Pictures from Summit Day

GJN sucking on oxygen approaching the summit.


















Moving from the South Summit towards the top of Mt. Everest.













On the Summit Ridge nearing the top of Mt. Everest.













Another image of the approach to the top....nice shot of the famous Hilary Step.













On the top....looking back down the Summit Ridge.













Standing at the top of the world....with prayer flag monument in the background.













Christie, Parker & Hale (CPH) offering legal services at the top of the world.













A final view of the top of Mt. Everest on my way down....the wind appears to be returning.

Photos from above Base Camp

Base Camp with the Khumbu Ice Fall in the background.













Descending through the Kumbu Ice Fall.














Another view of the Khumbu Ice Fall.














GJN descending through the Khumbu Ice Fall.



















Crossing one of many ladders in the Khumbu Ice Fall.















Another ladder crossing in the Khumbu Ice Fall.














Camp One, above the Khumbu Ice Fall and located on the Western CWM.













Large crevasse, above Camp One on the Western CWM.













Another view of the Khumbu Ice Fall.














Approaching Camp 4.

Sad News That No One Back Home Can Relate To.....

I am sitting in the Hong Kong airport waiting for my LA flight.  At the beginning of the trip, there were two groups using the guide service.  The first was the climbers and the second was the trekkers.  Each group had their own guides.  The head guide for the trekkers was a sweet kid full of knowledge/information and enthusiasm.  All the trekkers loved her and her zest for life infected us all in a positive way and make the trek into Base Camp more enjoyable than it would have been otherwise. 

After completing her duties as the trek guide on Everest, she moved on to Denali where she was set to guide one of the ten (or so) Alpine Ascents expeditions in Alaska.

This morning, I learned that she had fallen and died somewhere on Denali.  I find myself angered, frustrated and sad.  To learn that someone has died, who I had come to know and who was so full of life, leaves me feeling quite empty inside....it's a hell of think to die so young.....to lose all one has....and to lose all the things one would have had.

A lot of people seem to die prematurely on these mountains I climb.  I'm beginning to think it is time to retire from this hobby of mine.....I am looking forward to getting home.  I've been away too long. 

Back in Kathmandu

We left Base Camp on May 22....spent three days trekking back to Lukla (i.e., the Khumbu Valley departure point....and the intersection of the mechanized world with the non-mechanized world of the Khumbu Valley).  We were once again fortunate with the weather and were able to fly into Kathmandu on May 25 without experiencing the common weather delays everyone had warned us about. 

One of the first things I realized was that with an abundance of electricty comes the availabililty of refrigeration/freezers, and with the availability of this technology comes ice cream. 

Also, I have begun to wonder if anyone back home is missing their clothes....because the garments I have here certainly do not fit my body.   We were warned that we would lose weight regardless of how much food we ate up on the mountain.  According to the scale here at the hotel (i.e., Yak & Yeti), I weigh 158 lbs.....which means I lost approximately 17-18 pounds.  I find it ironic that we all arrived strong and fit....and by the time summit day actually arrived, we reached the top of Mt. Everest while being at our weakest physical condition of the entire trip.

Another update on my health.  As many of you know, I almost missed out on a summit bid because I developed a relatively mild case of pulmonary edema which ultimately was treated successfully by the Base Camp doctors....and I was able to "go for the summit" with the aid of additional medication designed to prevent the return of the pulmonary edema....all of which worked perfectly according to plan.  However, upon return to Base Camp, the pulmonary edema returned...which made the trek out of the area a little more interesting than expected.  Ultimately, it was successfully treated again by the Base Camp doctors...and now I simply had the remnants of the Khumbu Cough and/or a chest cold. 

Over all, I am very fortunate to have made it to the summit given the recurring malady....and feel very very lucky.  I suspect that the added anxiety the pulmonary edema added to my trip will, given enough time, simply add to the satisfaction of the accomplishment......BUT MAN AM I READY TO GO HOME!!!!!!

See you all soon.

More Comments on Summit Rotation

May 17:  Camp 3 is located in the middle of the steep Lhotse Face on one of the few small flat-ish sections overwise dominated by a 60 Degree slope.  The actual location of Camp 3 is so limited that responding to the call of Mother Nature is actually quite dangerous.  There are well-known stories of climbers from previous seasons who have fallen to their deaths while attending to their morning business when they were careless in where they stepped...perhaps the equivalent of an urban legend.  Nevertheless, the location of Camp 3 is quite intimidating.  I spent most of my time in the tent inside my sleeping bag with my oxygen mask strapped to my head.

