September 23rd, 2014: Where am I now and what is going on? Update post rest week.

Greetings,

Last week was very busy despite the "off week" from training.  I regained almost 30 hours from the previous week but I filled those hours quickly with the following activities (in reverse order for some reason I cannot explain this morning):

1.  Traveling to Hypoxico (NYC).  On Friday, I left Fairfax at 4:10am and arrived at Hypoxico a little after 8am.  Not bad time for I-95 at rush hour.  Brian Oestrike was out of town at Ironman Tahoe so he put me and my hypoxic unit in good hands with his namesake Brian (Bilius).  We met each other down by the curb and Brian took my unit upstairs while I did what every good NYC driver does....I backed up my car about 200 feet to enter into the parking lot.  Why go all the way around the block to get just 200 feet behind where I was sitting?  Silly question.  I parked and then went up to find out how to troubleshoot the strange noises coming from my Hypoxico unit.  By the time I got up to the 5th floor, Brian had the unit apart and was already checking into the problem.  I knew I was in good hands.  He walked me through how to take it apart and identify all the critical pieces.  It was a DIY'er (DIY = do it yourself) dream.  After this trip, I intend to troubleshoot the problems myself and then send back the faulty piece rather than the entire 60 lb. monstrosity.  Brian and I worked diligently until about 10am when he had to push off for a doctor's appointment.  He was extremely thorough and took the time to describe each step.  During my break, I walked around the city (downtown area around 21st and lower Manhattan), grabbed a hot dog from one of the many Sabret stands, and enjoyed the wonderful weather.  It has been a while since I walked the streets of my home town.  Here is one picture I snapped on my phone:

I realize this picture has little to do with climbing but it was an important vantage point - one I had never seen before.  Yes, I have been to Washington Square Park many times but the new World Trade Center or 1 WTC (formerly known as the "Freedom Tower") is a novelty for me.  I enjoyed the walk - especially after my 4-hour drive earlier that morning.  Next, get back to meet Brian to wrap things up....

I returned at the same time Brian got back from his appointment.  We made quick work of the remaining tasks.  All was fixed on my unit and I learned a ton about the simple device.  After I picked up a few extra things - sleeping mask and a few internal filters - I was ready to push off and head home.  My trip up lasted 4 hours; the trip back was about 4.5 hours.   Again, not bad for an east coast trip up I-95.  I arrived home in time for dinner with my family.  Needless to say, I was dead tired.  Bedtime could not come soon enough.

2.  Giving a Presentation on Wednesday night.  Two days  before my trip to Hypoxico, I gave a brief presentation to a client gathering hosted by my friend's company.  Here are the slides for those interested.  The event was a ton of fun.  I met some very interesting people and had a chance to tell part of my preparation story for Everest 2014.  Even though my climb was not successful, I still believe I prepared well and controlled what I could control.  Thanks to Glenn Mickelson for inviting me.  

3.  Organizing my training schedule on Monday.  My huge spreadsheet needed some updating.  Previously, I scheduled summit days to fall on Sundays but as previously mentioned, I found it far easier to have a long, hard day on Saturday.  That change required a ton of updates on the Google doc.  I spent a few hours updating that sheet on Monday before my meetings and Google Hangouts with students.  

4.  Digging a ditch (queue the Dave Matthews song).  

Yep, I dug a drainage ditch in the front of my house to divert water from the front to the side.  We had some water damage in our basement from years ago.  Now that we have our basement renovation almost done, I wanted to ensure that water had a better place to go rather than gather in my new bedroom.  Here is a picture of the ditch (post refill) so you can get an idea of how my 6-hour restful dig looked after the fact:

5.  Sorting out details with my climbs.  We still have a ton of things to do for both Aconcagua and Everest.  I need to book my travel to/from KTM and sort out the details of flying into basecamp.  It might be a little early to jump onto those plans but it is never too early to start planning the checklist of tasks.  I am almost done with the Aconcagua planning.  There are a few details about food for the expedition, timing of the climbs, and gear for my family.  I ordered a few new BD Express ice screws (3 x 16 cm and 2 x 22 cm) to replace my aging and dull BD ice screws.  Here is a picture of the Express:

Very purdy, ain't it?  These are essential for my planned climb up the Polish glacier on Aconcagua.

5.  Working.  Oh yeah, I work too.  My students rock!  We meet each week for an hour (Thursdays from noon to 1pm - called the MRES (pronounced mysteries) meetings) and I also meet each of my students for an hour either in person or via Google hangout.   I believe we have 7 papers ready for submission in the next few weeks.  It should be a productive semester.  My lab also has a grant currently funded and several in preparation.  Our support from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) enables us to delve into many different topics.  Right now, we focus our attention on simulated training - go figure.  The grant funding allowed me to "buy out" of one course so this semester is a relatively light teaching load.  For the first time in a while, I am teaching an undergraduate class.  I find it quite refreshing from my usual routine.  The undergrads are really enthusiastic and keep me energized from class to class.  It is early in the semester when we are all fairly excited.  Expect routine updates on how my training and teaching affect my disposition; I expect smooth sailing.

See you next week when I preview my 12 week run before departing for Argentina.  Week 1 (this week) is only 18 hours and I progress to 27 hours in 12 weeks.  Should be a fun ride; hope you enjoy the trip with me.

September 17th, 2014: Things are starting to take shape in my plans

Greetings,

I am in the middle of my full week off after 15 weeks of training.  Since starting, I only slipped off schedule three times in those first three weeks.  It was tough to get started back again and I think I needed a few more weeks of beer drinking and weight gain.  Now I am a healthy 175 lbs. and aim to keep all that weight throughout the next few months.  Here is where I stand today....

