My Friend Lucille

2011-06-03T11:58:00.004-06:00

Well another expedition over. I will be posting and adding pictures over the next few days. Thanks to everyone who was watching, and for the encouraging comments.

May 31 - Talkeetna

2011-05-31T19:19:00.002-06:00

The travelers managed to get down to Base Camp and also get a flight out to Talkeetna. They are planning to spend the night there, and visit the authorities tomorrow to close out the expedition.

After that, a ride back into Anchorage where they will either hop right on a plane or spend one night before catching a flight home Thursday.

So, they will be home sometime late Wednesday or Thursday. Who needed a trade for Friday?

This will be my last post on the expedition. Lucille will post more once she gets back to civilization.

Thanks for following.

Back at Basecamp

2011-05-31T11:46:00.006-06:00

We arrived at Camp 3 - below Motorcycle hill - at 8pm last night and put up the tent. The plan was to get up early so that we could safely get to base camp. Since Denali has had very little snow this year, the snow bridges over the crevasses are almost non-existent so the only way to make it through safely is while the bridges are frozen in the middle of the night. Our friends the French Canadian team of 6 showed up at 11pm in a blizzard. We slept until 0130 when Domhnall woke up noting that the blizzard was over and visibility was good. We quickly packed up and started heading down. The difficult part was keeping the two pulks (sleds) with about 200lbs of stuff on them tracking down the slope.

This was the view of the sunrise.

We arrived at base camp at 9am after almost 7 hours of non-stop moving. Once we arrived we waited about 5 hours for the sky to clear so that we could get picked up. This is a photo of Domhnall resting while we waited for our flight out.

May 30 - Back to Camp 3

2011-05-31T06:30:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, the team made it all the way down to Camp 3 at 11,000', collecting all of their gear and extra food on the way.

The plan for today is to get a really early start, descend all the way to Base Camp, and with any luck, get a flight back out to Talkeetna. You might think it is all downhill from here, and you would be mostly right, except for Heartbreak Hill, which is a 690' rise just before they arrive at basecamp.

Then they will reschedule their return flights for home. All I need to know is....what time should I pick them up at the airport tomorrow?

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2011-05-30T22:04:00.002-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:63.07439
Longitude:-151.14659
GPS location Date/Time:05/31/2011 09:50:07 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

Click the link below to see where I am located.
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Down to Camp 3

2011-05-30T20:38:00.003-06:00

Today was a long day. We got up and packed up which took about 2 hours then headed down to basin camp at 14,000 feet. I took these pictures out our tent flap before we left. This is where we were only 24 hours ago, making our way to the summit. I counted over 40 people heading up.

We are feeling good after our summit yesterday, but we are moving slower than usual. We headed down the ridge to the fixed ropes. We stopped to speak with many people on our way down, and they were all asking the same questions.....had we summited and how did it go? The temperature was hot and sunny, and were we ever glad to be going down instead of up. At basin camp Domhnall dug up the cache we had left behind, and fried up some cheese sandwiches for us. After about an hour we continued to head down, but now with a sled. Everything was going well until we reached Windy Corner......not sure why it is called that.....other than it is always WINDY!!!!! Just beyond the weather deteriorated and visibility was significantly decreased. I sometimes lost sight of the next wand that is used to keep us on the right track. Eventually we made it down to Camp 3 just below Motorcycle hill.

May 29 - Camp 5 - Summit - Camp 5

2011-05-30T07:11:00.002-06:00

Lucille phoned on the Sat Phone after summitting, and with quick breaths described how she still has an in with the weather gods. Despite concerns early in the day about high winds possibly stopping their attempt, she says they had a sunny blue sky with no wind at the summit.

They returned to camp 5 to sleep, but over the next couple of days you can expect a rapid descent. Probably camp 3 today, and base camp tomorrow. They will probably be sleeping in their own beds by Friday night.

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2011-05-30T01:25:00.003-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:63.07864
Longitude:-151.05376
GPS location Date/Time:05/30/2011 13:10:28 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

See my blog at http://myfriendlucille.blogspot.com

Click the link below to see where I am located.
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Go Spot Go

You have received this message because Go Spot Go has added you to their SPOT contact list.

Every day is an Adventure. Share Yours.
http://www.findmespot.com

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2011-05-29T21:27:00.003-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:63.06913
Longitude:-151.00627
GPS location Date/Time:05/30/2011 09:12:35 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

See my blog at http://myfriendlucille.blogspot.com

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/4wOPR/63.06913N/151.00627W

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Summit!!!!!!

2011-05-29T21:14:00.000-06:00

Summit day!!!!

We woke up at 0630 where I started melting snow and making breakfast for us. After about 1 1/2 hours we headed out the tent, ready to head for the summit, but the mountain was not ready for us. It was windy....too windy to go for the summit. We wandered around camp talking with other teams, no one else was prepare to make a move with the conditions we noted on the summit. After a while we headed back into the tent, into our sleeping bags to warm up and Domhnall made us some soup. Around 11am Domhnall noted that the wind direction had changed thus making a summit attempt possible. We rushed to put on our crampons, get our packs and head off. After the traverse it got windy and much colder. I pulled out my down pants and jacket. We all put on all the clothing we had with us including face masks and goggles.
Eventually we reached the football field, and the wind calmed down, making it possible for us to remove our down clothing. Just one more hill and then we were on the summit ridge. After 8 hours we were standing on the summit in calm wind and sunny skies. Beautiful.

May 29 - Run for the Summit.

2011-05-29T15:28:00.001-06:00

This is it, the summit push is on.

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2011-05-28T13:11:00.002-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:63.07891
Longitude:-151.05389
GPS location Date/Time:05/29/2011 00:56:27 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/4vaXA/63.07891N/151.05389W

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May 28 - Rest Day

2011-05-28T10:20:00.000-06:00

Just got news that they are officially resting today at 17,200'. Watch for the summit attempt tomorrow.

May 27 - Move to Camp 5 - 17,200'

2011-05-28T05:47:00.008-06:00

Today was a move to the high camp at 17,200' (5,200m). They are now staged for a summit attempt, weather permitting. May 28 may be a rest day, but the weather forecast would indicate that if they are rested enough already, that they should push for the summit right away. If they don't go for it this weekend, snow and wind is on the way.

...ABOVE 14 THOUSAND FEET...

.FRIDAY NIGHT...MAINLY CLEAR.
LOW AT 17 THOUSAND FEET...5° BELOW (-20C).
WINDS FROM 17 THOUSAND FEET TO THE SUMMIT...EAST 15 MPH.

.SATURDAY...MOSTLY SUNNY.
HIGH AT 17 THOUSAND FEET...5° ABOVE (-15C).
WINDS FROM 17 THOUSAND FEET TO THE SUMMIT...EAST 15 MPH.

.OUTLOOK SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...
PARTLY CLOUDY TOWARD THE SUMMIT.
MOSTLY CLOUDY AT LOWER ELEVATIONS.
SNOW LIKELY BY TUESDAY.
SUMMIT WINDS...EAST 20 MPH OR LESS SUNDAY BECOMING
SOUTH MONDAY...INCREASING TO 50 MPH BY TUESDAY.

Here is what the possible route to the summit would be. Watch the Spot for further developments.

May 26 - Rest Day

2011-05-26T19:17:00.001-06:00

Today was a day to rest up before moving to the 17,200' camp 5 tomorrow. Looking for the right weather to make a summit bid.

May 25 - Carry to 17,000'

2011-05-26T06:32:00.004-06:00

Today was a carry of supplies to 17,000' in preparation for the move to camp 5. Returned to camp 4 to sleep and continue with acclimatization. Move to camp 5 is coming soon.

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2011-05-25T23:55:00.002-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:63.0699
Longitude:-151.07489
GPS location Date/Time:05/26/2011 11:40:59 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

See my blog at http://myfriendlucille.blogspot.com

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/4uDlG/63.0699/\-151.07489

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May 24 - Rest Day

2011-05-24T18:42:00.001-06:00

Today, the guys descended to windy corner to retrieve their cache and bring it up to camp. Lucille took a rest day. The plan for tomorrow, weather and restfulness permitting, will be a carry to near the 17,000' camp 5, and descend back to camp 4 to sleep.

The following voice message left by Lucille is chopped up at the beginning and end, but has some good content overall.

Listen to Lucille.

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2011-05-24T15:21:00.003-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:63.06989
Longitude:-151.07547
GPS location Date/Time:05/25/2011 03:06:46 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

See my blog at http://myfriendlucille.blogspot.com

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/4tYi5/63.06989/\-151.07547

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May 23 - Head Wall

2011-05-24T06:35:00.003-06:00

Headed up to the head wall ropes - 15,675' (4777m) for acclimatization in preparation for a move to camp 5. Returned to camp 4 to sleep.

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2011-05-23T21:55:00.002-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:63.07001
Longitude:-151.07555
GPS location Date/Time:05/24/2011 09:40:25 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

See my blog at http://myfriendlucille.blogspot.com

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/4tCB4/63.07001/\-151.07555

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May 22 - Move to Camp 4

2011-05-23T07:49:00.004-06:00

Listen to Lucille and then to Mike

Moved to Camp 4 at 14,200'. Tomorrow will either be a rest day, a weather day, or head up to the headwall ropes for an acclimatization day. Watch the spot for the answer.

Only one more camp at 17,200' before the summit at 20,320', and the weather forecast looks good this week.

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2011-05-22T23:44:00.002-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:63.07064
Longitude:-151.07542
GPS location Date/Time:05/23/2011 11:30:12 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

See my blog at http://myfriendlucille.blogspot.com

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/4snls/63.07064/\-151.07542

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2011-05-21T20:26:00.002-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:63.074
Longitude:-151.14612
GPS location Date/Time:05/22/2011 08:11:15 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

See my blog at http://myfriendlucille.blogspot.com

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/4sFW-/63.074/\-151.14612

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May 21 - Carry to Windy Corner 13,500'

2011-05-21T19:08:00.001-06:00

Carry to camp 4 (Basin camp) – 14,200’ (4328m). Most people carry to just beyond Windy Corner at 13,500' and stash their carry there, just before the actual camp 4. They will pick it up when they move to camp 4 tomorrow or the next day. For now, climb high - sleep low, will allow their bodies to adjust to the new altitude.

Weather on Denali

2011-05-20T19:00:00.000-06:00

The team is staying put at camp 3 today, not so much for a needed rest day, but because they are weathered in. They described it as a white-out and are looking for a forecast for the next few days.

Mount McKinley is located in the subpolar low, a region where arctic air moving from the north converges with warmer air moving from the south at a latitude of 60 degrees (Denali is located at 63 degrees). This convergence creates a belt of unstable weather at this latitude. Associated with the subpolar low is a semi-permanent area of low pressure known as the Aleutian Low, located in the vicinity of the Aleutian Islands. Weather systems generated or passing through the Aleutian Low often take a straight path for the Alaska Ranges and hit Mt. McKinley with little warning. Mt. McKinley also has a reputation for streaky weather with long periods of continuous bad weather or more rarely, long periods of good weather. This explains why inexperienced, clueless climbers may reach the summit while veteran climbers die on its slopes.

