Guide: Willie Benegas Team Members: Joe Bonner, Doug Pierson, Francisco Arredondo Climbing Sherpas: Lakpa Nurbu Sherpa, Ongdi Sherpa, Tendi Sherpa Our strategy: (click here for complete trip details) We start the acclimatization process with the fascinating and beautiful trek to base camp. It’s critical to acclimatize slowly, so the climbers and trekkers will be taking their time and enjoying the journey to base camp. Trekkers in the group will have a chance to ascend the 18,450 foot Kala Pattar before bidding good luck to the climbers and returning to Katmandu and home. Once at base camp the climbers will begin to establish a pyramid of camps, moving up and down to each over a period of several weeks. Camp III, at 7400 meters, will mark the high point during the acclimatization process. Then, it’s all about rest before our team is ready for the summit attempt and the move to Camp IV, the well-known South Col Camp at 25,940 feet. Our experienced guides and Sherpas will fix ropes, stock camps, and provide leadership for the climb. With five successful summits to his credit, Willie has developed a strategy that will allow the climbers the best opportunity to reach the summit. Tentative schedule for climb*: March 29-April 6: trek into base camp April 7: puja ceremony April 9-10: skills review for climbers and ascending part of Khumbu Icefall April 13-15: climb to Camp II April 16-19: rest April 20-23: climb to Camp II and to the base of the Lhotse face April 24-26: rest April 27-May 1: climb to Camp III May 1-9: rest and use extra days as needed to achieve objectives of acclimatization program May 10-31: rest and prepare for final push- summit dates should occur during the 15th-25th of May *These dates are subject to change based on weather, conditions, and fitness of the group.

Dispatches

To view all images go to Mountain Madness My Space

#52
May 23: From an brief email from Doug; "Just arrived Base Camp after a long, hard 7 hr push from Camp II.. so we just ate and I'm headed to sleep.. will write more soon. Just determined that we'll be leaving Base Camp in 2 days..25th."

Congrats to the whole team!!

#51
May 22 Update: Willie is now in C2, so the entire team is now together. The snow blind climber is ok and safely in C2 as well.

May 22
The team is well. Doug and Francisco have made it back down to Camp 2 after spending last night at Camp 4. They are happy and well. Willie is still a way off helping someone get back to Camp 2 but last I heard he was doing fine. Willie summited about 5.55am and Doug and Francisco about 40 minutes later. The team will be back in Base Camp on Friday with Willie arriving either that same day or a day later as he is helping a snow blind climber from another group get off the mountain. With only the Khumbu Icefall to go, the team is nearly home free!

#50
May 21
The MM office received a phone call at about 8 p.m. PST (9 a.m. local time) that the team is descending from the South Col and will be back at C2 by the end of the day. Willie has however remained up at the South Col and is assisting with a rescue- no details on that yet, but we hope for safety to all.

#49
Team back safe in South Col camp where they will rest before descending. More details and pictures to come.

#48
Heading down: this comes from Doug's sister, who received a call as they descended, "Doug just called us - very tired and out of breath but totally psyched that they had a successful summit. He said they were close to Camp 4 where they would stay overnight and then I believe be back down to Camp II in about 2 days. It was great to hear his voice. He said they took a lot of pics on the way up (like at the Hillary Step) and of course at the top. He said Willie was up top first and then he, Francisco and Tendi reached the top a little before sunrise. All for now..."

#47
Summit reached! We received a call from base camp at approximately 5:40 p.m. PST (about 6:40 a.m. local Nepal time) that the MM team has reached the summit. The team is doing well and has ample time to descend safely back to their South Col Camp. More later as the team descends.

#46
May 20, 2:20 p.m. PST: The team is nearing the South Summit as Willie and crew fix lines for safe passage.

#45
May 20 Update- Summit bound

Willie just called in at 8:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time. The team consisting of Willie, Doug, Francisco, and two Sherpas was leaving for summit shortly thereafter. Wish them luck!

