Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Hey Jim Whittaker! Happy 48th Anniversary of the first American on the summit of Mount Everest.
Nobody from any country is on top May 1st this year. Steady progress is being made in that direction, but I would think even with perfect conditions ahead, it will still be another week before anyone summits.
The Whittaker family is a big part of RMI. Jim's twin brother Lou, being the Chief Guide of RMI for years. His son Peter leading the charge at RMI now, and his brother Win involved in the family business as well. Last year I worked with Jim's son Leif on his climb of Everest.
On Jim's summit day he had a Sherpa climbing partner named Nawang Gombu. Gombu, as we all called him around Mount Rainier, would work the summers with us on Rainier. He was the youngest member of the 1953 expedition which made the first ascent of Mount Everest. In 1965 he reached the summit again, becoming the first person to climb Mount Everest twice. It was always a pleasure to work with him on the mountain. Just the nicest guy, and anybody who was lucky enough to climb or spend time with him, new they were touched by a very special man. I received the sad news of his passing last week. He will be greatly missed.
I had the honor of being part of the 1990 Mount Everest Peace Climb led by Jim Whittaker. Our goal was to summit on April 22, the twenty year anniversary of Earth Day. We did not get our first team to the summit until May 6th. Point being, that without much fixed line, and that early in the season, our hats go off to you Jim, for an amazing accomplishment.
We should all be so proud of our team, for the respect they are showing to Jim's mountain and the effort put forth to preserve his legacy.
Dave and crew did another climb up to the base of the face and back to Camp 2 for the night, they plan to give a go at the Lhotse Face tomorrow. Rest today for the Sherpa team, but just handed off supplies to be taken to Camp 2 tomorrow.
Till next time,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
The weather could not have been better last night and early today. Right now it is snowing lightly. It can sure help to have stable weather conditions for any night at 21,300' and a major bonus to have calm weather for the first night of many at that altitude. The word from above is that the team did well during the night. So well in fact, that Dave was able to rally the team early this morning for a 7:30 a.m. departure and climb to just below the Lhotse Face. That section took about an hour and forty-five minutes. We would call that part of the day, the approach to the climb. Above where they stopped is a continuous steep climb to get up to Camp 3, which sits at 23,900' more or less. Dave reports that since we have been having daily snow, the conditions on the face have improved. What we saw in the earlier part of the month was blue ice on most of the face.
The previous dry winter has created a big gap between the lower angle slopes and the steep face, which is referred to as a bergshrund. If it were a wet winter with lots of snowfall, that gap could be filled in with snow making crossing much easier. At the last meeting of the teams, we decided to send up a ladder to be placed in that area if it seemed like it would help the climbers get on to the steep section. More progress was made by the fixing team above Camp 3. Sounds like the ropes are set to Camp 4, which is the South Col (26,000'), our final camp before the summit push. More work will be needed to improve the ropes from Camp 2 to the South Col but that is huge to have the initial set in place. Dave, Sara, Bill, and Linden plan on getting on the face tomorrow. This will be a taste of steep climbing at extreme altitude.
The team is right on track and fired up!
Till next time,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
SAYSEE!!! just wanted to say hi and tell you that i love you more than anything! and keep pushing and fighting and everything will be worth it in the end. you are so amazing for doing all that you are doing and i am so proud of you! we all miss you here and can’t wait to see you but for now we are here cheering you on! i think about you everyday and how incredible this is. know that you are in our prayers and you inspire me so much, it’s incredible! i really do love you more than you know- to heaven and back! you’re the greatest sara rose. -emma
Posted by: Emma Payne on 5/1/2011 at 5:37 pm
Hi Linden! Helped deliver my sissys baby 1 day old, in Georgia near the Tornado! Would rather be climbing in Nepal EXCEPT FOR HIS CUTE LITTLE FACE! GOING VERTICAL
Posted by: Hollyanne on 4/30/2011 at 10:30 am
The team climbed from Camp 1 up to Camp 2 (ABC) today in perfect conditions. They will stick to the rough outline for now spending three or four nights at Camp 2. While at Camp 2 their main objective is taking care of themselves by eating, drinking and resting. Over the next couple of days they will climb towards Camp 3 to stretch their legs and lungs and keeping with the climb high, sleep low philosophy.
Everyone is doing well and we look forward to seeing them back in Base Camp in a few days.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
continued prayers with you guys, good luck on stage 3,
love reading your personal “posts”, great stuff. Adam and Owen were asking about you both last night at dinner. God bless.
