Entries from Expedition Dispatches
Huge icefall last night off of the nearby peak called Pumori. Named by Mallory in 1921 it means sister or Daughter peak. This mountain is rarely climbed, at over 7,000 meters, it being very steep and with no way to the top without exposing yourself to loads of hanging hazards.
A perfectly clear and calm evening turned into a wild scene as I peaked out of my tent after such a rude awakening by the loud crack, as what I can only imagine were millions of tons of ice being pulverized into powder as it hits the rock and ice surface after its 1,500-foot freefall. Being so bright out with so much moon, it was pretty fun to watch this huge dust cloud come barreling at us. Just as it hit my tent I closed the flap and listened to the rattle and knew why in the morning we had this layer of snow covering our camp.
Dave, Sara, Bill and myself just returned from a hike up to Pumori Camp 1, which sits at 18,600'. And no, we were not exposing ourselves to the hazards I just mentioned, those are farther up the mountain. What we did expose ourselves to were some of the best views of Everest you can imagine. I will let Dave's pictures do the talking.
Linden, who climbed Island Peak this week, just now arrived at Basecamp, so the team is now all here.
Cheers,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Today, for the second time, Dave, my Dad, and I climbed up to the first ladders of the Khumbu Ice fall. After a delicious breakfast and saying goodbye to some good friends we've made here at Base Camp who were heading home, we set out on our climb at around 9:30am and got up to the first ladders around 11:00am.
Two days ago our team did the same climb. It took my dad and I nearly two and a half hours to get to our high point, (about 18,000 feet) and when we did we were whipped. Standing next to the first ladder this time around I felt significantly stronger- I wasn't breathing nearly as hard and I actually got a chance to pick my head up and look at the amazing views of Base Camp and the valley below. Even climbing in an Ice fall the temperatures can get very hot, and this morning there wasn't a cloud in the sky. About half way through our hike, clouds finally began to gather about the tops of the peaks surrounding us and we were sheltered from the blazing sun which is much stronger at these altitudes.
Our team is encouraged by our performance today. We feel much stronger, skilled, and acclimatized then we did even two days ago, and with this can get through the rest of the ice fall much more quickly and safely in the days to come.
Lastly, our thoughts and prayers are with all of our friends and family back home. I think my Westminster Varsity Lacrosse teammates are playing a big game today, and I wish them all the best! As for how we're spending our spare time, we're meeting lots of new people, and becoming almost professional dart, horseshoes, sudoku, and card players.
Thanks for following our blog!
Sara McGahan
On The Map
keep up the great work!Today my dad changed a light bulb which is the highest he will climb this year. I LOVE YOU and MISS YOU! Love, Sophie
Posted by: Sophie on 4/17/2011 at 7:51 am
SAYY!! i miss you so much, ive emailed you alot but you cant get your emails…. anyways, i dont want to leave a super long message but you rock so much and we are all thinking about you!! i LOVE YOU AND YOU ARE SUCH AN INSPIRATION and hurry home!!!!!!! (im gonna text you later)
Posted by: lilly on 4/16/2011 at 8:29 pm
The last few days have been filled with training, climbing and socializing around our Base Camp. A few observations:
1. Everest Base Camp has now swelled to about 350 people, with all the corresponding tents and equipment. It is massive, and it takes up acres and acres of space on top of a moving glacier. In addition, Everest BC is visited each day by organized groups of trekkers who hike up from Lukla to see the place (and the show). The glacier is not flat, but is a series of small undulations in the moving ice (which is mostly covered with rocks). Yesterday during a training run we climbed a portion of the way up the Khumbu Icefall and, from close to 18,000 feet, we got to see the entire camp. What a sight!
2. Socializing. Last night our group invited over the Base Camp doctors for dinner. The head physician has been running the Base Camp medical clinic for 9 years, so she was well known to Dave Hahn (who, again, seems to know everyone). The Base Camp doctors are incredibly knowledgeable about high altitude illnesses, and their presence in camp has no doubt saved many lives. They are here to treat everyone, including climbers, climbing Sherpas, porters, and trekkers (and anyone else). The ten of us had a great meal, and then played speed scrabble (which encouraged the use of slang words), and then Apples to Apples. As an aside, we all learned some interesting slang words from the different nationalities (Scotland, Nepal, etc.). Sara McGahan even threw in some slang used by 10th graders. I know that I learned quite a bit.