#44
May 20, 2007- 9:30 pm- South Col 25,500 feet


#43
May 19, 2007- Camp III- 23,600 feet

The team is safe and warm at Camp III, where they made it in great time today. They woke up at camp II early in the morning and left at about 7:00am, and rolled into Camp III several hours later. As discussed in previous dispatches, the team departs Camp II, continues 400 vertical feet up to the top of the camp ground area via a narrow gulley path. At the top of the camp, the team continues across the upper regions of the Khumbu Glacier to a snow ramp at the base of a giant bergschrund. From there, the team attaches to the fixed ropes and ascends the Lhotse Face which is initially 70 degrees and gradually falls off to a more gradual 45 degrees before finally reaching Camp III, perched on the side of the Face and carved into the ice.

Our team arrived at Camp III today in the early afternoon. Without the comfort of a main dining tent, most time that high is spent curled up in a sleeping bag. The biggest responsibilities are to stay clipped to the fixed lines when outside the tent, and to eat as much as you can. Often times, you can't eat anything, in all seriousness. It's almost like a pinch-your-nose-and-shovel-it-down. Because of that, we have packed a bunch of our most favorite foods in small quantities that are super-easy to eat:Hot chocolate, cider, beef jerky, soup, MRE packets that you just boil in water and can chow down on. The point being that we need energy for higher on the mountain, and there's really only one way to get it- shovel it in, buddy.

We have started using oxygen and will continue using it until we are right back at Camp III after the summit. Ahh.. Oxygen. Nourishing oxygen.Providing us with energy and the ability to proceed at a regular pace once we leave Camp III, we initially set at 2 liters per-minute and can adjust from there. The plan is to depart Camp III tomorrow early again around 7am, and will hopefully arrive at the South Col by early afternoon. All g.

#42
May 18, 2007 Camp II

The team took a rest day at Camp II today, getting necessary rest for tomorrow. Several groups are showing up at camp today with the same summit plan. the 21st is looking like it's going to be a busy day for sure. At this point, most of our decisions hang on the weather forecast, which is proving to be a moving target but we will continue to press on and hope for the best. There is still a potential issue with some depression in the Bay of Bengal that could disrupt our plans. Once we move to Camp III, we will begin using oxygen that night, which is a committing move, so we want to be right. As with last year, Willie will be fixing ropes above The Balcony and up to the summit, so even if there are dozens of climbers going on the night of the 20th, we won't experience the famous backlogs that can trap groups at choke points like the Hillary Step- at least not on the way up. It also means that all things working out the way they should, we will be the first intended summits on the South Side for this season.

With the Olympic Torch,18 people have summitted on the North side, which is usually the case but unique this year. Technically easier, the North side typically puts people on the summit much earlier than via Nepal but this year, that should be the only numbers that they provide while the South side will be a mob scene through the end of May.All of the team- Sherpas, Members, and Team Leads are all reporting excellent health. Over the course of this climb the team has spent over 10 days at Camp II and at this point are well acclimatized to 21,000 feet.Pretty amazing to think about, especially for those of us used to the scale in the States, where Mt Rainier is 14,410' and the highest point, Mt McKinley is 20,320'. So we are well rested and now acclimatized to a point even higher than the roof of North America. Amazing that this has taken more than two months to accomplish, and is now here. More amazing is the amount of time, effort, and sacrifice that has gone into this challenge.

The Sherpas made it to the South Col today and back safe. Overall all is well and we will be heading to Camp III at 6am tomorrow morning.

#41
May 17, 2007- Camp II

Tonight the team is resting at 20,500 feet at the base of Camp II. For several days we have waited and watched the weather forecasts to find the right window to start up the mountain, in hopes of this being the push to the summit. The forecasts have been questionable, but are now showing a window of low winds on the 21st. The last few days were spent preparing gear and getting ready, eating like crazy and making sure that we have a solid strategy in place. Higher up the mountain gear, the sherpas, and the team are all poised for movement further up the hill once we have had a chance to rest properly and all are fully prepared to do so.

