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Mt. Everest Expedition: Sherpa Team to Camp 3

Posted by: Mark Tucker | May 12, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Everest
Elevation: 17,575'

Way to go Team! 

Last night we had a team of five Sherpa depart from Camp 2 at 11: 30 pm en route to the South Col. They reached the South Col in just under eight hours.  A few of them were also able to make a carry to Camp 3.  They encountered some high winds and did an amazing job, getting most of the oxygen bottles, tents and supporting equipment to Camp 2 for the first time this season.  And here they are back at Base Camp already. These guys are tough!

The rest of the team did some local hiking to keep up the fitness. Teams continue to work on the upper mountain but have not placed any new rope above the Col as of yet.  The route fixing group has decided to wait a few days based on forecasts of strong winds in the near future.

RMI Guide and Everest Base Camp Manager Mark Tucker

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Mt. Everest Expedition: Life at Base Camp

Posted by: Mark Tucker | May 06, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Everest
Elevation: 17,575'

Tent life continues. Zippers make my doors, frost wakes me in the morning as it rains down when I move about in my little constricted space. No complaints here, just a bit of longing for those creature comforts I appreciate for at least a week when I return home, till I once again settle in on expecting those niceties to be at my beck and call. We have been getting some snow showers, so don’t forget to shake the toilet tent before entering or there is a good chance of getting a pile and I mean pile of snow down the back of your coat prior to entry. Definitely avoid this scenario, take my word that those three or so minutes of melt freeze down the back is no fun. Thank goodness for all the miracle fabrics from First Ascent, rest assured warmth is just around the corner.We have the cush life here at base camp compared to trips like Denali or what is soon to come for the team on the upper mountain here at Everest.

The team went for a nice hike to Kala Patar today. A nearby ridge hike with beautiful views of the upper part of Everest. We are too near the base to see the upper mountain form here. Lam Babu and Pasang made a trip up to
Camp 2 to check in on how things are holding up. Last thing you want is a big surprise when you arrive at an upper camp on a move day. He reports everything is in good shape. Sounds like there will be a push toward Camp 4 and the South Col tomorrow. A strong team will put the needed ropes in place to allow for safe travels to the final camp before the summit push.

We will have a meeting with Lam Babu tomorrow and will go over the whats and whens to keep this expedition moving forward. Not yet the summit push but we are getting closer everyday. These rest days and upper mountain tactics have proven effective in the past. As the route gets better and the weather continues to improve so do our attitudes.The excitement of the summit is helping carry the minds and bodies of this terrific group of climbers
onward and upward.

All’s well at Everest Base Camp,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker

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Mt. Everest Expedition: Team Continues to Acclimatize at ABC

Posted by: Melissa Arnot, Mark Tucker, Dave Hahn | May 01, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Everest
Elevation: 21,300'

Happy Anniversary to the first American Summit team on Mt. Everest!
That climb happened forty-nine years ago today.  Thanks to all the teams of the past for the valuable insight on how to climb this mountain as safe and smart as possible. 
Dave Hahn and the RMI team remained at Camp 2 (ABC) for another night. All is well up there as they adjust slowly to these extreme altitudes. Conditions on the upper mountain are rough with the jet stream still over top and limited tracks in the upper route for now.  Dave is the master at making the best use of their time up high and when they return to Base Camp I’m sure they will be ready for some rest down here in the thick air of 17,575’.

We are now in the meat of the Mt. Everest climbing season.  There are teams all over the mountain and everybody is at a little different stage in their schedule to get themselves ready for the summit. The cooperation between the teams this year has been fantastic and the resolve and commitment to work together is outstanding.  It is a small community here and everybody pulling together is making for a very enjoyable season.
Lots of work ahead and many more amazing photos to be taken. Hold on - summit time is just around the corner because it’s the month of MAY!