3. It is up to a group of incredibly courageous and talented Sherpas to fix line up Mt. Everest each year through one of the most dangerous parts of the climb - the Khumbu Icefall. These folks - called "Icefall Doctors" - are employed directly by the national park and are paid out of the fees the climbers pay to access the mountain. The Khumbu Icefall is the section of Mt. Everest that is between Basecamp and Camp I, and it is extremely dangerous because it is ever shifting as the glacier slowly moves ahead and tumbles down the mountain, and also because it is susceptible to avalanches from surrounding peaks. When shifting or an avalanche takes place, massive amounts of solid ice moves (and you don't want to be anywhere in the neighborhood when it happens). The Icefall Doctors also place ladders across huge crevasses and rope up steep sections of the Icefall, which is used by climbers to pull themselves up the mountain, but, as importantly, to "clip into" for safety. There would be literally no way for a climber of my capability to climb this mountain without the Icefall Doctors. They are amazing people.
4. In the incredibly capable hands of our lead guide Dave Hahn, Sara and I have been climbing around Base Camp in order to do two things: 1) continue to acclimatize, and 2) work on the skills that we need to move quickly up the mountain. One of the greatest dangers that we face on Everest is avalanches, and speed is one of our best ways to minimize our danger. We are working hard to be able to move quickly and safely though the icefall. We need to be able to breathe (this always helps!) and to have a comfort level on ladders and fixed line. Dave has spent days with us helping us
with these skills, and we will be continuing to work on them in the days ahead. Only then will we venture up to higher places on the mountain.
5. Fun. One of the reasons that trekkers and climbers alike come to Base Camp is that it is a fun place. Every day people come by to socialize with us. Mark Tucker (our Base Camp manager) is always ready with some kind of game. Mark and I teamed up to win a horse shoe throwing contest, and the other night we had a poker tournament (Texas hold em) with guides from other groups. We have also played golf on the frozen ponds on the icefall, with yours truly hitting a hole in one, much to the chagrin of Mr. Tucker (it earned me 50 rupees - ha!). So, there is always something going on, with people coming and going, and it is one of my favorite things about climbing. The people are adventurous, interesting, international, and fun loving - the best people in the world in my opinion.
So, thanks for following our blog. We are working hard and will have more to report in the days ahead.
Bill M.
hi bill and sara. I love reading your blog each morning. best of luck to you both! love, becca
Posted by: becca newton on 4/15/2011 at 6:53 am
Keep the blogs coming. My 8-year old daughter and I are really enjoying your posts and pictures. Good luck to Bill, Sara, and the rest of the climbers. Hope you reach the top and stay safe.
Posted by: E.Black on 4/14/2011 at 7:56 pm
Lots of teams carrying loads up the icefall today. This season, now in full swing. We had three Sherpa make the trip through the icefall today , one to C1 and two to C2.
Dave, Sara and Bill are doing a training run today, making a push up toward the first ladder in the icefall. This being just one of a few preliminary rotations.
Jeff Martin has started his journey home, leaving the team with all the tools and support information for a successful climb of Mount Everest. His effort will make living in this hostile environment so much more bearable, he truly is the unsung hero of this expedition.
Base Camp is pretty organized, the condition of our gear and available resources could not be better. Last year RMI made a huge investment into a solar power set up that would eliminate the need of a generator. So far it has been working flawlessly. With all the power needs to support the varied electronics, it's a wonderful addition. The days of no news is good news is a thing of the past, so with the help of a very reliable power source, loads of computers, phones, and satellite communications devices, we will try our best to bring you solid information from this amazing place.
A bit chilly today with clouds above and below, actually good climbing conditions.You would be surprised how hot it can get on the glacier if it were sunny with no wind.
I feel very lucky to be a part of this team and really enjoy the view from my office. Always tough to be away from home for this length of time, looking forward to my return. For now, the thrill of the hunt for the summit of Mount Everest is so exciting that I can't wait to see what wild events are in my future.
Lets have a great adventure together!