Last night, we all went to bed earlier than usual thanks to a 4am start, yet some of us not sleeping as well as we'd like. This is an exciting time for sure, and the move up the Icefall, past Camp I and on to Camp II is one of the more effort-driven portions of the climb. Super Mila is at Camp II to provide us with some great food, replacing Indra who was transferred to another camp. There are some mixed feelings about this but very few complaints given our previous experiences at Camp II. I think Francisco and I even high-fived at one point.

Today went well, the team is going strong and feeling good. We took less than 6 hours to get to Camp 2 and the Sherpas took just under 4 hours.Tomorrow is a rest day at Camp II and while we would rather get going to Camp III, we recognize the need for patience, time to rest and repair, and most importantly to allow our bodies the ability to acclimatize.

#40
16 May
Final Prep Day

Well, tomorrow at 4am we step off on what will amount to be a culmination of the last two months worth of hard effort. In many ways, each of us has followed a path that has led us here for different reasons. But ultimately, we formed a tight-knit team that work well together and most importantly, share a cameraderie that is unique among groups we are on the mountain with. Hearing other guides and members who have transited our camp, they almost to a person talk about how much closer we are than their teams, have better attitudes than other members, are more driven and capable than their companions. This will by no means be easy- but at least we will do it together, all the way up to the top.

I'll have to paraphrase this, because I can't research the direct quote from here. But, I remember the jist of it- Teddy Roosevelts "Man in the Arena" speech: "Far better it is to dare mighty things than to take legion with those poor, timid spirits who know neither victory nor defeat". The point being: Never give up, never give in. Keep going, and always, when given the chance, chase your dreams. Push yourself. How else can you know what you are capable of? And then when it's all over, and when you have succeeded in your goal? It's all the more sweet. You relish life and all it has to offer, making every day a blessing and feeling better about yourself and those who have supported you in darker, more trying days than you did the day before. And then, a few weeks from now when we are all home with our families and friends, we have stories, great laughs and wide smiles. It's truly that great.

Walking around Base Camp these days, you can see the looks in people's eyes, and who knows- it might be in mine also. Can I do this? The epic push that the six of us are about to embark on tomorrow morning in the early hours is something that we need to take in stages- if you think about this in the whole, it'll overload you. Very much like the way you succeed in weathering certain events that you find in the Marines, you do what you are told by those who have been here before, follow your training and be careful. Willie and our Sherpas have explained it in simple terms: take it one step at a time, one stage at a time. Don't think of it as a straight push from Base Camp to Summit. Think of it as tomorrow, we go for Camp II. Two days later, we move up to Camp III. In that manner, it's easier to digest and tackle. But the most important thing is knowing that if for some reason I falter, Francisco, Willie, Tendi, Lhakpa, or Danuru are there to help me press on. And likewise, if any one of those other people has a problem, I'm there for them too. Teamwork on our team is strong and has been developed to the point where we can function as a single team. We may not be the strongest, fastest, or most skilled team out here, but we are closer and more tight than just about anyone. I'll take that over any other combination any day.

So hopefully (knock on wood) and everything going according to plan, in about five days the six of us will be standing on the roof of the world. Bridey will be updating regularly as we progress, using a radio to keep in touch with us and reporting here. Once we get down, I'll upload pics and a personal blog on each day and what we encountered. We all promise to be safe, careful, and watch out for each other as we move up and down the mountain, which is the least we can do for those at home who are watching and concerned.

