Abandoning Everest - the result and future plans

Wow! Our little boy turns 2 today! How fast time flies. A short 2 years and 7 months ago, while attempting to scale Mount Everest, I found out my wife was pregnant with our first child. As a result, my head was no longer in "the game". Several days later I decided to put Everest aside and ensure I would be around for our child's birth. Climbing Everest is dangerous and I did not want to take any chances. The picture above is of Alexander, the result of why I decided to turn around and save Everest for another year, another try at the summit.

Fast forward to right now and the upcoming 2010 Mount Everest climbing season. The desire to scale the lofty heights of Everest still burns deep within me. After much prayer, talking with my wife, and the blessing from my employer, we have decided that 2010 is the perfect time to try and accomplish a goal set 13 years ago.

I have been training hard and as my 100 days 'til departure draws closer I am starting to train even harder. Training this go around is much different than in 2006/2007. This time I am not only focusing on physical training but I am focusing more on mental training as well. Being away from my family will be tough. My favorite Bible verse is Phillipians 4:13 which states that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." I rest assured that complete reliance upon God will get me through the tough times - both physical and mental.

Another part of preparing for a Mount Everest expedition are the logistics necessary in order to accomplish such a feat. This time around I am relying on a climbing mate and friend - Phil Crampton. He owns Altitude Junkies and he provides all the logistics necessary for attempting a climb of Everest. Such things as permits, tents, stoves, food, ropes and much more are some of the things he will help provide. I will be responsible for my own personal climbing gear but providing the group gear is where Phil comes in. This will be an unguided climb as we are all competent climbers who have served an apprenticeship on lesser mountains around the world.

Even though I wish I were leaving tomorrow, it is probably best that I am not. There is still so much to do. Please follow along as I chronicle the events leading up to my attempt on Mount Everest in April and May of 2010. I will also be (with the help of my wife) posting "live" updates on this site during the climb so you can keep up to date as to where I am on the mountain. Although, the best coverage of the upcoming 2010 Mount Everest climbing season will be on Alan Arnette's website. He is, by far, the best at seeking out all of the Everest action and condensing it into an exciting format on his website. Go and take a look.

Until next time...