Leaving Chinese Basecamp...

Everest expedition almost over.  Been a great time.  Full update coming when I get to Kathmandu.  Thanks for following....

Don't get too excited...

....but it looks like we push off for the summit in 2 days.  Tomorrow we continue to hang out at Chinese Basecamp.  We are stoked!   Plans may change so stay tuned.  If we push off in 2 days, we don't really start climbing until 4 days later (1 day to IBC, 1 day to ABC, 2 days rest at ABC and then we head to the North Col).  More updates to follow for sure....

Back at CBC after 3 days in New Tingri

After a restful 3 days, we are back at Chinese Basecamp awaiting a summit window.  The weather is great.  We all feel fantastic after the rest at lower altitude and are chomping at the bit to get going.  Patience is the key now.  Thanks for following.

Rotation 2 begins tomorrow

We are just wrapping up our post-rotation rest period in CBC.  Things are going well.  All of us are itching to do something other than lounging, eating, and sleeping.  So, what's in store for us?  Tomorrow, we head up to IBC.  That trip is about a 10km walk up from CBC.  IBC is a yak poop infested area barely suitable for humans....but perfectly suitable for us climbers.  On the bright side, we get to rest before heading up to ABC - another 10km hike.  These hikes can be really tiresome but they are necessary steps to reach most high mountains; Everest is no exception.  Once at ABC, we rest for a full day before we head up the mountain.  Our destination is the North Col once again but this time we will sleep one night there at 7000m.  Now, when I say sleep, I don't mean a restful night.  We will get what sleep we can manage and then the following morning we will climb toward camp 2, turn around and head all the way to ABC in one push.  Sound exhausting?  Yep, it is.  

You might wonder how tired I was after round 1.... well, let me tell you.  I got back to our dining tent at about 7pm - roughly 9 hours after setting off in the morning.  The climb simply exhausted me to the point where I could barely raise a 12 ounce Coke can.  Yep, I was spent.  Mountaineering has a way of exhausting most of us.

So tomorrow begins our second and final acclimatization round.  I look forward to exhausting myself again and getting even closer to Everest's summit.

Thanks for following.  I will post more when we return in about a week.

Round 1 Done!

It was a long few days but we managed to hike to ABC in two days, wait patiently while the Chinese team fixed the ropes to the North Col, and climb up to that point.  I am laying down in my tent at CBC after trekking out of ABC this morning.  I'm beat!  Time to enjoy a Coke and take a nap.  

Today we start!

Last night we decided based upon the weather forecast and potential for rope fixing to be done in a few days that leaving for Interm camp today and then ABC tomorrow made sense. We have a strong, well acclimatizd team so we all feel confident in the new itinerary.  Brendan and I plan to head out right after breakfast.  Our mission today is to take our time. Saving energy and strength down low on the mountain ensures that we have both on summit day.  We are off!

Expect updates via Twitter and Instagram along the way. When we return to CBC in about a week, I will post a full recap.  Thanks for following.  Have an awesome week.

Maybe tomorrow?

We were to leave for Interim camp but the fixed ropes are not set above ABC.  Given that situation, we decided to stay in the comfortable confines of Chinese Basecamp.  Today we hiked up to about 5500m.  Brendan and I climbed with our full packs - full with our gear we plan to carry up to ABC in the next few days.  Both of us took it easy and felt great.  Now we're back at CBC and lounging around after another wonderful lunch.  Hopefully we leave tomorrow.... fingers crossed.

Thanks for following.

Tomorrow morning the climb begins in earnest

I am lounging around today at Chinese Basecamp doing very little other than walking about, meeting other climbers, playing cards, and eating.  I even managed a nap!  Who said mountaineering was difficult.  Oh...just wait.  Life gets way more interesting for me and the rest of our group in the next few days.  We leave for Interim camp (IBC) tomorrow morning.  After two nights sleeping at that altitude (5800m) we then head up to Advanced Basecamp (ABC) for several days.  As I explained previously, we embark on round 1 of our acclimatization process where we climb higher and sleep lower than we climb.  To many, these rounds don't make much sense but to mountaineers these are the common tool for getting used to the low oxygen.  So by April 22nd, we will be at ABC.  The 23rd we rest.  On the 24th, we walk across the snowfield and touch the headwall then return to ABC to sleep (and eat).  Then the 25th we do a little ropework practice.  On the 26th, we climb up to the North Col then back to ABC.  Finally, we hike back down to CBC on the 27th.  Those days up high gives our bodies a chance to get accustomed to the low oxygen.  We should all feel pretty good after our return to CBC - even better than we feel now. 

Today, I met many climbers when we toured Basecamp.  One thing I love about climbing with Brendan is that we are both social and largely uninhibited.  We just walked into the 6 neighboring camps and said hi.  We met Chinese, British, American, and Austrian climbers on our tour.  Climbers are often very friendly and those we met today didn't disappoint.  We also witnessed a black tie affair at CBC.  These folks aim to set the world record for highest formal dinner at the North Col.  Here they are during dress rehearsal...

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhwCWSXFdmt/

So much fun!  These folks are from the UK.  Very nice and welcoming.  Cheer them on if you can.  Search for highest formal dinner on Everest. 

Thanks for following us.  We appreciate all the support.