As a result of its proximity to the Aleutian Low, the weather on Denali is unlike the weather on any other major mountain in the world. Extreme cold is another hallmark of Denali’s weather and temperatures routinely fall to -40 F (-40 C). Unfamiliarity with McKinley’s weather is an underlying cause of many accidents, particularly among climbers who view the mountain as “just another prize in the trophy case” or as a warm-up for Mt. Everest. Weather patterns generally fall under the following categories:

HIGH WINDS. Mt. McKinley undergoes long periods of clear skies and high winds, and these conditions are most often seen during early part of the climbing season (April and May). During these periods, many of the mountain slopes are swept clean of snow leaving behind solid blue ice and testing the cramponing skills of even the most experienced climbers. Denali Pass and the upper part of the West Rib are especially notorious sites for accidents when these conditions occur.

During such weather, many climbers are lulled by the clear skies into going for the summit. However, these winds routinely exceed 100 mph and have been known to pick climbers up and throw them down the slopes. Windstorms often come with little if any warning and are thus amongst the most feared weather patterns on the mountain. The first signs of increasing high winds are the appearance of lenticular cloud caps over the summit. Many of the accidents in 1992, Denali’s deadliest year, occurred during such a weather pattern.

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2011-05-20T13:55:00.002-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:63.07455
Longitude:-151.14767
GPS location Date/Time:05/21/2011 01:40:36 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

See my blog at http://myfriendlucille.blogspot.com

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/4rVZ3/63.07455/\-151.14767

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May 20

2011-05-20T08:10:00.001-06:00

It sure looks to me like they skipped camp 2 yesterday, and went straight on to camp 3 – 11,000’ (3300m) distance 1.2 miles – 2km from camp 2. Camp 3 is also called motorcycle hill.

-Ted

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2011-05-19T23:31:00.002-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:63.07467
Longitude:-151.14641
GPS location Date/Time:05/20/2011 11:16:59 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

See my blog at http://myfriendlucille.blogspot.com

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/4rBpf/63.07467/\-151.14641

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Move to camp 2

2011-05-19T16:00:00.000-06:00

Move to camp 2 – 9700’ (2900m) distance 3.2 miles – 5.12km. This is a fairly short day. Due to the lowish altitude and relatively small amount of elevation gain most people do a move to camp 2 in one go.

We will still move as a roped team due to the continuing crevasse danger. We also tie in our sleds to the rope to lessen the chance of the sled falling in on us in the event of one of us falling into a crevasse.

Today we should be settled in as a team, getting used to moving together as well as getting more comfortable with pulling sleds. It has been a few years for us since we have done this, but by today we should be feeling comfortable. Despite the putting the majority of the weight in the sleds are packs are still quite heavy. Motrin will help with the aching muscles tonight.

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2011-05-19T11:54:00.002-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:63.04401
Longitude:-151.18472
GPS location Date/Time:05/19/2011 23:39:17 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

Click the link below to see where I am located.
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Denali

2011-05-19T07:00:00.001-06:00

Mount McKinley (Denali), 6194 m (20,320 ft)
Mount McKinley (or Denali) is located in the national park of Denali in the central portion of the Alaska Range, which spans much of south central Alaska. It is approximately 130 miles (209 km) north-northwest of Anchorage and 155 miles (249 km) southwest of Fairbanks. Mount McKinley has two significant summits: the South Summit is the higher one, while the North Summit has an elevation of 19,470 feet (5934 m). The mountain is characterized by extremely cold weather, and by an unusually severe risk of altitude illness for climbers, due to not only its high elevation but also its high latitude. At the equator, a mountain as high as Mount McKinley would have 47% as much oxygen available on its summit as there is at sea level, but because of its latitude, the pressure on the summit of McKinley is even lower.

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2011-05-19T01:16:00.002-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:63.04404
Longitude:-151.18436
GPS location Date/Time:05/19/2011 13:02:01 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

Click the link below to see where I am located.
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Denali - info

2011-05-18T21:00:00.000-06:00

Mount McKinley (Denali)

Location: Alaska, United States, North America

Lat/Lon: 63.06989°N / 151.073°W

Elevation: 20320 ft / 6194 m

The highest mountain in North America, Mt. McKinley has been the goal of aspiring high altitude climbers since it was first climbed in 1913. Its reputation as a highly coveted summit derives from its location near the Arctic Circle and the Pacific Ocean giving it some of the most ferocious weather in the world. Because of its weather and ease of access, some climbers use McKinley as a training ground for climbing the 8,000 meter peaks of the Himalaya, including Everest.

Mt. McKinley is also known by its Athabascan name Denali meaning "The Great One"

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2011-05-18T15:12:00.002-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:62.96772
Longitude:-151.17171
GPS location Date/Time:05/19/2011 02:57:37 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

Click the link below to see where I am located.
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2011-05-18T14:44:00.002-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:62.76203
Longitude:-151.02888
GPS location Date/Time:05/19/2011 02:30:02 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/4qWK8/62.76203/\-151.02888

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2011-05-18T13:55:00.002-06:00

Go Spot Go
Latitude:62.32088
Longitude:-150.09744
GPS location Date/Time:05/19/2011 01:41:00 NPT

Message:Denali Eh OK.

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/4qUrt/62.32088/\-150.09744

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May 18

2011-05-18T10:28:00.001-06:00

Today we have an appointment with the rangers at their station at 0830 in the morning. We need to arrive 30 minutes early to pay the remainder of our climbing fee - $200 per person. The rangers meet with all teams prior to the climb. They will go over the map, show us the route, point out any objective dangers such as cravasses and possible avalanche spots. They will also point out the usual location of the camps. This is a very busy mountain with many mountaineers on it all at the same time so as a result the rangers implement rules to keep people safe and the mountain clean.

After after our meeting we will stop off for breakfast at the café on our way back to TAT. Once we have organize our gear if the weather permits we will fly onto base camp - approx. 40 minute flight. Base camp is set at 2200m (7,200ft) on the Southeast fork of the Kalhitna Glacier. Here we will stash 3 days worth of food in case our flight out is delayed after the expedition.

We will

Depending on how we feel and what time we arrive at base camp we can either stay and make camp here or we can head up to camp 1. Base camp – 7200’ (2190m)
Camp 1 – 7900’ (2400m). Distance 5.5 miles – 8.8 km. Descend 690’ (210m) then up to camp one 1400’. Camp 1 is located at the bottom of ski hill.

May 17

2011-05-17T10:19:00.003-06:00

We leave Edmonton at 0640h, arriving in Anchorage at 1130. Arrangements have been made, and we will be picked up at the airport by Tim. The plan is to go to the grocery store, for the last minute shopping for some fresh food and whatever we can’t bring into the country. We will probably also stop at the local climbing shop to look around and pick up whatever we may have forgotten.

The drive to Talkeetna is about 2 hour and we should arrive in the late afternoon. We will be dropped off at Talkeetna Air Taxi which is the company that will fly us to basecamp tomorrow. We will spend a few hours organizing our gear and getting ready for tomorrow. We will head into town for the last fresh food that we will see in a while. The night will be spent in the bunkhouse at TAT.

Added by Ted: Lucille texted that the flight to Anchorage was delayed by three hours, but other than that, everything went as planned. ALL of their luggage actually arrived, so they have all of their expedition gear and food.

Denali prep

2011-05-16T10:16:00.001-06:00

Today we are spending the day packing up the food and looking over the gear that we will need for the next 4 weeks. It's not easy packing food that we will need. Estimating how hungry we're going to be, how much we will actually eat while providing enough variety so that we don't get bored. As for the gear we want to bring enough that we don't get into trouble, but again not so much that we get weighed down and move too slowly. It's a fine line, but with both Domhnall and Mike's expertise they will guide me in what we are going to bring.

Expedition members

2011-05-15T22:06:00.007-06:00

We are a three member team and our name is Denali Eh!
Here is a brief introdution to the team members.
Domhnall

The youngest team member, but the one with the most experience. He enjoys all sorts of outdoor activities including ice carving and making snow angels. Most days he can be found nursing all over the country including Yukon, BC, Alberta and most recently in Manitoba. On his rare day off he can be found renovating his home and relaxing with his cats.

Mike
He was recently featured in GQ magazine with the above picture. Mike has many interests including riding on his segway and practicing Yoga poses. He can be found most days riding his lawn mower for hours, round and round rain or shine....in the hopes of getting out of doing any real work. He is also very experienced in the back country, and his greatest skill is making everyone around him laugh. Should be a fun trip.

Lucille
Despite appearances Lucille really doesn't like to drink....much. She has many talents, once of which is the ability to find crevasses.....unfortunately she finds them after she has already fallen in, but she is taking one for the team. When she wants to meditate she heads to a hot and stuffy stairwell where it is really easy to zone out. She relaxes by tending her flower garden.....anyone free to water the plants while she's gone? Her goal for this expedition is to learn how to refold a map.

What's next?

2011-05-14T01:31:00.003-06:00

It's hard to believe that it has only been a year since my summit of Everest. In so many ways it seems like a life time ago because I have been so busy. I have visited many schools, talked to several thousand children as well as presented to hundreds of adults in the hopes of inspiring others to follow in my foot steps - achieving their own dreams.

My last presentations were just a few days ago to the nurses at the RAH to kick off Nurses' week. These two sessions were emotional for me as they were on the same day as my summit last year, and in the audience were many of my friends that I have worked with over the years, sharing the fun times and difficult times of nursing.

My Everest summit has changed me in so many ways that I could not have anticipated, and for that I am so happy that I took the challenge. Achieving a goal that for many years I kept secret for fear that if I spoke it aloud it would disappear. A goal that I thought about almost every day for 35 years. A goal that even today brings tears to my eyes when I think about it. The goal that has changed the direction of my life.

Many people have asked "What can possibly top Everest?" while others ask "What's next?"
Well in a few days we leave to climb Denali in Alaska. This time we are a team of three and I will try to take on more of a leadership role, while having the backup of two strong and capable teammates. Follow along as we attempt to climb the tallest peak in North America, situated in Alaska.

Thank You

2011-05-10T01:59:00.002-06:00

Just over a year ago I was standing on the top of Everest, looking down in awe at the entire world below and thinking to myself not only that I was very lucky and blessed to be there, but also admiring our beautiful world. I have to thank my family and all my friends who have supported me in my endeavour to reach my dream. I still have friends who come up to me telling me that they followed my blog while I was climbing or tell me the story of where they were when my SPOT stopped working at the most crucial time on summit day or give me a hug with a congratulations. This is not a goal that any of my friends and family members have, but they all recognize and celebrate the achievement of a dream, and that is the most important thing of all.

Slide show/fundraiser - Thank You!!!!

2010-07-20T19:23:00.003-06:00

Thanks to everyone who made it out to the latest slide show on July 20th. We were able to raise another $550 for Learn For Life......this is amazing!!!!

