We leave tonight!

At long last, the weather forecasts have shifted in our favor. A good window at the top seems likely around May 22-23. I think it's crazy that there is such a narrow band out of the whole year within which most climbers are willing to attempt to summit. Regardless, in order to position ourselves on the mountain for that window, we will leave tonight (tomorrow morning) at 2:00am. This "alpine start" as it is known, will hopefully allow us to get through the icefall while it is still frozen solid. This time we will climb past Camp 1 and go straight to Camp 2. It will be a long day. Because of that and to further acclimate, we will likely take a rest day in Camp 2 the following day. The we will proceed with the schedule below. Of course this is not only subject to change, it is likely to change. The mountains are unpredictable!

May 18 Base Camp to Camp 2

May 19 Rest in Camp 2

May 20 Camp 2 to Camp 3

May 21 Camp 3 to Camp 4

May 22 Rest in Camp 4

May 23 Camp 4 to Summit and back to Camp 4

May 24 Camp 4 to Camp 2

May 25 Camp 2 to Base Camp

May 26 Helicopter from Base Camp to Kathmandu; start flight home

May 27 Arrive home!

So today was final sorting of gear, charging of batteries (avalanche transceiver, camera, headlamp, etc), final shower and shave for some time, double checking technical equipment, loading up on food supplies, and of course packing. 

Here's a pic of me in the tent with a small bit of my gear. 

Once again I will be unable to blog for a while so please look to the Madison Mountaineering website under "dispatches" to keep up with our progress. I will post something again as soon as I am able. 

I want to thank my Sonoco HR team for doing such a great job in my absence and allowing me to chase this dream. Thanks to my friends who are following me and offering encouragement. It is much appreciated. And of course thanks to my wonderful family for supporting me and allowing me to do this. I know it is sometimes stressful on you and I will make it up to you when I get back! I'm so looking forward to a family Memorial Day weekend if the weather and other variables cooperate. I miss you guys!

I'm excited. I feel ready. I only have a slight cough and have been sleeping pretty well. I know this will be a very, very tough week ahead, even under the best of conditions. I know what's coming. A "suffer fest" if you will. But this is what I signed up for. I don't know if I will make it to the top or not but I am going to give it my best, be safe, and look forward to getting get back to the real world with loved ones. 

Wish me luck!

This is just a random pic from earlier in the week. Pumori is in the background. 

Getting close now

We had some very good news today.  The fixed ropes are in!  

Interestingly it was Sherpa from my team, Madison Mountaineering, combined with the Gurkha team who finally got the job done rather than the consortium that was supposed to do it. I am very pleased with my selection of Madison.  Garrett, the company owner, as well as all of the guides are simply top notch. The fact that Garrett jumped in and partnered with another team to get the rope fixing done was significant. All teams on the mountain will now benefit from his initiative.

So obviously with the ropes being fixed to the top that means a number of Sherpa summitted today from the South side for the first time this season. There will likely be a number of non-Sherpa summits in the next day or so as there was a very small weather window available. Most teams did not try to hit that window as the ropes weren't in and a better weather forecast is on the way. Generally, you only get one shot on summit rotation from an energy standpoint but also oxygen tank usage. 

Given the rope situation and improving weather, a number of us went on a hike to Pumori Base Camp. It was the same hike I did a few days ago on my own. I felt good. It is amazing how much more I can do now vs. when I first arrived at base camp. Here is a shot from Pumori Base Camp, which is about 1,500 feet higher than Everest Base Camp.  You can see the highest point, the black mountain, is Everest. The Khumbu icefall spreads out below and out camps to this side of the icefall. 

Conan enjoys erecting rock sculptures whenever the opportunity presents itself. He's pretty good at it too. While resting at the top of our hike today he created this one.  No doubt tonight's wind will take it down. 

Also because we are getting so close now, we got out the oxygen masks and practiced with those. We practiced putting them on, connecting and disconnecting from the oxygen tank, using the regulator, etc. We will wear these from Camp 2 to the top. I took this back in my tent.  Not sure I have the oxygen flow high enough.  😉

I only have one slightly negative thing to report. I have finally succumbed to the Khumbu cough. It is believed to arise from the constant cold, dry air hitting our lungs creating irritation.  It feels like a tickle in your lungs that you think you can just cough away. Unfortunately you can't. For those who have it bad, it is next to impossible to suppress the cough reflex.  It kept one of our team members up most of last night. The only thing to do is continue to wear my buff over my mouth and nose, even when sleeping. Maybe find some cough suppressants.  But for now it is not too bad.

