night (weather permitting)! We will leave at 8:30 p.m. (Nepal time) for our summit push.
We took a walk to Tibet today, which we entered by walking across the South Col.
We are all doing well and excited for the challenge ahead.
Monday, May 22, 2006
The snow stopped and we were able to make it to Camp 4 (approx. 7,900 m). We had an incredible day. The conditions were perfect. There was no wind while we crossed the many landmarks toward the summit - the Lhotse Face, Yellow Band, Geneva Spur and into the South Col.
We will continue watching the weather and plan to leave tomorrow evening for an all night climb to the summit.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Katrina on the way to Camp 3
We have arrived back at Camp 3 and our on oxygen now for the first time. Everyone is feeling well and ready to make our way to Camp 4. It is snowing at the moment so we will keep a close eye on the weather and hope that we will be able to proceed as planned.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Rob, Katrina, and Len at Camp 2 - ready to go.
At Camp 2 today, we encountered the larger AC team that summitted yesterday. Congratulations to them on their success.
Our team is ready for our own summit push. We have packed all our stuff - our thick down; our boot heaters; and our food and GU gel (which are sugar/isotonic booster packets). We are studying the weather patterns and will be leaving at 4:30 in the morning to head up the Lhotse Face before it gets too hot. Once we get to Camp 3, we will go onto oxygen at a 1L/min sleep rate. Then, we will leave very early the next morning to go to Camp 4, which is on the South Col. We will either rest there for one night and then climb through the following night to the summit or, if there is incoming bad weather, we will not be able to rest and have to go straight into a 20 hour climb (12 hours up and 8 hours down is the estimate).
Friday, May 19, 2006
The other team from Adventure Consultants, who are five days ahead of us on the schedule, summitted today (half their team summitted).
As planned, we made it from Camp 1 to Camp 2 today. The plan is to stay here tonight, have a rest day tomorrow, and then get up very, very early the following morning to go to Camp 3. The sun was a bit too hot towards the end of our today. It got up to 33C (ambient temperature) but, of course, the snow does not melt because it is still frozen from the night before. So, we will get up extra early on Sunday morning and climb the Lhotse Face to Camp 3, where we will go on oxygen.
Everyone is healthy and doing well.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
As we receive news of teams summiting from the north side and from Lhotse, we will begin our own summit climb tomorrow morning at 4:30 a.m. so that we will reach Camp 1 before the sun gets too high. We will spend one night at Camp 1 and leave for Camp 2 at 6:00 a.m. the next morning. Our plan is to spend two nights (the day we arrive and a rest day) at Camp 2, and depending on the conditions on the mountain, we may need to spend another night at Camp 2. Once we have determined that the crowds have subsided at the Hillary Step and other technical climbing places (so that we can avoid any bottlenecks), we will make our way to Camp 3 for a night, where we will begin using oxygen for the first time. The following morning, we will make our way to Camp 4, which is above where we have been so far. We will overnight at Camp 4 and, on the second night, we will not sleep. At around 9:00 p.m. on our second night at Camp 4, we will start on an overnight climb for the summit. If everything goes well, we hope to summit on May 24th.
| Team Canada - Summit Plans |
| May 18th |
Camp 1 |
| May 19th and 20th (possibly May 21st) |
Camp 2 |
| May 21st (May 22nd) |
Camp 3 |
| May 22nd (May 23rd) |
Camp 4 |
| May 23rd (May 24th) |
Summit Push |
| May 24th (May 25th) |
Summit! |
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Len testing his oxygen rig.
Our team decided today that we would wait another day before going to Camp 1. The sherpas have only secured the ropes as high as The Balcony and since it is not safe to climb without the ropes (because you cannot be clipped in, which would save you from a fall), we decided that we would wait one more day.
Several other teams have already made their way to Camp 2 and Camp 3, and are now starting to make their way to Camp 4. Many are becoming increasingly impatient, both with the excitement of getting an early summit window and from having been on the mountain for over six weeks. Some of these teams will go up without ropes and put them in as they are climbing, which will cause a bottleneck along the way due to the large number of climbers who are currently at the same stage of the climb. Our team thought it would be best to be patient and wait, allowing more time for the mountain to clear out, before beginning our climb - that way we can avoid the bottleneck and use the ropes put in place by the larger teams ahead of us.
