A Climber's Dream

The Summit Push (part 15)

2011-01-22T06:53:00.000-07:00

His head hung low, Phil walked back into Everest Basecamp. We had been up on the mountain for one week and the oxygen rich atmosphere of 17,500' was a welcome relief. Our eyes met as I inquired about Mike. What happened? A quick thumbs-up was all Phil could muster. I was so relieved and thankful. The helicopter somehow managed to land and pluck Mike off of Everest. How did this happen? I mean, when in the Western Cwm the helicopter flew back and forth so quickly there was no way possible that he landed.

Sipping on cold juice and now sitting down, Phil began to recount the amazing rescue of Mike. Little did I know that upon leaving from Camp 2 Mike was eager to follow me so we could began planning further "missions". Thinking that I was waiting for the helicopter Mike strapped on oxygen and began the hike outside of Camp 2 to where the helicopter was to pick us up. Just upon arriving the helicopter flew in hugging the icy contours of Everest. Phil said the helicopter came in shaky and wobbly. All the pilot could manage to do was put half of one skid on the ice. The pilot had to keep his rotors spinning full blast. The air was so thin that there was barely anything for the rotors to slice into and create lift. Upon touching down Phil and one of the Sherpas literally threw Mike into the helicopter. There were no seats. Just an empty cargo area and a pilot sipping oxygen himself. For a landing this high the helicopter personnel had to strip everything out of the inside in order to eliminate as much weight as possible. Before even stepping back the pilot began to take off. Phil quickly turned and sheltered his eyes from the razor sharp shards of ice. Mike had been rescued.

Over the next few hours the rest of the team arrived back at basecamp tired but happy. Not everyone summited but everyone made it down alive. Wow! what a blessing. The great 19th century author, Henry David Thoreau wrote, "Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake." Climbing Everest had been a dream of mine for many years. With God's help I did it. I am so blessed, so thankful, and still amazed that while standing on top of Mount Everest I was able to experience my dream - awake!

Updates:

Mike is doing just fine and his health is back to normal. He lives in Singapore and still dreams of standing on top of Everest someday.

The pilot who so heroically rescued Mike died a few months later while attempting to rescue another climber a few miles away on Ama Dablam. We are so grateful for his selfless act of heroism.

Phil is getting ready for his 8th expedition to Everest. He leaves in a few weeks for Kathmandu and then on to Everest.

I still climb as often as I can. In October of this year a buddy and I are guiding a small team of climbers on Mount Kilimanjaro - the rooftop of Africa. I hope to return to the Himalaya one day soon. I love the people, the country and especially the mountains.

The Summit Push (part 14)

2010-12-12T07:41:00.001-07:00

Looking around and seeing nothing but ice while suffering from dehydration is a bit perplexing for the weary high altitude climber. My only choice was to continue to work my way down through the giant maze of the Icefall. Slowy and methodically was my aim. After working my way through the "Popcorn", one of the most turbulent portions of the Icefall, I traveled just underneath some huge seracs hanging precariously to Everest's West Shoulder. This was the spot of a fatality last year. A huge avalanche of snow and ice fell from this spot and swept a climber to his death while leading to the emergency evacuation of two other climbers who were a bit more fortunate. A right turn here, a left turn there. Up a 10 foot ladder and then a 30 foot rappel. All leading to a relatively safe zone, still well within the limits of the icefall and a little safer from falling ice.

Just when I thought fatigue might get the better of me I rounded a huge valley of ice and there stood Sheree, one of our awesome cookstaff from basecamp. He had climbed part-way into the Icefall with a nice, big, refreshing, thermos of HOT water! Ugghh! I am so thirsty. Why hot water, I asked myself? However, this hero had just put his life in a little danger and I made sure he saw nothing but gratitude coming from me. My entire Everest expedition would not have been possible without the awesome efforts of our Sherpa staff. They are always smiling and always willing to lend a helping hand. As thirsty as I was, I could only manage a small sip of water. What I really wanted was some cold juice. I heartily thanked Sheree for his efforts and I continued down.

Another 30 minues of bone-jarring effort brought me to yet another maze of 25 foot tall blades of ice. They looked more like gigantic shark's fins jutting out of the lower Icefall. After turning another corner my favorite Sherpa of all, Bala, was standing there smiling. He wrapped his arms around and gave me a great big hug. The hug was nice but I could not help but see something lying in the ice next to him. He had another thermos. I sheepishly asked him what was inside? Juice, was his reply. Cold, I asked? Yes. Whooohooo! Give me some of that! I quickly drank four glasses making sure to leave some for my teammates still higher on the hill. I thanked Bala for his wonderful efforts and with renewed strength I continued down. Basecamp was now in sight and I began to breath a sigh of relief.

Upon walking back to basecamp I was greeted with hugs, handshakes, and more importantly, cold juice. I was so overwhelmed. I looked back up into the icefall and I could see the tiny dots that were my teammates. I whispered a prayer of thanksgiving. I knew that I was blessed. I had done it! I had safely stood on top of the world and made it back down alive. My happiness felt a bit selfish because I new that not all of my teammates had made it down. I had hoped that the helicopter rescued Mike. I prayed that the helicopter had rescued Mike. Two hours later Phil walked back into basecamp. His head hung low. The tireless effects of what had transpired over the last 48 hours. I asked about Mike and the rescue. Did it happen? Is he safe? Our eyes met and that was enough for me to know the answer.

The Summit Push (Part 13)

2010-12-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

As each step led me through the Western Cwm and closer to the top of the Khumbu Icefall, my anxiety nearly overwhelmed me. Living on the edge of life, death, and extreme exhilaration for the last week began to consume my thoughts. So much so that as I approached a 3 section ladder spanning a deep crevasse I nearly forgot to tie in to the anchor. I leaned over the edge to begin my rappel and felt an unfamiliar lack of security. That “tight” and “protected” feeling is always unmistakable when laying back on my climbing harness, properly tied in, and fully relying upon the rope to carry my weight. Oops! I nearly became another statistic. Forever lost to the icy bowels of the inner Khumbu Icefall.
I crossed several more crevasses, wound in and out, up and down, and around and made it to the lip of the upper edge of the Khumbu Icefall. There it was, staring me right in the face. Yesterday, upon reaching the safety of our Camp II I began to hear stories of another rescue on Everest. With the monsoon quickly approaching the temperatures were getting increasingly warmer. The icefall was moving and had just suffered a massive collapse. This time, the ice failure nearly claimed another life. A woman was making her way through the Icefall for the final time and had forgotten to clip in while crossing a ladder. At that exact time a huge section of jumbled ice blocks collapsed and she was swallowed up 100 feet below. She was eventually pulled out of the ice collapse and with a broken back she lay painfully awaiting her own helicopter to pull her to safety.
I anticipated this section and was amazed at how different the Icefall looked. What was a few days prior a section of a few vertical ladders was now a large section of 5 ladders lashed together and spanning across an enormous crevasse. I rappelled down, jumared up, crossed ladders, and now stood at this tarnished spot. Anne-Mari crossed the 5-section ladder first. She took step after confident step and I could not help but be jealous. As the ladders swayed, bowed, and rocked underneath her weight, I wished I was 60 pounds lighter. Would the ladder hold? I silently wondered as I stepped foot onto the fearsome span. My steps were slower, less confident, but eventually I successfully made my way to the other side. I breathed a sigh of relief and nearly gulped at the same time. I could now peer sharply down the next section of the Icefall. Wow! The whole thing had changed. Not just a little section. Huge towers of ice now lay toppled over. What once was a flat, safe rest area was now split in half, the past evidence of the violent shaking and moving of the Icefall as it succumbs to gravity. A week prior we had only twenty-something ladder crossings. We now had over 40. To view this was scary and cool at the same time. Anne-Mari and I quickly overtook the slower, more fatigued and less confident climbers on their own way down. With all of the recent movement in the Icefall we wanted to get in and get out as rapidly as possible.
The sun was now brightly shining overhead and I was beginning to suffer from dehydration. In my haste I did not wait to melt enough ice and I therefore ran out of water. Oh well, just a few more hours and I would be down. Hopefully! Generally, travel through the Icefall is relegated to early, early morning while it is still dark and the sun has not yet enticed glacial movement. We were now in the middle and had no choice but to descend – quickly.
In addition to not bringing enough water I chose not to bring a 2-way radio as well. Anne-Mari and I figured that we would just save the additional weight and climb down together. This was now proving detrimental in several ways. First, I could have communicated with Phil higher up on Everest and inquire about Mike’s condition and second, I could have summoned our wonderful kitchen staff to come into the lower Icefall and bring us something to drink. At the time I needed to travel quickly the most, I was doing the opposite – traveling as slow as a snail. Dehydration was beginning to consume me and all I could think of was getting something to drink. With all of the snow and ice around me I dare not take more than a handful to put in my mouth. Upon recognizing this water source my body would begin to shut down even further – using what little bodily warmth I had to melt the ice in my mouth into water and leave nothing leftover to keep my body warm. Eventually, I could succumb to the delirious effects of hypothermia.

The Summit Push (part 12)

2010-10-31T13:56:00.001-06:00

Photo 1 - A picture of Mike in the Western Cwm on the way to Camp II.

As loud and noisy as it was, the ever-increasing storm outside provided a hypnotic pattern as the wind blew fiercely against my tent. A deep sleep eventually overwhelmed me and I slept soundly. I woke intermittently through the night and each time I did I would pray for Mike's safety. I had heard of many stories through the years of ailing climbers not making it through the night. I did not want to be a part of such an expedition. Mike had to make it through the night, he had to survive.
The morning came quickly and I could hear the sounds of Phil on the radio as he talked with the helicopter rescue team in Kathmandu. I thought that this is a good sign. Phil was talking about getting a helicopter up here to rescue Mike - or was it to retrieve Mike's body? I rapidly put on my down suit and got out of my sleeping bag. I looked outside and I did not see Mike. I walked over to Phil to inquire about Mike's condition and he just sighed deeply. He told me that Mike made it rhough the night but was being very combative and would not get ready for the helicopter rescue. In his reduced mental state, Mike thought that everyone was still out to get him and the helicopter was coming to pick him up in order to turn him over to the Chinese, the very people he was supposedly investigating as part of a worldwide drug cartel operation. They had tracked him down and were coming "to eliminate him from the situation."
I knew the importance of getting Mike on the helicopter. Literally, it was his only chance of living. There was absolutely no way that he had the mental and physical capacity to safely make his way through the gaping crevasses and ladder crossings of the Western Cwm and the Khumbu Icefall. Again, I told Phil that I would take of Mike if he would take care of ensuring the helicopter was on its way. I knelt down and looked inside the tent. Mike's face was round and swollen from facial edema. He looked at me and I at him. I reassured him that the little white pills in my hand were "the good stuff" and that he needed to take them. I explained to Mike that I had talked Phil into summoning 2 helicopters - one for each of us. Because of the extreme altitude, 21,500'+, there was no way 1 helicopter could carry the weight of the pilot and 2 more people. The helicopter could only take one afflicted climber at a time, thus the need for 2 separate helicopters. I told Mike that our mission had not yet been compromised but British Intelligence was ordering our quick return to Kathmandu in order to report on the supposed drug operation. Our only choice was to get on the helicopters and just "play along" so as to not blow our sting operation. Mike agreed and jumped out of the tent. I told him that there was no need to bring his gear and to leave it all on the mountain. You see, I knew two things. First, there was no way that the oncoming helicopter could carry the additional weight of his climbing gear and second, because of that fact, the Sherpas would heroically carry it all down as added weight to their already burdonsome loads.
Mike was outfitted with an oxygen mask and full oxygen bottle and I told him that I was leaving in advance to scout out the sight of where the helicopter was to land. I reassured him the mission was still intact and he was to do nothing but hike back up the mountain to the safe landing sight. I told him that the helicopter was 100% on its way and would pick him up first and then come back for me. We would then reconvene in Kathmandu in just a matter of hours.
I snuck out of Mike's sight and now tended to my own mission of getting back to basecamp safely. I had the most dangerous part of the entire mountain ahead of me - The Khumbu Icefall. The sun was now shining overhead and I knew the intense rays of the sun would encourage the icefall to move, creak, groan, and collapse. I just did not want it to collapse when I was in it. I teamed up with Anne-Mari and we began our descent of the Western Cwm. I had 2 things on my mind. Getting back to basecamp safely and the ever increasing wind and clouds that were building around us. I new the wind would play havoc on the little, light-weight helicopter and that there was a huge possibility that it would not be able to land and pick up Mike. Forty-five minutes later I could faintly hear the unmistakable sound of the helicopter's rotors slicing their way through the thin air on Everest. I picked out a small speck down in the valley and I watched as it hugged the contours of Everest in order to stay as low as possible. I was now standing at the spot on Everest where the highest helicopter rescue - EVER - had occured. The problem was that Mike was another 1000 feet higher. I had my doubts as the helicopter flew directly over our heads and disappeared further up the Western Cwm. I remember looking at my watch thinking that the helicopter would be coming back over in about 5 minutes. No sooner did I make that calculation in my head the helicopter had turned around and flew back over top of us. "That was too quick", I said to Anne-Mari. She agreed. There was no way possible that they picked up Mike. It was literally less than 1 minute since we saw the helicopter fly over us. My heart sank because I knew that the helicopter was Mike's only lifeline with the thicker, oxygen rich, life saving atmosphere of Kathmandu. My heart was broken because I knew that Mike wasn't going to make it and now there was nothing I could do to help. I turned around and began my descent into the gaping jaws of the Khumbu Icefall.

The Summit Push (Part 11)

2010-10-14T07:08:00.001-06:00

The positive sign I was waiting for ended up being right in front of me the entire time. Our entire team was blessed to have a strong group of sherpas assisting us. Shortly after I arrived back at Camp 2 a few of our sherpas started walking back in to camp singing and praying. Not only had they just gone to the summit the same day our team did, but they had the added responsibility of clearing the oxygen bottles and tents from the higher camps. The amount of weight they had on their back was staggering. Upon learning of Mike's condition several of them dropped their heavy loads, grabbed a couple of full oxygen bottles, and some hot tea and started climbing back up Everest again to reach Mike. In my book, these guys are the heros.
Several hours later, heavily assisted, Mike gingerly walks back in to Camp 2. I went over to greet him and I knew something was still wrong with him. He had a blank stare and would not talk. He was beginning to suffer from facial edema as well (swelling of the face in addition to swelling of the brain). I assisted with taking off his harness and other essential elements for ice climbing and we put him in our dining tent. A few of our teammates who had arrived with him began filtering in to the dining dome as well. Still suffering from the delierious effects of altitude, Mike began arguing and swearing. He would not eat or drink. I found this extremely strange. Especially since he had not eaten or had anything to drink for 2 days. I sat next to Mike and tried to see how I could help. I spoke softly with him and asked him what was going on. I never imagined what I was about to hear.
Mike looked in my eyes and spoke softly and yet with great conviction. He told me how he had joined our Everest team as a double agent for the British Secret Service. He confided in me that there was a huge illegal drug operation going on and the high mountain passes of Everest were the drug's pathway between China and Nepal. He was put on the team in order to bust the drug cartels and to free this part of the world of illegal drug trafficing. He told me the reason he would not take the oxygen up higher on the mountain was that the bottles, in fact, were not oxygen but argon gas. Everyone up higher on the mountain, wrapped in thick down suits and oxygen masks, were the enemy. This is what his paranoia induced brain was telling him. He would not take any oral dexamethasone pills because they were poison. He was absolutely 100% certain that everyone had found out his position in the B.S.S. and the Chinese had sent people to kill him.
Wow! Why was he telling me this and no one else? Why did he feel confident that I was not one of the bad guys? I thought back to the Bible verse, "The Lord works in mysterious ways". What a mystery this was and I was deep in the middle of it.
After several hours of Mike talking to me I decided to use his comfort and familiarity with me to his advantage. I gently persuaded him to drink some hot tea and to eat a few biscuits. Phil came in to the tent and told Mike he needed to take some more dexamethasone, orally. Immediately, Mike became irate and absolutely refused. "I may have been found out, but I will not be put to death. I will not be poisoned." You see, Phil had heroically helped Mike for most of the last 48 hours and was exhausted. He took great care and responsibility for his teammates but I could see in his eyes that this situation was wearing on him. Phil and I had gotten to know each other quite well, as this was our third Himalayan climb together. Phil and I locked eyes and I nodded my head. He immediately knew what I would do. I immediately knew what he would do. I told Phil, "I've got this". Secretly, outside of Mike's vision, Phil put the dexamethasone tablets in to my hand and left the tent. All alone in the tent, it was just Mike and I. I looked in to Mike's eyes and I told him, "Mike, this is the good stuff. I just brought this back with me over the border. This is not poison but pills to help with your fatigue. Trust me." Mike looked directly at me and paused. "I like your style" Mike said with complete trust. He grabbed the pills from my hand and swallowed them all - 6 in total. I persuaded him back to his tent and reassured him that the bottle I was giving him was my secret stash of real oxygen. I had successfully determined who was trying to give him argon gas earlier in the day and I had eliminated them from the situation.
Mike slipped in to a deep sleep and I was relieved-slightly. Taking the pills and oxygen had no doubt saved his life but he was now facing, head on, the most important night of his life. I prayed outside of his tent asking God to continue to use me to help save my friend's life. Utterly exhausted I crawled in to my tent. I thought I would fall asleep instantly but I could not. I was worried about Mike. Now that Mike was asleep, Phil had taken over monitoring him through the night. The objective was to do whatever it took to enable Mike to survive the bitterly cold, Himalayan night in great hope for a possible helicopter rescue the following morning. The growing storm outside the tent was suggesting otherwise. I prayed.