Cheers,
Mark Tucker
RMI Guide
Everest Basecamp Coordinator
bill and sara, seeing you on the ladders makes me nervous, please watch your step…...love to you both and love love following along on the blog. cathy
Posted by: cathy on 4/13/2011 at 6:48 pm
Stoked to hear you have joined your team…. You are the best!!! Malamo Pono, Susie
Posted by: Susie Ellison on 4/13/2011 at 9:53 am
We've strung together a number of important milestones over these past few days. The Puja ceremony was a symbolic starting point to the climbing portion of the expedition. It seemed to go off without a hitch as we sat in warm sunshine and calm air for the morning... staring up into the Khumbu Icefall as we listened to the chanting and drums of the monks. We were lucky enough to have the docs from "Everest ER", the HRA clinic, as guests at the Puja and even a few of our good friends from the "Icefall Doctors" team. The Icefall Docs were taking a well-deserved day off from fixing the route up to Camp I. Ang Nima, who has been building climbing routes on Mount Everest since the 1970's, told me they were waiting for a new shipment of rope from down-valley anyway, so relaxing at our puja was the perfect way to pass a morning, getting a little more blessing from the gods for the dangerous and essential job they perform.
We were blessed at the end of the Puja to see Mark Tucker marching into camp. Tuck is our Base Camp Manager and is well-known as the de-facto mayor of the little community that springs to life about this time each year. Tuck and I started guiding together on Mount Rainier in 1986 and have been together on many expeditions to weird parts of the world, so on a personal level I was quite happy to see my friend arrive on the scene. Tuck got to work quickly, hunkering down with Jeff Martin to coordinate logistics and inventory lists in advance of Jeff's departure. He also began immediately to scope out venues on the rough glacial moraine for golf, baseball and horseshoes... all the normal mountain-climbing related diversions. Bill was plenty happy to have another worthy games and contests opponent around... so he could get busy walloping Tuck at everything.
The day after the Puja, we took the opportunity to go for a little practice session on ladders and fixed rope climbing not so far from Base Camp. Lam Babu and his crew quickly established a little jungle gym of obstacles for us to practice on and Bill, Sara and I took full advantage. Despite the fact that the weather was swinging every ten minutes between blazing sun and freezing snow-showers, we did a number of laps across canyons and up sidewalls to get the hang of steel crampons scratching on aluminum ladder rungs.
Yesterday was quite a significant day for our overall team as Camp I and Camp II were established. The Icefall Docs had managed to complete the route to CI while we were practicing on our jungle gym and Lam Babu, Tshering, Dawa and Kami meant to be there in force for yesterday's "opening" of the Icefall route. If at all possible, I wanted to join our climbing Sherpas so as to survey the condition of the Icefall route and in order to have some positive input on the siting of Camp I. We woke at 4:15 AM, choked down some rice porridge and coffee (I went for the coffee, the Sherpas preferred tea) and we got walking out of camp by headlight at 5 AM. There were only a handful of Sherpas from other teams out on this morning, walking in a few inches of new overnight snow. Most of these other climbers were on a sort of homesteading land-grab... shooting up with light packs to claim favored spots at Camp I and II. This was only partly a concern of ours, since our team is relatively small and finding suitable campsites won't really be that big a deal, but none-the-less having our pick of sites is still a good thing. In contrast to the others on the route, each of our team had a decent sized load of climbing and rescue gear bound for caching at CI. Tshering, Dawa and Kami set a more aggressive pace for the day while Lam Babu stayed back with the lightly acclimated and elderly team leader (me). There were the usual number of places where I had to hold my breath and swallow my fear in order to balance along some ridiculous bridge under some preposterously leaning tower or wall of heavy and hard ice... but sure enough, the Ice Docs had found a way to the top. I came to realize why they'd needed more rope since I could see that a good section of their ladders and rope already had avalanche debris burying it in the mid-section of the route to CI. Lam Babu and I made it up into the Western Cwm and to Camp I in a little under four hours. By this point, Tshering and Dawa had determined that it was worth their effort to rope to one-another and proceed on up to Camp II (ABC). Kami, Lam Babu and I contented ourselves with marking out the perfect site at CI... off the main herd-path, out of major avalanche debris fields, and free of crevasse hazard. We secured our cached gear and got busy descending. I always find the Khumbu Icefall to be tricky and difficult, but this time I think it was a little more-so since the route was so new that it hadn't been tracked in and trouble-shot just yet. The numerous little walls that needed negotiating just had scratch marks, whereas in a week of heavy traffic, they'll develop nice bucket steps and handholds. The troubleshooting that I expect will occur results from a few hundred sets of errant feet finding all of the hollow spots along the edges (and occasionally in the middle) of the track. Yesterday, I was the troubleshooter and naturally I stuck my big size 14.5 boots a few places that I instantly regretted. Kami and Lam Babu looked back at my shrieks and groans a few times to see if I was still upright and viable. Even so, we bounced down and out of the Ice by about noon and I met Bill, Sara and Tuck on a training hike, enjoying the fine morning sunshine. By the time we were back at camp for lunch it was cloudy and snowing again. Tshering and Dawa raised our flag at ABC... 21,300 ft and I'm quite proud of that effort and of their safe descent afterward. I'm also excited that we got our Camp I gear in place at 19,900 ft. We enjoyed one last lunch with Jeff Martin before he headed down valley to get back to work managing things on far-off Mount Rainier.