Here are a few pictures of the people who were there. We all had a great evening.

New slide show July 20th

2010-07-14T08:05:00.003-06:00

Domhnall and I will get together for another viewing of the slide show presentation of our Everest expedition. New pictures, new videos and new stories......we finally got together and discussed what actually happened on summit day!!! So come on out and join us for a great evening. The last slide show was a fabulous success.....and we appologize to everyone who was unable to get in.....we had no idea so many people would come out. This next venue is larger, so should accommodate everyone who comes out.
Date: July 20th - Tuesday
Location: Hudson's on Campus - 11113-87 Ave
Time: Doors open at 6pm,
Slide show starts at 7:30pm

Food and drinks available during the evening. Come early for supper, or enjoy food and drinks during the show.
We hope to see everyone there, and would love to celebrate our achievement with you. Please pass this on to anyone you think may be interested in coming and we will see you on Tuesday.

THANK YOU...THANK YOU....THANK YOU!!!!!!!!

2010-07-01T16:19:00.008-06:00

Last night was a fundraising slide show for Learn for Life. We had about 150 people in a venue made for 100 so it was standing room only, and due to the generosity of everyone in attendance, we raised $1270. This amount will pay for one year's tuition for one of the students.....awesome!!!! Thanks to everyone who came out for the evening. Some travelled a long distance, some came after working a 12 hour shift and there were so many friends that I haven't see for years. It was a wonderful evening. So many people made an effort to come out to support Learn for Life, see the slide show of Everest and visit with friends.
I also have to say a huge thank you and appologize to everyone who showed up and couldn't get in because there wasn't enough room. We will have a second showing on July 20th.....the location to be determined soon.....I think that we may have to find a larger venue than originally planned!!!!

Presentation June 30

2010-06-24T06:12:00.000-06:00

Slide show presentation at Suede Lounge June 30th

2010-06-22T20:54:00.000-06:00

Domhnall and I will be putting on a slide show presentation of our Everest expedition on June 30th at Suede Lounge in Edmonton. We have the whole place reserved just for us from 6pm till closing. There is lots of room for everyone, so bring your friends and family and join us for a great evening. The slide show will begin around 7:30pm to allow those working days to join us. Suede lounge will be serving their entire food/drink menu throughout the evening, so come early for supper and some socializing or enjoy some tapas during the presentation. Some of you have heard some of our stories, but come join us to see all the spectacular summit photos and hear all our stories. Location is 11806 Jasper Ave. Check out their web site at: http://www.suedelounge.ca/

Admission is free and there will be a raffle for some fabulous prizes in support of Learn for Life. Details can be found on the side bar to the right.

Something special came in the mail

2010-06-15T19:48:00.006-06:00

The next time I am in Kathmandu, either one of these should get me a free meal at the Rum-Doodle. I'm looking forward to it.

On the medal along the top it says "Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) Summiters Medal" In the Center, a map of Nepal with Everest over top, and the date 29 May. Then along the bottom "International Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) Day".

The rear of the medal has the Nepal flag, with native script that I cannot interpret. I assume it says the same thing as the front.

Peace River

2010-06-08T07:21:00.001-06:00

Today I presented my slide show in Peace River. Although we were a small crowd, every one was interested and asked many questions. After the slide show many stayed behind to ask more questions and look at my equipment. This was also a fund raiser for Learn for Life and through the raffle of a framed summit photo and donations we were able to raise $170!!!! This is about half the cost of the school books for one candidate for one year.
For those who would like to learn more about Learn for Life, there is a button on the right of my blog. Go and have a look, and if interested follow the links to the donations page. Learn for Life pays for the post secondary education for Nepalese children. Every year many volunteers from all over the world go to Nepal and donate their time and expertise. While this is great and important, it is also important to educate the locals as they will be staying and helping out their own.
I would like to thank Simonne for organizing this event, the museum staff for helping out, FCSS, and Gord from Tim Horton's for the coffee and donuts. It was a great evening made possible by everyone who came out.

2010-06-04T22:15:00.004-06:00

I would like to take this time to thank all the teachers who have invited me to share my story with the children in their schools. All the teachers have done something different with their class, incorporating parts of my experience into their classroom, and it has been fun and interesting to speak with the teachers. I have met some fabulous teachers that will use whatever means they can to keep their students engaged. I have also been very impressed by the students that I have met. They were very respectful, staying quiet during the presentations, the questions that were asked at the end, and many thanked me personally for coming to their school or classroom. You have all made this expedition worthwhile by allowing me to share it with you.

I have always said that it is the journey, not the destination that is the most important. While the summit was spectacular and took my breath away, it was nothing compared to all the experiences that I had leading up to the summit, and all the opportunities that I have had since. I had no idea that so many people were watching and following along, wishing us well as we were off to achieve our goal, and this has made all the sacrifices worthwhile. I will be presenting my expedition to three more schools next week, along with one evening presentation for the parents, and then it is back to work and back to training for the next expedition.

Stay tuned for the date of the presentation here in Edmonton.

Michael A. Kostek School

2010-06-03T21:15:00.005-06:00

Today I went to visit the Michael A. Kostek School in Edmonton. I found all the students to be very attentive and respectful. The entire gymnasium was full and I was able to make the presentation without the use of a microphone.

I have to thank Ms. Millican and her class for inviting me to their school, and for inviting the entire school. I was not aware of this, but her class followed my entire expedition, and in particular Amber would not let the school day start until they had checked my blog to see how I was doing.

St. Edmund School

2010-06-03T18:51:00.000-06:00

I enjoyed by visit with the St. Edmund School this morning, and Ms. Taylor's class. I presented my slide show to 3 classes, and approx 75 students today. Thank you very much for the pen and school cup.

Elmer S Gish School

2010-06-01T21:01:00.006-06:00

Today was another school visit. This time I visited Ms. Saipe's grade 6 class. Time was a bit limited, but we had a good time and the students were very gratious thanking me individually after the class. Many of the students were able to get the tibetan singing bowl to sing the first try which was amazing as it took me quite a while to master. Thanks for the opportunity to come visit.

Trochu Valley School

2010-05-26T16:05:00.007-06:00

Today I spent the afternoon at the Trochu Valley School.

The entire school was present to listen to my presentation of climbing Mt Everest. Not only did they listen attentively, but they also participated by asking some great questions. After the slide show, the school surprised me with a cheque for my charity Learn 4 Life, which they fund raised by collecting milk jugs. By the amount that was raised, there must have been quite a few truckloads of jugs collected!!! Way to go Trochu!!! The children of Nepal that are supported by Learn 4 Life thank everyone for participating, that was super.

This is Mrs Schmidt's grade 3 class that followed the entire expedition, and learned a lot along the way. They learned about geography and culture, but what I found the most surprising is that they also did some math related to my climb. For example if Lucille left at 4am, and it took her 3 hours to get to camp 2, then what time did she arrive? Brilliant. The entire class is shown here with the Canadian flag that I brought to the summit with me. After the presentation I had the opportunity to meet the students where they shared with me their own dreams. This was a special time for me....and thanks to everyone for all the hugs!!!!

Bastion School in Salmon Arm B.C.

2010-05-25T22:00:00.001-06:00

Thank you to the grade 5 students of Bastion School for being such gracious hosts today. I presented a slide show of my trip and everyone was great, asking super questions. I had a great time. Remember to follow your dreams.

Merçi beaucoup à tous les étudiants de l'école Bastion à Salmon Arm. J'ai fait une présentation de mon sommet du mont Everest aujourd'hui et tous les étudiants ont participé avec des très bonnes questions. N'oubliez pas de suivre vos rêves.

Comments

2010-05-18T10:09:00.003-06:00

I am just now sitting down reading all the comments that everyone posted and I am overwhelmed. Several weeks ago Lorraine and Ted prepared and sent a care package to base camp with Mike who delivered it while I was on my summit push, and included in the package along with brand new underwear and other assorted goodies was a copy of all the comments that had been posted on the blog until April 18th (the day Mike left for Nepal). I read all those comments when I returned to base camp using up quite a few tissues!!! Lorraine had also texted me quite a few comments in the week leading up to the summit, so tissues required on a daily basis.....but now that I sit down and read them ALL.....and yes it has taken me quite some time to read them all, I have to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who read the blog, and to those who took the time to comment. They are a keepsake of an unforgettable experience, making it that much richer.

Just relaxing

2010-05-18T09:05:00.005-06:00

This was our reception at the airport. Thanks to everyone who came out and made it special for us. Unfortunately we were so tired, that we didn't go out with everyone for a drink, but just left them all at the airport! Maybe they went out and celebrated without us!!!!

Despite being home, and my summit is over, many of my teammates remain on the mountain, hoping for their own summit in a few more days. Two of my teammates, Pete - we climbed through the ice fall together several times and he is very strong, and Corrina - the first Finnish woman to summit along with one of the guides Hugo - also very strong, were successful in their summit bid a few days ago. I was happy to hear that they summitted and cheered when I heard of their success. Now we just have to wait for the next weather window on the 22nd and root for the rest of the team.

I will spend the next few weeks relaxing, spending time with Ted, and trying to get out and visit all the schools who participated and followed us on our journey. I will be contacting you in the next few days to set up a time.

I am also planning on doing a big slide show presentation sometime in the near future. I am still looking for a venue in Edmonton (preferably free or low cost), so if anyone has any ideas please let me know. I am hoping to do it within the next 6-8 weeks, soon enough so that the experience is still fresh, but enough time that allows me to reflect on the whole expedition. Keep checking back for details of the slide show.

Almost home!!!!!

2010-05-16T01:08:00.002-06:00

Domhnall and I just spent a great day in Hong Kong. After only about 3-4 hours of sleep flying from Kathmandu we arrived at 0800 in Hong Kong, and we headed off into town and spent the day wandering around Stanley Market. No purchases but had a great tour of Hong Kong via the top level of a two decker bus. Then a bit of a wander before returing to the airport where we only have an hour or so before we board. See you all soon.

Celebration

2010-05-14T05:47:00.004-06:00

Tonight we are heading out to the Rum Doodle restaurant. This is where all the mountianeers have gathered for years, and we will sign a yeti footprint that gets placed on the wall. Once we present our summit certificates, their pledge is that they will feed us for free....as many times as we go there. This is a tradition that Domhnall and I will not miss.

Above is our creation, and they placed it on the wall before we left.

Tomorrow evening I will be flying home, and it is with mixed feelings. I am so happy to be going home to see my family and friends.....but I still have ties to basecamp. The rest of the team is just starting their summit push and I know exactly what they are going through. Team one is dealing with the effects of being at camp 3. Difficulty sleeping, lack of appetite, lack of energy to do much. It is cold and probably windy there, and they will be living in their down suits until they come down after the summit. They will have a rest day in camp 3, but the move to camp 4 is long and cold. They will be getting up at 3 or 4 am, in the dark, trying to put on cold stiff boots, try to swallow something before heading out. I remember leaving camp 3, and travelling up one slow step after another slow step for what felt like hours when I looked over to the right and saw the tents to upper camp 3. I was so discouraged, and when I told this to Domhnall his response was "just look up, the yellow band is right there", and it was very close by, but I really needed a bit of encouragment at that time. Then it's just a few more hours (5 or so!!!) until the bottom of the Geneva spur, then up over the top, and just below is camp 4. Not too far, but when you count out 3-4 breaths for every step, it takes a while. So I am wishing them all luck, as I sit here comfortable and warm in Kathmandu......I know you all have it in you. Just keep taking the next step, and the next one and soon you will arrive at your destination.