But, the mood is definitely turning. There is excitement in the air. As I type this I hear music from the Ghurka camp next to us.  I also hear rounds of cheers from other camps. Presumably all of this in response to the rope fixing and first summits from this side of Everest. My chance is coming!

Rubbing elbows

*** First I want to say Happy Mother's Day to my mom, Ramona Mcleland, and to my wife, Lauri McLeland, and to all the other wonderful mom's out there.  We owe you so much and love you tremendously! ***


Another day of waiting. One blogger who covers the Everest scene estimates that up to 30% of the climbers on the South side where I am have packed up and gone home. Some with sickness (the flu is rampant here), some out of frustration of waiting for the weather to cooperate and the fixed lines to be fixed, a variety of reasons. I heard that the lines in the North side were fixed in the past couple days and 18 climbers had summitted in a brief weather window. As for me, I'm continuing to wait patiently hoping I get a shot. 

Today Conan (guide) and John returned from the lower valley where they had been recovering in the thick, warmer air. I walked with a few others down to the helipad to greet them. By coincidence, I ran into a couple of notable individuals who are a part of Everest history. Russell Brice, the New Zealand mountaineer, was heading down valley for a couple days rest. Russell was made famous through Discovery Channel's series "Everest: Beyond the Limit". Prior to that he summitted Everest twice and Cho Oyu seven times among others.  His company, Himalayan Experience, leads expeditions around the world. Each year he plays a key role in Everest base camp as one of the most senior expedition leaders. We did not get to speak much but he was a pleasant enough fellow to me. 

Less of a household name but equally if not more of more impressive was meeting Phurba Tashi on the same heli pad. Who is he? Phurba is the Nepalese mountaineer tied (with Apa Sherpa) for the most summits of Everest at 21. Neither are climbing Everest again. Phurba told me that the bad years of 2014/2015 (avalanche/earthquake) convinced him he had summitted enough. He was very humble and a bit reserved like many Nepalese (compared to Americans) but was very easy to talk with casually. It was a great honor to chat with him for a bit. 

So for now, any thoughts, prayers, good weather dances would be much appreciated!

Patience

Sooooo, more waiting on ropes and weather. 

We look at three weather forecasts and sort of take the average. In each case though the forecast for the next few days is high winds towards the top. Our objective will be to start up the mountain a few days ahead of when we believe the winds will die down. It is definitely a gamble. And things change rapidly but my guess is we will begin to make our way up in the next few days. 

We had almost a full house at breakfast this morning, minus a couple people. Here is a pic of most of the team. (I'm not in it as I took the picture.) Notice the movie screen at the far end of the tent. Most nights after dinner we settle in for a movie, sporting 3-4 layers of clothes of course. 

After breakfast a number of the team decided to descend to lower elevation to rest and get ready for the climb. Once again I opted to stay at elevation as I have not been here as long as the others. So, I decided to take a hike alone. I explored the area for about three hours gaining 1,000 feet of elevation but with a whole lot of up and down. Here are a couple pics from the hike. Notice there's not really a trail. Just a lot of rock hopping and some scrambling.

And finally, I couldn't help but post one more pic of a "sun dog" I took while hiking today. 

Still waiting

No change in the big picture. Still waiting for the ropes to get fixed at the top and for the weather to cooperate. There's not a whole lot (actually nothing) you can do about those two things. 

Given that, my focus has been to stay healthy and maybe even gain a little strength at this elevation. This morning I went for a short walk and took a few pics of the surroundings near camp. 

As the weather warms and the glacier melts out, it leaves some interesting results. The first rock is about the size of half a car. The second one is a bit smaller.

The ice shot was on the edge of a stream. It was nice to just relax and enjoy spotting wonders of nature.

This last shot I called an upside down rainbow but was told it is actually called a sun dog. Whatever the name, very beautiful. 

The day was otherwise uneventful. I did get a shower which is a special treat. Water from glacial streams is carried to a large bucket.  From there, the water flows via gravity into a tent with a portable, gas powered water heater. It's best to take the shower in the morning when the sun heats the air in the tent. I even shaved the beard! 

Waiting game

Today, Thursday, May 11, is a rest day for me. Originally I had planned to hop on a helicopter and rest for a few days in Namche, elevation 11,286 feet vs. here in Base Camp at 17,600 feet.  That is a fairly common practice between rotations. It allows the body to be free from the stress of low oxygen and high altitude pressures on the body. There is an offsetting risk to go lower though. At lower elevations with warmer air, more people and less control over your food supply there is a higher likelihood of picking up a bug. I decided to stay in Base Camp as I am currently healthy and felt like continued exposure to the altitude would only help me continue to acclimate. The guide and other climber who had been with me the past week or so opted to go down as they were both struggling with terrible coughs, bad colds, etc. I would have done the same if I were in their position. A side benefit of staying higher is that I could finally get to know some of the main climbing team as we've only crossed paths going up or down. 