All for now, have a great week and please keep your fingers crossed for our team! Willie, Doug, Francisco, Lhakpa, Tendi and Danuru Mountain Madness Everest Team '08

#39
May 15 - Base camp

I need to apologize if this turns into a long blog post.. theres much to cover, and we have little time before kicking off in two days for our Summit Push through the Icefall. I wanted to pass on a story that Willie and another guide who is here, Kenton Cool told us at dinner the other night. It was so unique and filled with both the hazards of climbing on Everest coupled with humor that Francisco and I found ourselves even talking about it the next day:

The Polish Guy
In 2005, this middle aged Polish guy arrived at Base Camp without a permit to climb on Everest, but fully intended to try anyway, going unnoticed. He had very little money and basic equipment, but felt stong and capable enough to take on the mountain and at one point made it all the way through the Icefall and up to Camp I. Some of the larger guide services made note of his presence but he spoke little English, wasn't very friendly, and seemed to be able to take care of himself. So they left him alone and only saw him on the periphery while they looked after their clients. As we have seen from our limited time here, the Nepalis take their high dollar Everest climbing permits VERY seriously. But, we have also seen that if you were to go incognito enough, there is a good chance that you could go unnoticed. That is, unless a dramatic or tragic event changed your anonymous status quickly.

In 2005, something happened at Camp I that everyone prepares for, but almost never happens- a huge avalanche calved off of Everest's West Face that was large enough that it literally washed over Camp I. More or less a hundred year avalanche. Dozens of tents were flattened from the air blast alone, almost all were covered, and if you hadn't placed your tents on the high ground fingers (like where ours are located), you were in jeopardy. By some stroke of luck though, most climbers were down in Base Camp that day and at the time the avalanche struck, Camp I was almost deserted. The Polish Guy was unique- he had elected to stay in Camp I along with a small handfull of others that day. When the avalanche hit, he apparently jumped out of his tent to film the thousand tons of snow and ice as it moved in on Camp I- not exactly something that's recommended. But he was a tough old guy and must have thought he'd be ok. As an avalanche moves forward, it is preceeded by a wall air- a blast wave that pushes things down quickly and with force before the mass of snow comes along and washes everything in white and sweeps it along as the avalanche travels on it's way.

It was this wall of air that seems to have done the most damage to the Polish Guy, who had his camcorder pressed up to his face at the time he was hit. Out in front, the solid air slammed the camcorder with such force that it cut his face in many places and people afterwards wondered if you might be able to read "SONY" imprinted backwards on his forehead. Word of the avalanche reached Base Camp, and rescuers quickly pressed out, reaching the Camp I record time. Dazed and confused, the Polish Guy was already staggering down the mountain with only what he had on, still bleeding and face all smashed up. He clearly knew that he'd be found out and didn't want to pay a massive fine, thrown into a Nepali jail for climbing without a permit. As he passed several rescuers enroute down the Icefall, he gruffly waved off care and just kept on going. The confused rescuers didn't know what they would find up at Camp I, so they kept moving up and figured the Polish Guy would be taken care of by someone else further down below.

Upon arrival at Camp I, the rescuers found what remained of the Polish Guy's tent- just an old, small job barely bigger than a kitchen table. Peering inside, they found: gas for boiling water, and a very large bottle of vodka. That was it. Nothing more, nothing less. Gas and vodka. To climb Everest. The rescuers radioed that back, almost laughing in disbelief at how Spartan this guy's tent was. But by now the Nepali authorities knew about him and also knew he didn't have a climbing permit so they were actively looking for him with vigor. They didn't think it was very funny for sure. He wasn't in Base Camp, so the Nepalis figured he must still be coming down through the Icefall and focused their energy there. After a few hours he was nowhere to be found and they realized that despite their best efforts, he had somehow slipped the noose.