The Summit Push (part 10)

2010-09-29T20:36:00.000-06:00

I must confess that to my surprise Mike did make it through the night. I truly thought that I would hear word that Mike was unable to pull through. I was extremely happy to realize that our entire team was still intact.

I dozed restlessly though the night and found myself continually contemplating what I had just done. Wow! The previous day was so awesome and I hope that today would be equally as memorable. Today I was to begin my long descent back to Camp 2. Upon waking up I drank a little water and started packing. What a chore at 26,200'. I did not bother to eat because I wanted to get down. I peeked outside and the visibility was down to 10 meters. The wind was blowing and it was snowing. I felt bad for those trying for the summit today. I knew it was not possible and I hoped they had more time and strength to wait another day.
I quickly got ready and put on my pack and all of my climbing gear. I knew that I had to take it slowly and be very methodical about what I was doing. I took no more than 10 steps and I snagged my crampon on my Gore-Tex down suit. I immediately fell forward right onto my knees and hands. I looked around and quite a few people saw me fall. Worst of all Dave Hahn who was going for his 11th or 12th summit of Everest saw me fall. He is a climbing legend on Everest. Why did I have to fall in front of him? Why fall at all? Oh well. I stood up and began the traverse to the top of the Geneva Spur passing by the body of a fallen Sherpa climber from years ago. This sight, coupled with my recent fall was great motivation that I needed to be careful. Upon making the top of the Spur I tied into the rope and began my rappel. No problem because I took my time. A downward traverse and I was soon at the top of the Yellow Band. Another two rappels and I continued my very steep descent down the Lhotse Face. I was tired but gaining strength with every step down. I passed several people being assisted down by Sherpas, Guides, and anyone who could help. The past few days took a great toll on many people. There really was no place for me to join in the rescues so I continued down. I made it back to Camp 3 in several hours and I looked over at our tents which were now almost entirely buried by snow. I sure was happy to be going down and not have to sleep another night at Camp 3. The rest of the descent down the Lhotse Face went quickly and smoothly and I gained the top of the bergschrund. I anchored in and waited my turn to rappel over the gaping crevasse that lay 50 feet below me. What should have been a short wait was made much more complicated because I came upon a group of Sherpas who had no idea how to rappel. Hard to imagine but there were many people who did not know this basic form of rope craft. After what seemed to be an hour I finally made the rappel over the bergschrund and I took a huge sigh of relief. The most dangerous part of today was over. I now had to make the final downclimb to Camp 2. I was so thirsty and I was craving juice. I asked several people if they had anything extra to drink but no one helped me. Oh well. I started to pick up my pace. I was completely dehydrated and my appetite was coming back. I hadn't eaten a meal of any sort in 3 straight days. Just a few snacks is all that got me through. Eventually, I gained the rock that delineates the glacier edge from the rockfall of Camp 2. I slowed down and just took in the great views. This would be the last time I would see this place and I wanted to make sure to remember it.
I walked in to Camp 2 and I was greeted by our Camp 2 cook, Pasang Disco. He gave me a big hug and a cold glass of juice. Immediately he slipped away into the cook tent and began preparing a meal. In a few minutes he had a wonderful pasta dish created with fresh grated cheese. The meal was awesome (however a distant 2nd to my wife's cooking) and I enjoyed endless cups of juice. I realized that I was the first person back to our camp. I began to wonder about the rest of my team. I hoped they were safe. After several hours a few of my teammates began to trickle in. However, the one I was concerned about the most was nowhere to be found. Our communications radio crackled and chirped back to life and I could hear the familiar rambling of the Nepali tongue. Pasang Disco came out of the tent with a very concerned look. He turned around and faced the mountain gazing high up the Lhotse Face. I did not have to ask. I knew what was happening. Pasang Disco looked at me and said, "Mike - no good. Very bad up high." Crap. Why did this have to happen. As a climber descends in altitude he should get stronger. However, Mike was getting weaker and as it turned out he had completely relapsed. He had taken a turn far worse than yesterday and now a full scale rescue was in place. The steep, icy slopes of the Lhotse Face are not the easiest places to mount a rescue, but today there was no choice. We eventually made contact with the rescue group that was assisting Mike and we could hear their frustration. He was suffering from cerebral edema and was not thinking clearly. Worse than that he was very combative and would not take oxygen. What seemed like our only option was to call for a helicopter to try to rescue Mike. Unfortunately, a helicopter rescue from 24,000 feet was nearly impossible. As well, the helicopter was in Kathmandu and the weather was turning from bad to worse. I prayed for Mike's safety and just waited. I was waiting for some positive sign that Mike was going to make it down - alive.

The Summit Push (part 9)

2010-09-06T07:43:00.001-06:00

Photos 1 and 2 - Assisting with Mike's rescue high on the upper slopes of Everest - 28,000'. Notice the ever intensifying snow storm in the background.

As the afternoon slowly turned to early evening, the sun began to set. The splendor of the sun setting on the far horizon was a beuatiful sight to behold. All of this surrounding beauty seemed to hold no significance to my still missing teammates. Phil, Mike and a few Sherpas had not returned and I was mentally preparing myself for the worst. I figured that in his physical and mental condition, Mike was forever lost to the frozen slopes that steeply stretched above me. After all, when I last saw him he was incoherent and very combative. After the Herculean effort all the rescuers were giving, no one would have faulted them for just leaving Mike and saving their own lives. They had tried their best. One of the foundational principles of search and rescue is that the needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few. In this case there were now more than 10 people assisting with the rescue and with the weather turning from bad to worse, death's knock was getting louder. Any death would be tragic, but it would be silly to lose 11 or more people when all but 1 could have made it down.

More than an hour passed, the sky grew dark and there it was. The recognizable sound of climbing hardware jingling around on the harnasses of a group of people coming back in to camp. It was the rest of my team - including Mike! As he was being lowered down the mountain coupled with the shot of dexamethasone he began to regain coherency. By no means was he his regular self but he was upright and stumbling along. I greeted my teammates and told Mike that there were other ways of getting attention if he wanted it. Of course I was just continuing the friendly rapport Mike and I had developed over the previous 2 months. He blankly looked at me and just said "sure". I could tell he was still dealing with the delirium induced by his cerebral edema. Everyone was back safely, however, the most important night of Mike's life was drawing near. For someone in his condition and breathing supplemental oxygen at a high flow rate, the first night is the most critical. We had just a few medical supplies to sustain him through the night but it was obvious Mike would need a lot more attention. If only he would make it through the night.

The Summit Push (part 8)

2010-08-16T20:06:00.000-06:00

A swift, deliberate punch to the face by our sirdar, Dorjee Sherpa was enough to bring Mike to some sort of coherency. He was really quite dazed and confused but after this lucky strike he began to cooperate. He still refused oxygen but there was no way he could refuse a shot to the left butt cheek of dexamethasone. This wonder drug helps to temporarily reduce cranial swelling therefore allowing the would be rescuers to have some sort of chance at bringing a climber down - alive. At this point several famous faces in the high altitude climbing world began to show up. Of course they quickly wanted to assist. I had no problem with that and we all welcomed as much help as possible. Eventually there were many people much stronger than I on the scene and so I decided to get myself down to camp IV and leave the rescue for the more able bodied souls.
The weather was a complete whiteout but thankfully the wind had died down and was not a problem. I rappeled a couple of the rock steps and made sure to stay tied in to the safety rope. I was exhausted. What an ordeal. I knew I was o.k. to get down. I just did not know how long it would take me. I could only muster up no more than 10 steps and I would have to sit down and rest. Oh well. Not a problem. I knew that eventually I would get down. Upon arriving at the balcony I noticed 2 of my teammates. One was a very accomplished marathon runner and she had some wonderful sports drinks tucked away inside her down suit. Upon seeing this I asked if I could have some and she gave me the entire bottle. The flavor of something other than bland, smokey tasting water was a treat. I drank almost the entire bottle and I noticed someone next to me crying. It was Dorjee, our Sirdar. He was in great shock because of the condition of Mike and he kept repeating that Mike was going to die. As a veteran of 6 previous expeditions to Everest, Dorjee had never lost a climber and he was devastated that Mike may be the first. I gave him some sports drink and reassured him that Mike was in capable hands and would almost certainly get down alive.
With that forced bit of calming reassurance I resumed my descent of the Triangular Face of upper Everest. I still was running low on energy and every 10 steps I would sit down and rest. This terrain looked really different than on the way up. Even though it was a whiteout I could still make out a few rock features that I could not have seen earlier due to the pre-dawn darkness. I knew I would be passing a few famous dead bodies on the descent and I kept my eyes wide open. I could now see camp IV down below and I knew I was getting close. I sat down again and took a few pictures of Lhotse and a few other mountain features as the clouds and snow were moving in and out. Eventually I got to the flat part of the South Col where, in a whiteout like this one, a dozen climbers got disoriented and most of them lost their lives on May 10, 1996. This time was different. In anticipation of bad weather a 5mm perlon cord was tied from the outermost tents of camp IV to the edge of the flat area. This way a climber could use this safety tether as a lifeline, almost assuring a safe arrival back at camp. I slowly wandered in to camp and was greeted by a few of our superstar sherpas. A hug, handshake and a warm drink were all welcomed enthusiastically. I took off my oxygen bottle and climbed in to the tent. After opening my sleeping bag I strapped on my oxygen and just layed there trying to understand what I had just accomplished. I was so excited for tomorrow when I was to be able to make the phone call home and let everyone who was diligently praying for me what had just happened. As excited as I was for what I had accomplished a Bible verse kept coming to mind. King David's words in Psalm 115 verse 1. "Not unto us (me), O Lord, not unto us (me), But to Your name give glory, Because of Your mercy, Because of Your truth." I still understood that only through the strength given to me by God, only through the mental toughness granted me that day by the Almighty was I able to do what I had just done. Several hours had passed and a few of my other teammates began to filter back in to high camp. Eventually, as darkness began to overcome us, all had returned except for two - Mike and Phil. I knew the rescue would take a little bit longer than normal because of the conditions. I just did not realize it would be this long. I prayed for their safety and dozed in and out of a joyous, hypoxic stupor.

The Summit Push (part 7)

2010-07-28T20:22:00.001-06:00

Photo 1 - The view looking west toward Cho Oyu at 26,907'. Cho Oyu is the flat topped peak in the background. For such a giant, notice how little it looks compared to my lofty perch on Everest. Glance at the horizon. Notice the curvature of the Earth?

Technically, I did have two options - descend or forever become a frozen bump high on the slopes of Everest. However, I really only had one choice. I had just stood on the very top of the world and I dearly missed my family at home. I wanted to quickly be reunited so therefore, I strapped my oxygen mask on, turned the flow rate to 1 1/2 liters per minute and started down. "Wow!" I said to myself. Going downhill is supposed to be easier but this was tough. I took a step and snagged my cramp-on on my down suit. I stumbled slightly, thankful I was safely tethered to the safety rope. I rehearsed in my mind the sequence of events that would lead me safely back to the South Col and the relative safety of my tent.
I worked my way down making sure to safely pass the climbers still on their way to the summit of Everest. At one very crucial passing, one with 8,000 feet of air beneath my feet, I got tangled up and lost my balance. Again, the rope anchored to the icy slopes held. "That was close" I yelled behind my hissing oxygen mask which was efficiently supplying life saving vapors to my lungs. I actually felt strong despite my seemingly lack of mobility. "Getting down is mandatory" I reminded myself. With that little bit of reassurance I quickly descended to the top of the Hillary Step. Luckily there were not many climbers ascending this steep portion of rock and ice so I worked my way to the rappel line. While rappeling I noticed one of my team members still on his way to the top. I checked to see how he was feeling and to ensure that he still had ample strength to get to the top and back down. We patted each other on the back, he offered his congratulations on my successful summit, and he reassured me that he was doing just fine. I made a mental note that I had now seen every one of my team members except for two. I easily could have missed them especially since everyone is thoroughly covered by a lofty goose down suit. I clipped back in to the traverse rope and made my way to the bottom of the South Summit. As painful as it was I now had to reascend 20 meters to the top and resume my descent on the other side. Upon reaching the top I noticed another teammate. She was huddled over, exhausted and running out of oxygen. At her pace she did not have enough oxygen to get to the top and back down safely. Therefore, she heroically decided to turn herself around, content with reaching the second highest point on earth.
So that was one more teammate. I had now past all of my teammates except for one. He was usually so strong. He was always near the front of the climbing group. I told myself that I must have passed him and in my hypoxic state did not realize it.
At the South Summit we picked up our empty oxygen bottles that we had exchanged for a full one on the ascent. Slowly I made my way down the Southeast ridge into a quickly building snow squall. I had hoped this would not be a repeat of the disaster on Everest in 1996 when 11 climbers got lost on the descent in a snowstorm similar to the one growing around me. Most of those climbers are still on Everest, frozen in the spot where they eventually collapsed, lost and hopelessly beyond extreme fatigue.
There are a series of rock steps which must be navigated in order to continue down. I threaded the rope through my rappel device and began one of the many rappels that would eventually lead me to my tent 2,000 below. In what seemed to be just a couple of minutes I came upon another bottleneck at the top of another series of fixed lines. Nearing the front of the queue I noticed two things strangely out of place. One was the odd sight of only seeing the head of one climber because his body was hidden by the sheer dropoff on either side and the other was a huddled mass of yellow collapsed on the ice. It turns out the head I saw was one of my teammates and he quickly recognized me. He removed his oxygen masked and yelled "Mikey's dying, Mikey's dying!" Collapsed on the snow in front of me was one of my teammates. The last of whom I was certain I had recently passed and just did not recognize on the ascent. However, I never did pass him. He never made the summit. As it turns out he was suffering from delusional swelling of the brain and was mumbling incoherently. Without the strength to move he had just sat down refusing to go anywhere. I could only see the head of my other teammate because Mikey was not tied in to the safety rope and he was selflessly being held on to the mountain by a teammate who refused to continue his own descent in order to save the life of another. By this point the snow squall had turned in to a full scale blizzard. I was tired but new what I had to do. There was no way I could leave Mike to die up there. I had to help him down, but first, we had to get him moving and he demonstrated very little effort in attempting to get down. His delusional thoughts had given him permission to just sit there and die and he reassured us that that was exactly what was happening.