David
Posted by: david eicher on 5/2/2011 at 10:16 am
Amazing journey. I am so excited that you guys are making such outstanding progress. Thinking of you guys as you climb higher and higher.
Lowndes
Posted by: Lowndes Harrison on 4/30/2011 at 4:05 am
The Nisqually Glacier is the most easily viewed of all the glaciers on Mt. Rainier. Facing the Paradise Visitor Center, it runs four miles from the 14,410-foot summit down to about 4,500 feet in the Nisqually Valley. At about 12,500 feet the ice forms a giant cliff where the glacier breaks apart over a large rocky step and smashes itself back together 1,000 feet below. Usually unskiable, the heavy snows this winter have filled in one side of the cliff and a continuous line appeared, begging to be skied.
My friends Tyler Jones, Andy Bond and I had a random convergence in the Northwest after being on separate agendas for the winter. Tyler had been ski-guiding in La Grave, France, Andy spends his winters in British Columbia, and I had just returned from a trip to Haines, AK. Andy had recently been bombarding me with emails about how the ski conditions on Rainier were about to 'go off' so we all met up in Ashford, WA, to wait for some good weather.
After a few days in town, the necessary conditions stacked in our favor, and we took the opportunity to pull off a big line on Rainier. In the Northwest, a full winter of storms on an endless conveyor belt had been pounding the mountain with snow. Now, with an approaching high pressure system, we had a few days of guaranteed sunny weather. So on Thursday, April 22, we left Paradise in a snow storm hoping that the forecast would pan out as advertised and once at Camp Muir the weather would break. Typically we could each do the trip to Muir without the aid of GPS in any conditions. We have over 200 summits of Rainier between the three of us. But this year every landmark is covered in snow, making navigation impossible without the aid of electronics. A quick consult with the GPS was all we needed to find our way to Muir.
Once there, we packed into the tiny RMI hut that normally sleeps two. Poor Andy had to sleep on three coolers; it was either that or the snowy floor. The weather was pretty cold most of the night so there was no rush for us to start climbing until the sun came up. To our surprise there was another party climbing that day. They had left about an hour ahead of us and it was nice to follow their track for the first part of the day. We climbed up towards the Gibraltar Ledges route. This gave us a great vantage point of our desired ski route and I was able to take some pics in case we needed to use them as a quick-reference guide on the descent.
Once we caught up to the other party, we took our turn breaking trail towards the summit. Conditions were great and we were able to make quick progress to the top. Our total climbing time from Camp Muir was four hours on the dot. Not bad for carrying skis on our backs! On top we spent some time checking out the different aspects of the mountain and taking photos of the gargoyle-like features of rime-ice; created as water vapor from the recent storm cycle beat against the mountain, freezing instantly. The wind was howling, so soon after, we clicked into our skis and started downhill towards the top of the ice cliff.
The upper part of the mountain skied nicely. Rainier is like a big dome and the upper reaches aren't extremely steep and the snow was firm but edge-able. Once we dropped about 1,000 feet, however, the slope angle increased dramatically and the snow became even more firm. At 13,000' we could see directly down the glacier to the top of the ice cliff. From here we were committed, and any slip could result in a long slide off the cliff. Precise, controlled ski turns were necessary and we skied one at a time in pitches to keep an eye on each other.
The line through the ice cliff was fairly straight forward. We trended gradually right, through an ever narrowing gap between big rock cliffs and the edge of the ice. The snow conditions steadily improved as we dropped lower on the mountain. In total we skied about 3,500 feet of terrain in what we considered a "no-fall" zone. The stress of all the exposure relented bit-by-bit as we descended, and by the time we exited the ice cliff section we were relaxed enough to fully enjoy the pitch out from under the cliff.
We then threaded our way out of the large amphitheater formed by the ice cliff and through a myriad of crevasses onto the benign slopes of the Muir Snowfield. There were several groups of skiers there enjoying the fresh powder and sun. We stopped to chat before continuing on our way and they congratulated us on our journey. The snow was so good from here that we decided to drop below the elevation of the parking lot all of the way to the Nisqually Bridge at 3,500 feet. We knew that this could mean a long wait for a hitch hike back to the car but the day was going too well to worry about that. Plus, the lure of getting the longest ski run in the 'Lower 48' on top of a new route on Rainier was too much to resist.
I think we waited for a total of 15 seconds before a really nice guy from Fort Lewis Army Base gave me a ride back to Paradise to get my car. Our luck was good all day!
whoaaa i would love to climb and ski that!
