After spending six days at Base Camp, it is now time to get on with it and begin the second of three "rotations".  This time we will depart Base Camp with the main goal of reaching Camp 3 and spending a night there with no oxygen to "stress the body" so I am told.  By spending an extended amount of time at such a high altitude where oxygen levels are quite depleted in the atmosphere (23,500 ft), the body will begin to increase the red blood cell count which will speed up the absorption rate of oxygen into the blood stream.  A crucial step I can imagine, but that doesn't make it sound any less daunting. 

The first step is to get from Base Camp to Camp 1 where we will again have to traverse the ever-changing Khumba Ice Fall.  One of my biggest goals along with successfully reaching Camp 3 is to not fall into a crevasse... let's hope for the best considering my current track record.  Beginning Thursday, the group will hike to Camp 1 and spend the night, hike to Camp 2 and spend the night, hike around Camp 2 during the next day and spend another night, hike to Camp 3 where we will spend the night without oxygen. Then hike down to Camp 2, spend the night, then hike to Base Camp for a total of 6 days.  This assumes no delays for weather which is rare so the whole trip could take longer.  I am excited and ready to conquer the next leg of this journey.  

Crevasses

Here is a picture of the bottom of the Khumbu ice fall (taken from Everest Base Camp) and a picture of the crevasse I fell into that was hidden by an innocent looking snow field above the Khumbu ice fall (see last image below)....the black eye of the glacier...although you cannot see, the crevasse appeared to dropped off into infinite:

Here are some more pictures of ladders and ladder crossings.  Tha big ladder is the one that we detoured around:

Here is a picture of the Lhotse face and the ridge leading to the summitt of Mount Everest from Camp 1.  The snow field in the foreground is where I fell into the crevasse shown above:



More

The route through the Kumbu Ice Fall requires constant maintenance, and there is a Kumbu Ice Fall Repair Team that fixes problems each day.  On our way down, we encounter this "road construction" crew working on one of the ladders  (i.e., the ladder with one end that engaged the ice only after a climber was over half way across).  They even have reflective vest like the ones worn by Cal-Trans for freeway construction back in Los Angeles.

The trip down through the Ice Fall was long and tiring, especially when I was nursing my left knee.  I slept well last night....perhaps the best night's sleep on the trip...I will keep everyone posted....fortunately, we have a "knee doctor" on the trip and he does not believe there is anything seriously wrong with my knee...just sore...nothing that rest, ibuprofen and Tiger Balm won't adress.  More later...and hopefully pictures.

More Activity During First Rotaion Above Everest Base Camp

Day Three, Four and Five:  We left Camp One and Moved to Camp Two.  The most interesting part of the day was a giant crevasse we encountered with a five ladder extension to get across.  Fortunately, there was a fifteen minute detour around which we all chose to take.  I will post a picture of the ladder crossing in the future...in I can.

During the move to Camp Two, we began hearing rumors that high winds were in the forecast.  That night, the winds arrived and we spent our first night in 40 mph winds....not particularly dangerouse, but certainly noisy and very very COLD.  I am sure there were other note worthy events that took place at Camp Two, but all I seem to recall is the cold and the wind.  We spent most of our time in our tents, inside our sleeping bags.

Day Six:  We started back to Base Camp in heavy winds at about 6:00 a.m.  The trip back to Camp One was fairly uneventful, except for the wind....which wasn't as bad at Camp One.  Going back down the Khumbu Ice Fall was the most interesting part of the day.  The ice actually move about one meter a day.  So most of the ladders were slightly ascue from when we came up.  More later. 

Update after First Rotation

After six days above Everest base camp, we have now returned safely through the Kumbu ice fall and are recovering today by not doing much of anything.

Day One above Base Camp:  climbing through the Khumbu ice fall was pretty specatular.....lots of ladders spanning deep crevasses and step ice routes....a special day...eventhough it was utterly exhausting....it was an important acclimation day.  We spent the night at Camp One...just above the ice fall.  Cold, but no wind to speak of.

The next day we did a short hike up towards Camp Two.  This was an interesting day and I am still trying to recover.  Along the way the route is intermittenly laced with fixed ropes and sections with no fixed ropes.  We were just into one of the fixed rope sections (i.e., approx. 50 feet) when a climber in front of me, and directly in the center of the path was engaged in a clothing layer adjustment and had unclipped for that same purpose.  Being clipped in, I took one mini-step off the main path and partially fell into a hidden crevasse.  My right leg and most of the rest of my body went in....my left leg stayed on top.  I have never been as flexible as that little maneuver required.  My first observation was that the crevasse was sufficiently wide to slip into and that I could not see the bottom.  Even though I was clipped in to the safety line, I do not believe the fixed rope prevented me from falling all the way in....it was my left leg and crampon.  It all happened quite fast and I was able to squirm my way out of the crevasse without assistance from any one else.  However, the event resulted in a twisted left knee which I have been nursing ever since....Tiger Balm helps.

One of my first, and scariest, observations was that one of the other climbers was about one foot away from this previously hidden crevasse and as not clipped in.  If he had been the one to step off the main route, he could have gone deep into the crevasse and a resce would have been under way.  This all took place above the dramatic Kumbu ice fall and on the most pleasant flat snow field one has ever seen....a reminder that the glacier we are working on is still a glacier and full of the dangers inherent with glacier travel.

More later.

Update

Gary called to report he successfully made it through the Khumbu Ice Fall ("without falling") and is currently resting at Camp I.  Today he will do some short hikes and the day after tomorrow the group plans on moving up to Camp II.

