Today our Sherpa team secured prime real estate at Camp 3. The super Sherpa chopped away ice for a nice flat platform and supplied, but did not set up the tent. It is best to wait till the day the team is ready to use the tent; otherwise, the elements may damage or blow the unoccupied tent away.
Sherpa plan to carry loads to the South Col tomorrow; these guys are tough.
The climbing team is getting some exercise around Basecamp by day hiking, golfing, and playing horseshoes.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Lam Babu and our all-star Sherpa team were walking out of Basecamp by 4 this morning, bound for Advanced Basecamp (ABC). Their plan is to use the days ahead to establish Camp III on the Lhotse Face and to begin carries to the South Col. It is a good plan and works well with the climbing team intention to head up for a last "practice" rotation on the hill, sleeping as high as Camp III.
We were going for that last difficult push starting tomorrow, but have now reconsidered. A cough has taken precedence, as coughs sometimes do in the month of May on Mount Everest. We've worked with this particular cough for weeks already and have no fondness for it. The judgement call has come down to: sleep at 24,000 ft, gaining valuable experience in a tough environment while coming down in time for a last rest before the summit bid... Or get healthy and banish the cough before trying for the top.
Get Healthy won out.
We'll stay down while the Sherpa team is up this time (they'll be back to BC in a few days). We'll put a priority on getting the climbing team strong and we'll contend with a longer-than-expected rest while carefully examining weather reports... On the lookout for a suitable "window" between the Jetstream and the Monsoon.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Cinco de Mayo and we are here with some nachos. No Margaritas, that will be later. Perfect weather, another beautiful day. Lots of prep work for the upcoming rotation. We took out the oxygen masks and regulators. They may use them if a night at Camp 3 becomes available. So important to double check the equipment before sending it up the hill. Our whole Sherpa team will start out early in the AM for Camp 2 and stay up there until Camp 3 is built and loads are in place at Camp 4. The Sherpa team is such a great group of men, we cannot thank them enough for all their help.
The climbing team will rest one more day, then head up for the final rotation before the summit push. Dave and Seth have been doing fine work of all the details, what a couple of super guides we have leading this Expedition.
A big shout out to Karla, Happy B-Day!
Mt. Everest Basecamp Manager Mark Tucker
Hello Dave : We meet at base camp about 3 wks ago. I was on a 3wk trekking & climbing trip. It was the adventure of a life time . I had many high lights of the trip , right at the top was getting to meet you and talk a little about mountaineering. I’m thankful for the time you spent with me . Good luck on the climb with your team , be safe & may God bless you and your team !!! Now go get #15. Grant
Posted by: Grant phelps on 5/8/2013 at 7:38 am
Collaborative efforts from all team members and Sherpas can only mean success!!!! The best of luck to all of you on the summit push. Looking forward to pictures of your successful ascent. Blessings your way.
ABQ Uptown #985 NM/CO/AZ
Posted by: Rachael C. Lujan on 5/6/2013 at 7:24 am
It's a beautiful day here at Everest Bascamp (EBC)! By that I mean its not snowing or windy, yet. We're taking full advantage by eating our fill, relaxing and doing some laundry. It's all part of the prep for our next rotation up on the mountain.
The past week at Advanced Basecamp (ABC) was a great foundation for our acclimatization and the best part was getting on the Lhotse Face. After all these weeks of prep it was great to feel like we were on a mountain as opposed to being down amongst the mountains. Our next trip up will be more of a test to see how our conditioning is holding up. But for now we're resting.
RMI Guide Seth Waterfall
It is tough to realize just how hard Everest is on the human body until one comes back down to "normal" altitudes like 17,500 ft Basecamp. The first night of deep sleep convinces you that whatever you thought you were doing for twelve hours a night at 21,300 ft was not actually sleep. A plate of breakfast that you actually want seconds on makes you think of how easy the mountain would be to climb if you could have had your normal appetite up at ABC.
Life is easy for us today at Basecamp. Chairs with backs to lean against. Oxygen and air pressure in abundance. Cellphone connectivity. Showers and mostly clean clothes. And very little risk for a change... Unlike looking forward to a day on the Lhotse Face or a morning in the Khumbu Icefall. Not so much can fall on us on our rest day and we aren't likely to step on anything that collapses without warning.
Lots of good things about life at Basecamp... once the morning flurry of helicopter flights is finished, there is peace and quiet and a billion dollar set of views out every tent door. Today the views included jet stream winds raking the upper Lhotse Face, driving snow a thousand feet higher than the mountain itself. We are catching up on the news and trying to beat Mark Tucker at a game or two, but he has all of the advantages while our brains are still fuzzy and our bodies are tired. Tomorrow.