Things are humming along at Mount Everest. Today we are listening to the sounds of about a dozen Pujas taking place around the area as most of the big climbing teams are now on scene. We've been visited by a number of friends coming by to check up on us and between social calls we are taking the morning off from climbing... time for some washing up and basking in the temporary sunshine before the daily snows.
Best,
Dave Hahn
hi dave and all…as i read your words i can just imagine the sights, the sounds, and the size of your boots..hahaha…thanks for bringing everest to me…i dream of seeing the full moon from there…hope you enjoy it…i’ll be looking at it tonite from my home in taos…best…nancy…
Posted by: nancy janosko on 4/16/2011 at 4:03 pm
Fantastic updates and pictures! Thinking of you and sending as much positive energy as i can from 1,200 ft above sea level….
Posted by: Martin on 4/13/2011 at 5:22 am
We all slept hard last night, enjoying the thick air of Namche after many nights up high and appreciating the comforts of our teahouse after the long day yesterday. The morning broke as another clear day and we left Namche enjoying the the warm morning sun on the trail. The first few hours brought us back down the Namche Hill, far easier and quicker on the descent than at the beginning of the trip. The trail, calm at first, gradually filled with porters, yaks, donkeys, and groups of trekkers and we were all amazed at the activity on the trail - a far cry from the more remote stretches of the upper Khumbu.
Spring continued to bloom lower in the valley, the red and pink rhododendron dotting the hillsides and flowering cherry trees shading the trail throughout the valley floor. It was a beautiful walk back to Lukla and we all remarked how familiar our surroundings have become after close to three weeks on the trail. We arrived in Lukla in the late afternoon and sat on the stoop of our teahouse watching the hills around us and reflecting on the trip. It has been a great adventure and we all are both sad to see it end but excited to return home and share our stories. Tomorrow the group takes a flight from Lukla to Kathmandu and I head back to Namche on the way back to Everest BC to rejoin the Everest Expedition. The weather forecast is looking good for flights and the team should be back in the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu by late morning. Thanks to everyone for your support and comments throughout the trip.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
On The Map
Looking forward to hearing from you both and the trip of a life time. Take care Call when you can Love Mom
Posted by: Cornelia Miller on 4/13/2011 at 7:20 am
What a wonderful trip! We have enjoyed reading the reports of your climb/trek/hike—thank you so much for the reports. Anxious to hear first-hand about it all! MA
Posted by: Mary Ann & Howard Latimer on 4/12/2011 at 11:19 am
Hi from Everest Basecamp.
Five days ago our expedition arrived at Basecamp. Many days before we arrived, our team of Sherpas were up here preparing our campsite, setting up
tents, and putting up the Puja altar. Once the Puja altar was constructed, the next order of business was to pick the day on which the Puja ceremony
would be performed. The actual day the Puja is performed on is just as important as the Puja, and April 9th was the day that was selected for our team.