Enroute to Camp 4, we continued climbing up the steep Lhotse Face, engaged a traverse over to the rocky cliff section known as the "yellow band."  The ascent of this cliff was not particularly difficult, except for the fact that the combination of wearing the oxygen mask (while breathing hard and fast) and goggles caused the goggles to fog up....resulting in having to climb the "yellow band" blind.  The end result was an unnecessary expenditure of excess energy. 

Once above the "yellow band" and the corresponding congestion of climbers, we climbed another steep ice/snow section, followed by another traverse to yet another rocky cliff.....which was surprisingly much easier to climb than it looked (i.e., well established snowy footprints weaved conveniently through/around the protruding rocks).  Once this rocky cliff section topped out, the terrain was essentially flat for the remaining half hour to Camp 4.

Camp 4 is a large flat area known as the South Col and for most of the year is one of the harshest/nastiest places on Earth, primarily due to constant high winds.  However, while we were there, the wind ranged from non-existent to 30 mph...extremely pleasant, albeit unusual weather for the South Col.  Upon arrival, we quickly climbed into our tents, began making final preparations for the upcoming summit attempt, and tried to rest/sleep.

May 18 & 19:  After reviewing the most recent weather forecast, it was decided to begin final preparations at 8:00 p.m on May 18, with the goal of leaving Camp 4 for the summit at 9:30 p.m. that same evening.  So we spent most of the day trying to sleep/rest...and preparing for Game Day. 

Anxiety was running high, and I decided to only take Gu packs/Hammer Gels/Power Gells for food because when frozen, these products remained viscous and therefore edible despite the extreme cold.  This proved to be a solid decision.  I kept the gells in a front pocket of my summit suit and so food was not an issue.  I also placed two 1 liter water bottles in the inside pockets of the summit suit.  The idea was to avoid having to remove the backpack. 

As mentioned before, while climbing I almost immediately had to unzip the front of the summit suit, along with the side pant zips in an effort to avoid over heating (i.e., the irony of having to make an effort to avoid over heating in one of the coldest places on Earth matched up well with my skewed sense of humor).  This proved fortunate because we all experienced a chest freeze.  This was a new experience and was caused by the use of the oxygen mask.  The moist air that we all continually exhaled out the bottom of the mask tended to accumulate and freeze on the chest region of our summit suits/heavy down jackets.  Very quickly, the front zippers were completely frozen and impossible to adjust.  While it was difficult to get to my water bottles, it was still possible....and so the chest freeze was more of an interesting phenomena than a practical problem.

I have no idea how I would reached my water bottles had the front zipper been zipped all the way up.  During the 14-15 hour summit and return, I consumed only one liter of water and six Gu packets.  We only stopped a few times to rest and it felt like we were always pressured to keep moving....a strategy that ultimately proved succesful. 

We were back at Camp 4 by 11:00 a.m., and we piled into our tents and quickly found our sleeping bags.  If I recall correctly, sleep came quickly as we were able to wind down from the summit effort.

May 20:  We descended from Camp 4 to Camp 2.....much more difficult than anyone will ever know.

May 21:  Left Camp 2 and returned to Base Camp passing through the Khumbu Ice Fall for the last time.  As a side note, the Khumbu Ice Fall was well behaved on this day with perfect snow/ice conditions.  The previously devestated areas had been repaired by the "ice doctors" and the condition of the tramped out trail was as perfect as one could want.  Despite the two dozen ladders crossing over the numerous exposed crevasses, the Khumbu Ice Fall was, and always will be, one of my favorite parts of the Everest expedition. 

ANOTHER REMINDER THAT MT. EVEREST CANNOT BE UNDERESTIMATED:  After we reached Based Camp, we began hearing reports that a Spanish expedition, consisting of more than 12 climbers had been caught in 80-90 mph winds that descended on the South Col (i.e., Camp 4) in the afternoon of May 21.  A massive rescue effort was undertaken by several guides who were on the mountain, and despite the heroic efforts, most of the distraught climbers ended up suffering from frost bite.  It is my understanding that two of the climbers actually fell and had additional physical injuries....pretty much of a chaotic disaster.  It was as if they didn't bother to check the weather forecast.  When I hear about this type of encounter, I can only appreciate our guides and the support infracture they created to reduce the associated risk of reaching the summit.  Anyway, best not to be up high when the winds go wild on Mt. Everest.