2010-05-13T01:00:00.002-06:00

The plan for today is organization. I plan to organize up all my equipment, then I have to get a summit picture developed for the ministry so that I get a certificate that I summitted. Then it will be a bit of lounging around the pool. I only brought two pairs of pants for around town, but forgot the belt. With the weight loss, the waist is now below my hips, so I improvised with a kata!

Here are a few more pictures of us on the summit. I will be putting on a slide show when I get back, I just don't know the details of when and where yet, but I think that I have a story to tell, and I am hoping that everyone will attend. Keep checking back on this site for details.

2010-05-12T23:27:00.005-06:00

Namaste everyone. I am now safe in Kathmandu. We got up at 0530 to be ready to fly out of Lukla at 0730. The airport is crazy with everyone milling around with backpacks on and large duffle bags. I had two large duffle bags of equipment, and when I approached the counter I was told that there would only be room for one, and I had to pick which one it was going to be. My reply was "I need BOTH of them". Heads were shaking, and I was told only one.....and why did I have so much stuff with me? Did I really need it all......my reply was......"I was on Everest, and yes I needed it ALL". Well Khaji worked his magic, and they both got on, seperate aircrafts but they both showed up in Kathmandu.

We decided that we would treat ourselves to a good hotel, so we checked into the Yak and Yeti, and even before dropping off our bags we headed to the breakfast buffet. 4 plates each later, (well the buffet closed before we could get a 5th plate!!!) we started to unpack in the room. Domhnall only has one bag, but my stuff is strewn about the place. After a 30 minute shower we met up with a friend, Natalie who was on the south side before our summit push, then went to the North side with her sister while we were on the mountain. She is planning to climb Everest with her sister next year so went to basecamps on both sides to check it out.

This is us enjoying some pre-lunch treats. We are feeling human again, and are glad for the luxuries of running water and sit down toilets, and the good food, and feeling warm all the time and, and, and! We are of course thinking obout our friends still on the mountain, and wish them all well.

Happy National Nursing Week

2010-05-11T06:10:00.006-06:00

We are now in Lukla with access to a computer so can send a post.

When Domhnall and I decided to climb Everest together, we thought that there would be a good possibility that we would summit during National Nursing Week. As it turns out, the mountain was ready for us a little earlier than we thought, and we didn't want to waste the opportunity. We thought that it would still be a good idea to use the climb to highlight the week as it holds great importance to us.

The thread of nursing is important in both our lives, as we are both Critical Care Nurses, and it is through work that we met and started working towards this common goal. This is just as when we are working together with our fellow nurses on the unit for our patients.
I am still trying to upload the picture that I want, and will do so in a few days when we get to Kathmandu.

Mt. Everest 2010 #48

2010-05-11T00:14:00.003-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #48

Namaste everybody from down the valley. Sorry I didn't make a Gabcast for yesterday. What happened was we left Base Camp at about 9:00 in the morning and made it all the way to Namche Bazaar which took me 11 hours. I'm a little bit of a slow walker but it was a long ways.

We're a little sad to be leaving Base Camp; happy too. We made a lot of new friends in Base Camp and we're wishing them all well as they're waiting for the winds to die down. Hopefully they'll be starting their summit bids soon. On our way out we stopped at IMG and I was lucky enough to talk to Mike and ?? . He was less than 1000 feet from the summit Labouche east. He was going strong so I am sure that he made it to the summit. I am sure that he wants to say hi to his grandkids Jamal, Quinton, Jesse and Hannah. So he was doing really well.

So that was on our way out. Made it to Namche. We're sure glad to be down the valley wearing some nice footwear. Our appetites are coming back and we ate really well yesterday and we of course slept really well. So today we are heading down to Lukla; we're kind of part way there already. We'll wait there overnight and then fly out to Kathmandu. Looks like we'll be flying home on the 15th. ?? so kind of keep an eye on things. We'll be doing some Gabcasts and I'll be uploading pictures as soon as I get to Kathmandu. I wasn't able to do it from Namche. There is one picture that should be uploaded on the PeakFreaks.com website of Domhnall and I on the summit. So have a look at that and I will be posting more pictures when we get to Kathmandu and I have access to my picture viewer and stuff. So thanks to everyone for listening and we'll be calling in soon. ?? to you all and bye.

Summit Photo

2010-05-10T20:37:00.002-06:00

Mt. Everest 2010 #47

2010-05-09T10:02:00.002-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #47

Namaste everybody from Base Camp. This is May 9th and it's been a couple of days since we summited and it really starting to sink in now.

I've been looking at the pictures, fantastic pictures. I'm leaving Base Camp tomorrow morning, so May 10th. It's a little hard to think about it, the team, everyone's still here, everyone's still kind of hoping that they're going to get a good weather window just like I did. And so, we're leaving tomorrow and I should be able to upload some summit pictures, of Domhnall and myself, probably in the next 24 hours so have a look for that. There are some fantastic pictures! You have a view of the weather, perfect weather conditions, nice and warm. So as it stands now, Domhnall and I are the only two westerners to have summited Everest so far this year. It looks like the next weather window is going to be somewhere around the 18th or the 20th. There's a possibility that there might be a short, very short, weather window a little sooner than that but it looks like the next summit will be around the 18th or the 20th and that's sort of what all the teams are kind of gearing up for. I wish everybody success and safety up on the mountain.

It looks like I might be coming home somewhere around the 16th-we'll sort of see if there's time to sort out tickets and ?? and stuff. We're going to be heading down to Namche tomorrow. which is going to be a huge, huge day. Probably twelve hours of walking for me maybe a little bit more. I have a few blisters on my toes and so, from the summit day of course, and so ?? tomorrow and the following day is a little bit shorter from Namche to Lukla. I know that Mike is on Labouche right now. I'm wishing him success and hopefully they get nice weather. They're a little bit lower down and so hopefully the jet stream won't be bothering them. I don't know if he is going to be coming to Base Camp. I am going to be missing him. So it's kind of too bad: we're both in Nepal at the same time and we're going to miss each other.

I'm just getting a little anxious to be getting home. I've been missing a few of the luxuries like a mirror. I haven't look at myself for probably five weeks now, almost six weeks. ?? So look for some pictures in probably the next 24 hours or so. We start ?? pictures, I'll do my best to upload and if not, then I'll do it when I get to Kathmandu which will be in two days from now. So everyone take care. Talk to you all and thanks again to everyone for your support. Your well wishes and the congratulations that I've received. It's really been great. So we'll see you all soon and everyone take care and bye.

Mt. Everest 2010 #46

2010-05-08T10:30:00.003-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #46

Namaste everybody! This is May 8th and just a few hours ago I did my last trip through the ice fall. It's a little hard to believe that my big goal that I've been dreaming about for so many years is, is actually finally over and I'm now back down at Base Camp safe and sound.

We climbed through the night and it's, you know, a little surreal, we pass the balcony, obviously places I've looked at pictures of, for, you know, hundreds of pictures for probably the last twenty years. So passing the balcony, the South Summit, ?? is beautiful, the Hillary Step, which wasn't as difficult as I thought it was going to be, and then the summit ridge and then the climb to the summit. It, it's a little, a little surreal. I was looking at the pictures today, and yah, I was actually there and yah it was really quite spectacular, quite, how do they say, quite memorable, but I have to look at the pictures to sort of remind myself, kind of what I saw, and kind of looking down and seeing all the wonderful sights and the wonderful people around here. And it really was a wonderful experience. I think of all the experiences that I've had leading up to this, helping me to reach this goal. I'm reminded about all that as well. It's really great... sorry, I'm still very overwhelmed, telling about it quite a bit today, but it is wonderful.

I will probably still make a couple more gabcasts over the next couple of days. There are still two things that I want to be talking about. Lorraine sent me a little care package with all the comments people have put on the blog, up until April 18th when Mike left and I'm overwhelmed by all these wonderful comments and all the wonderful friends that I have, so thank you very much for all of your support. It meant the world to me. So, everyone take care, and I'm thinking about you all tonight. It's great. I feel loved; I feel very loved. So once more, thank you very much everybody and we'll be talking to you soon. Bye

Some photos and videos from early in the expedition

2010-05-08T08:25:00.002-06:00

Lucille sent a couple of memory cards out with trekkers and her sister Lorraine has made this photo album. They are more of the trek in and the first time through the icefall. Consider it a teaser for the full story.
http://gallery.me.com/myfriendlorraine#100057

Mt. Everest 2010 #45 - I did summit and everything's good!

2010-05-07T18:38:00.007-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #45

Namaste everybody from Camp 2.

Sorry about the delay in ?? I tried to do that about 12 hours ago, I think I talked a bit too long.

Anyways, as most of you know, I did summit and everything's good. I'm feeling good now. I had a few issues. What happened was we got to Camp 4, Domhnall and I got there together, ate and drank and hydrated and stuff for about 5-6 hours. Got up at about 6 o'clock in the evening we got everything ready and ready to go by 7:30 and so headed up. I think I knew this but it is completely uphill: there is no relief, no traversing, the whole time it's uphill and so we started off, but at least it's in the dark, so you don't really know how much uphill it is and it's pretty straight uphill. So headed up. I was feeling pretty tired. I hadn't eaten a whole lot the day before, on the way to Camp 4. No breakfast, no drinking, so I was a little bit low on fuel. I was feeling quite tired and kind of slowed down the group.

When we got to the summit, we got to the South Summit just as the sun was rising so that was really nice. After the South Summit, it still took us a couple of hours to get to the real summit. The Hillary Step was a little bit interesting, not too bad, and then of course the summit ridge, which was long! And then you get to the top and all of a sudden, all of a sudden you're there! The view was the peaks of the mountains and a fair bit of clouds covering probably below 5000 metres. But it was beautiful up there, really, really nice. We didn't spend a lot of time up there. We took off our oxygen and my big mistake is that I shut off my oxygen and so it was frozen. So my sherpa, Tshering, was very nice and gave me his oxygen but then his mask was way too big. So after Domhnall and I kind of split up; he headed down 'cause the forecast was really nasty weather and we were trying to get down and quickly as we could. So I took off my oxygen mask and within, we were still pretty high we were about the South Summit. It didn't take very long that I didn't have any energy at all: I didn't want to stand up. So, we had a lot of fresh snow which made the climb up kind of difficult and long but so what I started doing was sliding down, and I've kind of torn up my seat. My poor sherpa Tshering didn't really know what to do. Tried to mount up a rescue but I was still talking, coherent, just didn't have much energy, and so eventually I put the oxygen mask back on and started walking down. We did some sliding, the both of us together, because it is so much faster than walking down. Anyways, we made it down, we made it down to the South Col where the other sherpa ?? met up with us and then we made it all the way down to Camp 2 last night. So it was a long way, a long day, a couple long days but certainly well worth it!

