May 21st, 2010:
My climb is over today. Our flight got our morning and before lunch time I was back in Kathmandu. Mingmar and I got back. Ngima and our bags did not. They remained in Lukla as flights were stopped due to high winds after the morning flights. Ngima and our bags did get out the next day and we are all back in Kathmandu.

May 20th, 2010:
It was a shorter walk today from Namche to Lukla. After descending the trail below Namche down to the river it became quite warm. From that point on to Lukla we all suffered a bit in the warmer conditions.
I was a little sore from the previous days walk so my pace was not too quick. We got to Lukla around 2 PM. The flights were still coming in and out at Lukla and continued until nearly 5 PM. There had not been any flights to Lukla during the two previous days. Fortunately they were able to catch up today.

May 19th, 2010:
After breakfast we started our walk back to Lukla. Today we went from base camp all the way back to Namche. It was a long day with only one stop for lunch and a couple short breaks. I got to Namche just before dark at 7 PM. A hot shower and a real bed made a good finish to a long day.

May 18th, 2010:
I packed up my gear today. I also got a shower and clean clothes. We will start our trek back to Lukla tomorrow.

May 17th, 2010:
After some good sleep it was easier to get packed up and ready to move this morning. One of the worst parts about ending a climb is that you have all of your gear to carry back to base camp. For me that meant about 35 kg in my pack. The Sherpa’s have much more weight than that. We left camp 2 around 10 AM and arrived back at base camp at 2 PM. This was another tough day. On our kitchen staff met me near the last ladder in the icefall and carried my pack the rest of the way. That was a big help!

May 16th, 2010:
We did not get moving very early this morning. It was nearly noon before we had gotten packed up and headed down to camp 2. I don’t think any of us slept very well. My progress down the Lhotse face was slow. I was still very tired from the previous day’s ordeal. Once off the face I had Mingmar and Ngima go on to camp 2. I moved along slowly to camp at least an hour behind them. At camp 2 we were able to get rehydrated and ate quite a bit. We finally were able to get some good sleep.

May 15th, 2010:
Mingmar got up to camp 3 ~ 6:30 AM this morning. Ngima and I had some tea and rice pudding before packing up to leave. By 7:30 AM we were on our way up the Lhotse Face towards our camp 4. Progress was very slow due to many climbers moving up the mountain. Mingmar, Ngima and I were all using oxygen. I had my regulator set and 1 liter per minute. Just below the Yellow Band I had my regulator turned up to 1 ½ liter per minute. I was feeling the effect of little sleep last night. With the crowded conditions moving up the fixed line we made few stops. We just tried to keep our place in line moving up the face. It was fairly sunny and the wind continued through the day at a fairly moderate clip.

After the Yellow Band and near the start of the Geneva Spur our fixed line split off from the line leading on up to Everest camp 4. By 2:30 PM were at our camp 4 for Lhotse. The sight was not good. Several other groups of climbers were working to repair their tents after all of the high winds. Our tent was completely destroyed. All of the poles were bent or broken. Much of the fly and tent shell was torn (actually shredded). For the next couple hours we dug drifted snow off the remains of our tent. We tried to come up with a way to stay at camp four and have a chance for a summit attempt. Unfortunately we had no good options left. By 6 PM we had the tent remains packed up along with all of our oxygen that had been brought up for our summit try. We headed back down to camp 3.
Our progress back down was very slow. I was exhausted at this point and really held Mingmar and Ngima up on our way back down. It was dark by the time we got below the yellow band which made progress even slower. I don’t remember very many times on other climbs where I was more tired. Several times I just wanted to lie down and sleep. Fortunately Mingmar and Ngima kept pushing me along. We finally got back to camp 3 around 10 PM. We climbed back into the tents and quickly went to sleep.

May 14th, 2010:
After a good nights sleep we headed on up to camp 3. Ngima and I left around 7:30 AM while Mingmar remained at camp 2. The plan is for Ngima to stay at camp 3 tonight. Tomorrow morning Mingmar will catch us at camp 2 and move up to camp 4 with us.
When we arrived at camp 3 we found the tents in poor shape. They were partially7 buried by drifting snow. There were also a couple broken poles. It took several hours of digging and minor repairs to make them usable. The tent Ngima and I were using was only dug out partially. We were afraid that digging it out completely might result in a broken pole. The wind continued through the night and blew snow back over the tent leaving us buried about the same in the morning, as we had found the tent when we first camp back up to camp 3. I got very little sleep during the night.

May 13th, 2010:
We are up at 4 AM this morning. After some tea and breakfast we are on our way up through the icefall by 5:30 AM. We were at camp 2 by 11:15 AM. We had fairly stiff winds most of the way up. After arriving at camp 2 the winds seemed to drop a bit and also seemed lighter up higher of the mountain. Maybe we will get lucky with the forecast!

May 12th, 2010:
Today is our last rest day before heading up to camp 2. We packed up some food and remaining gear for our summit try. The weather is still sunny and windy. It looks very windy up high. We try to rest most of the day, get dinner early and to bed early.

May 11th, 2010:
After breakfast this morning I hiked up to Puma Ri advanced base camp (~19,000 feet). I was back for lunch. We are still planning to go up on the 13th for our summit attempt. Still sunny and windy!