The jet stream has moved off the summit now but there is four feet of snow, which is what is causing the delay of securing the ropes. The sherpas have to dig through the ice and snow to secure the ropes to the rock.
In preparation for our climb, we tested some of our equipment today. We tried on our oxygen masks and fitted and cut the foam from our goggles to ensure that everything fits properly.
Monday, May 15, 2006
We made it back to Base Camp today and are all feeling well. Everyone is excited for the summit push.
We are monitoring the weather closely and plan to leave Base Camp on Wednesday. A few of the larger teams have already made their way to Camp 2, where they are waiting for the ropes to be finished. As they head up, we will be close behind – but not too close as we want to avoid the crowds.
A summit window has not yet opened from the south side, which is the side we will be approaching the summit from.
Sunday, May 14, 2006
Helicopter leaving Lobuche
The helicopter arrived at 9:00 a.m. this morning and dropped us off at Pheriche. From there, it was a quick walk up the valley to the village of Lobuche. We are all in good spirits, having benefited tremendously from our rest in Kathmandu.
Our plan is to head up to Base Camp tomorrow.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
We are in Kathmandu on the final day of our rest cycle and we are hoping the helicopter will be able to make it in through the clouds tomorrow to return us to the glacier for our final summit push. It has been six weeks since we have been here training and acclimatizing and we are looking forward to our summit push.
Friday, May 12, 2006
We are here in Kathmandu for four planned nights, of which we have two nights left. We are strengthening and feeling good. We all have really high blood hemoglobin levels so everybody feels great and enjoying a break from the glacier, snow, and ice. We are seeing some green and sleeping in a bed for a few days and eating some different types of food, mostly fruits and vegetables (which we do not get up on the mountain) and a little bit of meat.
As I am sure you have all heard, there has been a revolution underway in Nepal. The hotel is completely empty but we are enjoying ourselves and the rest cycle.
The snow is very deep above Camp 4 so there is nobody going up to the summit right now. They are waiting for the snow to compact so that they can put the ice pins/screws in to hold the ropes.
Thursday, May 11, 2006
On Tuesday, we walked eight hours down to Pheriche, where we stayed overnight. We woke up at 5:00 the next morning and waited for the chopper to come at 7:00 a.m. but it did not come. We waited while it got colder and cloudier and cloudier and cloudier. At 9:30 a.m. we packed it in and headed back to the teahouse. Then, a chopper came up through the clouds and the pilot agreed to pick us up and take us down valley, saying he would stay very close to the ground because of the clouds. We were very happy to get out of Lobuche, where there was another group who was letting loose and partying wildly. We wanted to get some better accommodations and relaxation in preparation for the summit push so we were glad the chopper was able to take us to Kathmandu, where we checked-in to the Hyatt. We are now resting for four nights at the Hyatt.
The ropes are still not secured past Camp 4. The sherpas are all loading off at Camp 4 and they are setting up the stage for Camp 4 now. Camp 4 is very high up - approx. 8,000 m.
In about a week, depending on the weather window, we will start climbing to go all the way up to Camp 4 and then do the summit push. It is a staging/waiting game right now.
Monday, May 8, 2006
Cook staff Chongba, Nawang, and Dundie
We made it back down to Base Camp, all the way from Camp 2, today. We are showering and getting some non-freeze dried food, like pizza, so it has been really good.
Our team, Team Canada, has decided that they want to go down to Kathmandu to rest. So instead of just going to Pheriche, we are planning to fly to Kathmandu for our rest cycle. Tomorrow morning we will wake up and walk down to Pheriche, which is about an eight hour trek down the valley because it is difficult for the helicopters to get up as high as Base Camp unless it is an emergency. The next morning we will make our way down to Kathmandu, where the air is thicker.
Sunday, May 7, 2006
We just got back from Camp 3. Yesterday, we climbed all the way to Camp 3 (approx. 24,500 ft). We slept fitfully but we were able to get back down the Lhotse Face safely. The team is all doing well. Other teams do have lots of challenges getting up to this height but we have been strong and doing well. So, we are happy.
Friday, May 5, 2006
It is snowing now but we are still planning on going up the Lhotse Face tomorrow morning to camp at Camp 3 with no oxygen at about 24,500 ft and then to come down on Sunday. On Monday, we will be heading all the way down to Base Camp and then we will start our five day rest cycle down into the valley (down to Pheriche).