The Summit Push (part 6)

2010-07-14T22:00:00.001-06:00

It was really quite easy to make the decision to carry on. After all, this was the moment I had worked and trained for for so long. However, the life sustaining supplemental oxygen I was breathing was a precious commodity at this elevation and I did not want to run out. Although, I had trained very hard for several years just to get to this place and I was confident in my strength - both physical and metal. With that rational my decision was made. I kept the flow rate at 1 liter per minute and I continued on toward the summit.

Upon reaching the balcony the route meanders sharply up and to the left or slighly northwest. With the aid of my headlamp I was looking around trying to memorize various parts of the route. Upon my descent, should that be in a whiteout or blizzard, I would need all the help I could get to return to camp safely. Even in the dark the ridge was very clearly defined. A sharp drop-off on either side would certainly lead to an express ride back to the bottom of the mountain. I was now entirely on the upper southeast ridge of Mount Everest. I was so happy just to be there. I got to climb at my pace for around an hour or so and there it was - another traffic jam. Here the route turns completely vertical for a small series of rock steps. One rope and a plethora of people who were, at this point, clearly fatigued. I did not look at my watch but upon reaching the top of these steps I knew it had been more than an hour. At this point the eastern horizon was turning a beautiful pink and purple and then quickly I saw bursts of orange, yellow, and red. Watching the sunrise from this lofty perch was truly an honor and a privilege not had by many.
The climbing route continued steeply upward and I just kept taking one step at a time. I would also play little mind games with my self. When was my birthdate? When was my wedding anniversary? When was Alexander born? I would then purposely wiggle my fingers and toes. All of this in an attempt to ensure proper mental clarity and focus as well as warding off frostbite from the extreme cold. Eventually I attained the South Summit of Mount Everest. At 28,800' I was now standing on the 2nd highest point in the entire world. Even better was the beautiful view across the knife edge traverse and the famous Hillary Step. The most famous vertical pitch of rock and ice in all of mountaineering. This was the point where I would change out my oxygen bottle for a brand new, completely full one.
After that essential gear adjustment I began the agonizing descent back onto the ridge and made my way toward the Hillary Step. I had worked hard for every foot of elevation gain and I did not want to lose any by descending. However, to begin the traverse I first had to go down. I quickly made it to the Hillary Step and after a short wait it was finally my turn. Climbing this completely vertical pitch of rock and ice at just a shade under 29,000' was exhausting. Not to worry I told myself. Be patient.
Topping out on this famous feature I bagan to feel that just maybe I would stand on top. I did not want to feel overconfident because I knew that could lead to a fatal error but I knew I was close. Another half an hour of scrambling, jumping, climbing, and perseverance I came to a huge rock. I had to gingerly slide around this rock and hopefully not fall. The amount of air under my feet made even me a little uneasy. I confidently climbed around this rock and there it was. I could see in the close distance a group of people huddled around a bunch of prayer flags. There was a clearly defined hump of snow and nothing but a deep blue sky behind it. It was at this point that I knew I would make it. Five minutes later I took my remaining steps upward to the rooftop of the world."Woooooohoooooo! I did it!" Oh what a feeling of accomplishment. The thrill and experience was all I had dreamed it would be. The time was 8:15 a.m. on May 23, 2010. Eleven and one half hours after starting out for the summit, I stood on top.
I completely took off my oxygen mask and I just looked around. I needed to find somebody to take my picture - and a lot of them! Many pictures and video were taken on the summit and perhaps 20 - 30 minutes had passed. At this point the wind was picking up and the once crystal clear blue sky was filling with clouds. The famous snow plume of Everest was beginning to show and blow off toward Tibet. It was time for me to get down - quickly and safely. I recalled the words of Ed Viesturs, North America's most accomplished high altitude mountaineer. "Going up is optional, getting down is mandatory." In the midst of my joy and celebration I did not realize the amount of time I spent on top of Everest without my oxygen mask on. I did not want to risk dizziness and stumble 10,000' striaght in to Tibet so I quickly put the mask back on and took in a few deep breaths. "Getting down is mandatory" I told myself. "I have to do this." Easier said than done. This is the portion of the climb where most fatalities occur - the descent. Climbers use every bit of their strength to stand on top and leave nothing in reserve to get down. I turned around, tied into the rope and began my descent. At this point I realized my error in judgment in taking off my oxygen mask on top. Fatigue quickly set in and all I wanted to do was sit down and not move. I wanted to rest but I did not want to die, which almost always happens when a climber loses their will to descend. Which option did I want more?
Video Credit: Raphael Gernez

The Summit Push (part 5)

2010-07-04T14:02:00.000-06:00

Photo 1 - The view from the South Summit - 28,850'. In the distance is the famous Hillary Step, the bare, vertical patch of rock. Notice the steep drop offs on each side. The left side is a 10,000 foot drop in to Nepal while the right side is an 8,000 foot drop in to Tibet.

Photo 2 - A closer view of the Hillary Step.

Wrapped up in every piece of clothing I had, in addition to a -40F sleeping bag I was feeling quite content. Here I was stretched out in my tent at 26,000' listening to the sound of the wind blow. If the wind did not abate there would be no attempt to summit. However, I remained quite optimistic. I had read about this very situation many times from the various successful summiteers over the years. Every time they would recall how the wind just stopped and their summit push began.

As a group we decided to stagger our departure from the South Col. A few of the slower members would leave at 8:00pm and the faster members would leave at 9:00pm. The idea was that the faster members would eventually catch up to the others some where above the Hillary Step and we would all summit together. It seemed to be a well thought out plan.

And then it happened. Just like I had read so many times from other climbers, the wind just stopped. Of course there was a stray breeze here and there but nothing like we had just endured. This was it! It was a go! It was 7:00 p.m. and climbers from other groups began leaving for the summit. We had to hurry. This was not the time nor the place to get stuck behind a bunch of amateur climbers as they re-learn proper rope technique. But, moving fast at this altitude is something reserved for the over ambitious dreamer. The air is so thin that just sitting up will leave a climber out of breath. Earlier in the evening I had melted enough ice to afford me one liter of water. That was it. All I would be able to drink for the next 12 - 16 hours. I then took off my oxygen mask so that I could move about a little easier. I had so many minor things to do. Pack my extra oxygen bottle, re-distribute the contents of my pack, try and eat a snack, and more. Soon it was 8:30 p.m. and I popped my head out of the tent. The night sky was amazing. The stars were so bright. There seemed to be many billions just twinkling away. I was in awe. The best view was reserved for only the select few on Earth who were gazing upon creation from this vantage point. On the far away horizon, where the last of the sun's rays were slowly disappearing, I could just barely see it. The curvature of the Earth. How amazing! I knew that, if given the opportunity, the views would only get better.

I looked at my watch and it read 8:40 p.m. Twenty minutes earlier than what we planned on but I have never been known to be late. Looking into the night sky all I could see was a long line of headlights from the various climbers already on their summit attempt. I had a weird feeling that I would have to accept getting stuck in back of the many climbers because the traiangular face of Everest is no place to climb without the safety of a rope. I could not out climb anyone on this portion of the route. My first objective was a feature known as the balcony. A somewhat flat spot at 27,500'. This is the location where Sir Edmund Hillary built his high camp in 1953 on his way to becoming the first person to summit Everest. At a 2 liter per minute flow I knew that I only had 16 hours of oxygen with me. I needed to be at this spot within 4 hours if I had any shot of making the summit without running out of oxygen.
I quickly caught up to the climbers who had left 15 minutes prior to me and the traffic jam started all over again. We inched our way up ever so slowly. Despite the frustration I remained optimistic. The weather was perfect. Twenty degrees below zero, no wind, and nothing but stars in the sky. I was doing it! The many years of dreaming and reading were all coming down to these next few hours. Could I do it? I did not know but I was going to give it my best shot. The triangular face is very steep. As steep as the Lhotse Face and in spots steeper. This year was a lean snow year on Everest so there was more rock than normal. This fact was realized when we all reached a series of 20' vertical rock steps. There was only one way up and only one rope. These features caused the progression toward the summit to come to a stand still. I did not want to look at my watch but I knew that gaining the balcony in 4 hours was becoming more of a fantasy than a reality. I kept reassuring myself that I could do it. What could I do? I did not want to climb unroped and yet I might have to if I wanted to make the summit and not run out of oxygen. I then considered turning down my flow rate of oxygen. I felt strong and I knew I could do it. After all, we were climbing very slowly. At one of the many stand still moments I took off my pack and oxygen and turned my flow rate down to 1 liter per minute. This is far less than what most climbers climb on but it increased my availability of oxygen by more than 16 hours. At this rate I now had almost 30 hours of oxygen left between my 2 bottles. That reassurance did not make the line upward move any faster. In fact, we were stopping more frequently. I was getting more and more frustrated. All I had to do was get to the balcony and I could begin to pass. After what felt like an eternity I reached the balcony. It was still pitch black and just a light breeze was blowing. This is the spot where many people stop and rest, change oxygen bottles and then continue on to the summit. I knew I could not stop and rest. I had to begin passing people, but first I decided to look at my watch to see just how long it took me to get here. I was hoping for 4 hours and was somewhat shocked to find out it had been just over 6 hours. This was not good. I was now coming to the most physically demanding portion of the summit attempt and I was craving more oxygen. I was left not knowing what to do. Should I turn up my flow rate of oxygen and risk not summiting because I ran out or should I keep the flow rate at 1 liter per minute and risk not having the strength to continue? I wrestled back and forth in my mind for a few seconds before I could come to any conclusion. At that point I made my decision. I knew what I had to do. Would it work?

The Summit Push (part 4)

2010-06-26T20:03:00.000-06:00

Photo #1 - The steep and treacherous upper Lhotse Face.
Photo #2 - Climbing toward the Yellow Band.

I woke up at Camp 3 on the morning of May 22nd and one thought immediately came to my mind. Tonight I would be climbing to the summit of Mount Everest! I could hardly believe it. All I had to do was safely climb to the South Col at 26,000'. That would be my final staging ground for the assault upon the summit.
I started the laborious task of melting enough ice to fill my water bottles. This took around an hour and while the stove was humming away I started the equally laborious task of putting on my many layers of clothes. I also screwed the regulator onto my oxygen bottle because from this point forward I would be breathing supplemental, bottled oxygen. All said and done, 2 hours had passed and I was ready to begin the ascent of the upper Lhotse Face. I clipped into the fixed rope and made the traverse over to the main route which went straight up. I swung my ice ax with great force and I jabbed my cramp-ons into the icy sheet beneath me. I quickly came to a slope that was close to vertical. I thought it would be realtively easy but not this time. I felt as if I were sufficating. I was not used to climbing with a mask on my face and I felt as if it was sucking the life out of me instead of delivering the necessary oxygen needed to climb skyward. I ripped the mask off and began climbing without it. I began to think that I must get used to this mask. I had no choice if I stood any chance of making the summit of Everest. In 2005, I had safely climbed to 27,000' without any supplemental oxygen. I felt strong enough to do that again but above that was a complete unknown. I talked myself back in to wearing the mask and continued climbing toward the first obstacle of the day - the Yellow Band. I quickly passed the remnants of other team's Camp III tents that had not survived the furocious wind that almost constantly rakes across the cold slopes of the Lhotse Face. I thought I could continue at a quick, steady pace and much to my chagrin so did about 100 other people. The face is so steep and there were so many people, all with varying degrees of fitness, that we all came to a bottleneck. Little did I know that it would be stop and go like this for the rest of the entire summit push.
A few hours later found me at 24,500', the place where a climber begins traversing upward to the Yellow Band. The Yellow Band is a 200' series of yellow, limestone cliffs. It presents the first real challenge on the climb to Camp IV. It was vertical or near vertical for the entire pitch and I was glad when that part was over. I could now see the rest of the route to the Geneva Spur. That would be my final obstacle for this move to Camp IV - I hoped. I eventually made it to the cut off where people climbing Lhotse head up to pitch their Camp IV. I was certainly glad I was not going there. It just did not look fun at all. It was just as steep as the Lhotse Face and full of avalanche danger. I finished the upward traverse and stood at the base of the Geneva Spur. More vertical rock. I was getting tired and so I rested for the first time on the way to Camp IV. I was very pleased that despite all of the delays from the many people I was able to maintain a positive attitude and I knew that all I needed to do was put one foot in front of the other and I would soon be at the safety and relative comfort of Camp IV. Climbing the Geneva Spur was tiring and yet amazing all at the same time. After a couple of hundred feet of doing this I topped out on the Spur and could see the final traverse into Camp IV. I had imagined this traverse to be flat from all the book knowledge that I had of this mountain. Alas, it was not. It was up and down and rarely flat. I passed a climber being assisted down with ropes and I made sure to leave plenty of room so as not to kink up my rope. Eventually, after 5 hours of effort I strolled in to Camp IV on the South Col. I was absolutely in awe. Here I was standing in the exact place of so much mountaineering history. I could see from Tibet on one side of me to Nepal and India on the other. I could see the famous, still never climbed, traverse between Lhotse and Everest. I could see the upper, triangular face of Everest. I could see climbers coming down from the Balcony, a "flat" spot at 27,500'. Most importantly I could see my tent. My safe haven from the now increasing gusts of wind. Even though I was amazed to be here I knew that I would have no chance of continuing my summit push if these winds did not abate. I silently wondered if this was the end of the road. My high point for this journey. Clouds began to move in and it started snowing. The wind was gaining strength and my hope for standing on the roof of the world was in doubt. "Please God, allow me this chance. You framed the world with your hands. You made this mountain I am now standing on. I acknowlege You as the Mighty Creator. The heavens and earth declare Your glory and I recognize that all I have is from you. Please grant me this opportunity" I prayed. As the wind continued to howl the other members of our team began to trickle in to camp. It was not long before the talk around camp was focused upon whether this inconvenient storm that made its home right with ours would remain with us or move on. I layed down in the tent trying to get a little rest before the biggest night of my life was to begin. However, the wind was not abating but, thankfully, neither was my optimism. I just had a good feeling that this time tomorrow I would be in awe from seeing the view from the top of the world.

The Summit Push (part 3)

2010-06-20T15:20:00.000-06:00

Photo 1 - Yours truly at Camp 3 - 23,500'
Photo 2 - The view from Camp 3. Notice the climber behind on the Lhotse Face. Triangular Face of upper Everest in the far distance.
Photo 3 - The beautiful view down the Western Cwm.
Photo 4 - Vertical ice climbing just above the bergschrund on the Lhotse Face - 21,800'.