There is a fairly typical weather pattern since I've been here.  Most every morning is crystal clear with visibility seemingly forever. As the sun hits the tents within minutes they become unbearably hot and you own frozen breath starts dripping on you from the top of the tent. Really the whole climb is a game of adjusting to the extreme temperature changes. This is especially true while climbing. If the sun is out and you are climbing in a concave bowl surrounded by mountains, which is very common, temperatures easily exceed 100 degrees. But if clouds come over, within seconds temperatures plummet. The best defense is layers of clothing you can easily take on and off. Sometimes just switching hats or gloves or unzipping can make a huge difference. 

Here is a shot of camp this morning and another from roughly the same spot after lunch.

Here is another shot looking away from Everest of some other camps, the lower ice fall and some mountains beyond. It was a beautiful morning.  

After breakfast we had a camp work day.  This meant we basically shored up the personal and group tents as we are camped on a mound of frozen rock and dirt that is constantly melting out and causing holes or small small streams under tents. Our body heat also creates sinking below where we sleep. So the fix is basically to throw more dirt and rock where the melt-outs occur. My tent needed a good bit of help as the back side was slowly sinking into a small stream. The constantly changing landscape is just part of the norm. We usually see 2-3 avalanches or significant rock falls in the distance each day. I am going to try and catch one on camera if I can. You hear them before you see them. 

But the big speculation and drama at the moment is when the fixed lines will be set at the top of the mountain. All but the last half of the summit day route is fixed, but that is a technical and exposed area. Weather, in the form of high winds which create extreme cold, has hampered the efforts the past few days. This year, one team took the lead to coordinate fixing the ropes. Sounded like a good concept to me. This included having other teams split the costs and coordinating the Sherpa from various teams. Unfortunately it does not seem to be working well. In addition, there is a belief that one climb window has already been missed due to poor organization. I don't want to go into detail as any blog could end up in the press. But suffice it to say a Plan B is being formed to fix the ropes as I type this. There are also contradictory weather forecasts about the upcoming week or so. Some of the folks who were ahead of me on the traditional plan have already had a number of rest days and are getting understandably impatient. For me, a couple more rest days would be fine but we start to run a risk the longer this goes on before the monsoon season comes and its game over. No one summits. I am comfortable knowing there are things in my control and many things that are not. So I am really not stressed at all. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. Just have to roll with it. 🙂

Fell off a ladder into a crevasse

It was a small crevasse though. The last several days consisted of some highs and lows, literally.

We made our way through the icefall and up to Camp 1. The icefall was fun climbing, lots of ladders to cross crevasses or scale vertical ice walls. Even some rappelling and arm wrapping ropes in a few sections weaving through the blocks of ice.

Here is a pic of a couple ladders lashed together over a crevasse. Note the nice bend in the end of the ladder!  I enjoy crossing these and have pretty good balance. However, it was one like this that I sort of fell off. If you notice, there are two ropes on either side of the ladder. The idea is that you hold the ropes to give a little extra stability as you cross the ladder. The ropes are anchored into the ice on either end. Then, after you cross, you clip back into one of the ropes after the anchor point to continue on, up or down the mountain.  However, on one ladder, when I was half way across the anchor came undone. As the person clipped into the rope on my left and proceeded on, it pulled me to the right and into the crevasse. But everything worked as it should. I was clipped into both ropes and only took a short fall ending up in a tangle of rope hanging upside down. After catching my breath, I righted myself and was able to climb back out on my own. Not a scratch!

Here is a pic of John, a fellow climber crossing a snow bridge over a crevasse.

And another shot of John descending a section of the icefall. This up and down climbing was a blast!

After making our way through the icefall we continued up and down large crevasses until the terrain became mostly solid snow. That was where you find Camp 1. Camp 1 is basically some tents on ice. Dinner was freeze dried food, which never entirely becomes un-freeze dried at elevation.  Not a huge fan. I settled in for the night and tried to endure the cold, upset stomach, and pressure headache.  I've found that day time and climbing is a load of fun but at night the fun diminishes a tad and it feels more like enduring the environment.