Thursday, May 4, 2006
We were at Camp 1 yesterday and are at Camp 2 today. We will have a rest day here and then we will go to Camp 3 for our first time up the Lhotse Face. We will spend the night there but will not get much sleep since you cannot sleep the first time you reach a new altitude. Camp 3 is around 24,500 ft.
We had a good day this morning. We were up early and went from Camp 1 to Camp 2. Our team is strong and well and everything is going well. We are in the same tents as we were before because we left them set-up.
On Saturday we will head up the Lhotse Face, which is a very difficult climb especially when it is windy, to Camp 3. We will stay overnight and come back down on Sunday. On Monday or Tuesday we will go down valley (below Base Camp), where there is more oxygen, for our four/five day rest cycle to let our bodies start recovering from the stress. Then, we will schedule the summit push.
The Lhotse Face is a mountain right beside Everest. It is where the glaciers start across Everest. Everest is to the left and the glacier comes down from Everest and Lhotse is the one that we are on now at Camp 2. The winds are very, very high. That is why people cannot summit until there is a weather window, which is created when the monsoons in India build-up until there is such a low-pressure system that they are actually powerful enough to push the jet stream off the summit of Everest. This occurs later in May so that there is a window of opportunity to go up when there are not 100 kn. winds.
Right now, we can hear the jet stream even though we are many thousand feet below. It sounds like a jet engine roaring at full speed or a train going by as it is very, very loud. Clearly, the timing is not now for anyone to be able to do a summit push.
Tuesday, May 2, 2006
We are currently at Base Camp for another rest day so that our bodies can get stronger. Tomorrow morning at 4:30 a.m. we will head up to our highest acclimatization before using oxygen, which will be to Camp 3 (approx. 24,500 ft).
Camp 3 is up the very famous, dangerous, and very steep Lhotse Face. There is a carved platform only wide enough for tents out of the very steep ice face, where we will sleep. We do not plan to sleep very well there, but it is good acclimatization for our bodies and it has a high safety factor for going over 8,000 m (29,000 ft). In case the oxygen was to fail in the future, our bodies will have already been at that level and slept overnight at that level with no oxygen.
It snowed last night. The other team left but we wanted to wait one more day. Our plans are to get up at 4:30 a.m. and climb through the icefall while it is still cold and dark, before sunrise. We will get to Camp 1 tomorrow and stay at Camp 1 in the Western Cwm for one night. We will wake up at 4:30 a.m. the next morning and move to Camp 2, trying to get as much movement in before the sun comes up. (The last time we were walking through the Cwm in the middle of the day, it was 37C from the reflection/refraction from the sunlight and we got severe sunburns. Yet, at that heat, because the air is so thin, the snow does not melt.)
We will have a rest day at Camp 2 (approx. 22,000 ft) with our plans for the next day dependent on the weather on Lhotse Face. (We have to wait until there is no wind on the Face. Today, there were high winds on the Face so nobody was climbing it.) We would get up early, if the weather was good, and climb the Lhotse Face. People consider this part of the climb technical climbing because it is very steep and you have to have your ice ax engaged at all times and be double clipped in to the safety ropes. There is only one route up so we will be on that for most of the day. We figure that will be a nine or ten hour climb before arriving at Camp 3 towards the end of the day.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
We are at Base Camp on a rest cycle, getting our equipment ready, recharging batteries for our cameras, and doing laundry. We finally got a good night's sleep last night and our team is looking forward to resting for a few more days.
The plan is to move up to Camp 1 on Wednesday; Camp 2 on Thursday; and Camp 3 on Friday. The sherpas are building Camp 3 now. Camp 3 (approx. 25,000 ft) will be as high as we go without oxygen before heading back down to Base Camp for another rest cycle, when we will be planning for our summit push.
Friday, April 28, 2006
We have just returned to Base Camp and have now completed our first acclimatization cycle. We went up to Camp 1 (which is above the icefall) and spent two nights. Then, we went to Camp 2 (approx. 22,000 ft) and spent a night there before going up to the base of the Lhotse Face (approx. 23,000 ft) for a night. We came back down to Camp 2 and slept our third night there.