1.  Rest.  The one huge advantage of having a clear, proven plan for training is that I have several times I really look forward to during the process.  I increase my workload in 3-week increments.  Each week progresses by 10% from the previous week but stops every 3 weeks to drop down by 10% back to the middle week level.  Thus, the load progression looks like a sawtooth shape that increases over 15 weeks.  The past 15 weeks had 5, 3-week cycles where the plan was to progress from 10 hours up to 30 hours using this method.  I really look forward to week 16 when I completely shut down, rest, sleep at normoxia, and eat to my heart's (perhaps more my brain's) delight.  Even after each 3-week cycle, I look forward to dropping back to a lower workload.  Increasing the workload in this systematic fashion keeps me fresh and excited about more training.  Gotta keep it fun but sprinkle in plenty of rest.

2.  Permit situation settled.  Sam and Alex forwarded Dan Mazur's post about the Nepali government honoring our permits for 2015.  I am extremely excited that we have some clue about the permits.  Here is the letter (in Nepali) just in case you want to see how we learn about these things:

Translation....

Subject: Climbing Mountaineering forwarding.

To: SummitClimb Pvt. Ltd.
Kathmandu

As per your agency requested letter, This is to inform you on dated 2071 – 03 - 05 that SummitClimb Everest Expedition 2014, permit no 60/Spring, led by Mr. Mazur Daniel Lee (P.P. No 710848024), including 10 climbing members permit is extended to next spring season 2015 as per law 2059 – sub law – 5. 

Depender Paudel

Department Head

3.  Aconcagua plans shaping up.  We have four confirmed climbers for our trip to Argentina in December.  I leave on December 6th, my family leaves on the 17th, and Brendan Madden joins us on the 20th.  I hope to have three climbs on Aconcagua or other peaks in the area before I depart on January 12th.  Should be a great time.  Flights booked, equipment checked, and details sorted out; next step, plan for food and domestic travel.  I'm practically jumping out of my chair with excitement.  

4.  Hypoxico Tour.  Speaking of jumping out of my seat, I'm heading up the New York City - my home town - to get one of my units checked out.  It was making some strange noises so Brian Oestrike suggested I get it checked out.  No better time than the present (Friday actually) where my week-off gives me the ultimate luxury to make the 4-hour drive from Fairfax to NYC without missing a workout or any meetings.  I intend to take in a few conference calls during the drive up (from 4am-8:30am) and then a few on the way back (from 7pm-11pm).  The folks at Hypoxico were extremely inviting and even offered me the use of one of their machines/setups to workout.  I told them that this week was devoted to rest (#1 above) and I planned to just walk around the city and get some good food.  Remember, this week I focus on eating too - no better place to eat than NYC.  Pizza joints...here I come!  With any luck, I roll out of the city after a few hearty meals and about 10 lbs of additional heft.  Wish me luck on Friday.

Speaking of Hypoxico, Sam & Alex as well as Brendan both ordered units.  Should be fun comparing notes as we all prepare for some big climbs ahead.

5.  Early to bed and early to rise makes me tired.  Apologies to Ben Franklin but healthy, wealthy and wise do not match my experience.  My son returned to his morning schedule.  He has swim practice from 4:30am to 6:30am on the weekdays so Kathy and I take turns shuttling him the 20 minutes to/from practice.  I think I found my groove where getting up at 4am is far better than stirring at 4 and then waking at 6am.  Often, I return from dropping him off and drift back to sleep - no matter what I am doing.  Even if I go to sleep at 8pm I still wake up exhausted when I change the routine.  My current sleep/wake cycle might take a while to absorb into my system but I assure you it will work.  Soon, I plan to get in a few extra workouts from 4:45am (when I return) to 9am when I typically head to campus.  Nothing like a good 4-hour workout to start the day.  Good thing I have a couch in my office for that inevitable mid-day nap.

6.  Summit Saturdays.  I changed my training routine a bit to accommodate the rest of my week's schedule.  Sundays worked for me last time when I was training for Everest 2014; those days do not work any longer for Everest 2015.  I found that Sundays really needed to be easier or else I risked getting sick and not recovering sufficiently for the next week.  Wednesdays came too soon after Sunday and I often found Fridays to be less useful training days.  So, after careful consideration and several trials, I found that Saturday was the perfect day to simulate my climbs.  The past 7 weeks had some intense simulated climbs where I would try to mimic a climb - approach, summit, and descent.  These days started out rather easy and slowly progressed to two peak summits and almost 10 hours of hypoxic training.  I felt and feel great during and afterwards.  It might be a little early to get too acclimatized to high altitude but I figured this time was an excellent opportunity for me to test out different routines.  Success!  I tested out a new routine and now my week is much more manageable.  

Thanks for following along.  

September 8th, 2014 - a 2 month hiatus from posting but back and better than ever!

Greetings,

I hope this update finds you all well.  My summer was extremely busy with training, parenting, building, resting, relaxing, sailing, and other non-G-rated gerunds.  The funny thing about blogging is that when I got behind, it became harder and harder for me to post - something akin to returning a borrowed item.  Starting back up seemed hard but it really isn't.  So, here I go with my first blog post of the fall and I expect more to follow.  These posts document my training/preparation for my climbs this 2014-2015 season.

There are a few people I need to acknowledge before I post any updates.