Details of the Summit Rotation

May 12:  We began our preparations for the next day's departure....only to have the summit rotation delayed based on the actual weather up high, in combination with the available weather forecast.

May 13:  Yet another rest day.  After reviewing the new weather forecast, the decision was made to begin the rotation early the next day.  Spent the evening packing for the beginning of the summit effort.

May 14:  Up at 2:00 a.m.....breakfast at 3:00 a.m.....climbing by 4:00 a.m.  Moved through the Khumbu ice fall, past Camp 1 and onto Camp 2.  Arrived at Camp 2 in the late morning. 

The Kumbu ice had had two major changes since our last visit.  Two days earlier, just as another team was descending, a section had collapsed, forcing a portion of that group to "run" down towards Base Camp...for their lives (...and who were very fortunate to have not been injured).  The second part of the group had to turn around and return to Camp One for the night.....later I spoke to someone in that second group who indicated that the return climb to Camp One was the hardest thing they ever did.  Because of the weather, they had returned from Camp 3 to Camp 2 and had the decided to return to Base Camp...only to encounter the disruption in the Ice Fall.   In my opinion, their guides had seriously misjudged the weather and corresponding weather forecasts and had brought their clients down unnecessarily.  Their guides were part of the group that produced the two seasons of the Discovery Channel shows on Mt. Everest that aired a couple of years ago....and which had mounted their summit attempt from the Tibet side of the mountain.

Unknown to us at the time, at some point during the morning of our move to Camp 2, there was an even larger collapse of the Khumbu Ice Fall.  Over a quarter of a mile section had dropped about fifty feet and utterly eviserated a portion of the existing route.  The normally "fixed line" route had been transformed into a newly created jumble of snow and ice.  When we reached the collapsed area, we decided to continue with our effort to reach Camp 2.  We carefully maneuvered our way through and ended up climbing a 40 foot vertical ice wall (i.e., the main newly created obstacle)....with the help of recently laid ropes and our ascenders.  The destruction of the normal route was most impressive...and a reminder that the Ice Fall is not a place to linger unnecessarily, despite its intense beauty.

The remainder of the move to Camp 2 was relatively uneventful....but I did make note of the lingering hole on the upper part the the snow field where I had fallen into a crevasse on the first rotation. 

May 15:  Rest day at Camp 2.  Organized gear and prepared for moving on up to Camp 3.

May 16:  Up at 3:00 a.m. Breakfast at 4:00 a.m. Moving by 5:00 a.m.  The first portion of the move from Camp 2 to Camp 3 is two hours of a relatively slight incline to the base of the Lhotse Face.  While more people have heard of the Khumbu Ice Fall, the Lhotse Face is a much more difficult part of the climb.  The Lhotse face is essentially an ice wall with an approximate 60 Degree slope....and consumed the majority of the day's climb.  As we passed the super steep iced slope inbetween lower Camp 3 and upper Camp 3 (where our tents were located), it was difficult not to recall the second rotation when we had literally climbed past the climber that had collapsed and died in that spot. 

SIDE NOTE.  Since that time, a Japanese climber had also died on the mountain above Camp 4.  For a while he was attached to the fixed line leading to the summit.  The guide climbing with the first wave of our group cut him off the fixed line to save future summitters from having a direct encounter with the deceased.  It is my understanding that the body of the Japanese climber was somewhere near the fixed line when we made our summit attempt.  However, the body was covered by snow by the time we eventually passed by.  The plan was to have the body removed at some point in the near future....before the end of the climbing season.

When we reached Camp 3, we climbed into our tents and put on the oxygen masks and began sucking down oxygen.  I was unprepared for how much better I felt once I began breathing off the oxygen tank.  I had a wonderful night's sleep and took to the oxygen system like a calf to an utter. 

More later.

Comments on Everest Summit Effort

As most of you know, I summitted Mt. Everest a few minutes before 8:00 a.m. on May 19, 2011. 

In our tents at Camp 4, we began preparations on May 18 at 8:00 p.m. and were on the move by 9:30 p.m.  The available weather forecast indicated favorable weather.....yet the wind was blowing about 20-30 miles an hour with snow and spindrift activity....and probably -10 Degrees F.  That being said, I was warm and snug inside my down summit suit and needed to begin venting off excess heat almost immediately after we began....I climb hot.

