Over 8000 Meters for over 8000 Veteran Suicides!
|
|
|
Mount Everest: 8848meters/29,035feet
SUMMIT, SUMMIT, SUMMIT... 19 May 2016 at 11:00am
SUMMIT, SUMMIT, SUMMIT... 19 May 2016 at 11:00am
|
|
On 18 April 2014, Everest tragically made history when 16 Sherpas were killed in the worst single day accident to ever occur on the mountain. A large slab of ice collapsed on its unsuspecting victims. The climbing community was shaken with the loss of so many. Several teams were directly affected, and many of the major teams withdrew their attempts and departed the mountain. The Sherpa community collectively made the choice to not continue their seasons as well. The few remaining teams stayed behind to assess our options, but in the end it was decided that any attempt without the vital supplies and equipment needed would impose great and unnecessary risk to all involved. We were the last team to leave after exhausting all options. I touched the hem of the Everest garment, and it's lure will surely bring my return next year.
Round two: Everest Endeavor 2016: "3 Weeks to Everest" my quest to join an expedition at the last minute! And on 19 May 2016, 11am I walked on to the Top of the World, Mt Everest, raising the Silently Fallen Flag and Showing the World that you CAN reclaim your life and take on ANY obstacle that comes your way!
With short notice, no money, no time to train, stuck in the "Death-Zone" for 5 days, onset of severe HAPE, and losing a crampon in the Icefall... The remarkable occurred! Complete Story coming Soon!
Round two: Everest Endeavor 2016: "3 Weeks to Everest" my quest to join an expedition at the last minute! And on 19 May 2016, 11am I walked on to the Top of the World, Mt Everest, raising the Silently Fallen Flag and Showing the World that you CAN reclaim your life and take on ANY obstacle that comes your way!
With short notice, no money, no time to train, stuck in the "Death-Zone" for 5 days, onset of severe HAPE, and losing a crampon in the Icefall... The remarkable occurred! Complete Story coming Soon!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
8000 Meters for 8000 Veterans!
Apr 4: We stopped early today and I continued my ritual of packing and repacking! You can never have enough stuff, but sooner or later you will have to carry it. I think I have found a happy medium, and if I forgot something I will just have to pick it up in Kathmandu!
Apr 3: The car is packed and Beth, Silly and I got underway from Columbus heading towards Houston. |
ABOUT THE CLIMB: Mount Everest sits on the border of Nepal and Tibet. It is the highest mountain in Asia and the world, towering 29,035 feet into the air. It takes many weeks, even months, to properly acclimate before attempting the summit. I will be on the mountain for 60 days. I was suppose to have been climbing via the more technical Northern route from Tibet, however, I have been informed that as am American I will not be allowed into Tibet to climb! So, I have moved to the standard South Col route from Nepal. The technical trade offs will be instead of the infamous 2nd step on the North, I will have the notorious Khumbu Icefall and the Hillary Step on the Southern route! STEP ONE: The trek to Base Camp (BC) starts off with the harrowing flight into Lukla (you should really youtube it!) and will take 9-10 days to trek into BC. This is very important for acclimatization and to prepare us for the higher elevations that await. STEP TWO: Acclimating on the Mountain requires about 20 plus days of climbing up to our higher camps and returning to a lower camp to sleep. This is called "Climb High, Sleep Low" and is extremely important to help us physically prepare for our survival on the mountain. KHUMBU ICEFALL: This is the first major challenge, over 2000ft up jumbled blocks of ice, seracs and crevasses which moves and shifts without notice. This is a place we will go through several times, but a place we must always keep moving. This is where more people are killed than anywhere else on the mountain. CAMP ONE and CAMP TWO, Western CWM: The Western CWM (pronounced coom) is a bowl surrounded by himalayan giants. There are 2 camps, Camp One is located above the icefall and Camp Two is located towards the Lhotse face. CAMP THREE, LHOTSE FACE: This camp is located on the steep face of Mount Lhotse (the 4th highest mountain in the world). There are fixed lines up this long face, and a place that has recently been know to bottleneck as long strings of climbers head up it. STEP THREE: Summit attempt, which is where we will being moving up the mountain, stopping at each camp for a night before heading to the summit. CAMP FOUR, The South Col: This is the "Death Zone" located at 8000m, and will be our last stop before our Summit Attempt. Discarded camps, o2 bottles and bodies are known to inhabit this "layover" to the top. SUMMIT DAY: We will head up to the "Balcony" and then up to the "South Summit" where we will most likely experience a long line in que for the "Hillary Step" (a 40 ft rock climb) after this it is the summit ridge to the top. STEP FOUR: Get all the way back down and home! |