Several days later, the climbing community at Base Camp learned of his fate: Somehow, the Polish Guy had made it all the way to New Delhi, India and repatriated back to Poland from the Embassy there. New Delhi? Apparently, the Polish Guy had managed to walk close to 100 kilometers in the exact same climbing clothes that he had been wearing when hit in an avalanche at Camp I in the Western Cwm. Bleeding, injured, and only with the clothes on his back, he downclimbed through the Icefall, and no one noticed as he traveled all the way through the Khumbu Valley, out through Lukla and into Kathmandu. From there, he likely took a bus across the border and all the way to New Delhi. He didn't have much money, so people speculate that he sold his climbing boots in Kathmandu for just enough money for bus fare to leave the country unnoticed. Even today, when you enter the Sagarmartha National Park gate near Lukla there is a picture of the Polish Guy looking all gruff and dazed on a ratty wanted poster that has likely been there since a few days after he ran off in 2005. My guess? He made it home, started putting back his loved vodka, told his tale to friends and family who called him a crazy nut, and he gave up on Everest completely.

Other Items

New Base Camp Manager We have a New Base Camp Manager named Bridey, who joins us today. She is from New Zealand and originally came to Everest with a NASA research project and decided to stick around for another week when offered our Base Camp Manager job. This is a great win-win for all of us- we will be able to provide regular dispatches as we progress on our summit push, and she gets to gain experience as a manager for an Everest expedition.

Sherpa Progress
All of the Sherpas punched out today for Camp II, arriving in short order as usual. I swear, the push up the mountain for them is like commuting to work. While we take the metro, they hike from Base camp to Camp II. They needed to push forward in order to ensure they are forward staged for the move to Camp III and further prepare to stock the South Col camp (Camp IV). We'll see them soon enough, so it's good in many ways to see the beginning movement of the gears that are to be our final summit push. All weather forecasts are showing the 20th/ 21st to provide us with a solid weather window, and these continue to be the dates that we are targeting.

Rest of the Team
As for Francsico, Willie and me, we are still in recovery/waiting/prep stage. I am looking to items that I will be bringing to the summit and making sure they are packed, which include:

Flags: 3-Dimensional, Vectorform, American, USMC, Ohio Wesleyan, KandDP Consulting
Good Luck Charms: Watch, Dogtags, Atta's Lucky Poker Chip, Mini-Bible
Utility: Knife, whistle, altimeter, binoculars
Other: Seahawks football

Knock on wood all things go according to plan.. Both Francisco, Willie and the Sherpas are doing the same thing, as each has special items that they want to make sure they are bringing with them and have to share/save as memories of their trip. For example, Francisco has three of his flags that he plans to fly on the side of his tent right now, getting them ready for our push in two days.

As with yesterday, we had a few visitors today in the endless parade of people visiting Willie and wanting to get a little more info on what Willie's strategy is. All of the Fuzzies from next door came over and asked if we had an adaptor that would work on his electric razor. In casual conversation, he confessed that people in his camp were beginning to call him a Wolly Mammoth. Francisco and I cracked up when he told Willie that. Another visitor named Sergio Martini is an unassuming and very gentle-spoken 50-something Italian man who speaks little English. I'm typing away, he quietly and concientiously poked his head in the tent and asked if Willie was around. "Yes", I said and offered him a seat. After 30 minutes, and only after asking in basic terms who this guy is, was I told that not only had the man sitting three feet from me climbed all 14 8,000 meter peaks in his career. "What was the most difficult?" "K2, I did the North Ridge and it took 4 1/2 months." But, he was here at Everest again to raise money for a hospital and give back to the community that he has spent so much time in, which is really, really neat in our eyes.

In the evening, we continued with our streak of really cool dinners- tonight's is fondue, believe it or not. Kenton (Dream Guides), Mara (Jagged Globe), Mark (IMG), and Jambu (IMG) joined our team for dinner and a movie to pass the night and enjoy the cameraderie that has formed over the last several weeks.

#38
May 14, 2008 – Everest Base Camp (17,575 ft)

Most of the day was again dealing with preparation for our summit push. Ropes, rigging, battery refresh in radios, final food packing. I think it finally hit Francisco and I when Willie and Lhakpa began going through all of the oxygen regulators and valves after breakfast. Upon closer inspection, we noticed that they appear to be the same type of masks and valves used by Russian fighter pilots.