1. Dad's inspiration.  I had a great conversation with my dad the other day.  He told me to get back to posting updates so that the posts drive me to be better.  I get it.  Sitting here working my life away and mulling things over in my head from last year provide nothing but reasons to continue a reclusive lifestyle.  I have a great life and a great family.  Many of you do not know but my dad battles pancreatic cancer.  He may cringe by this note but I want to draw out the positive.  My dad inspires me.  He pushes through awful treatments delivered by the best in the world.  I gather my strength from his endurance.  When he told me to press forward with a simple task of posting updates, I did so without hesitation.  We all encounter obstacles in life but few are as daunting as what my dad endures.  Life is great and we all ought to make the most of what we have today.  BE HERE TODAY.  Thanks dad for reminding me of what matters.  I'm back.
2. Brotherly support.  My brother worries and often calls to check in.  He worries about his younger brother and I appreciate his concern; I love him like no other.  There are few people in life who can provide the support only a brother can provide.  I am fortunate that I have three brothers - Sean, Ed, and Kevin - the latter two cousins or brothers of another mother (and father).  My cousins also serve in that role.  They never waver in their support.  Thanks guys.  I climb for you and all those who cannot climb due to limitations.  Someday we will jump out of a helicopter with our sons and ski untracked powder until we drop.  Expect it and plan for it.
3. Kathy - a wife like no other.  Some of you may recall that Kathy sleeps in the tent with me.  Her support never stops.  She trains for triathlons and she toils with her own goals.  We rejoice about successes and mourn (briefly) our defeats.  The past year was a huge test for both of us.  We both had successes and failures.  Without her unwavering support, I would never realize any of my goals.  Just ask my students; they all know my adoration.  She makes me better and pushes me to strive to be better still.  I love you so and have no reservations to express it publicly.
4. The best son a dad could imagine.  I promise I won't embarrass him.  A 14-year old is easily embarrassed by his dad - especially publicly.  My son makes parenting easy.  He is a devoted athlete, good person, and easy-going lad.  I can't wait to climb in Argentina with him...and Kathy.  Life is good!

Thank you all.  I hope to share all the fun from the next few years with you.

Aconcagua

The other night, Kathy and I finalized our plans to Argentina.  I fly out in early December and Kathy and Patrick follow in mid-December.  My blood is flowing again and I can't wait to get back on a hill.  My friend Brendan Madden - who lives in Japan - booked his trip so he plans to join us.  Next, we need to convince Sam to come out from the UK (or Africa where he is now).  I intend to post my climbing plans shortly once I have all the itineraries solidified.  My current thinking is to get down there early, climb a technical route (perhaps the Polish direct) and then come down to retrieve my family and Brendan.  Together, we will climb the normal route up and summit.  It should be a fun time with plenty of climbing, steak eating and Malbec drinking.

Everest

As I indicated upon my return from Nepal, I plan to return in 2015.  Some signs indicate that the Nepali government will honor our permits.  I remain somewhat skeptical but guardedly optimistic that they will spare me the $10,000 expense.  Now, about the oxygen....more on that later.

Training

I have one week left before I get a full week off.  The past 15 weeks were a slow, base-building progression where I accrued over 265 hours of training - mostly at normoxia.  I completed 5 simulated climbs up to the equivalent of 19,000 feet.  In sum, I've been busy training, getting my lab back in order, and finishing some tasks on the house.  Not much sailing to speak of this year but I hope to get out every now and then with my friend Bob and our crew of swimmers.  I intend to post a bit more about some of my new training ideas.  Like my Everest plans....more on training later.

So there you have it.  Fifteen weeks down in preparation for two climbs.  I have tons more to post about the climbs and our revised plans for Everest - that is, once I figure out what we are doing and what expenses I can expect.  Stay tuned for more.

June 27th, 2014: One week after starting over, all cylinders firing

Greetings.  I began anew and things couldn't be better.  The world cup, Sopranos and various work projects kept me occupied as I trained for over 22 hours since I posted last Wednesday.  I finally feel normal.  Kathy and I are sleeping soundly at 9,000 feet and roasting as usual.  My appetite finally came back.  No aches or pains to speak of now.  Again, all is well.  Here are a few updates from the past week.

1.  No climbing in the Pacific NW this year:  Our summer climb in Oregon/Washington conflicted with my son's freshman football training so something had to go.  We figured he only had one shot at freshman (HS) football so that objective took priority over a climb that will always be there - well beyond our years.  So, we will stay at home for the month of August.  I was a little bummed but would gladly compromise my interests for my son's athletic interests.  While I will not be climbing, I do intend to simulate altitude and climbing stress until December.

2.  Hypoxico training for our Aconcagua team:  I plan to climb with my family and two friends - at least - in Argentina this December/January.  Sam and Brendan will accompany us down south and all five of us plan on training with Hypoxico units.  Our aim is to climb light and fast up the hill by pre-acclimatizing at our respective homes.  The international team (Sam from the UK, Brendan originally from the US but living in Japan, and the three of us from the US) plans to press for the summit in short order.  How short?  I figure 5-7 days ought to suffice if we all acclimatize to 20,000 feet for at least 2 weeks before our departures.  Brian Oestrike offered some trip itineraries and such to assist in our success.  I think we can do it; Brian thinks we can do it.  Plus, the Aconcagua climb will be a great proving ground for Everest 2015 and our plans to skip the trek to EBC.  Stay tuned for more details on those plans.  For those who want to learn more about Brian and his background, check out an interview with him:

3.  Caffeine free and eating (semi-)healthy:  My typical day started with about 2 liters of fresh brewed black tea.  I slowly became dependent on the stuff and suffered greatly when I could not get my morning jolt of caffeine.  Well, those days are done.  I slowly weaned myself off caffeine and enjoy a cup every now and then; no more 2 liter mornings.  Before I leave for Argentina and Nepal, I may start up drinking a little more just to get accustomed to tea on the mountains.  Nothing better than a hot cup o' tea on a cold mountain.  As far as eating, I am off the beer and chip diet.  I still have a icy cold malt beverage when I feel the pangs - usually on Friday evenings - but I am not making it a daily habit.  The weight I lost in Nepal is finally back on (plus a few extra pounds) and I can finally start focusing on eating well and training diligently for my climbs.