During the early morning hours of Friday, May 21st I easily woke up to a calm, peaceful and quiet Camp II. This was the day to move on up to Camp III and the weather was taking a turn for the better. An incredible thought entered my mind. Tomorrow night I would be trying for the summit of Everest. How cool was that? After so many years of dreaming, this was it. Now I just had to make it up to Camp III today and Camp IV tomorrow. I left Camp II around 8:00 a.m. and the first thing I noticed was the incredibly long line of climbers already up on the Lhotse Face. I figured that I was in no hurry and I would take my time; saving my strength for what lay ahead. Depending upon the location of Camp II the first 10-20 minutes outside of camp follow loose rock on top of ice. This is always cumbersome for me because it is difficult to maintain good footing. Nontheless, I quickly made it onto the glacier proper, tied in to the rope and began my winding ascent to the bergschrund at the base of the Lhotse Face. I felt lethargic and was surprised when I started easily passing many climbers heading for the same place I was. My excitement bagan to build even further and I knew that today was going to be a great day. The Lhotse Face is pitched at an average angle of 40-45 degrees. There are a few vertical sections and a few slightly less than the average. All said and done this is not a place where a climber would want to slip. Any fall from this famous landmark would certain prove fatal. However, there were many guided groups in front of me and they were moving extremely slow. I had two choices. Continue going at a turtle speed or unclip from the safety rope and free climb short sections until I passed the other climbers and then quickly tie back in to the rope. I chose the later. I tried to maintain safety at all times on my climb of Everest. This was not one of those times. I knew I could easily climb unroped and get around these people and I felt a little confident. Not cocky or proud, just confident in my climbing abilities.
It was a little over three hours since I left Camp II and I was the first from our team to make it to Camp III. On my mind most of the previous evening and certainly this morning was what was missing from our tents. I just knew that something would not be how we left it. Upon my arrival I immediately saw what was different. There were quite a few pale yellow and brown spots surrounding our tents. The sides of our tents and the inner vestibules on two of them had been used as a toilet. Can you believe that? Really? No courtesy from this other group that had very poor organizational and logistical support. Now I had to look inside the tents and see if any of our supplies were missing.
It turns out that even though we sent sherpas up to dig out our Camp III tents the previous day, the tents had partially been buried by the wind driven snow overnight. Therefore, I was unable to enter any of the tents upon my arrival, so even though I was tired I set out to try and begin excavating the tents. By this time Phil had arrived at Camp III and joined me in chopping out the bullet proof snow with our ice axes. After clearing the snow from one of the tents I was able to get inside and grab the shovel our sherpas had left up there a few days prior. I also took a quick inventory of our oxygen bottles. Thankfully, none were missing. So other than a few "poopie" marks surrounding our tents, nothing else was out of place.
Over the next 4 hours the rest of the team arrived and settled in for the evening. Eating what little we could force down and masking the retched taste with water melted from the surrounding "clean" ice, we tucked in to our sleeping bags for a fitful night of sleep. The plan was to get up in the freezing cold hours of the early morning and begin the long, slow, arduous climb to Camp IV. I easily fell asleep and began dreaming of a beautiful Everest summit day. This is the life. The stuff dreams are made of.

The Summit Push (part 2)

2010-06-14T20:25:00.000-06:00

Photo #1 - Self portrait on the Lhotse Face on the way to Camp IV.

Photo #2 - Approaching the Yellow Band. Could there be any more people?

Photo #3 - Above the Yellow Band. Approaching the Geneva Spur.

Photo #4 - On the Geneva Spur. Looking toward Camp IV.

Photo #5 - The final traverse into Camp IV.

Photo #6 - Yours truly upon reaching Camp IV - 26,100'.

Thursday, May 20th dawned very cold, clear, and extremely windy at Camp II. Our team decided this would be our second rest day because the forecast called for continued high winds on Everest through the 22nd. A few other less equiped teams decided to push their summit attempt one day early. Therefore, by the time I woke up many other climbers were on their way to Camp III. One team already had climbers reaching Camp III as I continued gazing upward. It was at that time I noticed something odd. Even considering the distance between Camps II & III I could still make out the long line of climbers slowly ascending. One cluster of climbers in particular seemed to be all congregating altogether - directly next to our tents! I immediately knew what was going on. "No! Not now! Not after all this time and effort. Please don't do this!" Camp III on the Lhotse Face is constantly battered by extreme wind. Consequently, if tents are left erected for any period of time they get completely buried by snow and the poles break. Whereas, the previous day we sent 2 sherpas up to Camp III to pitch our tents and clear away any lingering snow and ice, this other independent team did not. As a result when their climbers reached Camp III they could not find their tents. They were completely buried by the recent snow and incessant wind.

With the wind raging and the temperature well below zero, they needed immediate shelter and our tents looked so inviting. Inside our tents were stoves, fuel, food, and most importantly, life sustaining oxygen. Just enough for our summit attempt. If they were to use our supplies our summit push would be over. All the previous month's work would be in vain. Unfortunately, a huge reality on Everest is that people come to the mountain ill-prepared. They sign up with the cheapest organizer they can find. Consequently, many seemingly small details are overlooked. It would have been so easy for this team to send up a few sherpas to unbury their tents. Instead they considered just using our tents. After all, they were vacant.

Upon seeing what was going on our Sirdar, or head sherpa, went over to this other group's Camp II headquarters and demanded that they vacate our tents and use their own. He loudly exclaimed that our team was not going to suffer because of the incompetence of their leadership. They needed to send up their own sherpas with new tents, oxygen, fuel, and food. Of course they denied our accusations until we provided them with a little proof. One of our team members had a very powerful camera lense. One that, when focused upon Camp III, made it appear as if it were 10 feet away. We took a series of pictures of their team entering our tents, standing outside of our tents, and holding what looked like our oxygen bottles. Their two-way radios magically seemed to work and their climbers were given orders to immediately start vacating our tents - our personal property! Needless to say, after all was said and done, this stress filled event coupled with the lingering thoughts of a pesky cyclone in the Bay of Bengal added a few more gray hairs to my current collection.

The remainder of the day should have been spent relaxing and resting. However, we all took turns monitoring the current state of our Camp III tents. In between rotations I filled my time with eating and socializing with other climbers. That evening, I decided to turn in early because I wanted to get an early start for Camp III the following morning.

Even though we saw the mystery team's climbers vacating our tents, I just could not help but thinking that something was missing from our tents and our camp. Something had been stolen. It wasn't until the next day, upon reaching Camp III, that I would find out just exactly what it was. Really?

The Summit Push (part 1)

2010-06-12T21:02:00.000-06:00

Photo #1 - Nima Nuru Sherpa and I hanging out at Camp 2 during the summit push.

Photo #2 - The last vertical section (about 55 feet) before exiting the Khumbu Icefall and entering the Western Cwm.

Photo #3 - The continuous line of people above Camp 3 just before the Yellow Band (24,500').

Photo #4 - Topping out on the Geneva Spur (26,000') looking at the Triangular Face of upper Everest.

After 22 days of "patiently" waiting, I began my assault upon the highest snowpatch on Earth. After many consultations with our weather forecasts, various maps, and other data we decided that May 18th was to be the day. I could not believe it. The day was almost here. It was showtime! I spent May 17th going over my final summit clothing and packing my backpack with the final necessities. In the past I had climbed to the summit of Everest many times in my dreams. However, today was the day to make those dreams reality. So I went to bed early on May 17th knowing that tomorrow would begin some of the most physically demanding days of my life. I was so excited I hardly slept a wink. In fact, I was already awake when my alarm went off at 4:00 a.m. Quickly shuffling to put my clothes, harness, boots, and crampons (ice spikes on the bottom of my boots) on, I decided to shove down a hard boiled egg and some toast. I really wasn't hungry but I knew I would need all the calories I could consume. Five o'clock saw me entering the Khumbu Icefall for what I had hoped was the second to last time. I rapidly made great progress through the Icefall and I was utterly amazed at how much the route had changed in the last 3 weeks. The end of the season was near. The weather was much warmer and the Icefall was splitting open everywhere. There were so many more ladders to span the great depths of the endless crevasses and I silently wondered if I would be able to return on my way down. I was also concerned that my 3 week stay at basecamp would negatively affect my hard won acclimitization but it turns out my concern was not necessary. What took me 5 hours the first time through the Icefall I was now able to do in 3. It turns out my extended rest period was proving beneficial in terms of added strength and acclimitization.

I topped out of the Icefall and worked my way through several more ladders and crevasses all the way to Camp 1. It was now 8:00 a.m. and the sun would soon shine directly on me. The next bit of hiking/climbing was to be one of the hottest portions of the climbing route so I decided to shed a few clothing layers. I ate a quick snack, drank some water and soon started the 2 hour journey into the solar oven known as the Western Cwm. Normally this portion of the route is just a gradual, smooth, uphill hike but this year was different. There were large crevasses that needed to be crossed by several ladders lashed together and a lot of uneven, up and down type hiking. Oh well, not to be concerned. I easily made the final journey into Camp 2 just 5 1/2 hours after I had left basecamp. Our wonderful Camp 2 cook, Pasang Disco Sherpa, warmly greeted me with a cup of cold mango juice. I had several cups of this delightful beverage and then settled in to my tent. This was to be my home for at least 2 nights and possibly a few more. I was a little disconcerted to hear that an approaching cyclone could put a bit of a damper on our summit plans. Rumors of another cyclone and subsequent snowstorm like the one in 2009 that dumped 6 feet of fresh snow on Everest was beginning to float through Camp 2. My dream of a safe summit of Everest began to slightly fade. Immediately I "cast all my cares" up to God and began to pray. A calming assurance overcame me and I no longer was worried. I knew that whatever was to happen regarding the cyclone would still happen no matter how much worrying I did. After receiving our nightly weather forecast, it turns out that the cyclone was heading away from us but there was still a possibility of a few stray clouds and possibly a little snow. Whew!

We decided that the 23rd was still the best day for a possible summit attempt and hopefully was to be accompanied by beautiful weather. That meant that the next 2 days were to be rest days. I would be going nowhere and that was just fine with me. I really wanted to summit Everest but I wanted to do it with strength and in good health. The next 2 days (May 19th & 20th) were spent eating, drinking, and looking up. From Camp 2 there is an awesome view of Everest's south summit and the Hillary Step. These would be a few of the final obstacles I would have to overcome if I was to eventually stand on the top of the world. As it turns out I would have an even greater obstacle and it was staring me right in the face. This couldn't be happening. "No! Not now! Not after all this time and effort. Please don't do this!"

Home safe

2010-06-04T03:48:00.000-06:00

Well, this great journey has come to an end. I safely reached the loving arms of my family last night. Today it's off to the park, riding in my truck, juice, tickle fights, and Target. These are the things my son wants to do so we shall do them.
I promised more details on the summit push and I intend to do it. More pictures as well. Stay tuned. Thank you to everyone who looked after, cared for, and prayed for my family and I. We are deeply grateful.

Safely in Hong Kong

2010-06-02T19:03:00.000-06:00

Leaving the Kathmandu airport has always been a bit cumbersome. Nepal has only been open to foreigners for close to 60 years so, therefore, they are still far behind the rest of the world. Their technology is antiquated at best. This usually leads to considerable delays when minor problems arise. The delay last night was the fast approaching monsoon. Not that a 'little' rain and a few clouds are a problem. The airport is so small there is no place for passengers to wait when flights are backed up. There are no concessions, no restrooms, and no proper tarmac.
Oh well, no worries now. I have safely arrived in Hong Kong, one of my favorite international airports. I only have 7 hours left and then it is off to the good 'ol U.S. of A.

The long flight home

2010-06-02T07:05:00.000-06:00

My great Everest adventure is coming to a close. My bags are packed and my balances settled. My taxi is due to pick me up in 1 hour. After immigration formalities I begin the long journey home. I fly from Kathmandu to Hong Kong where I only have an 8 hour layover this time. Then it is off to Los Angeles where because of the magic of the International Date Line I arrive 2 hours before I leave Hong Kong. More immigration formalities and then another 5 hour layover. I look for a flight to Denver and will arrive around 9:30p.m. I am so excited to see my family. I have now been away for 71 days. What a long time.

Back in Kathmandu

2010-05-29T19:01:00.000-06:00

Hi friends! I have returned to Kathmandu. Wow! What a difference a day makes. I went to my favorite hotel last night and enjoyed a proper bed for the first time in 2 months. I also went and had 3 dinners at 3 different restaurants - all within 2 hours. I have lost about 25 pounds. I know weigh close to what I did in high school. Oh well. I will put the weight back on real quick. Plus, when I return, I start back up in Combat Calisthenics with all of my friends.
I will still offer a few different summit perspectives in the next few days. Thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers. I miss you all and can't wait to see you.

Packing up Base Camp

2010-05-26T06:59:00.001-06:00

This is Diana again. The team spent the day packing up Base Camp, which includes the computers, modems and phones. They will leave in the morning to spend 3 days hiking 40 miles to Lukla where they will catch a flight back to Kathmandu. It has been snowing for the past several days. They will need clear weather to fly out of Lukla. If you were following the blog when Ben talked about flying into the Lukla airstrip, you will understand why prayers would be helpful for clear weather. When Ben returns to Kathmandu, he will post another blog. And then he will be on his way home!!!! Thank you all again for following along and for your prayers.

Everest summit photos

2010-05-25T06:14:00.000-06:00

May 23, 2010 @ 8:15 a.m.

More detailed report to come. Thank you for your prayers.

HE MADE IT!

2010-05-24T07:14:00.000-06:00

Ben stood on top of the world May 23rd at 8:15 am. He is back at Camp 2, safe and completely healthy. His dream of climbing Mt. Everest has come true!! May God get all the glory!

Please continue to pray for the health and safety of the team as they all climb down the mountain to return home to their families safely.

Ben will post an update tomorrow with pictures from the top of the world!

No News is Good News

2010-05-23T16:09:00.000-06:00

This is Diana posting an update since I know there are many anxious to hear something! Anything! On Ben’s May 16ht blog post, he said he was not planning to have the ability to call home until he climbed down from Camp 4 to Camp 2 on the 24th. He will wake up in a few hours and it will be the 24th, but I don't expect him to be able to call me until tomorrow morning (MST) when he reaches Camp 2.

I have been anxious since last night because the team website said that they would take the phone to the summit and call if the weather permitted and batteries lasted. I didn't expect Ben to be able to call me, but rather the team organizer to call his home so that the team website could be updated. Those plans must not have worked out because their website has not been updated. If I received a call this afternoon, I would be concerned since Ben should be sleeping due to the time difference – not to mention the exhaustion he must be feeling.

Ben’s good climbing friend, Gavin, has been in contact with me letting me know about all the good signs. All other team websites are reporting that yesterday was a beautiful day to summit with low winds. Bad news travels fast and no one is reporting anything about rescues or incidents on the mountain. There were a lot of people planning to summit this weekend, I am choosing to believe Ben was one of them.

I hope this sets you at ease for a few more hours until Ben is able to call home. Thanks again for all your prayers! We have the greatest friends & family.

Quick Update from Camp 3

2010-05-21T07:17:00.000-06:00

Ben surprised us with a call again this morning. The team has arrived at Camp 3 and the winds are low. When at Camp 2 I could hear the winds outside his tent. Today everything sounded calm. He sounded strong and excited. They will leave for Camp 4 tomorrow morning at 7 or 8 Everest time - about the same time we are in the midst of tonights evening activities (MST). Then they will stick to the plan and leave Camp 4 around 9 pm the following day (9 am MST, Saturday morning). YIPEE!

The important prayer concerns at this time of the trip are for strength, focus, mental health, and of course physical health. I will also be praying that they do not get stuck in any bottlenecks and are able to keep moving on the mountain and in order to stay warm.

And he is off!!!

2010-05-20T07:19:00.002-06:00

This is Diana again with today’s update. This morning’s call from Ben is probably the last one for several days. The team has finished their rest at Camp 2 and will leave for Camp 3 tomorrow morning. The cyclone has not impacted the weather on Everest and the weather continues to be consistent with the forecasts they have been following. They will be able to stick to the schedule Ben posted a few days ago. They have heard of many other teams making summit attempts the on the 21st and 22nd so they are planning their summit push for 1 day later to avoid the crowds and bottlenecks, which can be very dangerous. Ben sounds strong. Although, between the conversations of a chatty two-year old, Ben did mention something about his back which was a concern before he left for this trip. Once again, thank you all for your prayers. The next update will hopefully be good news of Ben’s summit and safe return down the mountain.

Safe & Sound at Camp 2. However?

2010-05-18T07:17:00.000-06:00

This is Diana, posting an update for Ben. He has arrived at Camp 2 safely where the team will rest for a few days. How long will be determined by the weather, once again. There is a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal that may hit Mt. Everest or change the weather on the mountain. The team has the computer and modem at Camp 2 for the purpose of checking the weather updates. Your prayers are greatly appreciated.

Finally, Ben would like to wish his nephew, Joey, a very Happy 13th Birthday!

Summit push is on!