Posted by: fortuna major on 4/28/2011 at 4:11 pm
It’s a beautiful day here at Everest Base Camp.
RMI Expedition Leader Dave Hahn and our team of climbers and Sherpa left Base Camp early this morning en route to Camp 1. The team made great time through the Khumbu Ice fall and up to almost 20,000'. They are now tucked in comfortably at Camp 1.
Their plan for tomorrow is another early start to climb up to Camp 2. The Western Cwm can get quite warm with its high ice walls and an early start will get them through with some cooler temperatures. The team will spend several nights at Camp 2 (21,000') to acclimatize. While at Camp 2 they will be accompanied by climbing Sherpa Lam Babu and Tsering as well as our cook Yubarj.
Two members of our Sherpa staff, Kaji and Dawa, went to Camp 2 a few days ago to ready the camp for the team’s arrival and have now returned to Base Camp.
I attended a meeting today here at Base Camp to discuss the plan for getting the rope up to the South Col and finishing the route work. Things went well at the meeting with a great amount of support and cooperation amongst the teams.
Life is good here on the glacier.
Till next time,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
On The Map
Way to go team! Best of luck to everyone on this rotation! Each and every day I look forward to seeing a new post so thank you for keeping us updated! Stay strong and be safe—we are thinking of you always!
Posted by: Martin on 4/28/2011 at 6:38 pm
Today is our third and final rest day before we head back up the Ice fall to begin our second rotation. If all goes as planned, this rotation will consist of spending one night at Camp 1 and then four nights at Camp 2 before returning back down to Base Camp. Our plan after that is then to rest for a couple of days, then to climb back up to Camp 1 and 2 and sleep as high as Camp 3 before returning back down. This would be our third rotation and the final rotation before our summit bid. Then we will rest for a week or so. If all goes well, we will make our summit push sometime in the latter part of May.
Mentally and physically, this next month will be the hardest month of my life. I worry that I won't be physically strong enough to climb through all of these rotations, and that I might lose my focus. It's so mentally difficult climbing down when it took so much effort climbing up to that spot, but I do know that every time I do climb up to a point where I've been before I feel stronger and I can breathe easier. I also completely understand why we have to climb up and down for acclimatization purposes, but doing so has been a huge challenge.
As difficult as it may seem, the first month of this trip has been one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life and I know this second month will be just as amazing. I've met some incredible people, and never in my life have I been more breath taken at the place that I'm in. Base Camp has begun feeling like home.
I want to say hi to all my family and friends, and I want to thank everyone for the comments and support.
Sara McGahan
SAAYYY!! i love you so much and im so proud of you!! All of us have been following you on the blog and i am so happy you are experiencing this because it sounds truly amazing! STAY STRONG AND KNOW THAT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERDAY BABY.
Posted by: Margaret Walker on 5/1/2011 at 10:09 am
Sara, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your father! It is truly amazing and inspiring to me! Keep your spirits high and stay strong. When you are back Angela and i will have to hear all about this amazing adventure!!! xoxo Heather
Posted by: heather yager on 5/1/2011 at 5:24 am
After completing our first rotation on the mountain we are back here at Base Camp. It was a relatively warm day here at Base Camp, the clouds blew in early and snow came midday - big, wet flakes filled the air as we sat down to lunch today, covering everything with a thin but wet coating of snow. It has been another restful day here to relax and recover from our time spent higher on the mountain. With the whole team resting today, both our climbing team and our Sherpa team, we've taken advantage of the breaks in the snow to play a few games of horseshoes. Tshering Sherpa once again proved his ace skills, throwing a couple of impressive ringers, as did Dave (although his end of game review was tarnished by the errant shoe that managed to skip the pit and roll into the storage tent - the shoe emerged a few moments later by surprised but laughing Jaya, one of our Base Camp Assistants). RMI's chances in the Base Camp Horseshoes Tournament that Tuck organizes are looking good. Base Camp, which felt high and difficult a few weeks ago, is becoming more comfortable, and I'll venture to say that the air is even starting to feel a bit thicker here at 17,500' since we returned, a sure sign that we are acclimatizing well.