4.  Sleeping at 9,000 feet, training at 10,000 feet, working at sea-level:  How cool is that?  I live at 320 feet above sea level (100 meters for those of you who were fortunate enough to avoid our crazy English legacy system).  I am sleeping at the peak of Half Dome (Yosemite Nat'l Park, CA, USA) and training at the peak of the Middle Sister (OR, USA).  Eventually, I plant to sleep and train at 20,000 feet (5,500 m) that is roughly the equivalent of Denali (Alaska, USA).  Brian characterized my training regime for Everest as "aggressive" but he said it sounded like I was on top of all the relevant variables.  I agree.  I measure everything and leave nothing to chance.  Soon, I hope to have a good calibration of time to acclimatize - for myself - for every rise in altitude.  Those measurements and analyses come after Aconcagua.  For now, I train high, sleep high, and live low.  The better I acclimatize at home, the safer my climb and the shorter my time away from home.  
In summary, I feel great.  Nothing to worry about whatsoever.  Work is humming along without any stress.  What can I say, life is great!

ONE LAST ANNOUNCEMENT:  I want to take a moment to alert you all to Alan Arnette's K2 expedition.  You can find his blog at http://www.alanarnette.com.  He left a day or so ago and needs all the support he can get from climbers and non-climbers alike.  If you have not read his blog, I strongly encourage you to do so.  K2 is no trivial hill; it offers a real challenge to even the most experienced alpinist.  Alan plans to update us on his position using his Spot locator - the same one I had on Everest this year.  Please follow his climb and consider donating to his cause to support Alzheimer's research and treatment.  Thank you for your time and consideration.  Climb on Alan!

Today, June 18th, 2014, I begin again....a fresh start

I posted 9 days ago about starting over and getting ready for Everest 2015.  Well, things didn't go well from that week forward.  First, I missed 2 swim practices due to an aching shoulder.  That first week was followed by more missed swim practices and a few missed runs and then a complete collapse in my workout routine.  My third week began with more rest to recover from my rest.  Sheesh!  When will the rest end?  Why the bad start?  Well, I have several reasons/excuses/rationalizations for the lapse.  Here they are:

1.  Work stress:  I had some lingering stress from my time off.  Work and colleague stress came to a peak upon my return and I had too many uncomfortable things to deal with.  Today, I dealt with the final one - not that today's event is over but I did what I needed to do to move forward.  I sent off those uncomfortable email messages to my colleagues to resolve our differences; I worked diligently to eliminate all email in my inbox; and I cleaned off my desk to signify a new beginning.  I feel completely liberated and plan to sleep well tonight.  Work stress hits me hard and it seems as if academia gets more and more stressful the longer I stay in the game.  I think I need to get away more often....

2.  House stress:  My stress was compounded by too many house projects that needed my attention (or money) and with money lacking after my failed Everest bid, I chose to spend my time.  Plumbing, electrical, framing, and drywall work brought me back to my construction days on Martha's Vineyard.  If it were not for my understanding wife and supportive cousin (who helped me out on three grueling days), I would not be at peace with my current house project list.  "The only shoeless children are the cobbler's kids" is one of my favorite quotes but not one of Kathy's favorites.  We always live in a house partially (95% or p < 0.05) finished.  Thanks to both Kathy and Kevin for being understanding and lending a helping hand.  For those interested, you can check out my web album that shows all the stuff I am doing to my house.  

3.  Poor diet:  All the stress and increase work demands lead to a really poor diet.  Hey, I accept the blame and acknowledge I will take any opportunity to live on potato chips and beer.  I ate when I could and whatever I could manage at the time. In short, I was eating garbage at home (chips, beer, and toast) and never really did much to change those bad habits.  Now that I am fat and in a good place to change my diet, I intend to move forward by decreasing my alcohol intake and eating more healthy foods at home.  Today, I started with tea and peanut butter on cinnamon roll bread.  Yeah, not a good start but maybe tonight will be better.

4.  Post-expedition irritation and stress:  If I thought Everest 2014 planning presenting difficulties, I had no clue how what 2015 had in store - at least not until this point.  We still have no confirmation about our climbing permit situation.  The costs may be the same as last year meaning I need to find a way to make a ton of money and spend none of it this year.  Not sure how I am going to swing that but I plan to give it my best shot without affecting my family.  Money is always an issue for these climbs and I intend to do it like I did it before.  I will accept whatever people are willing to donate and give them as much access as I can muster.  Any suggestions other than selling blood/plasma are welcomed.

5.  Poor sleep:  I can fall asleep but just couldn't stay asleep.  Never in my life - save for my last few weeks before leaving for Everest 2014 in the hot hypoxic tent at 20,000 feet -  have I struggled to sleep.  Exercise tires me out and I usually sleep like a baby or more like a rock.  Some days I would sleep for 12 hours followed by a 2 hour sleep night.  Here, check out the graph just so you can see:

The dotted horizontal line indicates my preferred 8-hours of sleep.  Not much sleep going on here and rarely was it 8 hours over the past month.  Those erratic and unpredictable sleep patterns wore me out - leading me to....

6.  Getting sick:  Kathy and I are fond of the quote "sick and tired of getting sick and tired."  Well, I'm there.  I was more sick than healthy since I returned from Nepal.  The stress, diet, and sleep problems all lead to my health problems.    I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired.  

7.  Getting over a failed expedition:  Everest 2014 didn't end for me right away.  There were too many things that lingered.  I still have no clue about what will happen with our permits, oxygen bottles, or even the funds that were to pay for services not rendered.  I just don't know.  For now, I plan to plow straight ahead and deal with the setbacks when they arrive rather than sit wondering when/if they will come.  

Today is the start of a new effort to prepare for Everest 2015.  I plan to address each one of these and slowly turn my efforts into something more positive.  As a good, first gesture, I shaved:

Here we go....