Happy May Day!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker

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Mt. Everest Expedition: Team readies for next rotation

Posted by: Dave Hahn, Melissa Arnot, Mark Tucker | April 28, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Everest
Elevation: 17,575'

Hello,
It is a beautiful day at Everest Base Camp. The climbing team and I did a nice glacier walk out from Base Camp. Just enough to stretch the legs and stop at the internet cafe en-route. There has been lots of packing and loads distributed to the Sherpa team who will help carry gear up to Camp 2 tomorrow. The rest days here at Base Camp have been good for the climbing team members and it looks like tomorrow they will begin their next rotation up high.  We had two members of our Sherpa Team, Lam Babu and Yubaraju, that spent last night at Camp 2.  They reported that everything is ready for the climbing team to inhabit this upper camp.

So, our plan is a 3:30 am breakfast, with requests of eggs, rice porridge, cold cereal and some hot drinks. The team should then be walking out of camp at 4:00 am headed for Camp 2.

We are hoping for good weather and for everyone in the team to feel strong as they climb higher tomorrow.

We will keep you posted.

RMI Guide Mark Tucker

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Mt. Everest Expedition: Technology Ready for Camp 2 Move

Posted by: Mark Tucker | April 27, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Everest
Elevation: 17,575'

Gearing up for the Camp 2 move. I took some time with Kumar and Lam to check electrical equipment including a base-type radio communication station. All is in good order now, we will see how it goes over the next while. Cold and altitude are always tough on that equipment let alone the moving from camp to camp always has takes some toll. Our Sherpa team is hard at work at Camp 2 and a couple will stay the night to get it ready for Dave and crew to move up soon.

Where is the mocha? Photos from my Internet location out in the middle of the glacier. It’s not Starbucks but the view can’t be beat. A bit of a hassle to get there but compared to what we had as cell service in the past, this is great. We still use the satellite communication for many things, but the price is a lot more. Back in 1990 the sat phone was a good size suite case. The price per minute was 20 to 30 dollars. At least some things have gotten cheaper. The cell towers in Gorak Shep have been pretty reliable as of late and it is so nice to be able to stay in touch with all of you on a consistent basis. With that in mind, fret not if we miss a dispatch here and there, just blame it on tough circumstances that prevail now and again.

RMI Guide Mark Tucker

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Mt. Everest Expedition: Base Camp Luxuries

Posted by: Mark Tucker, Dave Hahn | April 23, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Everest
Elevation: 17,575'

RMI invested with a local solar outfitter a few years back, and as you can see by the picture we are charged up! At the start of this season we used a generator to jump start the batteries, but since then its been all sun. On cloudy days we have to be a bit careful on how much power we use from the bank of six good-sized car-type batteries but usually plenty of juice. Without it, tough to send out this dispatch and even the best generators are too loud.

The other photo is of one of our star players here at Base Camp, Raju, who is at the watering hole of choice for now. The staff makes lots of trips to this spot daily with five-gallon plastic jugs to keep us full of that most important beverage. As the glacier moves throughout the season, so will we and the watering hole. With all of the human impact over the years we will boil all of the drinking water. Not yet there with the solar so we do use kerosene for cooking here at Base Camp. We have a most wonderful on-demand gas-powered shower tent that we try and not overuse, which you can imagine on a warm day is so fantastic it is hard to convey. A bit different nowadays since my first trip to Everest in 1990. It was 72 days between showers. Hey, we did what we could, but that first shower was a good one!

Dave Hahn is at Camp 1 and a link to his audio dispatch is below.

That’s all for today from RMI’s Everest Expedition.

RMI Guide Mark Tucker

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Mt. Everest Expedition: Acclimating Hike to Camp 2

Posted by: Mark Tucker | April 22, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Everest
Elevation: 17,575'

Current report from RMI’s Everest team:

Windy and cool with the jet stream right over the region today. Wind usually means not much snow and that is the case today.

RMI Guide Dave Hahn and crew went on a hike toward Camp 2 and are now back at Camp 1 for another night in their great First Ascent tents. Sherpa team is planning to carry more gear up to Camp 2 tomorrow. We are just stock piling Camp 2 for now, leaving gear in duffel bags and not putting tents up since it will still be about a week before the team stays overnight. Without a staff at Camp 2 to keep track of tents, there is no sense in subjecting them to tough weather conditions. The whole team is in great shape and the game plan is right on schedule. It is just a matter of time and next thing you know it, it will be summit push time. Big mountains take a while but they are sure worth it.