Masks were handed out and tried on which brought on a whole bunch of Darth Vader impressions: "Luuukkeeee..... I am your fathorrr"- breathe breathe breathe in Darth sounding breath. Francisco tried a mask with oxygen flowing and told me he immediately wanted to take a nap. Man, I can't wait to get going up the hill again.

So speaking of which, we disussed a few things. The weather at present seems to support a push in a few days and so we are leaving in two days, depending upon what closer forecasts reveal. The jet stream continues to stay out of the area and today is a beauty- again barely any clouds, warm, and just wisps of wind. The good part of staying put for at least a few days is to continue eating, and recovering from our week at Camp II. It also allows the new fallen snow of a few days ago to settle and compress, calve off where need be and continue to drop risk of any potential avalanche off of places like the face of Nuptse.

We also picked up a Base Camp Manager today- Bridey, a New Zealander who was here working on a NASA project has agreed to come on and asssit where need be while we are on our summit push. This is a great thing- she's going to be able to monitor things from Base Camp as we move up the hill (including the ability to send regular dispatches on team progress) and we'll be able to know we have a support structure in the rear.

#37
May 13, 2008 – Everest Base Camp (17,575 ft)

This morning my head was swimming with ideas and to-do's…both to get ready for the summit push which will happen in just a series of days, and things that need to be taken care of afterwards. Waking at 6 a.m. for some bizarre reason, I even beat the cook team out of bed and was in the community shelter looking over items when G-Man came in and had quite a surprised look on his face.

Willie came in somewhere around seven, and asked Super Mila to make some of his favorite Argentinian breakfast cornmeal - it was really, really good and loaded heavy with carbohydrates. Willie told us that when he was a boy working in diving, his mom used to make it for him and his siblings every morning. I told him it reminded me of a Hawaiian surfer meal, also loaded in carbohydrates known locally as Loco Mocos. Anyone? Anyone? Loco Mocos? In Spanish this translates to "Crazy Boogers". How it got that name is beyond me, but it's really good and like the cornmeal porridge we had this morning, provides you with energy all day long. Surfs up, bra.

And then the procession began. I told Willie it would eventually, but it even surprised me when it wasn't even 8 a.m. when the first of the team leads, guides and other curiosity seekers poked around. They all know Willie is typically out in front of any summit wave and despite how some feel about that, many like to try to get some covert info on when we might be moving back up the hill. Some appear to be genuinely putting their plan together, some appear to be trying to figure out a way to make life a little easier for themselves and their teams. A seasoned vet to this game, Willie is pleasant, professional, and informative when he talks with these teams and gives just enough to gain info and be very helpful, but not show his whole hand in the process. His trump card? He knows that ultimately, very few teams truly want to go first. So, while he doesn't mind roping all the way to the top we don't have to worry too greatly about people along the way as much as what to do with all that crazy Chinese paraphernalia that the torch team likely left up there.

"Here we go…" One of the Fuzzies came by, peered in our community shelter, saw Willie and didn't waste any time zeroing in on the info he desired. Because of his long experience here, Willie knows exactly what conditions to look for. So, our team knows that we'll be among the first to hear when it's time to pack up. But for other teams, it seems like there's this little slow mo shadow game that plays out. Who blinks first. Pawn or rook. As Inspector Cleuseau said, "Ahh, zee old cat and mouse." There are 38 teams out here…or at least 38 permits that the Nepali Government happily cashed in on at $10k/ climber before that goofy Major pulled a switcheroo on what camps we could go to and when (for example, our team is combined with the hodge podge team of onesie/twosies at High Altitude Dreams to make one "permit" of roughly 12 western climbers) as the Chinese decided that they were going to close the mountain for their torch relay. What that means, is that about 15 to 20 more permit holder groups than usual are now here and are coming up with their own summit plans - a potential summit push mob scene.