Here are a few pictures around base camp...training on an ice wall, ;an
image of Everest base camp.  I have also attached a picture of a
blessing I received from the head monk from one of the local
monasteries..and our first view of the top of Mt. Everest.  Tomorrow we
will enter the Kumbu ice fall and climb for two hours and then return to
base camp.  The following day, we will move through the ice fall up to
Camps I and II.  We will be away from base camp for five days.

 

...yet more training at Base Camp

More training at base camp. Yesterday, we reviewed ice climbing (with
an ascender), repelling down ice cliffs, more ladder crossings and arm
wrap descending, among other skills. Today, vertical ladder ascending
and descending with crampons and ascender....should be fun.

The plan is to leave Saturday for Camp One through the Khumbu ice fall
and all the ladder crossings.

More later.

IMPORTANT NOTE! This message is coming from Base Camp. Please compose a
new message in text format and send to: CLIMB@ALPINEASCENTS.COM with the
climbers' name in subject line. Attachments cannot be accepted at BC.
Please do not send messages directly to aa1@explorersweb.com as it has
caused our system at BC many problems on past expeditions.
Many thanks from the guides & staff at Alpine Ascents.

Training at Everest base camp

OK....it's cold.

We've been out of contact for a while, but it looks like I should be
able to blog from Everest base camp. Text seems to be working. The
ability to send pictures is being worked on, and may or may not become
available.

There is a constant roar of rock and snow avalanches so frequent that
the sound has become background noise. Fortunately the avalanche zones
are no where near the climbing routes.

At night, the temperature drops to between 0-10 degrees F. However, as
soon as the sun comes up, the temperature becomes bearable and is
sometimes pleasant-to-warm. As soon as the sun goes down.....the
temperature drops immediately to something near irritating.

We have been spending time at 17,500 ft. and acclimation seems to be an
ongoing project, especially with the camp head cold being passed around.
I believe I am on the schedule to come down with it in about two days.

Our primary focus for the last two days and for the next few days is
learning how to cross aluminum ladders with crampons (i.e., metal spikes
that attach to climbing boots) that have been laid across crevasses. It
is awkward and difficult, but all the clients are getting better at not
falling off. I am hopeful that by the time we begin crossing deep
crevasses that we have all mastered the technique.

More later....off for more ladder crossing training.

IMPORTANT NOTE! This message is coming from Base Camp. Please compose a
new message in text format and send to: CLIMB@ALPINEASCENTS.COM with the
climbers' name in subject line. Attachments cannot be accepted at BC.
Please do not send messages directly to aa1@explorersweb.com as it has
caused our system at BC many problems on past expeditions.
Many thanks from the guides & staff at Alpine Ascents.

Yesterday we encountered our first snow. The day's trek dropped about 1500 feet, then climbed about 2000 feet, then dropped another 400 feet. We climbed in the...visited another monastery...and descended the last 400 feet on a steep and muddy/slippery trail. No Internet access...so no pictures.

Made the worst and the best investments in my life. Worst: $5 for a shower that was a little warmer than cold...with water pressure so low that even I had to run around to get wet....and a damp dirty towel. Best investment: $4 can of Pringles.

Comments on the Difficulties of Communicating

Now that I am here in Nepal and in the middle of the trek to Everest base camp, it is clear that communicating through my blog will become increasingly diffficult. 

Everest base camp is suppose to have cell phone reception and Internet access.  However, it may not we sufficient to send photographs.  The first plan is to continue as I have been....taking pictures on Sherrie's camera (...still working just fine), downloading the pictures from the camera to my laptop (...still working despite multiple yak convoys), accessing the Internet and downloading the pictures to my blog.

If it turns out that pictures cannot be downloaded to the blog at Everest base camp, another option might be available.  If cell phone access, but not Internet access is available, then I might be able to take pictures on my camera, email the pictures...along with comments to Sherrie and she might be able to post to the blog. 

If neither of these approaches work, then the guide service may have equipment that I can use...most likely email access...which would be my plan B (i.e., posting via Sherrie). 

Anyway, the future of communications through my blog from Nepal will be interesting....More later.

More Trekking

From Namche, we trekked to the village of Thame, the home of our head sherpa....designed to be another day of acclimating.  On the way we passed more rickety bridges and many smaller villages.  As the trade route thoroughfare passes through the villages, the path is typically lined by stone walls.  Another common site the route lined with prayer stones.

Extending out from the villages are plots of land for farming.  Below is a typical way the non-mountainous areas are divided. 

High above the village of Thame (12,464 ft,) is a famous monastery....so we climbed up the mountain side to visit the site....a bit different than the cliche Hollywood representation.  However, no wisdom was being dispensed on the day we were there...but it was still a good acclimation hike.

Namche

Day three was spent around Namche, the same village where we stayed last night.  Engaged in a short acclimation hike this morning...spending the rest of the afternoon cruising the Namche weekly bazar.  Below is a overlook of Namche...not too big but it is the center of trade in the remote Kumbu valley, complete with inflated prices for the transient Trekkers and Everest climbers.

One of the most interesting, and unexpected experiences is the trail/road we have been following.  It is paved almost entirely with stones and reminds of what the famous Inca Trail must have been like.  It is a rudimentary trail on which all supplies of the region passes.  This is the typical mode of transportation, other than the yaks.

The second day of the Trek was my favorite so far...which is not saying much since I have another 58 days or so...but this day was filled with the task of crossing suspension bridges on our way up to Namche (11,300 ft.).  Here are a few pictures of the bridges.