STL-ORD-DOH-KTM
STL-ORD-DOH-KTM
Training Day
We spent most of the day seriously training and practicing ascending vertical ice walls, repelling down and crossing ladders in preparation to the notoriously dangerous Khumbu Ice Fall crossing. Our guides setup a great course on the edge of the Ice Fall. Everyone did well and had a great time running the course although pretty […]
Puja Day
Today is Puja Day: a ceremony to ask for permission to climb Sagarmatha (Everest) and blessing all climbers and Sherpas for safe passage. No Sherpa will climb Everest without going through the Puja Ceremony. The ceremony is focused around a Stupa (Alter) built by the Sherpas in front of which everyone gathers around and follows […]
At Everest Base Camp
We arrived at Everest Base Camp yesterday under a beautiful blanket of snow. We trekked under light flurries from our previous stop of Gorak Shep and climbed into Base Camp with many happy faces to finally be home away from home. Base Camp will be our base for the next 40 days as we climb […]
Acclimatization hike above Dingboche
Today we went on an acclimatization hike from the village of Dingboche and gained 925 meters in vertical altitude up to 5325 meters (17,573 feet). This is higher than any mountain in the contiguous U.S.A, higher than Mont Blanc in Europe and also higher than the highest peaks in Antarctica (Vinson) and Australasia/Oceania (Carstensz). From the […]
Days 27 & 28: Getting ready for Second Rotation to Camp 3
Today was our last rest day here at Base Camp. The exciting news is we will be departing very early tomorrow morning on our second rotation all the way up to Camp 3 at the altitude of 7200 meters (23,600ft). This is higher than any mountain in the world outside of Asia. The rotation will […]
Day 26: Rest/Fun Day in and around the Icefall
Today was officially a rest day but we set off after breakfast to the edge of the Khumbu Icefall to keep our legs fresh and sharpen our skills. We climbed some vertical ice walls, repelled difficult terrain and crossedpractice ladders. We were back in Base Camp in time for a late 1:00 PM lunch. We had […]
Days 23, 24, 25: First Rotation, Rest & Adventures in the Icefall
The first rotation to camps 1 & 2 is now over and everyone is safely back in Base Camp. We now have a few days to rest our bodies and recover from the high altitude before starting our second rotation to Camp 3 in six or seven days. The team is doing well and we’re […]
Days 19, 20, 21, 22: Recovery & Back at EBC.
It’s been an interesting 4 days. Since my condition wasn’t improving at Base Camp, I made the decision to drop down, way down to Lukla and KTM in order to take care of my health. Battling a Sinus Infection at altitude is not a good thing. After only 24 hours, I felt the antibiotics working […]
Day 18: Climbing up to Camp 1
Edit: this was supposed to have posted on April 20, but the Internet connection dropped during the upload and never posted to the Blog. Here it is: It is the night of our first rotation to Camps 1 & 2. We leave in a few hours, precisely at 4:00 AM. I’m not feeling well at […]