As for the rest of the day? Well, I did exactly what I typically do on deployments when time is winding down but there's still tons to do: Busy work! Thank God there's no Donut of Despair out here. And if you know what that is, I truly feel sorry for you because that means we have been in Iraq together and know what it feels like to see your donut drop below 11 million seconds remaining before you are heading home. Writing dispatches and checking items like the weather window are better examples of busy work in my little world these days:

Forecast:

Tuesday, May 13 - Wed May 14: Avg summit winds 30-40 kts w/sw Thursday, May 15 - Fri May 16: Avg summit winds 20-30 kts w/sw Saturday, May 17 - Mon May 19: Avg summit winds 20-40 kts w/sw

Models show that the Monsoon is now active in the southern part of the Bay of Bengal and has started 10 days ahead of normal, showing progress to the north. The jet stream is out of the region and will continue to be through at least the 21st of May.

I also began segmenting my gear into four categories today:

Retrograde: This is the gear that I have had here but haven't used once since arriving several weeks ago. This gear, including things like excess batteries, clothes, broken Camelback, thermos, etc., was packed into a bag at the back of my tent that I'm going to ship straight through to Kathmandu when we are ready to head out. Today I also cross-decked useable pieces of my crampons over to a new set, so once that was complete I took the older, used pair and placed them in this bag.

Trekking: This bag is the one that I used on my trek in, as the one that has equipment or items that I'll need as Francisco, Willie and I trek back out to Lukla from Base Camp. While the trek in took close to 10 days (I can't remember right now and am too lazy to go back and look), the trek back out should take us anywhere from two to three days. Given that scenario, this bag should be fairly light, and will continue to be until we actually punch out - it'll have my sleeping bag and mat in it, and I'm still using those. One spare set of clothes, things like trekking shorts and T-shirts, which I won't need until I'm well down in elevation.

Summit Push: The most critical items are already packed and in my climbing pack or are already up the hill at Camp II, so there isn't much here. My new crampons, climbing clothes (washed 'em today - more busy work) and harness make up most of this pile, other little items like sunblock, spare batteries and trail food make up most of the rest. Oh, I did tie on an extra lanyard to my camera today so that I can dummy cord it somewhere to my body when I'm fumbling around like a drunk person above 26,000'.

Maintain: This small set of items include consumables like toilet paper, DVDs, a small battery supply for head lamps, some candy, a small set of clothes, etc. Items that I'll need for the remaining days at Base Camp, or for when we get down and haven't kicked off the egress trek yet. Most of these items are laying around in my tent, or in the community shelter where we are spending most of our time until we kick off the climb.

Around 6pm, Willie comes running in with a sushi roller. How does he find these things?? Somehow, someone here in Base Camp had brought along an actual flippin' bamboo sushi roller, and even more amazing is that Willie had managed to sniff it out. I mean, how random. My first guess would have been the Japanese team, but they are all up the hill in Camp II or down the hill in Dingbuche. So- here it was, enabling us to have.. Sushi Night!!

There's a great little sushi restaurant in the Los Angeles area called "Tokyo Delves"- it's where you go when you want to have Disco Sushi. Disco music comes on, a disco ball starts spinning, the sushi chefs literally dance while they prepare your food, and you have a blast. This was as close to Tokyo Delves as I have ever been and how comical that it was happening at Everest Base Camp. Willie pulled out nori paper, G-Man went rooting through the storage tent to grab items like shredded crab and cooked salmon. Super Mila went to town on vegetables like cucumber to get them prepared. It was a community event and everyone got in the spirit to pull it off. When it was time to start preparing sushi rolls, where I turned into some sort of de-facto sushi roll sensei of sorts and everyone made a roll- and I mean everyone. Here are some examples of the rolls prepared, and the preparer:

Super Mila: Salmon and cucumber roll G-Man: Salmon, Crab, cucumber and carrot roll Lhakpa: Corsani roll (the Sherpas snapped this one up in about 3 seconds. Corsani is a local spice and that's all he put on it. Corsani and rice)