I want to thank everyone, everyone who's supported me, everyone who's encouraged me, everyone who's made comments on my blog, just everything. I don't know when I'm coming home. I'll probably be changing my ticket 'cause I'm coming home earlier than early June but we'll see. I'd love to stick around and see how the rest of my team does but I don't know how much longer I want to be staying here staying away from home.

I will continue to make podcasts, for the next, probably the next week or so and keep you up to date and maybe some more tidbits and about what happened. Keep listening.

Love to you all, take care. Bye.

(Ted) Unfortunately, the Spot tracking got turned off accidentally at the South Summit, causing many of us to worry a bit.

Lucille is 100% at Camp 2

2010-05-07T08:28:00.003-06:00

I just got off the phone with Lucille. She descended all the way down to Camp 2 and is surrounded by other members of her expedition and being congratulated left and right. She sounded excellent, in good spirits, and confirmed for me that all ten fingers and ten toes are all OK. She did not know her Spot was off, and will send an OK message soon. She will also call Gabcast later.

Anyways, this is the update we have all been waiting for. All is well. I'll leave the rest for Lucille to report.

Summit Success !!!!!!!! The dream is now a memory.

2010-05-06T20:28:00.006-06:00

Tim Rippel's Facebook page reports that Lucille successfully summited at 06:00. We will update more when we hear more.

Ted

11:30 Nepal Time - Lucille is now below the balcony out of the wind and is very tired. Just a bit more to go then she can crawl inside her tent, get hydrated and some much needed rest.

Mt. Everest 2010 #44-South Col (Camp 4)--GOING FOR IT!!

2010-05-06T04:40:00.009-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #44

Namaste everybody from the South Col. or Camp 4.

We've been here for a few hours. We are hydrating, eating and resting on some oxygen. You hear a little bit of coughing and stuff. Hopefully we'll be leaving in a couple of hours, which would make it 7:00 our time, and heading up for the summit.

We had a good time, coming here. Everything went well. I was on oxygen the whole way, so was Domhnall, and our two sherpas are here with us as well taking good care of us.

So hopefully the next call will be from the summit if everything goes well. The forecast is still for some pretty nasty weather, but hopefully it's going to hold off until after we are down past Camp 3. So we'll talk to you in a little bit and follow the SPOT and thanks to everyone for listening.

We'll talk to you soon. Bye.

Mt. Everest 2010 #43-Camp 3

2010-05-05T02:39:00.007-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #43

Namaste everybody from Camp 3.

I made it up here in about 6 hours. We are now resting. The word is, is that nine sherpas summited today when they fixed the rope all the way up to the summit. So that bodes well for us leaving the South Col late on the 6th. and hopefully summitting on the 7th. The weather looks like it will probably hold. It looks like there's going to be some strong wind on the afternoon or the evening of the 7th. By strong winds-we're talking about 150 km an hour. So if it comes true, that's what's going to be happening. Hopefully I going to be on my way down. Everything is well heere, I'm here with Tshering. He has made me some tea, he's made me some tea, he's made me some soup. We are hydrating, we are sitting, we still have an appetite.

I have a little quiz for those with medical knowledge. If somebody's vitals are: a heart rate of 114, the oxygen saturation is 70% and we're breathing at a rate of 26, where do you think we are? We are right at ?? acclimatizing at Camp 3 or above.

So I'm here. I'm not on oxygen. I will start, I will start the oxygen tomorrow morning, att 3:00 in the morning when I leave for the South Summit (Col) or Camp 4. So watch the spot and I'll call from the South Summit (Col). Love to you all and I'll talk to you soon. Bye.

May 4 - Camp 2

2010-05-04T07:11:00.004-06:00

Lucille had trouble connecting with Gabcast this morning, so she gave me, Ted, her report directly.

Everything is going to plan. She spent the day resting at Camp 2, and Domhnall joined her there as well. They had a little bit of snow, but not too much. The ropes have been fixed to the balcony, and it looks hopeful to be fixed to the summit tomorrow or the next day. Lucille will be moving up to Camp 3 tomorrow. After that, if the rope does not get fixed all the way, she plans to come down, as the weather forecast looks to start going the other way on the 8th. But otherwise, she should summit on the 7th. and be on her way down.

Of the other team members, she says TA is at Camp 1 and Mango is back at Base Camp ready to move to Camp 1. The two Turkish climbers are at Camp 3, and the rest at Pheriche resting.

Mt. Everest 2010 #42 - Base to Camp 2

2010-05-03T07:06:00.007-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #42

Namaste everyone from Camp 2.

Today was kind of a difficult day. It started off pretty good, got up at 4:30, we left at about 5:15, just Tshering and myself. Made it up to Camp 1 in just over 4 hours, it was really good timing. It didn't feel like I was pushing it at all, everything felt great. And then from Camp 1 to Camp 2, which normally takes about 2- 2 1/2 hours, took me 4 hours! I had the tunes on, I kept taking breaks, but boy it was quite a slog. The last 2 hours, you can see Base, er, you can see Camp 4, sorry Camp 2, sorry for the last 2 hours we could see Camp 2 and it seems that it's never getting any closer. So you walk, and walk, and walk..aa, yeah.. it was a long day. Tshering came and found me just for the last ten minutes or so, took my pack and then when I got here, of course I'm the only one up here: everyone else is either down at Pheriche or at Base Camp; we have 2 team members that are up at Camp 3, the two Turkish guys.

And so instead of sitting in the dining tent all by myself, I asked the sherpas if I could sit with them in their dining tent. It is actually the cook tent, the dining tent, they sing in there, they tell jokes, they do all sorts of things. So I was allowed to go and sit with them and they were very nice, very polite, and I just had super in there with them as well 'cause I'm feeling a little bit lonely, kinda up here all by myself. But of course I get treated a little bit differently than they do. I got served some popcorn, and then some soup, and then I got served dhalbat, so dhalbat is, dhal, it's like lentils, bat is rice and some fried potatoes and some vegetables and stuff and they all watch me eat, and then, eventually, their food gets prepared and they eat pretty much the same thing that I do but mine was prepared specially so, which is really nice. I am getting treated really well here.

I've gone to bed now, it's 6:30 at night. I really didn't sleep at all yesterday, just being a little be anxious and not wanting to miss the, the um, 4:30 alarm and so I'm going to head off to sleep here pretty quick. The plan for tomorrow is for me to have a rest day here. Domhnall is going to come up from Base Camp all the way up to Camp 2, and we'll meet up, hopefully we'll be maybe sharing a tent so I won't be quite so lonely and then the following day if they start fixing the ropes, the wind has to die down for that, then I will head up to Camp 3 and Domhnall will spend the next day here, at Camp 2. The following day, when I move to Camp 4, he's going to go from Camp 2 all the way to Camp 4 which is a really long day for him and then we'll be poised for the summit push! So keep your fingers crossed that the, um, the ropes get put up above the South Col and that the weather stays good. And hopefully nothing is going to stop us. If it does, if the ropes don't get put up, then I'm going to spend an extra day here, waiting for that. If that doesn't happen, then I'm gonna go down, and then rest for a couple of days, and then do this all over again! So, which would be alright.

Everything's going well here. A bit of snow today, but everything was good. So everyone take care. Thanks for listening and I will call again tomorrow. Bye.

Mt. Everest 2010 #41 - Resting at Base Camp - How Many Days/

2010-05-02T06:03:00.006-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #41

Namaste everybody for May 2.

I spent the day at Base Camp just kind of resting and sort of planning what I'm going to be doing tomorrow.

Now last night we had about 2 1/2 inches of fresh snow, snowman snow, nice sticky snow and we had some sherpas that came and brushed off our tents at about 4:00 in the morning, just to make sure that they didn't collapse under all the weight. So that was really nice.

Now the next question I'm going to answer is: How many days will it take you to climb from Base Camp to the Summit?
So it looks like I might be leaving for my summit push tomorrow morning. It is a bit early, we'll see. It looks like we might be getting a weather window somewhere around the 7th / 8th so my plan is to be hopefully be on the Summit on the 7th - but we'll see. Anything can happen from now until then. If there's lot of snow then that process is going to stop my summit push, because it's not safe going when there is so much snow: there is an avalanche hazard up there.

So right now I'm resting. It will take me four hours to get to Camp 1 and about another two to three hours to get to Camp 2 and I'm going to do that all in one day and then I'm going to rest another day in Camp 2, so I'll spend two nights there, and then from Camp 2 to Camp 3 that's going to take me about five hours and then I will overnight there, and then from Camp 3 to Camp 4 it's going to take me, oh who knows, it all depends on the conditions and how I'm doing but somewhere between seven and ten hours and Camp 4 of course is the South Col and I will be on oxygen that whole time going from Camp 3 to Camp 4. And then from Camp 4 to the Summit, then of course I'll be on oxygen. I was planning on taking about 12 hours and then once I, then I'll probably leave about 8:00 at night. So the time, from 3 to 4 that's about ten hours, I'll be resting for just a few hours and going from there to Camp, er to the Summit. And then if I do reach the Summit, then, I'll be returning back to either Camp 4 or 3 or 2 depending on how I do and then I might rest a day or two at Camp 2 and then come down to Base Camp. So that's sort of how things are going to be going. I'm going ahead of my group: I'll be going with Domhnall, and he'll be going one day behind me 'cause he's just going to skip Camp 3.

So that's the plan right now. It all depends on how much snow we get overnight. If we get a lot of snow, I'm going to be staying put. Looks like we might get the next weather window somewhere around the 10th or the 12th. So if I don't leave tomorrow morning, and just kind of follow the Spot, then you now that there's too much snow or too much wind and then I'll be delayed a little bit. The other thing that may delay me is that they haven't put the ropes up to the summit yet, and so they're planning on doing that the ?? here, weather-depending of course, and so if that isn't in place, then the oxygen won't be up there for me and then I won't be able to go. So that'll be the other delay.

So keep an eye on the Spot and keep checking in. I'll do my best to update daily. I'll talk to you soon. Thanks to all the schools that are listening and thanks to Austin and Keely ?? who are listening as well. And we'll be talking to you guys soon. Alright. Bye.

Mt. Everest 2010 #40 - Base Camp - Resting

2010-05-01T06:22:00.004-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #40

Namaste everybody, this is the report for May 1.

I am down in Base Camp, doing my final rest before I do my summit push. I had a visit from Domhnall, earlier on this morning and he is doing well as well, staying at Base Camp, he went down to Gorak Shep to just visit with some friends for a few hours. Otherwise, about half the team has gone down to Pheriche, they are doing that as a bit of a rest before they do their summit push. Some people believe that going down you have better appetites, of course you're eating a bit more, you're sleeping better, you're healing any injuries that you have or any illnesses that you might have. My fear is that if I go down, that I might not want to come back up, becasue the grass is green over there, there are some flowers, that sort of stuff, so that's why I have chosen to stay at Base Camp here.