Best Regards,
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Hello All,
This is Mark Tucker from Everest Basecamp! The boys are back in town. The team just returned from their rotation up high and their timing was perfect as usual. No sooner did they arrive here at Basecamp than it began snowing and blowing. The weather is not conducive to it being a shower day but tomorrow may provide suitable conditions. In other positive news the rope fixing team made it to the South Col so the flood gates, and the route to the upper mountain, are open. A bit of the Jet stream is in the neighborhood for the next few days but the push for rope fixing to the summit is in the works. The RMI climbing team is enjoying the thick air, seats with backs, and great food. Let the rest phase begin.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Dave Hahn here calling in from 21,300' on Mount Everest, Advanced Base Camp. A big day for us. We went as planned up on the Lhotse Face. We went to 23,500', very nearly to where our Camp 3 is gonna be, just short of that. A good day out on the Face. We broke Dan Johnson's altitude record. We didn't quite break Seth's or mine. But really nice to be climbing up on the Lhotse Face and a beautiful day. And from way up there, looking at Everest, the top of Everest and the plume blowing off, it was impossible not think of the day that Jim Whittaker and Nawang Gombu, two of our heroes, summitted the mountain 50 years ago in a big cloud and snow plume, in high winds. But pretty remarkable anniversary and neat to be around the mountain for that anniversary. We are definitely thinking of that incredible accomplishment 50 years ago, but also our own incredible accomplishment today. It felt really good getting up there and getting back down. And as well, a number of Sherpas, from various teams got together and fixed rope all the way to the South Col today. So rope is fixed to 8,000 meters and that is pretty much opening the door for summit bids. May is here and it's all gonna start happening. But we're pretty psyched with what we accomplished on this round. We're headed down in the morning and looking forward to the comforts of Base camp. Bye for now.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
RMI Guide Dave Hahn calls in from Advanced Basecamp.
Way to GO Dan!! We are following your progress and send our prayers via west winds. Our best to all our Sherpa friends who helped us out at Base Camp Everest this year- we had a wonderful time. Mark- Khumbu Masters?
Posted by: Elsie Bemiss on 5/1/2013 at 6:38 pm
Congratulations Dan on your new milestone. More to come!
I’m trying to keep track of Base Camp trips up and back. What will be the roundtrip total? Five?
Today is a rest day for our Sherpa team and the upper mountain fixing group as well. It was breezy most of the day, with some clouds rolling in in the afternoon.
Tomorrow the route fixing team will push towards Camp Four, the South Col, while Dave and our crew will get onto the Lhotse Face. They are working their way up to Camp Three for training and then will return to Camp Two for one final night before returning to Base Camp. This is turning out to be a great rotation for our team.
It is not easy living up at 21,000 ft, but it is so crucial for the body to adjust to these extreme altitudes and thus prepares our team for future pushes to even greater altitudes. Building on these incremental efforts and experiences is so important mentally and physically. It will pay off with a safe and successful climb later.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in via Satellite phone. Listen to his voice mail in the audio clip below.
Team Member Update:
Due to a potential medical issue, James was sent home last week by the doctors at base camp. He is now at home consulting with his family doctor.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn checks in from Advanced Base Camp on Mt. Everest.
Hello, Dave Hahn calling down from Advanced Basecamp in the fog, 21,300'. Today was a beautiful day. Significant to us, in that a combination team of climbers building the route on the Lhotse Face succeeded in getting as far as Camp 3 and perhaps even a little bit beyond that. Fixing rope up the steep and icy Lhotse Face. We didn't want to get in the way of that today. We actually hiked up to about 22,000', towards the west shoulder. Certainly not all the way to the west shoulder, which is about 25,000' in some very steep, hard ice in that direction. But the part we could do today made for a nice hike and gave us a great view off the Western Cwm. Pretty amazing. With the exception of the snow that fell last week, it just doesn't appear to be any snow left over from the monsoon or the winter. Just bare ice up in this upper valley, and these glaciers are continuing to take a beating. On the good side, our Sherpa team, Tshering, Gyaljen, and Kaji, they successfully made a carry up here today, to ABC, carrying oxygen bottles for the summit bid. And then the three of them and Lam Babu, went back down to Basecamp. It's just myself, Dan, Seth and Yubaraj up here at ABC. All is well. Bye now.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
RMI Guide Dave Hahn called in from Everest Advanced Basecamp.
Beautiful pics and such interesting commentaries. I am really enjoying the updates every day - it sure beats watching the evening news on the TV. Wishing you guys continued good weather and safe climbing.
Posted by: Josephine Johnson on 4/30/2013 at 12:38 am
All the best! What a privilege it must be to see such a beautiful range of mountains!
This is Dave Hahn calling down from Advanced Base Camp, 21,300'. A good day for Seth, Dan, and myself and Lam Babu and Yubaraj up here at ABC. Seemed like it was going be a little stormy this morning. There were clouds around, but we ended up with a pretty good sunshine, pretty calm conditions down here in the valley. We went for a late acclimatization walk up to about 21,800', close to the base of the Lhotse Face. That was a right move for us anyway today, a little light activity on our first day at Advanced Base Camp. And then resting until noon. We can’t do too much differently right now, the route up the Lhotse Face is not fully established yet. There has been a few unforeseen delays in getting that route fixed. We’re okay taking it easy. We have hiking plans for tomorrow as well. And working this acclimatization round the best we can. That is all for tonight. Talk to you tomorrow.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Good luck on your summit push. Your Sherpas and your entire team are heroes, very brave. Blessings for a safe summit.
ABQ Uptown #985 NM/AZ/CO
Posted by: Rachael C. Lujan on 5/7/2013 at 3:49 pm
Good luck to your team. Hoping you can summit.
Posted by: Kevin on 5/7/2013 at 10:16 am
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