The next morning we woke up, had a breakfast of cold oatmeal and traditional Nepali tea, and got moving up the mountain towards Camp 2. It was a good hike. Relatively uneventful as we steadily plodded higher. We made good time I was told. My Personal Sherpa assigned to follow me and make sure I stay out of trouble (now where was he when I went in the crevasse?) was by my side the whole morning. He is a super strong climber who not only carries his gear and a bit of mine but also oxygen bottles and other gear needed higher on the mountain. Here is a pic of Sherpa Lakpa. Really nice guy!

Camp 2 was nicer than Camp 1 in that it had a small kitchen tent and a larger, flatter area for our tents.  I never sleep great the first night at a new elevation. Maybe 3 hours. But it is what it is.

The next day was a big deal. The challenge was to climb the Lhotse face, a challenging steep mix of rock, ice and snow, to Camp 3. Elevation 23,625 feet, no oxygen. This is about 3,000 feet higher than I've ever been. The climbing was not particularly difficult for me in terms of skills or leg strength, but the the altitude blew me away. Towards the end of the climb I was taking 10 deep breaths to a single step! Unfortunately, since I was preoccupied with a steep wall and breathing, the camera stayed put on my hip, so I can't give you and image of this part of the climb. After "touching" Camp 3, we quickly rappelled down to Camp 2 in a fraction of the time it took to get up.

After a relatively good night's sleep, we headed back down the mountain to Camp 1, then through the icefall, and back to Base Camp. Going back down felt great. I got stronger with each step as more O2 hit my lungs. I went pretty fast through the icefall ahead of the team simply from feeling so good. Touching Camp 3 and zipping through the icefall on my first rotation gave me good confidence for the work to come. My guide said I was equal to the rest of the group that had made two rotations. Surprisingly, I have no sore muscles, and more importantly I am well at the moment. All is well and I am committed to staying on the ladders and out of crevasses in the future!

Final prep for first rotation

This was our last rest day before heading up the mountain for some real climbing. I can't wait to get going. 

After breakfast Conan, John and I headed out for a quick 2 hour hike of a nearby peak. I still get winded going up but have definitely improved since I first arrived in base camp. At the top of the peak it was rather cold and windy but we were treated with incredible views.  In the picture below, you can see Base Camp spread out across the left side of the glacier. I was told the tents likely stretch across a mile to give you some perspective. The large mountain towards the center is the west ridge of Everest. The black peak behind that is the summit peak of Everest. And the pointy mountain in the foreground on the right is Nuptse.

After our short hike and lunch we discussed logistics with Conan for my first move up the mountain. What to bring up.  What the Sherpa carry vs. what we carry.  I will have a Sherpa, named Lakpa, with me every step of the way.  Then we packed and laid out everything so that when it was time to go we could be ready in very short order.  We will wake up at 2:00am and head out at 2:30am.  The reason for this early start is to get through the icefall before the suns hits it and the potential for avalanches increase. 

The plan is for us to go through the icefall tomorrow, May 4, and on to Camp 1. We will rest there for 2 nights to get used to that altitude, approximately 19,685 feet. Then we will move up to Camp 2 at 21,000 feet and stay for 3 nights. During the day we will take short hikes to again help with the acclimatization process. On May 8 we will go up and  "touch" Camp 3 at 23,725 feet and then come back down to sleep in Camp 2. We will come all the way back down on day 6, which is May 9.  As info, I will not be able to update my blog during that time so check the Madison Mountaineering website for updates. 

I feel ready, the weather is a bit on the windy side but good, and I am excited to go higher. Wish me luck!

Ladder practice

Today, Tuesday, John and I hit the icefall again for more training. This time the focus was getting comfortable crossing ladders as there will be many of these spanning crevasses and steep sections of the icefall. We practiced going up and down, low angle and then high angle, as well as flat to the ground.  There are a number of techniques to master with ladders making use of ascenders, carabiners, ropes, proper foot placement, etc.  We again rappelled from the tops of "icebergs".  My Dad and Mom got me into Boy Scouts early on which provided my first exposure to rappelling and I've enjoyed that ever since. God blessed me with good balance so this was all 100% fun for me. I'm very excited to get out in the real stuff.  Fun as it will be, it can take 5-12 hours to get through the icefall and to Camp 1 based on the main climbing group that has already done it. It will be work. But fun work. 

So far, knock on wood, I am healthy. I would guess 1/2 to 2/3rds of the team has some illness from a cold to respiratory infection to our poor chef who tore some rib muscles from persistent coughing. They even have a name for this, the Khumbu Cough, after this region of Nepal. I'm a bit of a germaphobe - ask Lauri or my coworkers (Vicki 😉) - so maybe that has paid off here. As far as sleep, it is improving. Last night was my best by far with 5 hours. Boy that felt good!