I wanted to say a special hello to Emilie who is back from Egypt, and I wanted to thank her sister Sam for taking such good care of her uncle Ted while I was gone and for house-sitting for us.

So, everything is good here, it looks like there might be a bit of a weather window in about a week, so I might be starting up my push a little bit earlier, so keep listening, and I'll let you know what's going on.

Talk to you soon. Bye.

A few Pictures and a video

2010-04-30T20:12:00.008-06:00

Lucille sent a memory card out with the first group of trekkers, and Here is a small sampling of the images.

The first two are Dawa's tea house at Phortse, with Dawa standing in front.

This is from The Private Puja ceremony at Lama Geshi's house in Pangboche.

Lucille at Base Camp.

A short video from the Base Camp Puja ceremony.

A sample of the Ice Fall route.

Mt. Everest 2010 #39

2010-04-30T09:21:00.002-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #39

Hello everybody, Just wanted to thank everyone for all the birthday wishes.

We just had supper, and there's a nice big birthday cake there, with some candles, and some cards from home, which was really nice. Lorraine and Ted had everything ready, and of course Vincene and the flying club, it was a beautiful card. Thanks again everybody for all the birthday wishes, I just had a great birthday. The weather was great, spectacular scenery, and I got to just kind of lounge and relax on my birthday.

So, everything is great, and I will talk to you tomorrow. Thanks, Bye.

Mt. Everest 2010 #38 - Happy Birthday Lucille.

2010-04-30T06:26:00.006-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #38

Namaste everybody, from Base Camp. It's the report for April 30th., and I wanted to thank everyone for their really nice birthday wishes. I'm receiving texts, you know who you are. Those were wonderful and so great to receive this morning. It made me cry a little bit, which is great, but it sort of gave me a boost.

So, I'm down here at Base Camp, we'll probably spend the next week here, just kind of resting, eating, trying to get strong. I'm trying to stay healthy for the summit push, which will probably start somewhere around the 7th., that's all weather dependant. The entire team is now off the mountain, a couple are still down in Pheriche, and there will be a group that will be leaving tomorrow to head down. They just feel that the thicker air, a little bit more oxygen, and maybe a little bit better food, that they will do a little bit better. I'm feeling that I'm doing well at Base Camp, so I'll probably spend my time here.

Domhnall came down off the mountain this morning, so he was at Camp 2 last night, down off the mountain this morning. He's a little bit tired, I think. What he did the day before was he went from Camp 2, all the way up to Camp 4, and that was his last load carry. So, he's got a couple of bottles of oxygen, a little bit more supplies, so his Camp 4 is now fully stocked and waiting for him to go for his summit push. Probably, hopefully, we will be doing it together, and starting in a week, and maybe a little bit more. My Camp 4 will be stocked for me by some sherpas, and they will be starting that in the next couple of days. They will be stocking up to five bottles of oxygen for me, one will be left at Camp 3 and the other four will be at Camp 4, and they will be putting up a tent up there for me, actually it's not my own tent, but a team tent that will be there, and some fuel and a stove.

So, that's about it for now, everything is going well down here at Base Camp, we are eating well, and having a lot of fun. So I will talk to you again tomorrow. Everybody take care, and thanks again for all the birthday wishes. I'll see you all. Bye.

Gabcast - April 29 - Back to Base Camp

2010-04-29T13:20:00.011-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #37

Namaste everybody from Base Camp.

Today is April 29 and it's Simonne's birthday, my baby sister so everyone who knows her, just give her a call and wish her a happy birthday.

So today was another really good day. We got up at about 5:00 in the morning, quickly packed up all my gear tried not to wake up my tentmate, Carina, because her plan for today is to go up to Camp 3, what we did yesterday so I wanted to let her sleep in a little bit. We ??? and ???, packed up all our stuff and headed back down to Base Camp. So it wasn't very long to get from Camp 1, er from Camp 2 to Camp 1, and I was moving pretty fast 'cause I was pretty cold. We probably left around 7:00 by the time we got to Camp 1, the sun had started to hit the tents and and stuff and hit the area so it got nice and warmed up and waited for a couple other teammates to come. I got some nice pictures on the ladders and stuff. It's amazing: you know I can't change a light bulb in the house, I can't step on a step ladder in the house and yet I'm kind of flying across these horizontal and vertical ladders. Of course I do have some ropes on the side, so that does help. As we started down into the icefall though, there was a small avalanche just to our right and so we just waited a few minutes for things to settle and then everything was good.

And so headed back down, got down to Base Camp probably at about 9:30 or 10:00 in the morning - enough time to wash up, do a little bit of laundry and have some good food, and breathe in the really oxygen-rich air down here. So we had a kind of a lazy afternoon and then we watched a movie.

So it's about 9:30 at night right now so I'm heading to bed and I will call you tomorrow. So everybody take care and see you then. Bye.

April 29 - Back to Base Camp

2010-04-29T06:29:00.005-06:00

It looks like Lucille might not be calling in today. From the spot track, they made it back down to Base Camp as planned.

Mt. Everest 2010 #36 - Visit Camp 3

2010-04-28T07:16:00.013-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #36

Namaste everybody from Camp 2. It's April twenty-..oh,I don't even know..I think it's the 28th today.

We had a fantastic day today! What we did was we went all the way up to Camp 3 and came all the way back down. The weather was fabulous! We got some really good shots, you know the summit doesn't look all that impossible anymore, not like it has been looking impossible for the past couple of weeks, so that's kind of a big bonus. The Lhotse face that we went up, of course it's all roped, down at the bottom the big bergschrund that was a bit of a challenge today to get up and over, but I was able, and then parts of it, parts of the Lhotse face are just solid ice, solid, solid ice so it's really nice to have the jumar there to have a little bit of backup there when you are crampons slip off the ice. We got up there and had a bite to eat, stayed up there for about 45 minutes or so and then we came back down. Got back down and it was starting to snow and clouding over and stuff and cooling off. So we had some food, our sherpa boys up here have some nice warm food for us and some hot liquids.

Now I'm in my down suit, in my -40 bag. I know I did the same thing last night but I only lasted ten minutes because I was just way too hot. I took off my down suit but I think I would last a little bit longer it is quite a bit colder tonight. At the beginning of the season it was quite a bit warmer and ?? unseasonably warm. So now it's quite a bit cooler and so that's just the way it is.

All looks good I am going to be heading down to basecamp tomorrow morning. Domhnall came up here to Camp 2. Came up today, I didn't see him, he just left a message for me and then his plan is to go up to Camp 4 and carry some oxygen bottles and then come down to Base Camp so I'll be seeing him the day after tomorrow.

And speaking of oxygen, we have about 130 bottles of oxygen up here at Camp 2 that the sherpas will be bringing up to Camp 3 and Camp 4 in the next week or so. I just.. I can't, can't imagine how they can get that done. I can just barely get myself up there and then they can carry four bottles at a time, so, looking at about 30 pounds or so ??

Anyways, that's it for today. I will call you from Base Camp tomorrow.

Thanks, take care. Bye.

Photo is a view from Camp 3 taken by Domhnall during his 2009 Lhotse expedition.

Mt. Everest 2010 #35 - Camp 2 - Bergschrund

2010-04-27T07:06:00.004-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #35

Namaste everybody, from Camp 2. Everything is going well, today is April 27th.

So, what we did today was we rested this morning, we waited until the sun hit the tents before we got up. It came at about 8:20 - 8:25, which is kind of a nice time to be getting up. After lunch, what we did was we walked up to the bergschrund. So, that's kind of the tallest crevasse, the crevasse that's kind of at the highest point on the mountain. So, that's where we walked to, which is the base of the Lhotse face. And so tomorrow, our plan is to get up early, and go all the way up to Camp 3.

So, what I saw today was the Geneva spur, the yellow band, it was right there, we were so close, I know it's still about 600 - 700 meters below us (editor: above us)
????. It feels good to be here, so it's all great.

It's going to get cold tonight, I'm in my down suit, inside my -40 bag, and just starting to warm up. It's a little bit cool with all the wind. But all is good, I was a little bit nauseated this afternoon, but I fought that, and so I'm drinking well, and yes I am hydrating, eating well, so that's really good. I tried to send a spot message a couple of days ago, but it just wasn't working. We are too close to the mountain here on Camp 2. But I will turn it on tomorrow, and we'll see how much it tracks all the way up to Camp 3, hopefully it does.

Love to you all, and take care, I will talk to you tomorrow. Bye.

Mt. Everest 2010 #34 - Rest at Camp 2

2010-04-26T07:07:00.006-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #34 - Camp 2 - Rest Day

Namaste everybody from camp 2.

Today is April 26 and it's Ted's birthday so happy birthday sweetheart, love you lots.

So today was a rest day. We had a pretty quiet day. Not a whole lot going on. There were four of us that were already here and the rest of the team made it up from Camp 1 to Camp 2 today. We still have three team members who are down in Base Camp and their plan is to leave early tomorrow morning and make it either to Camp 1 or Camp 2.

So tomorrow is going to be another rest day so I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do. I might walk down to, walk all the way to the bottom of the local base. So we'll see how things go. Everything is fairly quiet. The sun has just left and it's pretty chilly so we're all in our down sleeping bags trying to keep warm.

So that's about it for today. Everybody take care and I will talk to you again tomorrow. Bye.

Mt. Everest 2010 #33 - Camp 2 - Brrrrrrr

2010-04-25T06:54:00.008-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #33

Namaste everybody, from Camp 2.

I'm all bundled up in Domhnall's -40 bag, and trying to stay warm, it's a little bit cold here. So today, I got up at 3:00 in the morning, was ready to go at about a quarter to 4, and ...ahem... excuse me, made it all the way up to Camp 1 in about four hours, so that's really amazing time. Then I continued on to Camp 2, whick took me about three hours, which was really long...I just died, and was just kind of struggling. It's been kind of a mixture of a day, really great this morning, and kind of feeling tough, kind of, in the afternoon. And then I found out that a couple of the friends turned around just part way up the icefall, it's because they weren't feeling very well. So, that's really too bad for them, and I'm sad as well. The rest of the team, two of us climbed, made it both here to Camp 2, along with Tim and Angel, and everyone else is at Camp 1, apart from the three that didn't make it all the way up.

Domhnall, the update is that he is down at Base Camp right now. But what he did yesterday, was he left Camp 2 at about 8:00 in the morning, went all the way up to Camp 3, that's a thousand metres up, he went really fast. Touched Camp 3, stayed up there for a bit of time, and then scurried all the way down to Base Camp, and came to see me just after I had done the GabCast. So, that's the update with Domhnall, he's going to be down in Base Camp for a couple of days.