May 10th, 2010:
Again we remain at base camp. It is still sunny with light to moderate winds. The forecast for up high on the mountains is for continued high winds until the 22nd or 23rd. There is a slight chance for a brief drop in the winds around the 15th to the 178th. At this point we are planning to go back up on the 13th.

May 9th, 2010:
Today Mingmar and Ngima talked with the Russian climbers at base camp. They had gotten within 150 meters of the summit on Lhotse before they had to turn back. One of their climbers had become ill – probably Cerebral Edema. Before they were able to get back to camp 4 he had died. They apparently had bee climbing without oxygen. They had cut open our duffel bag in our tent at camp 4 in search of oxygen, mask and regulator. All we had at the camp was our oxygen. We had not taken the masks or regulators up there yet.
At base camp it is sunny with some wind, but it looks very windy up higher.

May 8th, 2010:
Resting at base camp and watching the weather. Mingmar got a radio call from Kame (another Peak Promotion Sherpa). While descending from Everest camp 4 he saw a body tied off the fixed line just below our camp 4 on Lhotse. We were not sure, but more than likely it was one of the Russian climbers trying to climb Lhotse.
I also found out that while Mingmar was digging out a tent platform at Lhotse camp 4 he had a close call. Snow that he had dug out of the steep slope gave way while he was standing on it. Fortunately he had changed from using a shovel to his ice axe and was able to arrest his slide on the Lhotse Face. If he had still been using the shovel he would not have been able to stop a long fall down the face.

Today we made it to Everest Base Camp, elevation 17,335ft. It took about 2-3 hours from Gorek Shep over glacial moraine on quite rocky terrain, but worth every step. The Kumbu icefall was spectacular, spilling out from the pass between Lola peak and Nuptse peak right to the foot of base camp, where it merged with all the colorful tents of the many climbing expeditions.  We heard and saw multiple rock and ice falls which seemed to last minutes echoing off the cliff walls which surrounded us. When we arrived at the official Everest Base Camp entrance, we were met with hot lemon tea and cookies, which definitely hit the spot. Ang Dawa Sherpa lead us to the Everest ER, where we were given a friendly welcome from Dr. Luann Freer and Dr. Steve Halverson, both from Montana.  They showed us around the ER and then we all sat down in the Peak Promotion tent for a lunch which included fresh cucumbers and orange slices(yum)!  Right after lunch we saw a rescue helicopter land to fly someone who had been sick for a while to Kathmandu. It is amazing they are able to land a helicopter there, they didn’t even turn the engine off….just loaded her up and took off. We then said goodbye to everyone and started back to Lobuche.  Jasmina hiked up to Kallapatar today, and then we met up with her in Gorek Shep and from there all headed down together to Lobuche. I will admit it felt great to go downhill. Tomorrow we are heading to Chhukung where we plan to stay two nights and do some training before heading to Island Peak base camp.  Thanks again to the Everest ER doctors and Peak Promotion for making us feel right at home.

Marcie, Stacee, Lexi, Jasmina

Read Full Story: 20th April, 2010- From Everest Base Camp

This morning we woke up enveloped in clouds. It was the first morning that was not clear, but it gave a very surreal feeling. We had our usual breakfast at the tea house and then hit the trail. We went on an acclimatization hike to Nakarsung dada which is a “hill” reaching 16,400 ft. For the first few hours we were in the clouds and then we rose above the clouds and saw a glimpse of the mountains. The views of Ama Dablam and the surrounding mountains were spectacular….we even saw Island peak for the first time!  We hiked like turtles in molasses, but eventually made it to the summit and managed to “stay within ourselves”(don’t worry Dr. Rich!). It took us 4 hours to get to the top and only 40 minutes to get down…..that gives you an idea of the effects the altitude has on our ability to hike uphill. We all still feel strong, other than an occasional headache.  After returning from the hike and drinking some ginger tea, we went to a lecture that the Himalayan Rescue Association put on to educate trekkers/climbers about mountain sickness. We sat inside a sun room….which despite the name was FREEZING and learned some new things about high altitude medicine as we listened the rain on the roof.   We checked our O2 saturations…right around 90%….not too bad!  We just finished a wonderful dinner of dhal bhat, momos, garlic soup, french fries, rice and ginger tea.  Vicky will depart tomorrow after breakfast to head home and return to work. It has been fun having her along this far and we hope she has a wonderful safe trip home. Tomorrow we head to Lobuche to gain some more elevation and get closer to Everest base camp. Thanks for following our adventure and stay tuned!

Marcie, Stacee, Lexi, Jasmina and Vicky

Source: 17th April, 2010- Nakarsung top

Another beautiful day, although not quite as clear. Glad that we got to see Everest on a perfectly clear day yesterday. Today we had spectacular view of Ama Dablam as we started out on our way to Tengboche. We sent Ang Karma on ahead to find us rooms to stay the night. Amazing Sherpa that he is, he made it in 2 hours. Took us 7 hours?! Got to see our first Yaks. Marcie is still a little confused between the difference between a yak and a Nak. Made it to the Tengboche Monastary, which was very colorful, peaceful and asthetic. We ended up hiking past Tengboche to Deboche, because there was more rooms available there. I think our sense of humors are catching on. Ang Karma was dusting off our boots at the end of the day and ended up smacking us each on the rear end. Hopefully, that will make us move faster tomorrow. Strong as Nak, slow as Yak. On to Pheruche tomorrow, where we will spend 2 days to acclimatize.

Stacee

Source: 15th April, 2010- Tyangboche