The time spent on our first rotation was a good introduction into the process of high altitude climbing. We navigated the Ice fall, established ourselves at Camp 1, and ascended the Western Cwm to Camp 2, also known as Advanced Base Camp (ABC). In doing so our familiarity with the route grew, ladder crossings became easier, and we anticipated the challenges of the Ice fall. We battled high winds, cold nights, and hot days. The rotation reminded me of the adjustment in perspective that takes place every time I head into the mountains. Visiting Camp 2 a few days ago, at 21,300', looking up the Lhotse Face towards the South Col and the summit of Everest far above, we discussed how standing in the same place in several weeks time we will only be days from the summit. But then the altitude was squeezing on the lungs, and simply walking across camp was a challenge in itself. I watched in awe as Yubaraj Rai, who climbed Island Peak with me several weeks ago and is our Camp 2 cook, grabbed a pick axe nearly as tall as he and started chipping away chunks of ice to melt for water. The thought of lifting the axe was tiring. It served as a reminder that despite making progress up the mountain, we have much preparation to do before a summit bid becomes a reality.
There is a notable, but sometimes difficult, mental shift that takes place when we begin climbing. Long expeditions like this require moving away from the hard charging objective-oriented mentality that predominates are training and preparation at home to a mentality that is focused on the process of the climb - as cliche as that sounds. With the ground that we covered between Base Camp and visiting Camp 2, we actually spent relatively few hours of the day climbing. The rest of our days were spent on the far less glamorous but equally important aspect of simply living up there. Resting, eating, drinking, sleeping, and dealing with the adversities that the environment throws at you. Because of this our first rotation was hugely important in learning to master the overlooked details of living above 20,000'. It is a trial in discovering what foods appeal up there, how challenging but important staying hydrated is, the awkwardness of pulling on a down suit in a tent, how to keep moral and drive strong during the hours of down time in the tents, the difficulties of packing up the pack in the early morning hours when temperatures hovered below zero degrees Fahrenheit, and how to readjust to the sky rocketing temperatures a few hours later when climbing up the Western Cwm. If these details are ignored the mountain and the altitude wears on the body to such an extent that the actual climbing becomes a challenge too great to overcome, the mountains just take too much of a toll. It's only after we've figured out how to manage these challenges that we can confidently strap on our crampons and climb upwards.
These are the often overlooked aspects of climbing up here that we faced on our first rotation. Although the distance and the elevations to which we climbed seem small in regards to the scale of the mountain that stands above us, our days up there were immensely productive and successful. By the third night the altitude was becoming easier, the cold less harsh, and the living up there more manageable. Since returning to Base Camp the whole team is already feeling stronger and more prepared and are looking forward to heading back up on our second rotation in a couple of days.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Hello, Linden! We Wallaces are enjoying your blogs! We are thinking about you way up there in the wild, blue, yonder and wishing you and your team well, safe, strong. We send you lots of love! Mary and Roger
Posted by: mary wallace on 5/2/2011 at 7:18 pm
Another great post and love the pictures! Enjoy the “thick” air of base camp and know that we are thinking of you all! And Bro - Happy Anniversary to you and Lisa! You are both extraordinary people!! Stay strong!!
Posted by: Martin on 4/26/2011 at 6:30 pm
Yesterday we got back to Base Camp from a climb up the Khumbu Ice fall to Camps 1 and 2. The Khumbu was everything it was made out to be. We had previously completed a series of climbs into the ice fall that had provided us with valuable experience. But tackling the ice fall in its entirety was a new ballgame.
We awoke at 4 am to eat breakfast and to prepare so that we could have a prompt 5 am start. We start this early for a variety of reasons, one of which is to have cold temperatures and a frozen solid ice fall. One of the biggest risks in the ice fall is an avalanche. An avalanche in the ice fall would not consist of soft snow, but solid ice (as hard and as brittle as stone). And since the ice fall is a constantly moving, dynamic glacier that is tumbling (in slow motion) down a 2500 foot cliff, this risk is ever present. So, the objective is to climb a solid ice "waterfall" - all of which starts at an altitude of 17500 feet.
The actual climbing is a non stop series of challenges - straight up 30 foot cliffs of ice (assisted by vertical ladders), 20 foot vertical descents in which you repel down "batman" style, 30 to 40 foot horizontal crevasses (which are up to hundreds of feet deep) in which you have to negotiate five eight-foot ladders roped together, etc.. If it wasn't so dangerous and you weren't scared out of your mind, it would actually be fun. The idea is to safely and quickly move through the ice fall in a business like manner, always clipping into safety ropes, and to move quickly. There are only two places that are safe enough for a rest stop. Every so often I would steal a glance at the massive glaciers overhanging us and then just keep moving.