My plan is to stay 2 nights here in Camp 2, so tomorrow is going to be a rest day, which is much needed, I could have gone further today, but I'm sure glad I didn't have to. I have a new personal sherpa, his name is Tshering, and he is just amazing. So, he followed me up through the icefall, picked up my water bottle that I had dropped unknowingly, so thankfully he recognized that it was mine, brought it to me, and I had some water, so that was really really good. So as I said, two nights here in Camp 2, and then we will go up to Camp 3 and touch it, and come back down, rest day, and then depending on how things are going, we might go up to Camp 3 and spend the night. All that is weather dependant. Usually we have uh, the reason why we go through the icefall so early is that the sun comes up and everything warms up quite a bit. That did not happen today, I froze all the way out to Camp 2, my hands were so cold, face was cold, my whole body was cold even though I was moving. It was really windy, but the wind has calmed down now, probably have a really nice day tomorrow. It might be a little bit of a chilly night, but I have enough clothes, and with this -40 bag I should be toasty.

So, hope everybody is well in Canada, and everywhere's else, and I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you all. Bye.

Mt. Everest 2010 #32 - A visit from Scott and Amy

2010-04-24T05:43:00.006-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #32

Namaste everybody from Base Camp, this is the recording for April 24th.

Today was a great day, Scott and Amy came to visit, which was really, really nice. So, they came probably just after lunch, we had some tea together, then they stayed for lunch, and then right after lunch we headed out onto the icefall. So, we wandered on there for probably about an hour and a half. Tim was nice enough to loan his boots and crampons to Scott, and for Amy I had some little ice grippers, and she did really well with those. So, we had a great time on the icefall, it was a nice blue sky, nice and warm, which was great. When we got back, what we did was we tried out our oxygen masks. So, the oxygen bottles have just arrived, and the sherpas are going to start taking them up the mountain, and what we did was we tried out our oxygen masks, and tightened them up, and making sure we kind of have the feel of it and everything, so that was great. And we had a bit of afternoon tea with some nice smoked salmon that Tim brought all the way from BC. So all in all a really nice day.

Domhnall, on the other hand, I'm not quite sure exactly where he's at, I'm pretty sure he is still on the mountain. He spent last night at Camp 2 and the plan was for his sherpa to meet him up at Camp 2 at 7:00 this morning and they were going to head up to Camp 3. They hadn't decided yet whether or not they were going to spend the night at Camp 3, come back down to Camp 2, or come all the way back down. I haven't heard from him yet, so I'm thinking he is probably still on the mountain. There's no need for him to be radioing anyone because he and his sherpa are the only two members of the team, and they're both together. So, I'm sure they're doing well.

My plan is for us to...we are getting up at 3:00 in the morning, having a quick little bite of breakfast, and then heading up the mountain. I hope to make it all the way to Camp 2 tomorrow, but we'll see. I have a new personal sherpa, so Mingma, unfortunately, won't be coming back because his daughter is so sick, but I have Tshering. And so, I've only met him once, so I can't really remember what he looks like, but we'll meet up tomorrow morning. He's not going to wait for me, he's just going to go up. I don't need a baby-sitter, I just need someone to carry up just a little bit of gear for me, and just to have somebody up there just in case I need some help. So, that's the plan, is we're going to leave probably about quarter after three, hopefully make it up to the top of the icefall in about five hours, and then probably about another hour to Camp 1. Hydrate a bit, and then head off to Camp 2 is the plan. So, we'll see how I feel.

So I will talk to you all tomorrow. Take care. Bye.

Gorak Shep

2010-04-23T01:47:00.004-06:00

Hi everyone from Gorak Shep. Today is another rest day, so I decided to come down and try to upload some pictures but that isn't possible. I can't open g-mail, but can manage to get into my blog, which is something.

I ran into Dawa on my way here and he said that he just finished climbing Lobuche with two people from Edmonton....Scott and Amy! They are staying the night here in Gorak Shep and will come visit basecamp tomorrow. Dawa said that they did really well on their climb, and that they are strong.

Domhnall is currently at Camp 2, and I think is planning on spending the night, and coming down tomorrow morning early.

The Peak Freaks plan is to rest for one more day, then head up to Camp 1 then 2 then if we are feeling good, we will spend the night at Camp 3. The plan is to stay up on the mountain for 6 days or so, then come down for 6-7 days of rest, then we will begin our summit push. It may seem fast, and early, but the temperatures this year are much warmer than usual allowing for an early summit bid. Anything can happen between now and early May, so keep watching for details.

Mt. Everest 2010 #31 - Base Camp - and "logistics"

2010-04-22T05:42:00.003-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #31

Namaste everybody, from Base Camp. This is the report for April 22nd.

This was another rest day for me, and I'll have a couple more rest days, and the plan is for the whole group to go up on the 25th., the morning of the 25th. Weather dependant, and depends on how everybody else is doing but that is the plan for now.

Domhnall, on the other hand, is up at Camp 1, he did a carry this morning, so he left fairly early, ended up at Camp 1, just a little bit after 10:00. And so he's up there, he brought some equipment, I think a bit of food, and two oxygen bottles. The plan for him is to go to Camp 2 tomorrow and do that load carry to Camp 2, and possibly go a little bit further. It all depends on how he is feeling, and what the weather is like. I think he is planning to be coming down on the morning of the 24th. So we'll see how things go with him. He's doing good, I just got a radio call from him, he's feeling good, no headaches, he's hydrating, and everything is going well up there.

So, I know nobody asked this question, but we are the green team on.... at Base Camp here and on the mountain. Peak Freaks has been well known for that. And so, what that means is that we don't use anything powered like a generator which makes noise pollution as well as other pollution, but the other thing is that we bring down all our solid human waste (poop) down off the mountain, so all our waste, all our garbage, everything comes down including human waste. We are all issued some biodegradable bags, and all the solid waste goes in there, and of course it goes into a ziplock bag, usually two ziplock bags. And my goal the other day, when I was coming down, was to make it down before it thawed out. So I had put it in the snow, made sure it was nice and frozen, and I achieved my goal, so that was really nice.

While we are down here at Base Camp, we have like a little tent (outhouse) and then there's a barrel underneath with some flat rocks over top. You put your feet on either side of the rocks, and only the solids go into the barrel and the liquids go outside the barrel, which is a little bit tricky with the aiming, but we're all kind of getting the hang of it. And then all that solid waste goes down the valley, and gets recycled...not recycled, it gets processed down there.

So that's some of life at Base Camp. What we do here on rest days is we get up, we eat, go back to our tents, sometimes cleanup, do a little bit of laundry, rest, and then we eat some more, do some more resting, then there's always an afternoon snack. So they usually put out some popcorn for us, and some cookies and crackers, that sort of stuff, and then we rest a little bit more, then it's suppertime, and after that it is usually cold enough that we go to bed.

Some people do watch the movies, there's some movies that are here, and then the rest of us, we kind of just go back to out tents and read and sleep. So that's kind of the gist of a rest day, and that's what I have been doing for a couple of days now, and a few more days to come, and then I will be back on the mountain.

So, everyone take care, and I'll talk to you again tomorrow. Bye.

Mt. Everest 2010 #30 - What do we eat?

2010-04-21T06:32:00.006-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #30

Namaste everybody, from Base Camp.

Today was a rest day for me, so, I just kind of lazed around and didn't do a whole lot. Domhnall, on the other hand, went last night up to Camp 2, and came all the way down before 8:00 for a Puja ceremony for one of his teammates, which means that he left probably left around 6:00 and he raced down in about 2 hours. That was very fast. Went to the Puja ceremony for one of his teammates, and I went and met up with him there at about 10:30 and it was still going on. They were throwing around a fair bit of Sampa, Sampa is barley flour, and they make a breakfast cereal with it. The other thing that they do during the Puja ceremony is that they put it in people's hair and rub it all over their faces, and what that signifies is that they hope to be seeing us when our hair is grey, and when we are old. So it's kind of a nice little thing to do.

Now somebody was asking about where do we get food, the grade six Logos class was asking where do we get food? And ??? from Falher asked me where do we sleep, and what do you eat?

So, we actually eat quite well here down at Base Camp, somebody does cooking for us which is very nice. Lunch and supper always start with a soup, and then we usually have potatoes, rice, sometimes some meat, not always, sometimes there are some lentils, but we have had roasted chicken, and we've had some beef. And then, at supper time, there is always dessert which is always something to look forward to. Usually it's some fruit, but we have had cakes, and apple pie, so that's always a nice treat. So that's what we eat, alot of the food came from Kathmandu, packaged crackers and that sort of thing, the powedered juices, all that came from Kathmandu. And the more fresh food, and vegetables, came from down the valley, so usually about a 2 days walk from here and it came up on Yaks. So, that's what we eat, when we are going to be up on the mountain, we eat mountain food, which is more like the freeze dried food that we bring from home, where all you have to do is add hot water, and mix, and eat. Sometimes we'll have some crackers, I brought some beef jerky with me, so that will be kind of my special treat for when I am up on the mountain.

The plan is for a few more rest days down here, I might go into the icefall tomorrow and take some pictures, so we'll see how that goes, if the weather is good. So rest day until probably the 25th, and then head up for one more acclimatization, we'll see how the weather goes, and how everybody is feeling, and then we'll come down after that. So we're not quite sure how many days we'll spend up on the mountain, but I'll be sure to keep you guys informed about what's going on.

So, that's it for today, it's April 21st, and I'm just heading in to having some supper, so going to have some soup, and some rice and potatoes.

So, Everyone take care, love to you all, and we'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye.

Mt. Everest 2010 #29 - P.S.

2010-04-20T06:25:00.003-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #29

Namaste everybody, I just have an addition to my last GabCast.

When I left Camp 1 this morning to come down, Domhnall was packing up all his stuff and heading up to Camp 2. So his plan is to spend the night at Camp 2 tonight, and then come down early tomorrow morning in time for breakfast. So I'm thinking he is probably planning on 2 1/2 to 3 hours from Camp 2, with his sherpa-like speed, very very fast, but I'm sure that he can do it.

Tomorrow there is a Puja ceremony for some friends of ours, and so we'll have a little bit of entertainment.

Alright, that's it. Everyone take care. Love to you all. Bye.

Mt. Everest 2010 #28 - Back to Base Camp

2010-04-20T05:46:00.003-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #28

Namaste everybody, and Lorraine, I'm sending you a big birthday hug, and we'll share a bit of birthday cake when I get home.

Today I'm doing really good, really really good. I had a couple of down days, just a little bit of less energy, but today feels really good. We left Camp 1 at about 7:00 this morning, and made it down to Base Camp at about 10:00, which was three hours, not terribly fast, but ?Steve? and I were the first ones here so that made me feel pretty good. We met somewhat about fifty people in the icefall today, alot of them were sherpas passing us on the way down after they've dropped off their loads at either Camp 1 or Camp 2. These men are just amazingly strong. And then, of course, we saw many people going up ???? Camp 1. Chatted with quite a few of them while they were waiting at the ladders.

Now, about the ladders, I'm doing actually quite well in the icefall, but there is one ladder that still makes me feel a bit queezy every time I get to it. It's vertical, it's angled to the left, and it's quite loose, so every step you take you feel like you're falling off to the left hand side. But there is a rope, there is a safety line, and of course nobody has fallen off the ladders yet, so everything is good.