The actual Puja ceremony takes about two hours. Two Buddhist monks sit in front of the altar, and chant and sing religious poems and songs, while the
rest of the team gathers around listening. We place our climbing gear and food around the altar so that it can be blessed by the Buddhist monks, and
since we are on a glacier, mats were also laid out so that everyone could sit comfortably. Tea and coffee were served to everyone throughout the ceremony.
Towards the end of the Puja, Buddhist prayer flags are draped from the top of the Puja altar to every corner of our camp (which is quite large.) An
American flag was raised from the top along with a RMI flag, and a Taos, New Mexico flag (which is the home of Dave Hahn). My dad even put a Baltustrol golf club patch on the altar, which is probably the first time that has ever been displayed at Everest Basecamp.
The end of the ceremony was marked when tsampa is thrown into the air and spread on everyone's faces and hair for good luck. Although I still can see
some of the tsampa on my clothing, we hope this means we will have a lot of luck when we are higher up on the mountain. Food and drinks were passed around to all, and then it became a party where Sherpas, porters, and even the medical doctors from the clinic next door began to show up. Cans of Everest beer, coke, and sprite were shared and snickers bars, mars bars, cakes, and pastries were served. There were about 30+ birds flying around trying to eat some of the delicious food.
The Puja ceremony really meant a lot to our Sherpas. It is performed every time an expedition attempts to climb a large mountain in the Himalaya, and
the beautiful Puja alter remains standing throughout the whole expedition.
As I sit here on the morning of April 11th in our communications tent looking out onto Nuptse, two of our climbing Sherpas and Dave have just
reached Camp One. Two more of our Sherpa Team have also reached Camp 2 this morning.
In the days that follow, we will continue to focus on our acclimatization and training to make sure we are ready to go up to Camp 1.
Sara McGahan
On The Map
Enjoy Tibet while you guys are still there! It’s a beautiful place and I wish I had enjoyed everything while I was still there. Hope everything’s going well!
Posted by: JonathanL on 4/14/2011 at 6:04 am
Great Job Bill McGahan and Sara Rose McGahan (as Adam and Owen now refer to you guys :))! What an awesome adventure!
Posted by: izzy on 4/12/2011 at 12:34 pm
The Everest Team checked in from Base Camp inside their dining tent. It had been snowing lightly but they were warm inside the tent and looking forward to dinner together.
They spent the day training on the ladders around Base Camp as they get ready to ascend through the Khumbu Icefall.
Dave Hahn sent several pictures of the team training as well as of their Puja Ceremony that took place on Saturday, April 9th. The team is doing well and they will check in tomorrow with a written dispatch.
Bill and Sara,
What an awesome trip and pictures and what an accomplishment. Glad you are having so much fun. Saw Lisa, Morgan and Katie in Conn. last weekend. Lots of fun. Be careful, safe and good luck.
Ed, Marian and the girls.
Posted by: Ed Mule' on 4/10/2011 at 2:52 pm
Sending you lots of positive energy for a great adventure. Love being able to follow you on Facebook. Remembering my trip to Basecamp and wishing I were able to be there now.
Best wishes. ~JEN~
Posted by: Jen Petrik on 4/10/2011 at 12:39 pm
After several nights in tents high in the mountains here sleeping in the teahouse in Chukung last night was warm and comfortable. The morning broke mostly clear, although a large cloud cap hung over Lhotse and Island Peak. Packing up from Chukung, we headed back down the valley, retracing our steps through Dingboche, Shomare, Pangboche, Deboche, Tengboche, etc. Leaving the high mountains of the Himalaya is like watching the world being reborn around you: yesterday we were on the summit of Island Peak in a world of ice, rock, and snow; we returned to Chukung where small shrubs and grasses survive and a few hardy crows venture; today as we walked small bushes sprang up, then a few sparse trees, and then forests, then flowering rhododendron. The smell of the air changes too, the dirt, trees, and yaks all adding to the aromas of the lower elevations. As we descended the valley today it was as if life sprang up around us with every step and the little things that went on unnoticed suddenly attracted attention: the bark of a dog, a warm breeze, flower petals.