2010-05-16T23:23:00.000-06:00

I POSTED 2 DISPATCHES - SEE BELOW

Wow! After 21 days of waiting at E.B.C. and 14 years of constant dreaming, it is now time for me to begin my summit attempt of Mount Everest. I am so excited, thrilled, anxious, scared and more. I take comfort in my favorite Bible verse of all time: Philippians 4:13. The verse states, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” For me, this 8 day endeavor to stand on the roof of the world and return safely will be the most physically demanding thing I have ever done. When the word ‘strength’ is mentioned, it is not only physical strength that will be required of me to stand on top of Mount Everest. Mental strength will also be paramount. The mental strength to keep pushing even though I will be exhausted. The mental strength to constantly reassure myself that I really do have what it takes to summit and that I truly have earned the privilege to climb Mount Everest. Perhaps, most importantly, the mental strength and clarity of thought to determine whether or not to continue up or turn around and be able to climb another day. I do not know, and I often ponder what I will face while high on the slopes of Mount Everest. Unsafe weather conditions, extreme cold, snow/avalanche conditions, the frozen corpses of past climbers, and a host of other factors will weigh heavily on my mind as I travel heavenward. As I have stated many times in the past, climbing safely and returning home to my family is much more important than any accolades I might receive from a summit of Everest.

Here is my anticipated climbing schedule for the next 8 days.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010 – leave E.B.C. at 5:00 a.m. and climb directly to Camp 2.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010 – Rest day at Camp 2.

Thursday, May 20, 2010- Rest day at Camp 2.

Friday, May 21, 2010- Climb from Camp 2 to Camp 3.

Saturday, May 22, 2010 – Climb from Camp 3 to Camp 4 arriving no later than 1:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 22, 2010 – leave Camp 4 at 9:00 p.m. for the rooftop of the world.

Sunday, May 23, 2010 – God willing, I will summit Mount Everest around 7:00 a.m. and return to Camp 4.

Monday, May 24, 2010 – Climb down from Camp 4 to Camp 2. Call home, update blog.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010 – Climb down from Camp 2 to E.B.C. Call home, update blog.

For those who are interested, the time difference between Denver, Colorado and Mount Everest is 11hrs 45min, with Denver being behind. This may help in determining where I am on the mountain in real time. If possible, I will call my wife and she will update this blog as information becomes available so please check in daily.

I am humbly amazed that I have so many people all across the world praying specifically for the team and I. Thank you! May God richly bless your life as He has mine.

Summits of Everest. At what cost?

2010-05-16T22:08:00.000-06:00

I sit here at E.B.C. typing away on the computer knowing that right now, at this very moment, there are many people either standing on the summit of Mount Everest or are closing in on the final, few, hard won meters. I salute their courage and tenacity. However, the summit is only halfway. What good is standing on top if you can’t make it down? From the several radio transmissions we have heard a few of these people have been climbing toward the summit for more than 12 hours. They have been climbing through wind gusts in excess of 50 m.p.h. Their oxygen supply must be getting dangerously low. Their chance of severe frostbite is almost certain. Of course the latter observations are pure conjecture. Either way the conditions that these climbers are enduring are outside of our team’s realm of safety. I understand the possibility of trying for the summit if there was no acceptable weather window in sight. I understand trying if your remaining days on the mountain were limited. From what our team can determine a very suitable weather window is developing in just a week’s time. The winds are forecasted to diminish to a more suitable level, the chance of precipitation is dwindling, and the summit temperatures are expected to rise to a very balmy –13F. I do not know what leads one climber to accept certain conditions and another climber to whole-heartedly disagree and reject them as unsafe. I do know that we all have the same goal in mind and that is to stand on top of the world and return home safely. And safety is what I am hoping for for these few brave souls who are presently enduring extreme conditions. No mountain in the world is worth a person’s life. No mountain is worth not returning home to the loving arms of family and friends. For now we will continue to analyze the data presented to us in the hope that we will soon receive our chance of scaling the upper reaches of Mount Everest.

C.S.I. Everest?

2010-05-13T23:54:00.000-06:00

Photo 1 – Taken from Camp 1 on Pumori – Ama Dablam in background.

Photo 2 – Taken from Camp 1 on Pumori – North & South side of Everest, West Shoulder of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse.

Photo 3 – Why do yaks always stare at me? (Steph, still staring. It never ends.)

A good friend of mine and fellow climber (2x Everest summit), Tunc Findik of Ankara, Turkey gave me the following advice when preparing for this Everest climb. “Stay out of the base camp drama. Keep your mind clear and stay focused on your own climb.” I figured that should be an easy thing to do but never imagined the amount of drama that would actually occur.

Death on Everest is a fact. It is a huge risk that both my wife and I considered when preparing for this climb. However, in life, I believe there are certain risks that cannot be avoided but can be managed. Yes, accidents do happen. Nonetheless, human error is a big part of most deaths on Everest. These errors and subsequent deaths on Everest can be managed by proper education on current conditions for the chosen mountain, safe climbing practices, proper attitude and mental outlook, and more. So far there have been 3 climbing related deaths on Everest this season. This is tragic but it is not unexpected. What has been unexpected is that even with the cool weather on Everest the Khumbu Glacier is melting out at an alarming rate. Along with the melting, the glacier reveals events of the past. This now leads to the drama. In the last week there has been 4 bodies melt out of the glacier and several more are expected because of the knowledge and location of past climbing accidents. After some investigation it has been determined that a few bodies are as recent as 2006 and a few others may be older than 15 years. This sobering reminder of what we as climbers are undertaking suggests a moment for pause and reflection.

Currently, other drama on Everest is a race to be the first Finnish woman to summit Everest. One of these Finnish women is on our team. I believe that climbing should not be about who is first and who is not. What does it really matter? Can anyone name the first American woman to summit Mount Everest? Probably not. Simply climbing at this level is an achievement in its own right, personal accolades aside. The drama in this situation is that the weather up high is terrible and not conducive for a safe climb. However, both women in an attempt to be the first have started their summit push. Right now they are both climbing through very strong wind and subsequent extreme cold. This has led to some multi-hour intensive radio communication on the upper mountain. Down here in the relative comfort of base camp it is hard to imagine that some of the events of the next couple of days will not end in bodily harm. Along with these 2 ladies there are several other teams pushing for the summit. I am concerned because the weather forecast is not supportive of a safe summit push. I do wish everyone absolute safety and personal success.

There is more drama on Everest but I will spare everyone the details. For now I am trying to maintain a positive attitude and keep a clear mind. Today is rest day #18 at E.B.C. There seems to be a weather window developing for a summit attempt somewhere around May 23 – 27. I am focused and determined to give the summit my best shot. However, everything I do here on Mount Everest is encompassed by the thoughts, concerns, and actions of safety. I appreciate your continued prayers for the team and I. As well, please remember my wife and son in your prayers. They have been 100% supportive of my efforts and deserve all my respect.

Weather rules on Everest!

2010-05-11T23:57:00.002-06:00

The weather on this mountain sucks. I am getting really frustrated by the continued poor weather and we are running out of time. We have been pinned down by extreme wind here at E.B.C. for 3 days. It is also still very cold here. By May of each year we should be able to walk around base camp in just a fleece long sleeve shirt and pants. However, we are still bundled up in our down jackets and heavy clothing. The conditions on the upper mountain are even worse. We have had 4 tents (mine included) damaged (broken poles) by the wind here at base camp, several more at Camp 2 as well as Camp 3. Our Camp 4 supplies are hopefully safe but no one knows because we have been unable to climb up and see.

The weather forecast is not any better. Actually, the 2 main weather forecasting services are in complete agreement, which is rare. Extreme wind conditions are forecasted on the upper reaches of Everest until May 21st at the earliest. This can change but I am beginning to lose confidence. I have now been at E.B.C. waiting for the weather to improve for 16 days.

There is a small weather window developing for the 22nd – 25th. We are not sure but maybe that is when the jet stream will move off of Everest. We need at least 4 consecutive days of descent weather and manageable wind conditions to approach the summit and descend safely. The entire summit push will take 7 days but we can ascend/descend the lower mountain in less than ideal conditions.

All said and done the weather is out of our control. We just have to deal with what is given to us and stay safe. Thanks for following along. Hopefully, some good news to report in the coming days.

Still waiting...

2010-05-09T22:23:00.000-06:00

Photo 1 – Another nice view of our 2 Mountain Hardwear dome tents at night. In the background is Pumori (23,357’) and a few Buddhist prayer flags blowing in the breeze.

Photo 2 – I attempted to climb this peak, Ama Dablam (22,551’), in 2006. We were constantly pounded by heavy snowfall and the potential avalanche conditions were too high for a safe climb. I retreated happy, confident, and safe, knowing I could attempt this peak again some other time. As you can tell, the mountain is still there and I am still safe.

Patiently waiting is the name of the game here at EBC. The jet stream is still hovering over the mountain and the winds are high. I am trying to stay occupied by going on small hikes. Even in this beautiful setting I am getting bored. I have now been at EBC, resting, for 14 days. Imagine, in the real world, sitting down and doing nothing for 2 weeks! Hard for me to imagine. Honestly, according to the weather forecast, we may be here another 10 days before attempting the summit. Ugghh! As always, your prayers are coveted and much appreciated.

Maoists call for end to strike.

2010-05-08T01:33:00.000-06:00

Photo 1- The much heralded picture of me doing laundry.

Photo 2 – After the clouds have cleared the view down valley from my tent at EBC.

Photo 3 – Pumori (23,357’) peeking through the clouds.

I have now been at EBC or higher for 1 month and I want to thank everyone for their continued prayers for the team and I. “The prayers of a righteous man (woman, people) availeth much.” The good news is we just heard that the Maoists have actually called off their own strike. This will immediately help the people of Nepal return to a “normal” life. Food can begin to flow back into the capital, people can return to work and earn money for their families, and a plethora of other things that most of us take for granted. As for us at EBC the Maoists have left and are no longer a threat. This news coupled with a second day of sunshine has brought a renewed hope that our summit attempt can begin shortly.

So what does the jet stream say about this? Hold on, not so fast! The jet stream is still blowing at over 80 M.P.H. on the summit. These strong winds are expected to continue until at least the 16th. Although, this can change very quickly. I still remain patient that the weather will improve and soon I will drink the cold, thin, crisp air of 29,035’ A.S.L.

I want to also send out a special thank you to all of the moms out there. Happy Mother’s Day! I hope your special day is fun and relaxing. To the #1 mom out there, my wife, Diana. Alexander is blessed to have you as his mom and I am blessed to call you my wife. A special thank you to my mom, Cheryl. Your steadfastness and perseverance is amazing. Last but not least I thank Ruth, Diana’s mom. You’ve set a tremendous example of what a mom truly is. Happy Mother’s Day!

Bad weather, Everest summits, & Maoists

2010-05-06T00:54:00.000-06:00

Today is day 5 of our little Mount Everest snowstorm. As you can see by the pictures it is gray, cloudy, cold, and snowy. We haven’t had much accumulation of snow, just a light and steady downfall. For 5 days! Mainly, it has just been completely void of sunlight and that is the discouraging part for me. However, I am reminded of a verse in the Bible: “This is the day that the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it.” In deed the Lord has made this gray, snowy day so why not be glad? It definitely makes for a much more enjoyable day. So my days have been filled with snowball fights, rock tipping (very fun), and reading.

I believe there is always good news around if you are just willing to look for it. Yesterday, 6 rope fixing Sherpas stood on top of Mount Everest. This was the last crucial step before we can mount a safe and successful summit assault. Our safety ropes and lifelines are now installed from the bottom to the top of Mount Everest. You may be wondering how they made it up there with all of this terrible weather? I do too. Although, this awesome feat of strength is not unheard of. It happens every year. First off, our weather forecast did predict a 2 day window of relatively low wind speed (30-50 m.p.h) and warm summit temperatures (-30 F). This has allowed the Sherpas to sneak up there and back down quickly. The jet stream usually moves off of Mount Everest for a 2 to 3 day period at the beginning of May every year. This is just enough of a safety window for the mighty Sherpas, but not enough for us regular folk. The jet stream is now firmly parked back on top of Mount Everest and the summit winds are now over 120 m.p.h. as predicted by our weather forecasts. So, as I now sit out day 10 of my rest period before the summit attempt, I continue to be patient. For those who know me well, patience is a struggle of mine. However, I am open and willing to learn and be refined more into our Maker’s image.

Quick prayer request, as you may have heard on the nightly World News, Kathmandu is under a “bandh” or stike and complete lock down. The Maoists have completely shut down the city and no one is allowed on the streets. They may make an exception for emergency services. However, the word is that the Maoists are now at base camp and are asking for “donations”. This is not voluntary and must be complied with or else trouble will ensue. The team is safe and from harm, for now. Google “Maoist” for more information. Please pray diligently.

Thanks a million for your continued prayers and kind thoughts. Is that the sun trying to poke through? I hope so.

You guess the summit date contest!

2010-05-04T02:33:00.000-06:00

I am surprised at how many people are actually following my blog. I really enjoy reading all of the comments that are posted and the many words of encouragement. Therefore, I thought I would show my appreciation by holding a little contest. The contest is to see who can correctly guess my upcoming summit date AND time. For example, May 4, 2010 @ 8:45 a.m. The contest will end on May 10th. I will not say what the prize will be just yet because it will be determined by who wins it. Although, believe me, it will be amazing.

Now, I do not want to be so presumptuous, arrogant, or proud as to assume that I will definitely stand on the summit of Mount Everest. There are many things that still need to line up for that to happen. If I do not make the summit then I will use the guess that most closely estimates the time and date of my turn around.

And now for a bit of help in estimating the summit date. It will not be before May 10th because of the current position of the jet stream. It will be no later than May 27th because the Khumbu Icefall will become too dangerous and completely impassable. I will leave for the summit at 9:00 p.m. the previous evening hoping to summit early in the morning of the next day. I will only have 16 hours of supplemental oxygen with me (2 bottles at 2 L.P.M.) to go to the summit and return to my high camp. Once there I will have more supplemental oxygen. That should be enough to keep you guessing.

There can only one guess per person. Please tell your friends and let’s see who gets the closest.

Questions & Answers

2010-05-02T23:29:00.000-06:00

Photo 1 – Our 2 luxurious Mountain Hardwear Space Station Dome Tents at night. The one on the right is our communication dome where we have 7 computers, 3 Thuraya DSL modems, 23 radios for communication on the mountain and a lot more. The dome on the left is where we eat and eat and eat.

Photo 2 – Partial camp view at night. I hope these photos turn out. Before I compressed them they were absolutely fantastic.

To your great dismay I will not be attaching a photo of me doing laundry. Late in the evening of May 1st, there was a snowstorm here at base camp and we received about 12” of snow and it has just stopped snowing. Therefore, my laundry duties have been postponed. Why won’t anyone hang out with me?

However, for those of you who post comments to my dispatches, thank you. I really enjoy them. Some of you have asked questions and I will use this update to answer those questions.

Stephy-lu-lu – Jerry’s vegetarian comment was a huge hit. I broke out that little gem when we first discussed climbing the Lhotse Face and apparent ice fall dangers.

I have not seen any marmots here but they can definitely be heard at all hours! Crazy how those little fellas hide so no one can see them. The look on people’s face is priceless.

The yaks still stare at me ominously. I had quite the stare down contest a few weeks back. I did take another picture of the offender in your honor.

Our group Sherpas are just that – group Sherpas. We have a total of 8 group Sherpas and 2 personal Sherpas for the 2 members who require them. While on the mountain we are expected to be self-sufficient. Therefore, I usually climb alone. However, I am always roped in and within earshot of other team members.

I have sung How Great Thou Art to myself from the beginning of this trip. It is hard to imagine any other place where God’s great handi-work is more properly on display. For the sake of other people’s hearing, I keep the singing to a minimum.

Congratulations to you and the other R.O.M. instructors on a safe spring climbing school. I am so happy to hear of the great turnout. I look forward to meeting the students this summer during Wednesday night rock climbing.