Camp 1 sits at the top of the ice fall and at the end of the Western Cwm (at approx. 20,000 feet). We spent three nights at Camp I, and we were treated harshly at times by high winds, which I estimated (using the "guess method") of up to 70 mph. The winds were strong enough to break a tent pole in our tent (masterly repaired by Dave and Linden the next day). The winds slashed at the sides of the tent, creating a massive roar, which kept me up most of the night. There were times that night that I wondered what I was doing in Nepal at 20,000 feet in a tent in a wind storm. I am quite sure that Hawaii would have been a more pleasant place to be!
The hike up to Camp 2 is quite beautiful and gentle (in comparison to the hike up to Camp 1). It is literally a hike up the middle of glacier. The most similar climb that I can compare it to is the climb on Denali up to Camp 2 (at 11,000 feet). The climb is a gently ascending 3 to 4 hour climb through a beautiful valley surrounded by some of the tallest mountains in the world - almost vertical walls on all sides and at the end of the valley the Lhotse face and Mt. Everest - what a spectacular day! To me this is what climbing is all about - the beauty was endless.
Then, a trip back down from Camp 1 to Basecamp yesterday morning.
As we approached base camp we saw a HUGE banner hung across the entrance to our camp that said "HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL MCGAHAN - a day late!" Then, last night we had a birthday dinner that insisted of T-Bone steaks, chicken, French fries, cole slaw, all followed by a birthday cake (and included candles and a "B-" singing effort - ha!). The celebration was very appreciated and will be remembered forever.
So, for now our mission is to rest for three days. We will be heading back up to Camp 2 and hopefully Camp 3 by the end of the month, and the idea is to continue to acclimatize and to get stronger for each of the next series climbs as we go higher and higher.
Thank you all for following our blog and for your kind postings. A great portion of this challenge is mental - we are all going to have days that we physically feel bad, or are homesick, or just want to know what is going on in the NBA playoffs - and getting kind words of encouragement means a tremendous amount to keep us going.
So, thanks again
Bill - Happy Birthday! Nice way to spend it. Would love to see you in Saratoga again this year (if the climbing schedule permits of course).
Dave
Posted by: David Schmidt on 4/29/2011 at 12:05 pm
HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY!!! how fun! just can hardly wait to read the posts every day! i am so grateful that all is going well. hugs and prayers and best thoughts coming your way! lynn crow
Posted by: Lynn Crow on 4/26/2011 at 9:19 am
Five days ago we tried getting up through the Khumbu Icefall but instead dropped down to Basecamp again to wait a day. We weren't firing on all cylinders and it was clear that the jet stream was. The wind made a cardboard tearing sound as it scraped across the high peaks.
Four days ago we got up without a great deal of difficulty, reaching Camp I in about five hours from basecamp. The climbers we talked to told stories of big winds at Camps I and II doing all sorts of tent damage and rubbing a bunch of nerves raw. We hoped we'd missed the big wind event as we crawled into our tents for afternoon naps... but we could still hear it howling above and as the hours went by it got a little noisier right down in our own neighborhood. Spirits were high though as the four of us piled into one tent for dinner and climbing stories. That first night was not a good one for relaxing, as it turned out. We guessed that the tents were getting rocked by gusts in the 50 to 70 mph range throughout the night. Linden and I instinctively put our feet up against the tent walls to brace for the bigger blasts and we hoped that the extra careful anchoring job we'd done was working for Bill and Sara in their tent two feet away. The wind quit on us at four AM precisely and the alarm clock rang at five.
That first full day in the Western Cwm was meant to be mostly a rest day with an easy morning hike partway up the valley. That didn't seem restful at five, but Linden and I lit the stoves anyway and started melting ice, figuring a little coffee couldn't hurt the mood. We took our time and ate and drank for hours while gearing up and waiting for the sun to get a little closer to the valley floor. The sun has to work pretty hard at that in the Cwm as the walls rise to 25,000 ft ( not counting Everest and Lhotse) but by eight AM when we started walking in down coats, there was a hint of warmth in all the brightness. We strolled in our crampons up under the ridiculously steep Nuptse Wall and then crossed a series of easy crevasse bridges. We came to a crazy and crooked collection of six or seven ladders tied together, spanning a deep crevasse. There was a perfectly good detour trail which would avoid the high wire acrobatics at the cost of about twenty minutes and we happily went detouring. A bit farther up the valley and we came to the last crevasse... Our goal for the day. We took a short rest at this halfway point to Camp II and then reversed course, heading back for much-needed naps at Camp I.