First icefall practice

Today John (the climber who came in a week before me) and I practiced our climbing and rappelling skills in the icefall. The icefall is a massive glacier which looks like a huge jumble of house sized ice cubes.  Glaciers act essentially like a river only frozen and in slow motion. To make our way through this river the "ice fall doctors", the top tier of Sherpa climbers, set the course based on their knowledge and experience. The way through the icefall not only changes every year is re-routed within a climbing season a number of times due to movement in the icefall. I can't hear it popping and cracking each night plus the occasional avalanche each day when the sun comes up. These are normally not an issue. 

Typically people have a rest day before tackling icefall training but Conan, the guide who has been with me the whole time, felt I was ready. It was great fun but I sure did get winded climbing the vertical ice walls without an ice axe. I've done the least of this kind of climbing so I relied more on strength than skill, which is not a good thing. Regardless both John and I got good marks and zipped through the course since there were only two of us.

In the afternoon I rested. I also got to meet the two private climbers who were coming down from their second rotation. So now I've met the whole team. 

Here's a shot of me ascending one of the easier walls.  Plenty of good spots for foot placement. The hard ones are those that are flat, vertical sheets of rock hard ice. Bleck. 

Everest Base Camp

On Sunday afternoon I finally made it to Everest Base Camp! We got up early and trekked from Lobouche past Gorak Shep and straight into base camp. The elevation gain was approximately 1,400 feet with base camp coming in at 17,600 feet.  I felt strong on the trek but once again felt the elevation. Coming up the last hill I met 2 of the members of the team Audrey and Ingvild, who were going on a short hike to stretch their legs. Shortly after I met most of the rest of the team and the other guides.  It was great to finally feel part of the expedition. 

As I was getting settled in, Garrett, the lead guide and company owner, called an impromptu meeting before dinner. He informed us that there had been an accident on the mountain. Uli Steck, a famous climber and machine in the mountains had fallen and died. He was preparing for an highly aggressive and technical route crossing Everest and Lhotse. Garrett asked us not to share any info out of respect for the family until the news had published the facts. It was a very somber moment. I think most of us climbers did not think twice about what we are doing. For one, what Uli was attempting was a very different thing from our route. We were more worried for our families who heard the news and would be reminded of the risks. 

After getting settled in my tent I made my way to the giant eating/movie tent, which is also heated!  The mood was a mix of the bad news combined with the excitement for most of the team who were preparing to go up the mountain for their second rotation with a 1:30am start. For that our base camp chef prepared T-bone steaks, potato wedges, fried onions, salad and more. I heard the food was good with this company. All companies claim that, but Chef Anthony is the real deal. He goes from gig to gig. Everest base camp one month to serving on a private yacht in Monaco the next. 

Here's a photo of me at the prayer flag covered entrance to Everest Base Camp (EBC). 

A pic overlooking the Khumbu icefall.

A shot of part of our camp. Top two tents are a couple of the guides tents. The climber tents are below. My home for a few weeks is the tent on the left on the bottom row. And the smaller funny shaped tents on the far left are the latrines. These are a major step up from many places I've been which are basically holes in the snow, nothing protecting from the bitter wind. 

A glimpse of base camp

Last night was another rough one. I didn't really sleep at all. I would drift off and almost immediately wake myself gasping for air. This is a normal part of acclimating but is not so fun. I was glad when the morning came and I could get up and get ready for the day. 

For my second day in Lobouche the plan was to go for another hike, gain a little more elevation and keep the blood flowing. We set out behind the tea house and up a trail. We reached an elevation of 17,200 feet, or 1,000 feet of gain, which is just a little shy of base camp elevation.  Again, I felt the elevation in the form of heavy inhaling and exhaling and some pressure in my head. However, there was a nice reward at the top. I got my first glimpse of Everest base camp.  In the picture below, in the dead center is the Khumbu ice fall. You can't see it in this photo but there are dozens of tents sprawled out along the left side of the ice fall. The large bullet shaped mountain to the left is Pumori and the large mass on the far right is part of Lohtse.  Everest is hidden behind Lohtse from this view point. 

This shot is looking in the opposite direction. I don't know the names of these mountains but you can see how the same glacier coming from the Lohtse icefall has carved its way through the valley. 

Here's a look at my 5 star hotel room. I shared one like this with the guide in Dingbouche. This time I could spread out a bit more as I had an entire room to myself!  Talk about luxury. No heat though.