Josie – I corresponded, via email, with Brandon and Christine Chalk before the climb. We were meant to do some training climbs together but never had the chance with our conflicting schedules.

I have heard of and met Eric Weihenmeyer. Actually my good climbing buddy was heavily involved in Eric’s Everest attempt and Eric’s Everest North Side climb to benefit blind Tibetan teenagers. I am glad Eric is following along.

Tell Randy there is no way my vending machine is empty. I have a top vending machine re-fill person looking after my affairs. Thanks a million BHH.

Marcus – I did not make it very far up Everest on my last attempt, from the North or Tibetan side. Really, I only made it to the first camp, very low on the mountain. It was on my approach to Everest Base Camp, while crossing the Tibetan Plateau that I found out my wife was pregnant with our son, Alexander. I knew the proper thing to do was to come home and leave Everest for another attempt at a later time.

Our summit attempt will be sometime in May. Sorry to be so vague but we are now totally dependent upon the jet stream. Ideally we would like to attempt the summit as soon as possible. However, “His Ways are not Our Ways.” Therefore, we will wait and be patient. If it happens it happens. If not, the mountain will always be here should I be blessed enough for another attempt. Although, not likely.

Kimmy Squeeze – Thanks for the matcha shot. I received it in no time at all. BTW I will be stopping by your place of employment on my way home. I’m jonesing for a Gulf Stream.

Doug – Congratulations on your own Everest – a new Harley Davidson. Ride safe and responsibly. Don’t take the corners on Lookout Mountain to fast anymore.

B double D – I enjoyed your comment. Thank you for the Scripture verses. However, the altitude is playing tricks on my memory. Who are you? Damron?

Biggin’ – Do I know what I am doing? Absolutely not! I need to be sent back to Justin for re-training.

Anonymous – I do not have any contact with the 13 year old on Everest. He is on the North side and I am on the South. Nepal, or the South side, hold the record for the youngest person to summit Mount Everest – 16 years old. Therefore, the Nepalese will no longer allow anyone younger than 17 to attempt Everest from their side.

Please fill in your name when posting comments. I like to know who sent them.

Help! I need oxygen.

2010-05-01T03:21:00.000-06:00

Photo 1 – Group shot at Pumori Advanced Base Camp.

Photo 2 – Yours truly at Pumori Advanced Base Camp. Everest is the dark pyramid in the back left side. Nuptse is on the right. Everest Basecamp down below.
Photo 3 – Me trying on the Poisk oxygen mask and the 4 liter (960 liters compressed) oxygen bottle I will use on the summit push. At a 2 liter per minute flow rate (while climbing), one bottle will last for 8 hours. I will have a total of 5 oxygen bottles for my personal use. I will sleep on a ½ liter per minute flow rate. Therefore, one bottle will last for 32 hours. As you can calculate, I have a considerable safety margin built in with my oxygen system.
Another 2 glorious days have passed and I have tried to fill them with fun, time consuming things. Things such as – drinking tea, eating, sudoku, reading books, calling home, walking to and from my tent, making squeaking noises and then hiding from the unsuspecting, small hikes, and laundry. Oh yes. These are the days in which you do not hear about when told of exciting Himalayan adventures. However, these days are necessary. Each day my strength is returning little by little and my appetite is getting bigger (hard to imagine). I am able to mentally focus and, further, keep my mind focused on the looming objective.

The jet stream is still parked over Everest at the moment and the team continues to exercise patience. Our entire expedition is focused upon safety first. No need to be a hero. Our wonderful team of Sherpas carried 20 bottles of oxygen and some tents to our high camp on the South Col (26,000’) today. One more load up to the Col and we are 100% staged for the summit push. The Sherpas will then return to base camp and rest up for the magic day. Our weather forecasts continue to be a bit mixed at the moment. Although, Phil, with all of his Himalayan experience, assures us that positive things are happening concerning the jet stream. It is his job to interpret the weather graphs, charts, and satellite imagery we receive twice daily from our trusty weather source. Therefore, we can see a few more days resting at base camp before the final push. Patiently we will wait and go when we feel the time is right, not when other teams may decide to go and push the limits of safety. It does happen.

Again, thank you so much for keeping my family and I in your prayers. We greatly appreciate it. Please stay tuned as the next, exciting, thrilling, awe-inspiring dispatch will include a photo of me doing laundry.

So many rest days...

2010-04-28T23:35:00.001-06:00

Photo 1 – Me in our luxurious shower tent.

Photo 2 – Our very helpful Sherpas lending a hand in re-pitching a tent.

Today begins my third rest day at Everest Basecamp. From the current weather forecast it looks like another week or so before we will begin our assault upon the summit. The forecast calls for little precipitation up high but the wind is still too strong to safely climb in. This waiting period is completely expected and is not without good news. The route to the South Col at 26,000’ was opened yesterday. This is fantastic because the South Col is where we will have our high camp and is our final launching ground for the summit. I am pleased to confess that our climbing team has the best Sherpas on the mountain. Without their help we would be unable to climb Mount Everest. We now have 70 bottles of oxygen at Camp 2, enough food and gas, and enough tents for our final battle with the soaring heights of Mount Everest. Tomorrow the Sherpas move up to Camp 2 where they will begin the final two day transport of our supplies to the South Col. Once this feat is accomplished we will be 100% ready for the summit push. This will coincide nicely with the moving of the jet stream.

In the last dispatch I promised a little insight in to a “rest day” here at EBC. “Resting” at 17,500’ is tough. Even though I have been here for 3 weeks and am thoroughly acclimated, I still get out of breath just reaching for something to drink. Or even walking the 50 feet to my tent. Life here can be tough. We do have a few “luxuries” though. Today, for the first time in 10 days, I was able to take a shower. This was more for the team’s benefit than mine! Yesterday’s major event was cleaning the inside of my tent and re-pitching it upon solid ice. Since I am camped upon a glacier coupled with the intense sunrays here at high altitude, my tent platform has begun to melt. It is really interesting at night to be woken up several times with the loud “POP” of the underlying glacier moving, creaking, and splitting open. I love this! Tomorrow’s highlight will be a hike over to a neighboring mountain’s basecamp. I will provide pictures in the next update.

I am 100% committed to successfully finishing this expedition, however, I still long to be in the company of my wonderful family. So, I will now provide you with my top 10 list of things I miss about home. #1 – My beautiful, happy, smiling wife. #2 – tickle fights with my son – I love him so much. #3 – Our extended families. #4 – Our church family. #5 - Red Robin Restaurant. #6 – any bookstore. #7 – Magluba – my favorite Arabic dish. #8 – all of my friends, especially my R.O.M. buddies. #9 - Combat Calisthenics – Hi Sean, Nick, Ronno, Donna, Sharon, Jolene, and Beth. #10 – My job. With much gratitude – Thank you Dave and Lee for allowing me the time away. As well, mindless banter with Bryce and not to forget my P.E.C. neighbor – Kathy B.

Thank you everyone for your continued prayer.

Back from Camp 3 - 23,500'

2010-04-26T02:15:00.001-06:00

Photo 1 – Near vertical ice climbing at 23,000’. Ugggh.

Photo 2 – Yours truly on the Lhotse Face at 23,500’. The prominent bump in the background is the Geneva Spur. The last obstacle before Camp 4 at 26,000’ – my staging ground for the summit attempt. Notice Mount Everest still rising mightily to the left and still being pounded by the jet stream.

Photo 3 – View down the Western Cwm from Camp 3 at 23,500’. Many mountains that have been towering above me for weeks are now at eye level. Notice the “flatish” mountain in the far background. This mountain is Cho Oyu standing at 26,907’. I stood on top of this mountain on September 29, 2005. As you can imagine, I had the opposite view – staring at Mount Everest, Lhotse, and the Western Cwm. I wondered to myself if I would ever have the opportunity to climb there. Mission accomplished. I am so blessed!

The entire team has returned safely from our 5 day trip up the mountain. As planned, we did climb up to the sight of our Camp 3, which will be at 23,500’. Along with this great accomplishment coupled with several more days at Camp 2 we are now sufficiently acclimated and ready to mount an attempt upon the summit. However, the jet stream is not ready for us to try for the summit. The current wind speed on the summit of Mount Everest is 55 m.p.h. Too strong to try and climb up there. So, as of now we are anticipating 10 – 14 days of rest at basecamp before we try for the summit. It very well could be sooner, but we must plan for the longer period of time. Currently, we receive daily weather forecasts for multiple elevations on Mount Everest, including the summit. Once we receive a favorable long term forecast we will stage an attempt upon the summit. So what will occupy our time while waiting for the summit window? Please keep following along. Thank you for your prayers.

Another Call from Camp 2

2010-04-24T07:53:00.002-06:00

This is Diana again, with Ben’s update. Ben called again this morning from the safety of Camp 2. He had just returned from Camp 3, where he spent a spent some time. Tomorrow is another rest day at Camp 2 before heading back down to Base Camp. This time I could hear the excitement in his voice for his progress thus far and the anticipation of the summit. He is anxious to return to Base Camp to post a more detailed blog himself, including pictures. Look for this in a few more days.

Safe & Sound at Camp 2

2010-04-22T07:15:00.000-06:00

This is Diana with Ben’s update for today. He called this morning on the satellite phone from Camp 2 at 21,000ft. Even in his superb physical condition he said it is exhausting, climbing from Base Camp to Camp 2. He still sounds strong, but I could hear the exhaustion in his voice. The entire team is safe and strong, but all team members were already sleeping (before 7pm Everest time). Tomorrow is a much needed rest day at Camp 2. It is cold there, so they are all bundled in their down suits.

Ben continues to be impressed with Phil as the organizer and the Sherpa team is excellent. They have 40 bottles of oxygen ready for the team.
Ben, Alexander & I all thank you for your prayers. God is answering them.

Moving back up...

2010-04-20T23:00:00.000-06:00

So here is the schedule for the next 5 days:

Thursday, April 22, 2010 – Basecamp to Camp 2 @ 21,000’

Friday, April 23, 2010 – Rest at Camp 2

Saturday, April 24, 2010 – Climb to Camp 3 @ 23,900’ – Rest for a few hours and descend to Camp 2

Sunday, April 25, 2010 – Rest at Camp 2

Monday, April 26, 2010 – Descend to Basecamp

This will be my final rotation on Mount Everest before attempting the summit, hopefully sometime in early May. Above Camp 3 I will begin to use supplemental oxygen for the first time. In September of 2005 I climbed to the summit of the world’s sixth highest mountain, Cho Oyu @ 26,907’ without supplemental oxygen and felt fine. However, Mount Everest requires a much higher demand on the body. Although just 2,128’higher, the danger of climbing to the summit of Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen can be fatal. Climbing with supplemental oxygen is extremely safe. The supplemental oxygen will allow me to think more clearly, make better decisions, and feel warmer in my extremities. As I have stated from the beginning – safety first. If at any point I feel unsafe I will turn around pleased and content.

Please pray for safety and wisdom for the entire team. We are all doing really well. Our upcoming summit attempt is dependent entirely upon the jet stream. It must move north of the mountain to allow for safe passage to the summit and back. This happens each year in early to mid May. We have the best resources available providing us with up to the minute weather forecasts for Mount Everest. Theses forecasts will also give us an idea of potential wind speed; another determining factor in our summit attempt. I pray, I hope, I wish, for an early May summit attempt. Overall the weather has been fantastic and hopefully, this will continue. Thank you to everyone who is praying for the team and I. As well, thank you to everyone who leaves a comment. I truly enjoy reading them all.

Back safe fromCamp 2

2010-04-18T02:45:00.000-06:00

I have safely returned from my 3 night stay on Mount Everest! On April15th I left basecamp at 5:00 a.m. and climbed through the Khumbu Icefall all the way to Camp 1. Phil and I climb at a similar pace so I never climbed alone. Always safety first! We were the first of our group to arrive at the sight for Camp 1. The views were fantastic. We pitched a few tents at the entrance to the Western Cwm (Welsh word meaning valley) as this was to be our home for the night. I truly felt like I was climbing Mount Everest. Throughout the morning we easily crossed any crevasse we faced and easily scaled every ice cliff. Although, proper thanks must be given to the Icefall Doctors who maintain the route, which is constantly changing with the flow of the Khumbu Glacier. This fact would be recognized on my way down because there was a massive collapse in the Icefall. Thankfully, every climber was safe and accounted for.

Day 2 found me wandering up the Western Cwm all the way to Camp 2 at 21,000’. The view of the Lhotse Face was everything I had imagined, absolutely fantastic. From this vantage point I could just see Everest’s south summit and the famed Hillary Step. I rested for the afternoon and tried to make myself at home and it was home that was on my mind. Even though our food is top notch, nothing compares to my wife’s wonderful cooking and smiling face.

Day 3 was meant to be a rest day so we could further acclimate to the altitude. Camp 2, or Advanced Basecamp is a large area and is actually quite rocky. The constant rock fall from the upper reaches of Mount Everest have thoroughly littered this area. So why camp at this particular spot? Remember we are camped on a glacier that is constantly moving. The actual portion of the glacier that receives the rock fall is safely out of reach. One of the attached pictures is me in my fluffy down suit at Camp 2. Take notice of the rocks at my feet all while on snow and ice. A few of us spent the morning wandering around Camp 2 and tried to breathe in the mountaineering history this sight represents. As soon as the sun dipped behind the beautiful North Face of Nuptse the temperature quickly plummeted to zero degrees and I quickly put on my Mountain Hardwear Absolute Zero down suit. Ahhh, warm again.

Day 4 - This morning was a chilly morning to get out of the sleeping bag and the tent at 21,000’ but I did not want to wait until the sun would hit and warm things up. I had to make my way all the way to basecamp and I wanted to do so before the intense sun prompted the Icefall in to action. So now I sit typing away on the laptop knowing that the entire team has safely descended to basecamp.

A few days of rest and relaxation are on order before we head back up the mountain and try to touch Camp 3. More details on this climbing sortie later. I know that this update may seem to indicate that every step is a dangerous one on Everest. Please remember that for me attaining the summit of Everest is the bonus and not the only reason I came here. I came here to enjoy God’s beautiful creation and to do so as safely as possible. If at any time I feel unsafe or that I am unnecessarily jeopardizing my life I will gladly and willingly retreat. My wife and son are far too important for me to be needlessly reckless. You may wonder, isn’t climbing Mount Everest in the first place needlessly reckless? Well, those thoughts and contemplations are for another time. Thank you all for your continued prayers.

Rest complete! Leaving for Camp 1 and 2.

2010-04-14T02:03:00.002-06:00

Today ends our 3 day rest cycle. Tomorrow we will leave basecamp at 5:00a.m. and travel the entire Khumbu Icefall all the way to Camp 1 which is at an elevation of 19,680’. We will stay only 1 night at this camp because it is just a temporary refuge. We will then leave one tent at Camp 1 and some oxygen which will be for emergencies only. The following morning we will then enter the Western Cwm, rope together because of the enormous crevasses, and climb to Camp 2. This camp is also known as Advanced Basecamp (ABC) and is at an elevation of 21,000’. This camp will be our future staging area when preparing for our summit attempt and Camp 1 will be bypassed completely. The plan is to stay at this camp for 2 nights and then return all the way to basecamp for a 5 – 7 day period of rest. Why so long of a period of rest? There are several reasons. Number 1 is that just living at this altitude is extremely arduous, demanding, and tiresome. The body needs this time of rest in order to function “properly” at the higher elevations on Mount Everest. As well, it is extremely difficult to eat sufficiently at altitude so in returning to basecamp we can try and eat enough to replenish what has been lost on the mountain. Number 2 is that we need to wait for the Lhotse Face to be fixed with rope and for Camp 3 to be established at an elevation of 23,900’. I will provide more information on this camp in a later dispatch. Please remember that nobody would be able to climb Mount Everest without the help of Sherpas. There are personal Sherpas and group Sherpas. I will also provide more information on these hardworking people at a later time. Look for more to come as well as some pictures in 3 – 4 days. Thank you for your continued prayers of safety. Also, please keep my lovely wife and awesome son in your prayers as I am away. Thank you.