That second night was blissfully quiet and calm and so when the alarm rang at five, once again, we were a bit more ready for action. We set out walking in the shadows at seven AM bound for Advanced Base Camp. Eventually, when we'd passed all the crevasses again, it got hot as the sun got bouncing off a billion tons of ice and snow, but we took a few rest breaks and kept on trudging to CII. When we reached the rocky moraine the angle steepened and things got tough, but my team was tough too. We strolled into the construction site where Lam Babu and Uberaz (our ABC cook) were working hard at the beginnings of a fine camp. It seemed a good occasion for myself, Linden and Sara to sing happy birthday to Bill and to shake his hand. We sat drinking tea for a few minutes and gazing up at the Lhotse Face. It was icy and intimidating, but the good news was that we could see great progress being made by the "fixing team" assigned to string rope and fashion anchors on the face. This was a team made up of strong Sherpas from a number of expeditions. Our team's contribution toward the effort, apart from money, had been Cherring, Kaji and Dawa carrying a few big loads of rope up from base to ABC.
At midday we began walking down valley again, keeping an eye out for a ladder-crossing black dog whose tracks we'd seen all day long. Early in the day, I'd spied him trotting through Camp I wagging his tail after completing the Icefall, but we didn't see anything but tracks up at ABC. We did meet plenty of friends out on the trail as we headed down for our Camp I with our mission for Rotation I largely accomplished. Our final night in the Cwm was quiet and a little snowy. It still was snowing lightly as we packed up in the morning and got set for a careful trip down through the Icefall. Down to comfy chairs and showers and the basecamp good life.
Mark Tucker was elated to see us again... In fact we all felt a little guilty leaving him alone with the kitchen staff for four days... But he seemed to have muddled through.
Best,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL! Awesome way to spend your 35th birthday :) loving all the pics and stories. Miss you guys. Stay safe ok..ok.ok..ok okay…t
Posted by: Tara Minnax on 4/25/2011 at 3:49 pm
Happy Birthday Bill and have continued safe climbs. Sounds fantastic.
Lowndes
Posted by: Lowndes Harrison on 4/24/2011 at 7:50 pm
Posted by:
Categories: Expedition Dispatches Everest
The team woke up at 5am at Camp 1 with everyone feeling good. They need to start early today as the area they will be climbing in, the Western Cwm, will get very hot. With no wind, mile high walls surrounding you, intense solar radiation due to the lack of atmosphere above, you can be in the cooker.
It feels great for a while, but it sure can take a lot of energy from you. The goal will be to climb up to Camp 2 , have a snack, say hi to Lam Babu
and Yubarj ,our two men making the 21,000 ft + high outpost for the team. Then return back to Camp 1 for one more night before returning to Base Camp.
The Blueprint for a successful climb of this peak starts way before you get to the mountain. Training of course, experience....the more the better, then you need a Master Craftsman like our Dave Hahn out here in the field. Every action has a reaction and nobody knows that better than Dave. Right now the team is working on the foundation of this climb. Dave has the time line for this project always in sight. He looks at his plans and knows that if he fails to build to code things can fall apart. The inspector (Mount Everest) can show up on the job site at anytime and you better be ready.
Dave didn't stop at Home Depot to pick up some help, Linden and our team of Sherpa have all gone through a rigorous apprenticeship, and have been
studying under the watchful eye of a Journeyman Everest Guide. We will continue to support our crew with the best tools and equipment out there.
So both you and I can marvel at a job well done.
Till next time,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Mt. Everest Base Camp Manager
Mark, Your updates are very insightful and amusing. Sounds as if you are great at your job and enjoy it. Malamo Pono… Susie
Posted by: Susie Ellison on 4/24/2011 at 9:12 am
Happy birthday uncle Bill! Is it hard going with out menchi’s for 1 month? Hope to see you soon!
Posted by: sophie on 4/24/2011 at 8:15 am
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Way to go, team! Thinking of you all the time up at Camp 2 and beyond.
Saw Katie’s second LAX game against Holy Innocents on a gorgeous Saturday. She is such a trooper and it was a tough loss. Have to catch more games in the coming weeks.
Be safe and take our love with you.
Posted by: Mom / Grandma on 5/2/2011 at 6:52 am
News from the home front I thought you would want to hear….. Osama bin Laden has been killed by US forces in Pakistan. They have just announced tonight at 10:30 PM. Stay safe!!!!!! xxoo Stacey
Posted by: Stacey on 5/1/2011 at 8:29 pm
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