RMI Guide Mark Tucker

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Mt. Everest Expedition: Team heads to Camp 1

Posted by: Mark Tucker | April 21, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Everest
Elevation: 17,575'

Hello from Everest Base Camp,

This is my first chance to take a breath here at Base Camp. If you can call it that. Breathing here is always a challenge. It is crazy to think that with all the hard work Jeff Martin put in here at base camp prior to my arrival, it was still non-stop this whole last week.  However, the first big reward came today when RMI Guide Dave Hahn and company called down from Camp 1 reporting that all is well. We have the best of the best when it comes to a team of climbers. And the support we give them to make this climb a bit easier is very much a group effort from Kathmandu to the USA.

We had a wild thunder storm this afternoon with a trace of snow but the clouds have cleared and it is pretty clear now. The RMI team left Everest Base Camp at 5 a.m. this morning and made it to Camp 1 in under four hours. That is a very respectable time for the climb of almost three thousand feet. It looks like all the training paid off.

We had a nice dinner in the cook tent with the Sherpa team and I am looking forward to my favorite hot water bottle and a good night’s rest.

RMI Guide Mark Tucker

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Everest Base Camp Trek: Tucker and Team Return to Lukla

Posted by: Mark Tucker | April 10, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 9,350'

We had a beautiful hike down to Lukla today. Lots of greenery and local folk working away in the gardens that abound down here in the 10,000’ region. The airport was shut down early this morning due to clouds but as we approached there were a few flights that went in the afternoon. John and Kim are set for the second flight tomorrow weather permitting. The commute from our lodging for the night to the entrance of the airport is about thirty feet, no excuse for missing the flight.

Kim here. . .  wow, this has been quite an experience.  It was an amazing adventure that I won’t forget anytime soon.  There were some hard days, some disappointing days, and some really wonderful days.  Overall, it was definitely a worthwhile experience.  Thanks to all for the comments and good wishes.  I’d like to spend my last blog opportunity answering the questions posted yesterday and March 31st from Mrs. Hartman’s and Mrs. Jerome’s classrooms:
Q: How high are you? A: We were at different altitudes each day. Today we are back in Lukla where we started which is about 9,900ft.  The highest we got was about 19,000ft.  That was on Island Peak.  Q: Did you summit? A: We did not make it to the summit.  I am disappointed about that since I was the one who could not make it.  The air was very cold and each time I tried to breathe deep, it hurt my lungs.  So, I couldn’t get enough air to have the energy I needed to keep going.  The rest of the team decided to turn around with me.  Q: How high is Island Peak? A: Island Peak is 20,300ft, so we still had a long way to go.  Q: Have you used your ice ax and climbing harness? A: We did not use our ice axes or crampons on Island Peak because we didn’t get high enough, but we did use them during our training session at Everest Base Camp.  I’ll try to include a photo from that for today.  We did have our climbing harnesses on.  Q: Which is higher, Island Peak or Everest Base Camp? A: Island Peak is higher than Everest Base Camp.  Island Peak is about 20,300ft, Everest Base Camp is 17,575ft. Q: How are you feeling? A: I was feeling pretty sick up high.  It is common for people to not feel good when they get that high because of the lack of air pressure and limited oxygen.  I am feeling much better now that we are down low again.  Q:How many tea houses have you been in?  A: Too many to count.  We stopped at one or two each day for lunch and afternoon tea.  Then we stayed at one each night.  Q:  What was your favorite dish to eat?  A:  It depended on the day.  Up high, the only thing that sounded good to eat was popcorn.  So, I have been eating a lot of that.  Down lower, we all like the chicken chilly (spicy chicken. . .spelled differently on every menu).  We also liked to eat daal bhat with pappad and veggie curry.  Tell Ranish that I like the curry fine, but I prefer it to be a little more spicy than they make it up here.  I also forgot to mention the dumplings that are popular here called mo-mos.  We had a lot of veggie mo-mos.  Q: Are you staying warm? A: I was SO cold many days up there.  It was the coldest I have ever been. . . especially while on Island Peak and at Everest Base Camp.  I am warmer now that we are lower.  Q: Are you having fun or do you wish you were home?  A: Both.  I have had lots of fun, but when I was cold and sick, I was wishing I was someplace else.  I am still very glad that I went to Everest Base Camp, though.  It was an amazing place.  Q: Are yaks carrying your bags?  A: No.  Porters are carrying our bags.  Those men are really strong.  I am impressed by their strength and speed.  Q: What is the name of the peak behind you in the photo from today (4/9/12)?  A:  We all looked at the photo and we think that was the side of Ama Dablam.  We have seen so many peaks, it is hard to tell for sure. 
Hopefully we will fly out to Kathmandu tomorrow and then to India for a few days after that.  Again, thanks to all for your good wishes and your support.  We have enjoyed reading your comments the few times we have had internet service. 