2010-04-11T03:37:00.000-06:00

Today I started climbing Mount Everest! Since I have been at basecamp for 3 days, it is now time to begin acclimating to the higher elevations. A climb of Mount Everest generally takes 4-6 weeks upon arrival at basecamp. The reason for this is that I have to allow the body time to create more red blood cells. These are the body’s cells that carry oxygen. As you can imagine the higher in elevation one goes there is less oxygen to breath. Therefore, to overcome this, I can further my acclimatization by climbing high and sleeping low. So today I ventured onto the lower portions of Everest, at around 18,200’, and have returned to basecamp for 2 days of rest.

The most notorious portion of the climbing route on the South side of Everest is the Khumbu Icefall. This is a two-mile long maze of jumbled ice blocks, crevasses, and seracs as big as a house. These crevasses, sometimes 20 feet wide and 150 feet deep, are overcome by aluminum ladders lashed end to end and then placed horizontal to span the enormous openings in the glacier. The Icefall is the first obstacle that must be overcome if I am to attain the higher reaches of Mount Everest.

The object of today’s little climb was to get to the first couple of ladders and work on the skills necessary to cross these frightening fissures with confidence and speed. The confidence needed to cross these wide gaps is easily understandable but why the speed? The Khumbu Icefall moves downhill at around 3 – 4 feet per day. The crevasses instantly get wider, and the enormous blocks of ice can collapse without warning. Once the sun hits the icefall the glacial movement accelerates. Since I will need to cross through the icefall 6 times in total, I must be fast and efficient. So most of the climbing on this portion of Everest is done at night for obvious reasons.

Please enjoy the pictures taken of me crossing a few of the crevasses in the lower icefall. Again, thank you to everyone who has remembered me in prayer. Words cannot express my gratitude.

In a few days I will venture all the way through the icefall and sleep at Camp 1. This will begin my first of several rotations up the mountain. Hopefully, if all goes well I will also push on to Camp 2 located at approximately 21,500’. I may be out of contact for a few days because carrying the computer, DSL modem and other technology stuff higher on the mountain is just too cumbersome. However, I will be able to call my wife via satellite phone and she can post an update on our progress. Thanks for following along as I attempt to stand on the highest point on Earth.

Safe arrival at Everest Basecamp!

2010-04-08T04:27:00.000-06:00

I have safely arrived at Everest Basecamp. How cool is this? I am presently sitting at 17,500’ A.S.L. typing away on our fantastically reliable GD8000 computer. The weather has been absolutely fantastic. Not one cloud in the sky every single day and very warm temperatures. As well, there has been a slight breeze to keep the trekking to basecamp manageable.

Actually, we are one day ahead of schedule. Since the team is all very strong and healthy we decided to skip the last village of Gorak Shep and trek all the way to basecamp. I am positively dumbfounded at the facilities and amenities we have here. I will elaborate more on these luxuries at a later time.

So what is in store for the next couple of days? I need to acclimate to this altitude so the name of the game is rest, rest, and more rest, at least for a couple of days. Tomorrow we will have our puja ceremony. This is another Buddhist ceremony in which a local lama will come to our basecamp. The sherpas have built a chorten or alter and will string out 5 strands of prayer flags. A little rice throwing, some prayers, dancing and drinking will be just enough for the sherpas to feel safe and secure. The following day they will begin carrying loads of gear up the mountain in order to help us build and supply our camps. Of course I will be respectful but will chose to sit this ceremony out. In a few days we will begin to wander into the icefall. This is the most spectacular portion of the Southside route on Mount Everest. We will come back to rest a few more days and then make our first foray all the way through the icefall and sleep at Camp 1.

Since my computer and satellite connection are much more reliable now I will be able to provide updates much more frequently. Thank you to everyone who has kept the team and I in your prayers. A special measure of thanks to those who have prayed specifically for my back. So far, no problems. My back is feeling fine.

Thanks for following along. More to come later. Is that fresh bread I smell?

Heading for Lobuche

2010-04-06T05:52:00.000-06:00

Well, our rest day is finished here in Dingboche. Tomorrow we head further up the Khumbu Valley for the even more desolate village of Lobuche - elevation 16,100'. We are all doing well as a team and feeling healthy, therefore, we will go straight to Everest Basecamp on the 8th and skip Gorak Shep. This will be nice as our basecamp facilities are second to no other team on the mountain. I will be able to start sending pictures again from there as our satellite/modem/DSL connections are more reliable.

More coming real soon. Thankyou for your continued prayer and encouragement.

The Voice of Truth?

2010-04-05T00:53:00.000-06:00

The last 2 days have been filled with some of the most breathtaking (no pun intended) scenery on the planet. i am now sitting in the tiny, dusty, windswept village of Dingboche - elevation 14,465' - and I ponder not the beauty around me but something even more beautiful.
Nepal and its people are grounded firmly in Buddhism. It is apparent everywhere. A stupa here, a "sacred" mani stone there, countless prayer flags, and the distant hum of a local lama chanting daily prayers surround me constantly. One of the "highlights" of any trek to Everest Basecamp and for the expedition member is a visit to Lama Geshe. He is the reigning holiest of holy Buddhist spiritual advisors, 2nd only to the Dalai Lama. For a small donation you can enter his monastery high in the mountains, bow to him, and receive a blessing of safety for your expedition as he throws rice all over you. Yesterday, around the snack table this visit became our groups topic of conversation. Everyone became so excited with the prospect of receiving this special blessing.
Backtrack 5 minutes. As this conversation began to develope I turned on my I-pod shuffle. For those not familiar, you load your I-pod with hundreds of songs from many different artists. In listening to the music, one option you have is to shuffle the music inventory so that there is a true mix of music. The VERY 1st song that came on was by Casting Crowns - The Voice of Truth. One of the lines of this song is "With all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth".
With excitement in the air we went around the table and everyone began to give their approval of this "sacred" visit. All eyes turned to me awaiting my response. With Casting Crowns playing in the background and with all the voices calling out to me, I chose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth. In the Bible book of John, the 14th chapter, and 6th verse, Jesus says " I am the Way, the TRUTH, and the Life, no man comes to the Father except through Me.
I believe any and all blessings, past, present, and future come from Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. If I achieve the summit of Mount Everest, I rest assured knowing that that blessing came from above and not from some "blessing" received by a Buddhist holy man.

First views of Everest!

2010-04-03T03:30:00.000-06:00

Today was meant to be a "rest" day. We are camped at 11,200' above sea level and this is the point in elevation where some people begin to feel headaches and nausea. We are a fortunate team as none of our members are suffering from any apparent altitude related issues. For those who know me the act of taking a "rest" day is hard for me to do. Therefore, Margaret, Raphael, Mike and I decided to go on a little acclimatization sortie to 12,800'. We ended up at the Everest View Hotel (loose term) and the views of the mighty Himalaya were amazing. We were treated with our first view of Mount Everest. In the pictures above, Everest is the "smaller" peak in the distance with its trademark cloud plume blowing off to the right. You see, Mount Everest is so high in altitude that it pierces the jet stream. That is why the clouds and moisture are blowing off the top and not off of other mountains you see. Each year around mid-May, as the monsoon season is approaching, the jet stream moves north of Mount Everest and the winds die down. This will allow for safe passage to the summit and back.
Well, tomorrow is Easter and our plan is to move to the tiny village of Deboche. This will be a beautiful trek and will provide a few challenges. Mainly the constant up and down of the trail making for a tiring day. Oh well, it doesn't get any better than this. This may be the last post for a few days. I am not sure yet. Thanks for following along and for all of your prayers. Happy Easter everyone and remember "He is Risen - He is Risen Indeed!

Made it to Namche Bazaar

2010-04-02T04:59:00.001-06:00

This place is beautiful! Day 2 of our 9 day journey to Everest Basecamp found us trekking to Namche Bazaar. We covered a total of 13.1 kilometers. I am at 11,200' above sea level and will take a rest day tomorrow in order to acclimate to this elevation. This place sure has changed since the last time I was here (4 yrs). There is now running water, hot showers at select places, and hi-speed (ish) internet access.
After our rest day we will trek to Deboche which will begin to provide us with the most beautiful views imaginable. Another high light will be the Tengboche Monastery.
Thank you for your prayers. Until next time.

All flights delayed due to weather

2010-03-31T21:46:00.000-06:00

APRIL FOOLS! We left our hotel at 5:30 this morning, checked in at the domestic terminal, and was on the plane at 6:30. The flight in to Lukla went great and we are ready to hit the trail toward Everest Basecamp. We will lodge this evening in Phakding at our Sirdar's guestlodge. Tomorrow we will head to Namche Bazaar and I hope to be able to attach photos there. The computer I am on is not working properly. C'est la vie. Oh boy! Oh boy! It's really happening.

And the rains came tumbling down

2010-03-31T06:05:00.003-06:00

The Kathmandu Valley has been crucially dry for some time. Very little, if any, rain has fallen for a long time. I am told that a sprinkle here or there has happened but nothing steady, until last night. We received a huge downpour and a big lightning show. This was totally in our favor as it cut down the dust and pollution in the city. This little event has allowed for some beautiful views further in to the Kathmandu Valley. Some that I have never witnessed in my previous visits. I went back to one of the highest points in town for a little visit and just enjoyed my final day in Kathmandu, I hope.

The tiny town of Lukla can have very fickle weather. Clouds often obscure all views of the Lukla airstrip. Since this airstrip has a mountain at one end, a cliff at the other, and is pitched steeply uphill I don't mind one bit if the pilot waits for the views to be perfect. Just Google the airstrip and you will see exactly what I mean. Currently, it is another deluge outside so we are all hoping that the weather clears for the morning. I am optimistic that it will. I hope the next update will be from the Khumbu Valley of the high Himalaya. Cheers.

Monkey See - Monkey Do

2010-03-30T04:44:00.002-06:00

I truly wish that every person had the opportunity to travel to a 3rd world country. As Americans we are so blessed far beyond what is even imaginable here in Nepal. I just read an article in the newspaper today that said most Nepalese do not even get 1 meal per day let alone the 3 or more that we are used to in America. How heartbreaking. It is easy to see why so many people beg on the streets of Kathmandu. Just consider that I get cranky when I miss a snack let alone 2 or more meals in a row. What does that say about me? I pause for thought.

Today was spent wondering through some of the poorest of the poor districts in Kathmandu. I went through these areas because I wanted to visit the Monkey Temple. This is one of the holiest of sights for the Nepalese people who are devout Buddhist. There must have been some sort of festival or holiday going on today because there were more people at the temple than I have ever seen. I just worked my way in to the crowds and climbed the 1000+ steps up the hillside to the very top. That explains the nasty sweat spot in the picture above.

One thing I did notice this time was that there are many more baby monkeys than in previous visits. Some are cute looking but I have been told never to look or even stare in to the monkeys eyes. This gesture is interpreted as aggression. Couple that with their sharp teeth and the knowledge of biting people, I decided not to take any chances. I quickly snapped a few photos of the monkeys and walked by quickly. Although, the antagonist in me had to make a few chirps and squeeks and grunts and whistles just to see if I could spook them. No such luck. One did look at me as if to say "Dude, grow up". I just laughed to myself and kept on.

Another cool thing today is that most of our team has arrived in Kathmandu. We are just waiting on 1 more to arrive tomorrow and then the trip officially begins April 1st with the commencement of the trek in to Everest Basecamp. We are a team of 6 climbers and we are all getting along great. It is so nice to have a small team. My previous Everest trip saw a team of 23 climbers. To big for my taste. I also met our Sirdar. This is the head sherpa. He is very famous as far as sherpas go. He was also the sherpa responsible for carrying the IMAX camera to the summit of Everest in 1996. He is hilarious as well and we have already compared notes on just how funny we think we are. Thanks a million for following along. More tomorrow as we hope to wind down this initial phase of our journey to the highest piece of real estate on Earth.

It's great to be back in Kathmandu

2010-03-28T23:47:00.001-06:00

Well, I have arrived safely in Kathmandu. More importantly is that all of my baggage has arrived as well. On my last trip here 1 of my bags was delayed a day. I am so thankful I did not have to worry about that this time. I arrived at 11:00pm last night and was brought to my hotel. The Courtyard Hotel is fantastic. Much better than when I was here previously. I was able to get a little sleep but I am still adjusting. The time difference between Kathmandu and Denver is 11hr 45min ahead (don't ask why the odd number).

After a superb breakfast I walked around and met old friends. We greeted each other as if no time has passed. This culture is much different than home. After a lovely cup of coffee I went to my favorite barber for a haircut and a straight razor shave. Oh, I also got a head and neck massage. The damage for this little bit of indulgence was a cool 320 rupees. For you math majors that is $3 U.S. What a country! The first picture above is me post-shave and haircut at my hotel's courtyard. The second picture is of a typical street scene in the Thamel district.

Thank you everyone for all of your kind thoughts and prayers. They are much needed and appreciated. For the rest of the day I shall meet up with more friends and head to some of my favorite eating places. I will try and upload more pics as the days come. Right now my schedule is that we fly to Lukla (that is Peterson Int'l Airfield for Bob at Piper Electric) on April 1st and begin our 9 day journey to Everest Basecamp. More to come later. Thanks for following my great Everest Adventure.

The 13 hour layover...

2010-03-27T16:36:00.000-06:00

I have arrived safely in Hong Kong after a 14.5 hour flight. That does not include additional time in the plane for boarding and getting off. The flight went quickly and I ate as much food as the ladies would give me from Cathay Pacific Airlines. I watched some climbing videos on the plane just to keep me psyched. Another thing that is keeping me psyched is getting to see old friends in Nepal. Since this is my 4th time climbing there I have made some wonderful friendships both Nepalese and non.
So what to do on a 13 hour layover? For those who know me you will not be surprised to find me eating. Hong Kong has some great seafood. Yummy. A little email followed by a nap (I hope) and I will be ready for my next flight. My flight to Kathmandu via Bangledesh is 6hr 25min so my time of sitting still is not yet over. Oh well, more yummy airline food.

Thank you everyone for your comments on these entries. They really uplift my spirits. Is that seafood I smell...?

It's time to go!

2010-03-26T10:44:00.001-06:00

Well, everything is in place. All gear has been packed. It's time to leave. It has been 3 years since I have last climbed in the Himalayas. I sure do miss the beauty and grandeur of the mighty Himalayan Range. As well, I miss the sights, sounds, and people of Nepal. Nepal is the poorest country in the entire world. Even poorer than the poorest of African nations. In Nepal people have to save up just to be poor (o.k. bad joke). However, the Nepalese do not know the meaning of "materialistic". They only have food for the next meal, clothing for the next day, and a smile that will last forever. For some reason the Nepalese are always smiling and happy. Why is that I have wondered? Possibly because they are not caught up in trying to "keep up with the Joneses." Family is all they need and a friend or two makes everything just right. I look forward to the lessons in giving and humility that I am sure they will unknowingly instruct me in. And with that I am off to the airport. After many years of dreaming, reading about, and watching videos on TV I am off to climb Mount Everest. It's still feels like a dream - a climber's dream. May God richly bless your life as He has mine.

3 days left and a grateful heart

2010-03-23T17:46:00.000-06:00

Wow! Is it true! Surely I must be dreaming. In fact I am not. I have less than 72 hours until I leave for Nepal and my attempt upon Mount Everest. So much time, preparation, committment, and money have gone in to making this dream a reality. I have so much to be thankful for and so many people to thank.