Back on the horse! First post for Everest 2015 (6/9/2014)

Greetings and welcome to my first Everest 2015 update.  I just finished my first week of training and, after reviewing my previous posts, I decided to offer more descriptive and narrative material rather than data.  For those who like the data, feel free to send me a comment and I will post two types - the narrative format and the graphical displays.  Here are a few updates from the prior few weeks.

1.  With one full week down and two "Summit Sundays" under my belt, I am feeling pretty good.  The past few weeks of eating and drinking left me feeling pretty fat and bloated (175 lbs now!!).  I know all the extra weight will go away and in April 2015 I will long to be back to my current weight but I want to get lean and fit now.  The partying will slowly be replaced by climbing and exercise.

2.  I am fully committed to return to Nepal in 2015 but there are many factors that need to be sorted out before I know how and when I go.  Several great posts from knowledgeable sources indicated that the permit fees and other associated costs are not guaranteed - far from it.  In fact, there are some people who think the Nepal government may rescind their offer to honor our permits.  If that indeed happens, I may re-evaluate my climbing objective and consider only climbing from the Tibet side.  Readers interested in other opinions ought to consult Russell Brice's "Daily Moraine" newsletter along with Alan Arnette and Mark Horrell's blogs.  Each of these writers have slightly different perspectives but they all converge on an important point - we all remain unsure about next year.

3.  Despite my uncertainty about Nepal, I have firm plans already for my next two climbs.  First, in August, I intend to climb Rainier and several other Cascade volcanoes with my son and wife.  Not sure how much vacation time Kathy (my wife) will want to devote to climbing but I suspect a few days should whet her appetite.  My son is excited about climbing so he and I will go out for about 10 days of backcountry adventures.  One thing I would like to do is to traverse the Three Sisters in Bend in a single push.  Patrick (my son) may not want to do that so I may leave him in Portland.  Second, I plan to climb in Argentina for at least a month.  My plans are to fly out to Mendoza in early December - as soon as my semester ends - and prepare meals and such for two expeditions on Aconcagua or other nearby mountains.  The first expedition will be up the Polish Traverse and the second will be the normal route with my family.  If time permits, I would like to take in a few other climbs around the area.  Should be a fun few months of climbing.

4.  My plans to climb in Nepal include some others who I met in April.  Sam Chappatte and Alex Schneider - my two friends I met during my last outing to Nepal - will be great fun to climb with next year.  Sam may join me in Argentina if his work and vacation schedule allow.  We await any news about the Everest permit situation because that dictates what our options are for next year.  Our aim is to climb together and improve upon a few minor things we felt could interfere with our success on Everest.  More on those details later...

5.  In terms of training, I learned a ton from my previous year's preparation.  This time around, I intend to focus more on acclimatization and less on fitness.  I was fit for sure but I could have been in better shape for 20,000 feet.  My intent is to start at 8,000 feet and move up three times - August, December, and May.  I figure if I can train and sleep at 20,000 feet (6,100 meters), I will have no problems getting up the hill and skipping the trek into basecamp.  Sam, Alex, and I intend to fly into basecamp (EBC) next year so the acclimatization portion of our training will prove to be far more important compared to if we opted to trek into EBC.

That is it for now.  I hope you all enjoy the updates.

Thanks for the memories - Onto a new objective EVEREST 2015!

I sit here in my kitchen, battling some stomach bug that fights on after 10 days, and think about what lies in store for me over the next 10 months.  Here is a picture of the current suspect:

Amoebic Dysentery

I'll get over it soon (I hope) but I am really excited about what lies ahead.

Climb on!

My resolve to climb on Everest remains and I plan to climb in Nepal in 2015 barring any unforeseeable snag with our permits.  Today, I want to thank all of you who supported me over the past year.  Without your words of encouragement, I would have had a harder road to travel.  Each of you contributed in your own way and I thank you all for your support.

Thanks to my family, I can

I want to devote my post today to my family.  My wife Kathy accepted a tremendous burden when she married me many years ago.  That burden continues today as I embark on one adventure after another.  She supports me throughout all my crazy ideas - often defending my actions to those who cannot fathom why a husband would go gallivanting off to the nether regions of the world.  I love her because she sees nothing crazy about my craziness.  She thinks my adventures are sane.  It is a wonder we have a functioning household with two crazy people running it.  Well, actually, we let our dogs run the house.  Kathy, thank you for all you have done for me and plan to do for/with me in the future.

My son Patrick supported me in his own way by helping Kathy while I was away.  He asked questions about my preparation and devoted himself to working out and training for his upcoming years in high school.  Patrick is a teenager and, true to teenager form he remained quietly supportive and hopefully not terribly embarrassed by his old man.  During my preparation, he would accompany me on runs - even when he didn't want to run.  Now, he runs on his own without any prompting.  You see, this training thing is contagious - kinda like an amoeba but a more healthy contagion.  Patrick, I thank you for all your good-natured support and look forward to climbing with you soon.

Thanks to my brother who took time out of his medical practice and time away from his family to come support me before I left.  He has always been a great supporter from my early days in triathlons when he bought me equipment I sorely needed to today when he offers me medical advice.  I know I would not be as prepared without his help and that preparation just makes me more confident to focus on what matters most - the climb.  Thanks Sean for all your help and continued support.

Thanks to my dad who supported me even though he was the one who required support.  He is probably too proud to admit it but he needs some support at times.  While I was gone, he had a few accidents and my family decided to shield me from the grim news.  I placed a call to him while I was in Thukla to see if he were still planning on coming to Nepal.  The cascade of events that hit him hit me too.  Glad he was OK but I was disappointed that he could not come out and enjoy the trek.  Regardless of his trials, he always remained positive on the phone and supported me before, during, and after my climb.  

