Everest Base Camp at 17,500′

Hi, I’m Leonora and I’m Mitch’s friend. He just called and asked me to post a note about his climb.

Conditions are very harsh as you can imagine. He describes it as two and a half weeks of abject misery. Although unarguably one of the most beautiful places in the world, it is also the least hospitable in terms of weather. With temperatures less than anything he has ever experienced, he has had to double bag his sleeping bags, one -40 and the other -20. He is missing Jeremy and Nick and me and my children and his friends and colleagues. Each day is a grueling assault on his body.  He is comforted with thoughts of us all at home, he knows it’s the one unchanging factor and that we are all waiting here for him to come home. He says that he has a reverse nightmare, he dreams that he is at home in Santa Clara and then, when he wakes up, it’s to the reality of his situation.

Mitch described Base Camp as having no reason for being in that spot. It’s a huge field of rocks and glaciated lakes and deep cracks. There are 30 expeditions this year with about 250 climbers and up to 750-1000 Sherpa and supporting staff. Colorful tents are scattered around a huge field of rocks and giant boulders. The imagery is less a refugee camp than a place where soldiers lie in wait before being sent “over the top”.  Summit Climb, the outfit Mitch is traveling with, has a shower tent, a communal mess tent for meals and group meetings, and one tent per climber.  There are two bathrooms that consist of a barrel on a raised platform with two flat rocks on which they squat. He was laughing that they have to aim well. He and Paula and many of the climbers and trekkers have had stomach issues that lead to dehydration so they are constantly drinking water to stave off this as well as altitude sickness. They are also fighting nasty chest infections that require a more broad spectrum antibiotic. The other climbers are very strong, Alex, who is only twenty, and Stew remind him of his sons. Squash is going to paraglide off the top and Mitch doesn’t doubt that she will make it because she is very strong too.

Everyone checked in with the Everest ER to see that they are fit to climb. They also made a donation to ensure that the Sherpa are taken care of. Mitch’s Sherpa, Lakpa, is the crucial support to him on the Mountain. Without him, Mitch would not be there. He is very grateful that he is so attentive and protective. Mitch is in good condition too, his heart rate is as expected at high altitude.

Yesterday, they spent suited up in their heaviest down suits. For eight to ten hours they practiced jumarring. This requires pulling themselves up a vertical blue ice wall on a fixed rope. Already weak with the stomach bug, it was a hard day, and potentially discouraging. As Paula was half way up someone called her to have her photo taken so she lost her balance and ended up suspended upside down from her harness. She has a painful bruised butt. I am sure that she was glad to have tested the harness out in such a safe place! She is in great form and I could hear her chatting and laughing in the background while we were on the phone. I also had a quit moments chat with Stew, he sounded so light spirited and excited.

Today is Puja Day. The Sherpa won’t go on to the Icefall until they have been blessed. It is a day of humble prayer, reverence and celebrations. The prayer flags will be laid out on the rocks and all of their harnesses, boots and ice axes will be blessed. They then move on to Pumori at 18,000 feet to further acclimatize. They hope to start up to Camp 1 in three days.

For now, Mitch’s tent is set up so it’s facing the Khumbu Ice Fall, pulling his gaze inexorably towards the inevitable path that they must attempt. This is one of the most treacherous parts of the mountain. Constantly moving, the Ice Fall Doctors are still setting the ropes and ladders, only this isn’t a child’s game of snakes and ladders, its life or death, no one is throwing a die, except for perhaps the gods of the mountain, appeased by the blessings of the Lamas.