We left early this morning when it was still dark to make our way down from Camp 2 to Camp 1 and then down through the icefall. We arrived safely and had a late lunch. Although everybody is sunburned from the reflection in the snow and fatigued, our team is holding up well.
Our sherpas are climbing up Lhotse Face and setting up Camp 3. So, we are going to wait until Camp 3 is ready, which will take about five days, and then head up next week for another acclimatization run. Right now we are supposed to be in a rest cycle, where our bodies are acclimatizing to the higher altitudes that we went to.
There have not been anymore injuries in the icefall or anywhere else. Our team is strong and healthy, though some of us have a Khumbu cough from the dry, cold air and from camping outside.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
That's Rob at Camp 2.
We made it up to Camp 2 yesterday. We were tired when we arrived as it was about a six hour climb up through some of the strangest weather you had ever seen. It was up to 37 C when the sun came out and hit the brand new snow; yet, the snow was not melting because the snow gets so cold when it goes to -20 C at night. The snow reflects, refracts, and bakes anybody who is on it so we all tried to avoid sunburns.
We have decided to have an extra day at Camp 2 for acclimatization. We will be staying at Camp 2 tonight and heading to the base of the Lhotse Face tomorrow and then come back down. The following day we will go all the way back down to Base Camp for acclimatization.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Yesterday, we left about 4:30 in the morning from Base Camp when the icefall was still solid. We climbed up to the top of the icefall and then up the Western Cwm. It took us about seven hours to climb up through the icefall and then another hour to reach Camp 1, which is up by the Western Cwm which is glacial travel. The snow was compacted, which was good.
It was a difficult day for us because we started very early and it was very long. It was especially difficult for us to walk over the day old graves of the three sherpas. Everybody said their own prayers, both for the sherpas and for themselves as the icefall is particularly steep this year with lots of overhanging seracs that will one day come down. So, we all prayed we make it through safely.
We were very tired when we got to camp after eight hours of straight climbing. I had some bad cramps from dehydration so I have been hydrating heavily. Katrina was in great form.
We slept fairly well. The first night at a new altitude brings headaches, fitful sleep, and irregular breathing but we were okay.
This morning we went halfway up (21,000 ft) to Camp 2 to acclimatize. We did a four hour trek through the Western Cwm to get some exercise. We are all doing well.
We will be leaving early in the morning to go up to Camp 2 (22,500 ft). The plan is to spend two nights at Camp 1, two nights at Camp 2, then to touch the base of the Lhotse Face, and then come back down to Base Camp for a five day rest.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Sad news to report. Early yesterday morning there was a collapse in the upper Khumbu icefall. Three sherpas were killed and four were injured as one large serac collapsed, hitting another ice tower and wall and causing substantial ice debris. An extensive search for the missing sherpas began immediately following to the collapse but the search concluded with no hope of recovery.
Our sherpa team was above the collapse and, although they witnessed the collapse, they were not injured.
It has been a very somber two days for all of us on Mount Everest. Our sincerest condolences go out to the families, friends, and team members of the sherpas lost. There will be a puja funeral ceremony for the three sherpas.
We will re-evaluate our own plans before heading up through the icefall.
Friday, April 21, 2006
The storm did not come today. We woke up to sunny skies so the sherpas are now making way through the icefall trying to find the climbing ropes. We listened to avalanches all night and are hoping that in another 24 to 48 hrs. it will settle so that we can start our climb up through the icefall. There is up to 4 1/2 ft to 5 ft of snow on the Western Cwm above the Icefall between Camp 1 and Camp 2 so we sent many sherpas up with shovels to try to find the climbing ropes so that we can make our way to set-up Camp 2 to do our first acclimatization run up to 22,500 ft.
Right now it is a bit of a waiting game. We are going to climb a local mountain called Kalapattar today in order to stay in shape.
As we continue to have full e-mail and voicemail access I am aware that some of you might have heard there are reports some violence going on Katmandu. This does not affect out team at all and we are still getting all our supplies from Katmandu without any problems.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Our team is at Base Camp. We are all healthy and feeling strong. Unfortunately, we have just come out of a snowstorm where two feet (approx. 60 cm) of snow fell at Base Camp but four and a half feet (approx. 137 cm) of snow fell at Camp 1 and even more than that at Camp 2. As the snow stopped this morning, the sherpas have been busy all day trying to dig out the climbing ropes from underneath the snow, which are secured into the ice, so that we can climb safely clipped in (not clipping in has meant death for many in the past so we will not take any chances).