The rest of my family from my in-laws to my huge family of cousins, aunts, and uncles were all cheering me on.  I want to thank them all but plan to do so in person.  My next stop on the post-expedition recovery is to head out to Manassas, VA to party with the clan, show pictures, and tell stories - some true and others extremely embellished.  Later this summer, we head out to the pacific NW to see the rest of my family and do a little summer climbing.

I thank you all for reading my ongoing story.  Please stay tuned for more updates as I now prepare for Everest 2015.  My wife, son and I will climb Aconcagua in December 2014 so I am really looking forward to that adventure.  We also plan to climb Rainier in August when we visit family.  Come join us if you are in the area.  If all goes well, we might have Sam Chappatte and Brendan Madden join our trip to Aconcagua- right guys?  I'll plan the expedition, you guys just get to Mendoza, Argentina.  As Alan Arnette (climbing K2 this year for Alzheimer's charity) fondly says....climb on!

Recap Day 5 and onward: The day the expedition ended and things I learned along the way

Transitioning back to normal life takes time and yesterday was one of those days that I just needed the time to recover.  My stomach is not faring well so I slept and worked on my house.  Today, I am back to new so I continue on with my expedition recaps.

We were on Lobuche getting ready to climb further when we all decided we needed more information about Everest.  The information would help us plan the next few weeks.  Bear in mind, we had no idea what was taking place at EBC.  Since we were removed from the insanity, our information pipeline was via phone.  Dan made several calls to the expedition leaders he knew and heard definitive news from several that Everest was effectively closed.  Sherpa were being threatened if they climbed and our Sherpa - even though most wanted to climb - were not safe from these threats.  We all agreed that putting our guys at risk above and beyond the risks of mountaineering was not acceptable.  Dan kept pressing forward trying to figure out more about the remaining expeditions.  The news broke on 4/25 that our expedition was over.  Our last hope that the large Seven Summits expedition group - an expedition with over 100 Sherpa - would remain on the hill was ruled out by one call to the leader.  We needed these other Sherpa to help fix ropes above Camp 2.  The leader of Seven Summits said the icefall was too dangerous and his Sherpa were being threatened.  Our reliance on other teams meant that their decision was our decision.  It hit me there that our climb was over.  My climb on Everest would end before I had the opportunity to step onto the mountain.

When the news finally sunk in, I was totally deflated and even angered by the events.  How could so few affect so many?  I am not talking about the Sherpa who lost their lives but rather the militant group who threatened our peaceful Sherpa pals.  Why did these few men get to dictate the climb this year?  Many of you may not appreciate the gravity of that day and decision but I feel it today.  I am in no way rich.  Yes, I have more money than most people in the US but I work very hard - almost all weekends - and save so I can do these adventures.  The money loss stings.  I was able to do exactly what trekkers to EBC were allowed to do but I paid 10 times the rate for a trek.  The government and expedition leaders got paid their full share and I felt the situation required a different, more equitable share in the loss.  We paid for oxygen bottles at $500/bottle, food that would be stored for next year, Sherpa who stood in camp with us, and leaders who went home early.  Why were we left to foot the bill for all those goods and services?  The whole deal just stunk and I was angered just thinking about how much money I wasted.

Those feelings subsided over time but only because I was in the same boat with others.  Misery - at least my misery - loves company.  I was surrounded by good people who had prepared for the climb just like I prepared for it.  We all felt the sting.  For some, this year would be their last year due to funding.  I knew I could work some extra hours, avoid eating out much, and limit my discretionary spending.  Those steps might help me afford another permit and expedition fee next year or the year after.  Others may not be so fortunate.  I also have some research funding so that will help me get back on the hill.  

The loss forced us all to seek out other options.  Some in our expedition tried to get permits to climb from Tibet while others considered climbing without Sherpa support.  The latter was not really an option.   We knew that the icefall doctors would eventually take down the route - effectively stranding any climber above the icefall and forcing them to find a safe route through a maze of seracs and crevasses.  I knew both were non-options for me.  The Chinese government already denied my visa request earlier this year; they had no reason to grant one now that I was desperate.  Plus, I would need to pony up a huge sum of cash to get a visa, a climbing permit, transportation to Tibet, and then catch up with the rest of the SummitClimb group.  My friends Alex and Sam were pursuing the Tibet option but eventually they and all the rest of the Everest climbers were denied.  In fact, the Chinese government stopped issuing visas for all climbs in Tibet.   It was a strange move and just as unpredictable as they had proven to be over the past few months.  I was resigned to the fact that my climbing in Nepal ended with my summit on Lobuche.  It was a bittersweet moment where my emotions really came out.  While the rest of our team celebrated, I looked out at Everest and the surrounding peaks and wondered what if we could continue.  Those thoughts would drive me mad so I decided to celebrate with the rest and put my anger aside for more productive thoughts.

Another thing that kept me sane was the simple realization that I did everything I could do to control the outcome.  The climb ended not because I was unprepared but rather for circumstances that were beyond my control.  I took stock of my preparation and felt really good about both my fitness and acclimatization.  This year, I figured, would be a test run of my preparation and I felt I passed the test without question.  I was fit.  I was strong.  I was healthy.  All of these aspects were under my control and I was ready to climb.  Things could not have been better from that perspective.  I also learned some things that will help me better prepare for next year.  Here they are in no particular order:

1. Plan my own meals:  I like to prepare my own meals and plan out menus.  Doing this over the years taught me that I have tastes that change as I go higher on a mountain.  Eating by someone else's plan/menu did not sit well with me.  I guess I like to control everything and a guided expedition takes away some of that control.  Next year, I intend to plan my own expedition meals.  Nutrition on a mountain is essential to staying strong and ready for the hard climbing ahead.  The longer I ate the expedition food, the less I felt like eating.  I had a good appetite so that wasn't the problem; I just could not tolerate the same flavors/foods.  My tastes change and I know how they change as I acclimatize.  Sweets become less appealing to me and I prefer salty foods with varying spices.  I knew this going into the expedition and figured my tastes would change out of necessity.  Well, I was wrong.  My tastes are predictable to me and I intend to meet them with my own menu.
2. Climb with like-minded, well-prepared climbers:  I prefer to climb with strong(er) climbers and Everest ought to demand that only the strong show up to climb.  The popular media like to talk about the weak climbers - and there are some - but the reality is that most people I met at EBC and before were well-seasoned climbers.  Some climbers had really impressive resumes while even the weakest climbers had incredible athletic backgrounds.  Most were rugged and ready for the challenge.  Still, when I signed up for an expedition, I figured my expedition mates would all be equally fit and ready to climb independently.  In fact, I quietly hoped that I would not stand out much from the others.  My expectations were not exactly met and, in retrospect, they might have been unrealistic.  Next year, I plan to climb with people I know who are strong and well-prepared.  Sam and Alex fit the bill from this year.  They are young and experienced climbers and we immediately hit it off while trekking into EBC.  I look forward to climbing with them next year.  They have a great attitude about climbing and neither show any signs of fatigue...ever.
3. Bring all my snacks from Kathmandu:  Everything costs money on Everest and those costs escalate as you ascend the Khumbu valley.  Sam Chappatte and I wanted to collect some data on the cost of simple items such as Coke, toilet paper, and water but we ran out of time and opportunities.  We figured that for each 100 meters gained, you could expect a significant price increase for all three items.  In some cases, the prices rose to usury levels.  Consider one case where my friend Neal Kushwaha and I enjoyed (in total) two bowls of noodle soup, two small bottles of Coke, and a can of sour cream and onion Pringles.  How much do you think we paid for this tantalizing spread in Gorak Shep (the last bit of civilization before EBC)?  $24.  Yep, we paid a mint for a small snack.  Next year, I intend to hire a porter to bring up these snacks.  The porter plus the original price would add up to peanuts.  Heck, we might even sell some in EBC to those who failed to prepare for the price gouging.
4. Focus on acclimatization and lower-body strength:  If I find my workout time constrained by work or fatigue, I intend to focus more on acclimatization and lower-body strength.  Cardiovascular fitness is a given for me but if I had anything I would change it would be bulking up my legs a bit so when I do lose weight - an inevitable situation on the mountain - I will have some muscle mass to spare in my legs.  My upper body can be twigs for the purposes of climbing.  I rarely use my hands in mountaineering but I do use my upper body in skiing.  Everest has no skiing or at least none I could see unless you wanted a really good rock ski workout session.  Thus, I plan to decrease my time doing upper body strength and focus on my core and lower-body strength.  Also, when pressed, I will forgo any cardio training for straight hypoxic training or even mix in the intermittent hypoxic maximum intensity (IHMI) sessions to build cardio fitness at altitude.  Like I said above, I was very happy with my performance on the mountain; I just want to prepare for the future by learning from the past.
5. Get healthy before leaving:  I left for Nepal with a nagging sinus infection.  Typically, I avoid antibiotics for these things and eventually they go away.  The hypoxic training probably reduced my body's ability to fight off the infection so I left with it and climbed with it throughout the entire time I was away.  I finally resorted to antibiotics after failing to kill it with my own immune system the preceding 8 weeks.  Yeah, I was stubborn.  Next year, I load up on anything that kills these beasties before I take off.  I want to start healthy.  There are plenty of opportunities to get sick on the hill.

So I end with these points and I intend to carry forward with the positives.  No sense dwelling on the past.  From this day forward, you will read what I am doing to prepare for next year.  Tomorrow, I intend to thank many of you for all your support.  If you are in the area, come by for a pint on Friday afternoons.  I should be at the Auld Shebeen from about 4pm until 7pm most Fridays.  If not, I will be floating around at our local pool.  Come by for drinks there too.  I bring a cooler with wine, beer, and snacks to share.  Thanks for reading and see you tomorrow with more positive news.

Recap Day 4 - 4/23 - The rumors swirl, climbers get conflicting reports, and the media circus begins

I take up where I left off last time with five days post-avalanche.  Note, I fixed the dates in my post titles to reflect the real days.  In my haste, I put in sequential dates but the days did not follow linearly.  The fourth day of my recap lands on 4/23 - the date that many people finally figured out that the climbing season was over.

We awoke and had our usual breakfast fare along with an alert from our expedition leader that today we would head out of EBC to go acclimatize on another peak.  That peak, we knew, was Lobuche and featured a nice approach through the Khumbu valley.  We retraced our steps to Gorak Shep and then eventually the town of Lobuche where we stayed the night.  Before our departure, several of us posted an update on the SummitClimb website and Facebook page.  That update included an annotated picture of icefall along with approximate locations of the slide.  

Edited picture taken by me and annotated by Sam Chappatte.

While taking and editing the picture, I realized the slide took place far to the left of the icefall.  Dan mentioned that there were various rumors that the route through the icefall was known to be dangerous this year.  Several expedition leaders apparently questioned the safety of the route and even suggested alternatives.  We had no confirmation of those rumors but it certainly seemed rather odd that the icefall doctors would run the route so close to an area that constantly slides.  I'm no Everest expert but I know a fair bit about the backcountry and avalanche terrain.  Nobody in their right mind plans routes under unstable terrain - no matter what hill the route sits upon.  Please note I am not blaming anyone; I am merely pointing out the discussion that took place at this time.  We all wondered why the route was placed in such a dangerous area.  Dan and I carefully worded the SummitClimb update to reflect the uncertainty that surrounded the route.  