Based on random circumstance, I found myself climbing in second position directly behind our lead Sherpa.  I had told Sherrie many times that so many people climb Mt. Everest that there is a well worn path through the snow up to the summit.  That understanding proved to be inacurate.  Our lead Sherpa was breaking trail through fresh snow that was somewhere between knee and waist deep....with me in second position....and my Summit Sherpa directly behind.  In second position, it required intense concentration to find the footsteps created by the lead Sherpa....otherwise I felt like I was breaking trail myself (which wasn't true but I sure wasn't walking in established footprints)...which proved to an incredible energy drain.  This was especially true because I was fighting my oxygen mask all day....the direct result being that my goggles would fog up from escaping vapors...which meant I could not see well, if at all.  Eventually I was forced to take off my goggles to ensure that I could find the recently minted footsteps of our lead Sherpa.  This proved to be an essential part of my successful summit...being able to see clearly reduced my energy expenditure down to where it should have been to been to begin with....and I was able to hide my head inside my hood to protect it from the wind and blowing snow. 

A SIDE THOUGHT:  Two years ago, a friend of my attempted Mt. Everest and experienced intense wind and associated spindrift that over time irritated his eyes to the point that he suffered temporary blindness at the South Summit (i.e., a point close to the top....300 vertical feet below and an hour away from the summit) and was forced to turn back.  This knowledge was up front in my mind as I buried my goggleless head inside the hood of my summit suit and continually turned by head away from the blustering wind...all while wondering about the weather forecast that had predicted good weather for the day.

Then something happened that changed the dynamic of the climb in a positive way.  We took a brief rest and, while doing so, a different climbing group passed us....grumbling that we had been moving too slow.  However, as soon as they passed us, they were forced to break trail and began moving even slower than we had been.  In fact, they were moving so slow that our lead Sherpa left our group, went to the front of the pack and began breaking trail for everyone....leaving me in the first position for our group.  It was at this point that I finally found the "well blazed" trail I had been hoping for, where I finally found a good rhthym, began gaining confidence, eventually realized that I was going to make the summit, and at some point knew that nothing in the world was going to prevent me from getting to the top.  As with several major peaks in the past, I eventually felt the summit grab hold of me and simply pull me in....making the last part of the summit climb essentially effortless....a strange and wonderful experience.

About the halfway point, we climbed out of the "bad weather" and the day eventually turned into a windless day higher up on the mountain....and we found the "perfect" climbing day the weather forecast had predicted.   The higher we climbed, the better the weather...leading to the essentially-unheard-of-windless summit day....a rare event for the summit of Mt. Everest.  We were blessed and very fortunate to experience the mountain on such a day.  Three days earlier, a first contigent of our group summitted in 50 mph winds and returned beat up and traumatized (i.e., albeit successful).  It is not uncommon for climbers to reach the South Summit and turn back in high winds because of the dangerous summit ridge leading from the South Summit to the top.  The summit ridge is a narrow pathway, with China on the left (i.e., straight down a couple of thousand feet) and Nepal on the right (i.e., also straight down a couple of thousand feet).  On a windless day such as we experienced.....not a problem.  In high winds, a potentially deadly trek.  Again, a rare "good" summit day.

As an example of how fickle the mountain can be, several groups that left Camp 4 about an hour later than we did, turned around because of bad weather.  The annoying wind and spindrift activity we had experienced had apparently turned into a minor blizzard....and I suspect that the footprints we had established had disappeared in the heavier winds....causing them to have to also break trail....the combination of which can be quite discouraging.  That is where the expericence of our guide team proved to be essential.  They kept pushing us through the early "bad weather," while the later groups turned around....and missed out on a rare perfect summit day.  Those same groups tried a second summit bid the next day, started late, ended up getting behind the next day's wave of heavy climbers, and turned around again, this time due to climber congestion....and ended up not summitting even though both days were "excellent" summit days.

In hindsight, we were one day ahead of the crush of climbers.  There were only two or three major groups summiting the day we went up....and even then it seemed congested.  I can only imagine the frustration associated with even more climbers going for the top and moving at inconsistent speeeds. 

Despite all the preparations, the careful planning, the extraodinary efforts....there are still many many many many ways not to summit Mt. Everest.....I credit the experience of our guides, and their willingness to push on in "apparently" poor conditions with why we had a successful summit bid. 

Someone once asked me how many people have summited Mt. Everest.  If I recall correctly, before I could answer the question, Sherrie piped in and said, NOT VERY MANY.  I believe that is the best answer I have heard,

not very many. 

....more later.