First and foremost I thank God. In today's society that almost seems cliche. Kind of like the thing to do when accepting some award or for being recognized for some great achievement. However, I genuinely am thankful for His loving hand of guidance upon my life. A close second is my wife and son. They have sacrificed so much while I have prepared, in earnest, for this expedition for some time now. A huge dept of gratitude is owed to my employer, Piper Electric Co., Inc.. I truly am blessed to have an employer so supportive of my endeavors and so willing to partner with me on this lofty attempt. I thank the MaGills (Mark, Matthew, and Daniel) for their generous gift of (1) carabiner and some new 6mm prussik cord. I thank everyone who I have shared a trail, a summit, or a rope with this past year. Your company is priceless. I must not forget my great pals at Combat Calisthenics (Nick's girls - (Donna, Sharon, Jolene), Beth, Ronno, Kurt, Nick, and Sean Lowe). You have pushed me physically beyond what I have imagined. I especially enjoy the insightful talks on ObamaCare. Although, I repsectfully disagree.

Who else? So many people are owed a thank you that I know I have forgot some. Please do not underestimate my gratefulness.

I have most of my gear already set aside and ready to pack away into my travel duffels. Every single piece of gear is accounted for and ready for use. This is so cool! My flight leaves Denver International Airport at 4:00pm on Friday the 26th of March. I fly direct to Los Angeles and after a brief layover I fly direct to Hong Kong. This will be a long flight (14 hours +). After a long 15 hour layover in Hong Kong I fly to Kathmandu, Nepal with a brief stop in Dhaka, Bangledesh to pick up a few people. All said and done I arrive at 10:30pm on Sunday evening. I will send 1 more update before I leave and then I will report live from the beautiful foothills of the high Himalaya. Oh, if you are reading this - Thank you.

One week to go!

2010-03-18T21:12:00.000-06:00

Just one week to go and I am on my way. I made all of my last minute purchases this evening and I now have everything I need. I think? I am so excited. In some ways it feel like I am dreaming. Every year at this time I am reading and rereading all of the blogs and websites I can just to climb vicariously through others who are headed to Everest. This year is different. I am the one who is climbing Everest. How cool is that? My physical training is done. I am now resting my body, allowing it to heal from any minor irritations, and just enjoying my last week with my family before I begin a wonderful journey.

For those who are interested in following along on my blog as I attempt to climb Mount Everest, my goal is to update this blog directly from the mountain every couple of days. I will try to provide up to the minute photographs for you to enjoy and a little story as to what has been going on. Thanks for following along. Please keep my wife, son, and I in your thoughts and prayers over the next 2 months. Safety is paramount and will not be recklessly compromised.

Climbing in the weather and feeling under the weather

2010-03-04T06:52:00.002-07:00

I truly am blessed to be able to live in the beautiful State of Colorado. Even more so to live within walking distance of some of Colorado's most beautiful hiking trails. Last Saturday saw Gavin, Nick and I hiking to the top of Goat Peak in Waterton Canyon. Although only 7,800' high, this little peak boasts 6 false summits so there is a lot of up and down just to get to the top and back. We did the usual 50 pound packs and 2 1/2 pound ankle weights. Add to all of that snow that was over my waist and we had a fantastic challenge.
Unfortunately, that is the last bit of exercise I have done for this week. It is allergy season in Colorado and my allergies are acting up big time. Couple that with my pesky lower back and I have been sidelined for this week. Oh well. All I can do is try to take care of myself and get better. I have a doctor's appointment today for my allergies and I have started tostretch more for my lower back. I need to be more disciplined in this activity.
On a brighter note, just 3 weeks until I leave for my dream climb of Mount Everest. The guy I have decided to go with, Phil Crampton of Altitude Junkies, is already in Kathmandu working on the final logistics for our fast approaching climb. Wow! I am excited. I can't wait.

Everest is quickly approaching...

2010-02-24T12:45:00.000-07:00

Just a little over 4 weeks until I leave on my expedition of a lifetime. Climbing Mount Everest will demand a lot from me. It is best that I be completely prepared. I have been training in full force when it comes to the physical and mental aspects of my climb, but what about training with the gear I will be using while on the mountain?
There is so much specialized gear needed if I am to get up and down Mount Everest safely and successfully. This will be my 15th climbing expedition and each trip I declare that I already have all the gear necessary for a safe climb. Each time, though, I review my current climbing gear and I find something that has holes in it, is slightly broken, not functioning properly, and a host of other things that have happened to my stuff. I begin the process of determining what I can just get by with and what needs to be brand new. I need certain gear to be in mint condition and free from all defect. I just don't want to show up on Mount Everest with all new, shiny climbing gear. I have been climbing for a number of years and I don't want to appear as the newby or rookie climber. Oh well. C'est la vie! Everest has a way of humbling even the most proud soul. Am I humble enough to climb Mount Everest? I sure hope so.

Training at 14,000 feet

2010-01-31T20:21:00.003-07:00

As a climber, living in Colorado has many benefits. The ability to hike to over 14,000', even in winter, with relative ease, is just one. This weekend I decided to take my training for Everest to the Front Range of Colorado and Mount Bierstadt. Standing at 14,060' A.S.L. Mount Bierstadt is one of Colorado's easier 14ers. Even with the deep snow pushing the "winter" trailhead much lower than the normal "summer" trailhead, I figured this peak would be a great place to sneak in a quick winter camping trip. The object was to try and hike as high as possible and set up a tent for the night. This little mini-adventure would not be complete without some fine company. I turned to a new-found climbing mate, Gavin, who is training for his own springtime adventure - Denali. All said and done we set up our tent at 13,900', just a mere 160' below the summit. We quickly built a wall around our tent made from blocks of snow. This wall of snow was to protect us from the inevitable wind found at these elevations, especially in the winter. With the sun just about to set we figured we would hike the final 10 minutes to the summit and enjoy the view. We were treated to one of the more magnificent sunsets I have ever witnessed. Watching the sun set from the summit of a 14er is something I have witnessed only one time prior. How awesome! After a quick jaunt back to the tent and then melting enough snow for drinking water and dinner we were ready to call it a day.

The rest of the overnighter went well and we were up early for the hike out. This trip proved to be beneficial because I was able to dial in my systems for Everest. More to come on this subject later.

All said and done my training for Everest is going well. I still believe that mental tenacity will be my greatest challenge on this adventure. Will you keep me in your prayers? I hope so.

Everest training continues

2010-01-21T06:31:00.002-07:00

Wow! It is amazing to think that it has been a month since my last post. On one hand the past month has cruised by quickly. On the other hand, usually while thinking about climbing Everest, the time has crept along slowly.

This past month has been filled with constant training - both physical and mental. What an undertaking. Am I crazy for trying this? What kind of person sets off for the opposite corner of the globe just to climb a mountain? Not to overuse a popular expression, but Mount Everest is more about the journey and not just the destination. I will be blessed to experience so much in the upcoming months. I truly am blessed!

As far as physical training goes the only new thing I have incorporated in the last month is the use of ankle weights. I have a set of 2.5lb ankle weights that I try to wear all day - everyday. In my mind I have reasoned that this additional 5 lbs is similar to the weight of the climbing boots I will be wearing on Everest. If I can get my body more used to the additional weight now, then, hopefully, I will be a little stronger on Everest. My pack weight has stayed at 50 lbs but with my regular hiking boots, plus the ankle weights, I feel I am really making great progress.

Over the next 2 months, before I leave, I will embark upon fattening up. No, I won't let myself get fat and out of shape. I will still work out just as hard, if not harder. It is just that I will try to eat more so as to put a little extra weight on. It is a known fact that on Everest a climber can burn up to 15,000 calories a day. There is no way I can eat that much so I will obviously lose weight while on Mount Everest. To the best of my ability I would first prefer to lose "fat" rather than "muscle". Who knows? Only the good Lord and to Him I remain ever thankful for the ways I have been blessed and for this grand opportunity. Cheers!

Beautiful views on Bear Peak

2009-12-22T06:41:00.002-07:00

Bear Peak, overlooking Boulder, was to be my next mini-objective for the week. I really enjoy hiking Bear Peak and by combining that with a quick jaunt over to South Boulder Peak, I knew that I would get some decent exercise. This climb was to be just another training exercise and a tune up for my main objective next Spring - Mount Everest! Standing at just over 8400' it was not the altitude I was training for this weekend. Colorado has many points higher in elevation. Some that are still accessible even when considering the added logistics necessary for deep winter snow cover. This weekend I wanted to get some descent elevation gain (turns out 3,855') and some descent mileage (7+). I also had to include some added weight to my pack (45 lbs). I increase the weight in my pack by 10 pounds per month until I leave for Everest in March. By March I will have 75 lbs in my pack! No, I don't expect to be carrying a 75 lb pack on Everest but 45 lbs is not out of the question and with the shedding of 30+ lbs from my pack I hope to make my climb up Everest a little less strenuous. I also try to hike in as minimal of clothing as is safely possible. Very light shirt, no hat and no gloves. Of course I am not in -25F but with the temps around freezing and with a stiff wind I am training my body to adapt to and work efficiently in the cold. Hopefully, this will translate into an easier adjustment to the extreme cold found on Everest. Last but not least I decided upon climbing Bear Peak because the trails up and down the Peak are very popular with hikers and runners. No I was not looking for a "social" outing but I was, indeed, looking for the super slick, icy, snow packed conditions the trails would be in from all of the previous foot traffic. Many people use YakTraks or similar cleats which allow better traction when hiking on snow and ice and on Everest I would be in crampons. However, another objective of the day was to work on speed and balance while carring a heavy pack and encountering these conditions.

The whole idea behind my thought process of training for Everest is to try and SAFELY make my training conditions harder than the ones I will encounter on Everest. I can then help cultivate the mental and physical prowess necessary for the great demands of Mount Everest. Who knows if these things will provide an advantage. That will be determined in April and May of 2010.

Of course nothing provides great training like elevation training. Therefore, this weekend I am heading to climb a Colorado 14er, a peak in excess of 14,000' a.s.l. Combine that with a beautiful ski down for cross training and hopefully I will feel the happiness and fatigue that only comes from testing myself in the great outdoors.

BTW - Many thanks go out to Mike Smith for accompanying me on this great outing and for providing the wonderful pictures. I enjoyed the day!

100 day countdown begins!

2009-12-16T06:34:00.002-07:00

Wow! Just 100 days until I leave for Mount Everest. I am so excited, scared, and concerned all at the same time. This attempt upon Mount Everest's lofty summit will be a chance of a lifetime. I am so fortunate and blessed to be able to have this opportunity to live out my dream.
There is still so much to do in preparing for this major expedition. Spiritual, physical, and mental training continue to be the focus because this little sortie to the highest real estate on earth will prove to be a major challenge. How will I do? How will I react? How will I conduct myself when situations really get tough? This all remains to be determined and yet one thing is for sure. The summit of Everest is the gravy on top of the entire experience and obtaining it would be a dream come true. However, more importantly is safety and returning home to my family. As Ed Viesturs, America's most famous high altitude mountaineer, has said, "Getting to the top is optional, getting down is mandatory."
What a mystery that awaits me. One wrapped in -40 degree temperatures, snow, ice and some of the best views on earth.

Training, training, and more training

2009-12-09T16:45:00.002-07:00

Well, this evening I am heading back to the gym for my bi-weekly cardio class. I am taking Combat Calisthenics with a former Marine - Sean Lowe. This class is crazy. Imagine P90X meets Crossfit, meets USMC boot camp! The class is 1 hour long and my heart rate is above 70% the whole time. I have been taking the class for a little over a year now and Sean always mixes things up. No 2 classes are the same.

This class is just a supplement to my regular training, which will increase even more as my 100 day countdown approaches. I am very blessed to live in Colorado and so every weekend, snow or sunshine, I head to the Colorado high country. My goal is to hike to over 13,000' if possible; and over 14,000' being even better. All said and done I also try and gain at least 3,000' in altitude. The cherry on top is that I usually have a 35lb pack on my back. This weight will go up as well as March approaches, eventually topping out at about 50-60 lbs. As well, during the week I try to make 1 ascent of Mount Morrison with a pack on. I start at the bottom of the famous Red Rocks amphitheater and go up over 500 stairs before starting the hike up the mountain proper. This usually gets the lungs burning. In total I gain about 1,700' in altitude. Other weight training, yoga, and stretching will supplement my training at least 1 other day a week, and again this, too, will increase as March approaches.

I am so blessed - I am so excited! Everest 2010 here I come.

Abandoning Everest - the result and future plans

2009-12-06T13:24:00.003-07:00

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...

A Climber's Dream - revisited

2009-04-02T20:01:00.005-06:00

It's amazing how fast time passes. Two years ago today I was on my way to climb Mount Everest. I had just crossed the Nepalese/Chinese border and everything seemed right on schedule.

That is, however, not the case with Everest north side teams today. The Chinese have placed restrictions upon foreigners from entering into their country. The forecast for gaining permission to enter China through Zhangmu is a bit uncertain. The agreed upon date to lift these restrictions is constantly being pushed back. The deadline will arrive and the Chinese will change their minds. This can be frustrating, demoralizing, and utterly devestating. These climbers have put many months of sweat and hard work into training for the mountain of their dreams; only to arrive in Nepal and find out that their climb has been postponed at best and canceled at worst. Wow! That would be hard to deal with. Their dreams may be shattered.

You see, for many a climber Mount Everest represents the pinnacle of climbing achievement. The privilege of standing upon the highest piece of real estate in the world is a feat that few have done. Yes, climbing Mount Everest has become more popular in recent years but the challenge remains the same. Past or present, yesterday or today, there will always be those who push themselves to the edge of endurance. That is part of the allure of climbing Mount Everest.

I often wonder if I have the endurance to climb Mount Everest. Physical endurance yes, with God's help. Mental endurance though, is a little harder for me. Therefore I now rely heavily upon my wife and son at home to cheer me on. This cheering section is what will help propel me up the Big E when my physical endurance is waning.

I have a lot to do if I am to climb Mount Everest in just under one year. Relational, spiritual, financial, professional, physical, and mental challenges all loom hauntingly in front of me. Will I make it? Can I do it? What lies ahead? Please follow along as the next year unfolds.

About this blog

2009-03-11T20:17:00.002-06:00

Welcome to "A Climber's Dream". We all dream. We all dream differently. For 12 years now I have dreamed of climbing Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. God has blessed me in numerous ways throughout life and I have truly been able to travel, climb, and enjoy His creation ... from the top. Just not the top of Mount Everest.

I have been climbing now for almost 13 years and and I am grateful to say that I have tasted the bitterly cold air of 8,000 meters. On September 29, 2005 I stood on the summit of Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world at 8,201 meters a.s.l. (26,907'). As I stood there gazing toward Mount Everest, just a mere 25 miles away, I couldn't help but wish I was standing "over there". I resolved that maybe now I had gained enough experience, through a 10 year climbing "apprenticeship", to someday scale to the lofty summit of Mount Everest. The dream persisted and partially came true in the pre-monsoon climbing season of 2007. I traveled to Tibet to scale Mount Everest, or Chomolungma as the Tibetans call her.

I am a Christian and I believe in the truth found within the Bible. I believe the Scriptures when in the book of Isaiah God said, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts."

You see, my thoughts were of Everest and my ways were of climbing as much and as often as I could. Many times to the detriment of several key relationships. One of those being my wife and her desire to start a family. Whilst on Everest I learned that my wife and I were no longer "just the two of us". We were quickly to be the three of us. My wife was pregnant with our first child and she was thrilled. Suddenly the Mount Everest climb became not as important and I could no longer focus on the task at hand. When scaling Chomolungma, she demands 110% committment. If, even for just a moment, your focus is not on the business of climbing, the icy cold slopes of the highest point on Earth may be your final resting place. Climbing Mount Everest in 2007 was not meant to be.

All of this brings me to the purpose of this blog. The desire to climb Mount Everest still lingers. With intensity! I am prayerfully considering returning to Mount Everest in the pre-monsoon season of 2010. This blog will chronicle the upcoming year. You will meet my wife Diana and our son Alexander. You will follow along as I train for the physical and mental demands of Mount Everest. You too will see the view from many mountain tops through my photographs. Perhaps this will lead you to dream and achieve what was formerly just a passing thought.