Despite all being immersed in the scenes around us, it was still a long day on the trail, taking the better part of the day for us to return to Namche. We arrived tired from the trail, but marvelling at the arrival of spring in the days since we've been gone. It feels like ages ago since we first arrived here, with snow blanketing the village and the thin air burning our lungs. Now the fields surrounding town are turning green and the stairways feel far less daunting. It is great to be back in Namche after so much time up high and we all enjoyed the hot showers and great food.
Tomorrow we return to Lukla, descending further down the valley. We are looking forward to the final leg of the trek and will check in tomorrow evening from Lukla.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
I am glad you are heading down safe and sound. A shower never felt so good, huh? When you get to Lukla, I will start praying for a safe and uneventful flight to Timbucktu, I mean Katmandu! I’m so funny! Looking so forward to the circle of your loving arms! I love you!
Posted by: Deb McLaughlin on 4/10/2011 at 3:19 pm
The trip down must have been long but look what you saw when you got down with the plants ets. Good going but am sure you were tired. Much love Mom
Posted by: Cornelia Miller on 4/10/2011 at 11:46 am
Hey RMI, this is Linden Mallory calling with the Island Peak team after a successful summit of Island Peak this morning. We reached the summit about 9:30 Nepali time this morning, and just had perfect weather. Today, April 9th, was chosen as an auspicious day for our Everest expedition. As today was the Puja Ceremony, sort of the opening blessing ceremony of the expedition and sure enough it worked pretty well for us as well. We had probably the best weather we’ve seen in the past week up here in the Khumbu for our summit day. Woke up this morning about 2 a.m. and it was actually snowing. We had a couple inches of snow on the tents, but the stars were out and it was clear with some clouds blowing up from below from the lower valley so we set out on our climb and broke free of the clouds within about 30 or 40 minutes. It was chilly but pretty consistent throughout the trip but just beautiful skies. By the time morning broke, not a cloud in the sky and thankfully no winds so we powered to the top, getting on to the summit of Island Peak again about 9:30 and it’s about the size of a pool table so it’s a pretty small, little summit. We stood up there and snapped some photos and descended back down, packed up high camp and just arrived into basecamp, which is our final trip into the valley. So we’re all pretty excited to be dropping the packs and turning into bed. It’s been a healthy day. Everybody is doing well and put in a good effort today. We’ll check in tomorrow, headed back to Namche is the plan. We’ll try to get some photos off to everybody as well. That’s it. Hope everyone is well and we’ll talk to you guys soon. Take care.
RMI Guide Linden Mallory
Linden Mallory checking in after summit day
On The Map
Congratulations to Tim and all! What a finish to an incredible adventure - a blue sky climb in the middle of the Himalaya! Safe travels on the trek out. Looking forward to pics and stories….
Posted by: Tom Gausman on 4/10/2011 at 8:33 am
Thanks all for your comments!!! We rolled back into Namche after about 15 miles, a 10 hr day & a hot shower! Dan, remember the hike off of Mt Adams that one year? Multiply that by 3 or 4 & you’e got it! Deb—CAN’T WAIT to see you too. BTW, I won our NCAA B-Ball pool—aced out Linden & crew to take the pot of $70 Nepali Rupee ($US 1.07)—first pool I’ve one in awhile & I get a buck—must be karma.
RMI has put together an epic program here. If any of you have the itch, I highly recommend them.
Take care all & we’ll soon see you stateside!
Posted by: Tim McLaughlin on 4/10/2011 at 8:09 am
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Hi, Bill. I liked your post about how this is giving you time to connect with your daughter, Ms. Ship in the Night, Soon to Grow Up and Away. We went hiking almost every weekend and summer vacation when I was growing up, and as Dave (my “little” brother) can attest to, it is an amazing and wonderful memory, one of the purest and most magical things you can give her—time together. Good luck on your climb! Say hi to David (I know, Dave to everyone else…but—glad you caught his essential Dave-ness. One foot in front of the other—you are in very good hands).
Posted by: Carolyn Hahn on 4/24/2011 at 3:42 pm
Love the blog and pictures!! I’ve read books about Everst but it is amazing to experience through your team. Bill we need your signature, and I thought it would be great to get it when you are crossing a ladder in the Icefall. Have a great time and hats off to Sara.
Posted by: Kathy on 4/18/2011 at 5:05 am
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