We were planning on leaving yesterday for Camp 1 for two nights and then run up to Camp 2 for two nights and then go up halfway to Camp 3, where we would touch the base of the Lhotse Face, and then come back down, however, we have been delayed by the one and half days of straight snowfall. We also heard that an avalanche came close to Camp One yesterday so our team has decided to wait. Safety first!!
We spent today waiting to see what the weather forecast was. They have forecasted for another storm to come in and snow for another day. Our team has decided unanimously that we will not go up through the Icefall in these conditions but will wait two or three more days until Camp 2 is ready and the cook tents are set-up at Camp 2 and sleeping tents in the deep snow. Other teams are running out of time and schedule and have been at Base Camp much longer than us and, therefore, have decided to go up (including the larger AC team).
We are all feeling fully acclimatized now and within two or three days start our first climb to Camp 1 and then hopefully up to Camp 2, if the new snowstorm does not bring too much snow.
We have been delayed in sending pictures because the snowfall has run down the batteries that are boosted by solar panels. We hope to get some more sun tomorrow and get the pictures out.
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Yesterday we climbed up through the Icefall. We realized it was a little bit more compact and compressed than it was last year, which is great. Our team was strong and we did well. The weather was good.
As nightfall approached, the clouds started coming in (from all sides) for the first time since we have been here. It started snowing during the night and it has been snowing all night and all day. We were supposed to leave for our first trip up through the Icefall to Camp 1 and Camp 2, which are up to 23,000 ft, to the base of the Lhotse Face, which is a quarter of the way to Camp 3, as an acclimatization run. That has been delayed now due to the weather.
It snowed a lot - approximately 40 cm to 50 cm of snow. It has gone from the melted out rocks from the glacier, where Base Camp is, to a winter wonderland, where you cannot see anything but tents poking their way out of the snow.
So, we have another day of acclimatization at Base Camp. Our plan at this point is to let somebody else break trail up through the Icefall because it takes a lot of extra energy to break trail and we want to save our energy for later in the trip towards summit day.
We are all still very healthy and things are going very well for our team.
Easter Weekend
Our team is now at Everest Base Camp (about 18,500 ft). Everybody is adjusting well to the altitude but are experiencing some altitude symptoms, such as headaches and nausea, but gradually as the days go by people start coming off of using Diomox and are able to sleep better.
We went up into the Khumbu Icefall this weekend which is over Base Camp, which is surrounded by all kinds of mountains. We had a full moon night last night, which is really beautiful – a clear sky, full of stars – and expect another one tonight.
We will be going up in to our first acclimatization climb tomorrow into the Khumbu Icefall, which will probably go up another 1,000 to 2,000 ft, depending on how far we can climb while it is still cold. We will leave around 4:30 in the morning and will start back as soon as the sun is high (around noon) and be back around 2:00 p.m. or 3:00 p.m.
Saturday we practiced ice climbing with the ice axes, relaying, ladder crossing, jumaring, and warmed up our other skills as well as making sure our crampons are on really tight before going up into the Icefall.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
We have made it to 18,500ft with the team all feeling really strong – much stronger and healthier than we were last year, when some of us were experiencing the effects of bronchitis and some other ailments, which were weakening us.
Every time we move up in altitude, people do get nausea and headaches but as we hydrate and our bodies adjust to the altitude we feel better and then after a few days we can begin to ascend higher.
The headaches are caused by the brain expanding inside the skull as a bag of chips does or as a bottle of water does on an aircraft. That is the reason why people have to go up slowly; otherwise they get altitude sickness, which can be fatal. So, that is why we have been moving up slowly.
We want to wish everybody a Happy Easter weekend. Happy Easter (to all those that are celebrating Easter)! We are here with mostly Buddhists so they do not celebrate Easter, but we will have an Easter egg hunt for our sherpas on Sunday morning, which will be lots of fun for them.
Our anticipation is that we will start to climb up through the Khumbu Ice Fall on Monday. It is weather dependent, but if the weather is good we will be able to move out on Monday to Camp 1 and then stay higher up on the mountain. Depending on the weather and the health and condition of our team, perhaps move up to Camp 2 as well and then back down to Base Camp over the course of next week, which we will report back on as we make the plans.