So, we're just going to have probably four or five rest days in Base Camp, and then we will be going to be going back up.

Thanks everyone for listening, and for everyone who knows Lorraine, give her a call today and make her day. Love to you all, take care, Bye.

Mt. Everest 2010 #27 - Visit Camp 2 - 6400m

2010-04-19T06:10:00.011-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #27

Namaste everbody, from Camp 1.

Today is April 19th, Monday, and what we did today is we went to Camp 2, for an acclimatization little hike.

We got up at 5:00 in the morning, it's still pretty cold, what we didn't want was to be on the Western Cwm for too long during the heat of the day. It took me three hours to get to Camp 2, which is actually pretty slow, but I'm a bit dehydrated and I don't think I've been eating quite enough, all things that I will correct.

Made it to Camp 2, and then we came back, and then we've just kind of been lazing aroung all afternoon. Domhnall came up this morning from Base Camp, showed up at Camp 1 about 11:00 I think, maybe a little bit earlier, I'm not quite sure. So he and I have been chatting, the plan is the group is going to go down tomorrow, there's a possibility I may be able to go to Camp 2, so watch the spot, and have a listen tomorrow.

Thanks again for listening, and I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye.

Camp 1 - Khumbu Glacier (6100m)
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Camp 2 - Western Cwm (6400m)
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Mt. Everest 2010 #26

2010-04-18T07:04:00.004-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #26

Namaste everybody, from Camp 1. Today is April 17th. (Editor: 18th)

We got up at 3:30 this morning, it was still pretty cold outside, breakfast was ready for us a little bit after 4:00 and we hit the icefall at about 5:00. The sun kind of came up and it got pretty hot at about 10:00. It goes from the deep freeze, to the sun coming up and you're kind of comfortable for about 30 minutes, and then you are so hot. At 10:00 I was just sweltering, it took me until 12:00 to get here, so 6 1/2 almost 7 hours. I was going really really slow, I was quite dehydrated, and it's been a really tough day for me.

But we're up here now, and when we got up it was still quite hot and sunny, and we're melting some water and then a couple hours ago it started snowing, so we've got quite a bit of fresh snow up there and things have cooled off which is good, because I have a minus 40 sleeping bag, so I should be quite comfortable with that.

Tomorrow, the plan is to go to Camp 2, just walk up there, spend an hour or two, and then walk back. Spend the night again here, and then on Tuesday morning, we'll head down and back to Base Camp, and hopefully a shower for most of us.

Everybody is doing well, there are a couple of team members that just didn't feel like making the trek with us today, but they still have lots of time to acclimatize.

Everything is going well, hope everyone is doing well in Canada, and everywhere else that's listening. Love to you all, and thanks again for listening. Bye.

Mt. Everest 2010 #25

2010-04-17T08:16:00.003-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #25

Namaste everybody, from Everest Base Camp. This is the report for April 17th, which is a Saturday.

Today was a rest day, we are just getting ready to go through the icefall tomorrow morning. What we did was we're packing up our gear, packing up some food, packing up some clothes. My sleeping system and my down suit went up yesterday with a personal sherpa, so I don't have to worry about carrying that. So, just a little food and some gear, and the plan is to spend two nights up at Camp 1. So if we have some ?? tomorrow, through the icefall, hopefully everything is good, and not too hot.

That's about it. I will give you a call from hopefully Camp 2 tomorrow.

Take care everybody, Bye.

Editor. The acclimatization plan is to climb up to Camp 1 tomorrow and sleep there. The following day, climb to Camp 2, and return to Camp 1 to sleep. This follows the general acclimatization rule of thumb - "Climb High, Sleep Low". Then they will return back down to Base Camp the following day.

Mt. Everest 2010 #24 - Pumori ABC

2010-04-16T06:27:00.007-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #24

Namaste everybody, from Base Camp.

Today was an acclimatization day, which means that we try to get some altitude, and try to stay up there to kind of get our bodies used to that altitude, and because it is so unsafe to be going through the icefall, it's always unsafe to go be going through the icefall, you don't want to be going through there any more often than you really have to. So, what the rest of the team did was they went down to Gorak Shep, and climbed up Kala Pattar.

Domhnall and I, and a friend, what we did is we went up to Pumori Advanced Base Camp, which is 5,850 meters.

It was nice, it was hot and sunny this morning when we left, by the time we got up there it was starting to snow, so I think the forecast of three days of snow and bad weather is probably starting. It snowed kind of all the way back, but we had lots of layers on, so we were good, nice and toasty.

I'm back now at Base Camp, so I'm just going to go and hydrate, and have some supper. It's ?? o'clock now, must be morning for you guys, and everything is going well.

My cold is almost done, I know I probably say that every day, but everything is going well.

We'll talk to you soon. Bye.

Mt. Everest 2010 #23 - Global Warming

2010-04-15T06:39:00.008-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #23

Namaste everybody from Everest Base camp. This is the report for April 15th.

Today was a rest day here, so that was kind of nice and relaxing change, especially after such a big day yesterday.

We had some pretty famous people here. In base camp, we have David Breashears, which most of you probably know he is quite a famous climber and also a cinematographer. So he's here and he put on a photo exhibit of the vanishing glaciers of the greater Himalayas.

What he has done is he showed some pictures that were taken, some almost a hundred years ago, of the glaciers and the mountains, and then taken pictures just a couple of years ago in 2008, and compared them. And he's noticed that the glaciers have decreased by ... descended by over 350 feet for some of them. So, the glaciers are vanishing which means that ... the glaciers actually provide a lot of the water for most of Asia. So, as they are receding, there is going to be less and less of them and that is going to be quite an impact for Asia. So, quite an interesting photo exhibit. And the other great part is that I got to meet him, and have coffee with him a couple of days ago, which was really nice.

(Editor) To see a video presentation, Click Here

He was telling stories about doing some first ascents in the rockies and in the bugaboos, so that was great. And the other thing was, that today at the exhibit, a lot of famous mountaineers were there. So, people like David Hahn who has summited ten...eleven times now and is going for number 12 this year, a lot of other famous mountaineers. It was nice being in the same room with them, just hearing them chat with each other.

So, today was a really good day. It looks like there is some weather coming in, and it might mean quite a bit of snow for the next couple of days. Tomorrow, the plan is to go to Kala Pattar and allow the rest of the team to acclimatize. Since the team only made it about half way up the icefall yesterday, about two or three hundred meters, and that was the plan for them, and most of them reached that goal, so that was really good.

I've already acclimatized to over 6000 meters, so we'll see how I feel tomorrow, and what I feel like doing, and what Domhnall feels like doing. There's a possibility that we might go to a different place, that's a little bit higher, and do something a little bit different.

So, stay tuned for that tomorrow, we'll see how the weather is, and how we're all feeling.

Thanks to everyone who is listening, and following along, and I will talk to you tomorrow. Bye.

Mt. Everest 2010 #22 - Khumbu Icefall

2010-04-14T06:21:00.008-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #22

Namaste everybody, from Everest. This is Lucille with an update for April 14th.

My biggest dream has come true, I actually stepped foot on Everest. This morning, Domhnall came to pick me up at 5:00 in the morning. We had quite a storm last night, some thunder and lightning and quite a bit of snow, but not too much snow to prevent us from going into the icefall.

So we headed off into the icefall at about a quarter after five, through all those ladders, the crevasses, the seracs, everything, made it all the way up to Camp 1 in five and a half hours. Slow for Domhnall because he was waiting for me, but actually pretty fast in comparison because most people take about seven and a half hours to go up.

So, we made it up there, I had a beautiful view of the Lhotse face, the South Col, and of course the South Summit. So, it looked pretty windy up there today, I'm glad we weren't too high up. And then we made it all the way back down in about...it took us about three hours to get down.

So all in all a good day, we are very tired, we only had a litre of fluid each, and no breakfast, one chocolate bar in those nine hours. So when we got back we ate and drank quite a bit. But we are feeling good now, tomorrow is going to be a rest day, and I'm just so excited, I'm just so happy.

Anyways, love you all, and thanks everyone who is listening, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Bye.

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Mt. Everest 2010 #21

2010-04-13T08:38:00.005-06:00

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #21

Namaste everybody from Everest base camp. This is Lucille calling in with a report for April 13.

Well we woke up this morning to about two or three inches of fresh snow, but the sky was blue and the sun was shining and it was nice and warm and we had a really good day.

Now a grade 6 Logos class asked about the equipment that I have to take with me, so I'll explain a little bit about the equipment that we need to travel on the glacier because that's what we're traveling on.

So we have crampons first of all which is what we put on the underside of our boots kind of some spikes, and that helps us to keep our grip and allows us to walk on the ice. We also carry an ice axe with us, so sometimes we use that as a cane, sometimes we use it as sort of a pick to kind of help us get up kind of a steep embankment, that sort of thing. The next thing that we have is a harness. So we wear a harness and wear that fairly tightly, and on that we have some equipment to attach us to the fixed ropes that are there. We also have to have a device called an ascender, or a jumar, and what that allows us to do is we attach that to the line, the fixed rope that's there, and then we push it up (the rope) and it prevents it from moving back (on the rope), so it gives us a bit of a help so that we can climb up kind of a steep embankment. That's kind of the pieces of equipment we were playing with today out on the icefall.

It's snowing right now, so I'm not sure what we are going to be doing tomorrow. If the snow stops fairly quickly, then the plan is for me to leave at 5 o'clock in the morning and go through the icefall. Watch the spot; if it doesn't move then you will know that it snowed too much and the risk of avalanche is too high for us to be in the icefall. If it does move, then you'll know that's where I'm at!

That's it for today. Hope everybody is well. My cold is getting much better as you can probably tell, and everything is going well here.

Love you all and take care. Bye.

How much equipment do you have to take with you?

2010-04-13T03:57:00.008-06:00

A student from the grade 6 Logos class asks: How much equipment do you have to take with you?

I have about 35kg of equipment with me at base camp.

The most important is the footwear. I have two pairs of boots, one pair of mountaineering boots that I use when I am ice climbing in the mountains in Banff or Jasper. I have a second pair of boots that I will only use for summit day that should be warm enough with the installed foot warmers.

I will attach crampons to these boots, which will allow me to walk on ice without slipping and falling. It will be a challenge to cross the ladders on the ice fall with the crampons on, but I was practicing at home before I left, and my balance really improved.

I will carry an ice axe which I can use as a walking stick, and in case I am sliding down a hill I can use it to arrest my fall.

I will be wearing a climbing helmet to protect my head in case of any ice falling down. I wear a harness which I will use to attach myself to the ropes that are placed on the mountian. I have special goggles to prevent any rays of the sun to reach my eyes.

A jumar is an ascender that I clip onto the rope, and allows me to move it up, but catches thus not allowing me to move it down unless I remove it.

My down suite is the last important piece of equipment, which is what will keep me warm on summit day.