John here: It’s been a while since I made an update. Too long to try to recap the last few days. Like Kim, this has been an experience of a lifetime for me. The Nepalese people are so genuinely warm and welcoming and the scenery is unmatched by anything I have ever experienced. Kim mentioned that we didn’t summit Island Peak. While that is a disappointment for all of us, Kim and I did reach a new high. Along the way I learned a lot about myself, my abilities and what’s really important. There will be other peaks in our future and we’ll both be better prepared to face them.

We hiked out from Namche Bazar today. It was bittersweet. While it meant this part of our journey was coming to an end, it also meant we had hot showers and clean clothes to look forward to. We also have all the wonderful experiences and memories that we worked so hard over the last few weeks to create. Thanks to Tuck we’ve also met tons of folks along the way, all who added to the texture of the experience.

Thank you to all of you who followed our journey, we look forward to sharing our experiences and pictures with you when we get back. Pop some corn - we have LOTS of pictures.

Namaste.

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Everest Base Camp Trek: Tucker and Team Return to Namche

Posted by: Mark Tucker | April 09, 2012
Categories: *Expedition Dispatches *Everest BC Trek
Elevation: 11,300'

Hello,
We are back in the big city of Namche Bazaar. What a great shower! The feet are a bit tired but here in Namche life is sweet. In fact we just finished our lunch at the bakery topped off with some apple strudel.

What a whirl wind it has been since we left Everest Base Camp. Seems to me that once you get above 15,000’ time goes by a bit quicker. We had a grand time at Base Camp. So fun to show the team my office for the weeks to come. We had great training at the base of the Khumbu Ice Fall, such a historic setting and perfect location for technical ice climbing training and team dynamics for the Island Peak climb.

Our travel from one amazing valley to another went without a hitch, once in the Imja Khola Valley with views of Island Peak, the excitement level rose. The storm we had to deal with at Island Peak Base camp was felt throughout the region. Although the conditions on the route were less than perfect, the night we went for the summit was pretty nice. The moon was so bright I didn’t need my headlight till we were higher up into the tight rocky area. It is such a unique experience to climb at heights like these in the middle of the night surrounded by bitter cold, working hard and breathing hard with every step. Why do I call this fun? Tough to express what a special time we had looking out at the high Himalaya watching the sunrise at over 19,000’. With so much earth below but amazed at how much still loomed above was hard to take in.

It’s been a long march in the last three days to get here. We were just ahead of the big seasonal traveler push up to Everest on the way in, but now it is peak time for large groups. It’s been fun to see lots of old friends going up to Everest Base Camp.
After all these miles with no feet problems, my toes go out to Jeremy Foust and the crew at Whittaker Mountaineering for the fantastic job they did fitting me with a great pair of Asolo trekking boots and LaSpotiva climbing boots. Thanks so much.

It’s not over yet. We are off to Lukla tomorrow and flights for John and Kim the day after.

RMI Guide Mark Tucker

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