We wrote:

"We have been studying more about what caused the tragedy in the icefall on 18 May, which, it is now stated, took the lives of 16 Sherpas at 6:40 am. It seems that the ice which buried the Sherpas originated from the West Ridge of Everest, which looms far above the Khumbu icefall on the left side as the viewer faces it from below, to the right and above the Lho La. The location of the event can be seen approximately 1200 metres / 4000 feet as "the crow flies" from our location at base camp.  There exists an enourmous hanging glacier which clings to the face of the West Ridge, and on the morning of Friday, 18 April, a piece of this hanging glacier "calved" away from the main glacier, tumbling at high speed down the steep face, shattering into many ice pieces and burying the victims in its awful wake. Some people have said that if the climbing route were located more toward the center of the Khumbu icefall, rather than being on the left side, beneath the hanging glacier, then perhaps there might be less chance of climbers travelling within the trajectory of such calving events. Moving the route to the center of the icefall, however, introduces other risks.  Thus, the route always involves some form of risk balance.  While route changes posssibly could save lives, of course "hindsight is 20/20" and no amount of conjecturing will bring back the sad loss of our dear friends."  Copied directly from the SummitClimb website

Those discussions lead many of us to believe that the icefall doctors would re-route the icefall to a more safer area and climbing would begin soon enough.  Dan kept reminding us that they were not going to close the mountain.  I admit, he was persuasive because I thought closing a mountain sounded preposterous so I kept a positive outlook on the climb.  In accord with our shared outlook, we pressed on with our acclimatization schedule.  The previous day included hikes up to Pumori ABC and ample rest to adequately recover between these hikes.  Today, we left of Lobuche with the idea that climbing Everest was still on.  

Meanwhile in EBC, the tensions among all climbers - Sherpa and Westerners alike - built throughout the days.  The same happy folks were no longer smiling.  You could cut the tension in the air during some chats.  We had no hard feelings toward one another but we all felt odd about the situation.  Everyone had skin in this game.  Well, I say everyone but the reality is that only the Sherpa and the paying climbers had skin; the expedition leaders and the Nepali government made their money already.  Regardless of the outcome, they get paid.  We - the Sherpa and climbers - get short-changed.  That situation made us all uneasy.  We all wanted to climb but the ramifications for climbing this year seemed too dear.

We heard rumors that a small Sherpa faction threatened any Sherpa who entered the icefall.  Those threats were never substantiated but they sure gained momentum.  Our leader went so far as to detail the threat issued to our Sirdar (head Sherpa) should we proceed with our climb.  The threat was graphic enough to make us all worry about the climb now.  Teams were pulling out in droves.  First Alpine Ascents and then IMG pulled out; Himex and Seven Summits held on to the bitter end.  The big guys were falling and we held out hope that some of the larger, more experienced and equipped teams would remain.  We were too small to rely on our Sherpa to fix ropes above the icefall.  Our Everest climbing hopes were tied to others now; we had to wait and see what happened.

The day ended for us after a long hike to the town of Lobuche where we were able to unwind and talk about the past few days.  We crashed there and slept while the world talked about us (in general sense).  Not all of the talk was positive.  We - the climbers - were portrayed as exploiters of the poor Sherpa.  I had no clue about the actual media circus but I got a hint of it over conversations with my family.  Headlines such as "The Disposable Man: A Western History of Sherpas on Everest" became reblogged and cited as gospel.  My family members restrained themselves as they read comment section after comment section portraying us climbers as "rich" and "unfit."  Sure, there are people on every mountain who probably do not belong; perhaps Everest has a higher proportion just because of the challenge.  Regardless, the media and the public commentary turned a difficult situation into a much worse situation for us all.  

My bid to climb Everest officially ended the next day 4/24.  I will recap that day in its entirety tomorrow.  Tonight, I get to sit down with my friend Scott Sehon.  He plans to record our interview and post it to his website.  Stay tuned for the next installment and expect an update with Scott's podcast site tomorrow.

Recaps start again tomorrow: Today, I thank my mom and Olivia for sustaining hope

There is plenty of time to discuss Everest but only once per year do we focus on moms.  Today, I shove Everest aside for mom.

Last night I attended the Olivia Constants Foundation fundraising event in Annapolis and I was reminded why Olivia and her cause are so important to me - hope.  It is Mother's Day today and I want to reciprocate the message of hope by honoring the mothers I knew and know.  

What better place to start than with my mother.  My mother always supported me and gave me the opportunity to achieve whatever I desired.  Yeah, my dad was there too but it is not his day today; he can wait until June.  I thank her today even though she cannot be here to read this message.  If we all took a little time to thank those who supported us and gave us hope, I think many of life's struggles would soon evaporate.  Here are my mother's day thanks.....

Thanks mom

My mother was a hard-worker who raised two kids, climbed the corporate ladder, and tolerated a family life unsuitable for anyone.  You see, she had three boys to deal with and one was a grown up!  We did as we pleased and she seemed to tolerate it and, at times, found the lighter side in our shenanigans.  There was no malice in our actions; we were just boys.  She was not a victim but rather she found ways to deal with a less-than-good situation at home.  She smiled, sang out loud, and filled the room with happiness and optimism. She gave me hope that things would be better no matter how down I felt.  I miss her dearly. 

Thanks mom for being so happy
Thanks for your kindness
Thanks for loving me unconditionally
Thanks for remaining positive
Thanks for the little tunes you hummed in the morning
Thanks for making the little things matter so much
Thanks for supporting all my interests
.... for getting up at 4am to make me egg sandwiches before swim practice
.... for the morning lifts to practice in the summer
.... for driving me to endless triathlons
Thanks for always slipping in a few extra bills so I could eat more later
Thanks for offering frank and honest advice
Thanks for pushing me to be better
Thanks for forgiving my transgressions - no matter how severe
Thanks for giving me hope when things seemed hopeless
Thanks for fighting to see the next day

Thanks mom.  I wish you were here to read this.

There is plenty more to tell about Everest this year so stay tuned for Monday's installment.  Go thank your mom today.