Again, everybody is healthy and happy and working on acclimatizing to the altitude. I am able to continue with my work from the Khumbu Valley and Everest Base Camp.
Have a great long weekend.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
We’ve arrived at Base Camp!
The team is doing very well. Everyone is in good health and spirits and enjoying our new surroundings. There is a sea of tents amid the magnificent Himalayan mountains.
Monday, April 10, 2006
It is snowing heavily today.
We climbed from Pheriche to Lobuche, which is at 16,200 ft. We are above the tree line now – there are absolutely no trees.
We came up through Memorial Hill today, where they have the memorials to the many people who have died. They are rock memorials that are set-up on the edge of a hill. It was very sobering. We all committed that our #1 objective was to come home safely as opposed to being one of the statistics.
We are all feeling strong and healthy and staying at the same place we stayed last year at the Eco Lodge in Lobuche (with full telephone and internet access). We will be staying here for two/three nights, depending on how deep the snow is. We ran into some Canadians from around Toronto today. All is well.
Sunday, April 9, 2006
We started off on a snowy morning, with snow on all the trees. We walked up 3,000 feet today to Pheriche, which is at 14,000 feet. Tonight, we are staying at a brand new lodge called the White Yak, which has hamburgers and fresh chicken so we are all very excited about eating some Western food.
The team is healthy and feeling really strong.
Our next stop is Lobuche, where we will be staying for two days.
Friday, April 7, 2006
Rob, Katrina, Liz, and Len continue with Luis and the group.
We did move successfully up to Namache Bazaar, where we spent two nights resting and catching up on e-mails and voicemails. Technology continues to improve in Nepal and now full cell phone usage has been reopened by the military; e-mail cafes abound; entrepreneurs are opening up more and more bakeries and cafes on the trek up Khumbu Valley. Len, Liz, and I are able to maintain full e-mail and voicemail contact. It has been great for me as I have been able to continue my work on both STS Capital Partners and Altruvest (since acclimatization does not take anything but moving up elevation slowly).
Our plan would be to get to Base Camp and start climbing in about ten days, around the middle of April. Since it is such a quiet time, we will not be updating the dispatches until we do get to Base Camp.
Everyone is healthy and looking forward to the start of the climb and sending best wishes to everyone that trekked last year with the climbing team and enjoyed the Tibetan culture that fills the Khumbu Valley, especially above Namache Bazaar where the Tibetan traders come in from Tibet.
Thursday, April 6, 2006
Today is a rest day in Namache Bazaar to help us acclimatize to the elevation. Currently, it is snowing lightly so most of us are staying warm by checking out the local bakeries. Our plan is to visit the Sherpa museum this morning and then spend the rest of the day sightseeing in Namache Bazaar.
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
We will be leaving early this morning. Everybody was up at six and had their bags out for the porters and yaks to carry, which left at 6:30 a.m. Everybody had breakfast in preparation for a long day today, which should be about 12 hours of trekking through Mojo, where we will be stopping for lunch and then up a steep hill to the seat of parliament in the area which is called Namche Bazaar, which is an old trading town. All of this is only reachable by foot. We will be arriving Namche Bazaar this evening for dinner and I will be staying there to acclimatize for two nights. It has an Internet café so we can catch up on e-mails.
If it is clear, we will have our first glimpse of Mt. Everest from up on one of the hill edges, which we will go up to tomorrow. We have started using the oxygen and blood saturation testing and our team is all in good shape. The two trekkers that have come with us – Luis’ girlfriend, Elise, and Len’s wife, Liz – are both doing well. Everybody is in good spirits and looking forward to being up to Namche Bazaar.
Tuesday, April 4, 2006
We have just arrived in Lukla this morning and will be headed to the first town in the Lukla Valley – Phakding. They have just built a new guest house there, which we were lucky enough to sign into. It has a helicopter landing pad – which is a sign of new high-quality tourism coming into the valley.
Everyone is much healthier than last year. There are seven in our group: Len Stanmore and his wife, Liz, who are climbing for Breast Cancer; Katrina and myself are climbing for Everest for Altruvest; and the lead guide is Luis Benetez and Steve who is the second guide and then Luis’ girlfriend, Alisse, from Germany. We are going to overnight here and then head up to Namche Bazaar in the morning and will be acclimatizing there for two nights.
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