Music is going on in the cook tent, some people are dancing, everyone is laughing and there was a truly festive atmosphere. Several other guides and Base Camp residents came over for dinner to pack our little tent: Kenton, a British guide from Dream Guides, Mara an American guide from Jagged Globe, Steve an American and Claudia an Australian- both surgeons from the Himilayan Rescue Association (HRA) medical shelter.After eating the night away, we learned of a Sherpa party in the adjacent tent camp cook shelter and we were all invited to come along. It was jam packed with Sherpas, pumping iPod music into speakers causing spontaneuos and sporadic dancing based on the tunes. There was local music and Tibetan monk music flowing smoothly and to great fanfare. And just because you have to have it, mixed into the score would be the occasional electro dance mix, Madonna and Queen of all things.

A lead Sherpa for the French Team named Angshiri offered me a local home-brewed drink which I took him up on, It was clear, tasted faintly like Japanese sake and like a Long Island Ice Tea, you couldn't truly taste the alcohol. However, I also learned that very much like a Long Island Ice Tea this drink is one that is capable of having you forget what you are doing and end up waking up in the morning with fake-o cheese, shredded lettuce, and Taco Bell wrappers all over your chest.

At one point later in the night, Angshiri, who was way deep in the dancing going on casually asked me if I wanted a second one- I'm a big boy, I thought. "Sure". You would be amazed at the looks I received from around the tent: Willie, Kenton, Mara, Lhakpa, Tendi, Daruru.. even G-Man. It was like when I was at my Cousin Dave's wedding and my mom caught a bunch of us doing shots with this one extremely large and very drunk guy named Pete who ended up later passing out on the beach. Shooting lazer beams. I just left the glass on the table untouched. Yeesh. I felt like I was 21 all over again.Besides, Willie and I had to go make a telephone call to an Editor of Rock & Ice. He is doing a story on that kid with his "Free Tibet, F**k China" flag that was booted off the mountain back in the draconian China torch days of mid-April. That seemed to go well...

#36
May 12, 2008 – Descent to Base Camp (17,575 ft)

“Doug…Doug...Doug...”

Gently, the tent shakes. "Hmmph…" "It's six o' clock. Get up." I had sort of a crappy night sleep for God only knows why, so when I finally started drifting off at around 4 a.m., the Sherpas were just starting to stir. I threw in ear plugs to try and get some sleep, which worked well until Indra started shaking the tent and all the snow crystals clinging to the roof of my tent - thanks to my breath - started falling on my face. "OK, OK, I'm up." Francisco gave me a funny look when I finally did appear in our cook tent. Today's the day we return to Base Camp, after all. I remember how hot and unwelcoming the last part of our previous Camp II to Base Camp trek had taken, so I wasn't all that jazzed to get going - although the thought of Base Camp luxuries was definitely appealing. Equally appealing was the thought that once we made Base Camp, we were on final for our summit push. So, I wasn't all that grumpy truth be told.

The weather wasn't agreeing with us, though and around six inches of snow had fallen during the night. Everything was covered and it made events like putting on crampons just a little bit more difficult than normal. Indra prepared breakfast for our shove-off, but my stomach was still churning from last night, so everyone waved off in favor of a pop-tart…which somehow managed to get burned too. Francisco and I managed to eat half of one pop tart and then I dropped one on the rocky tent floor. Man, it's time to get out of here.

As we traversed the Western Cwm, the weather was doing some bizarre and strange things. The snow stopped, then started. The clouds cleared, then rolled back in with whiteout conditions. When it was clear, you could see the tips of Nuptse loaded heavily with new snow - a definite concern given the closeness of the trail to where avalanche would be screaming in unannounced like freight trains. But talk about beautiful. The upper wisps of clouds, everything white or blue. The air frigid cold as we moved lower and lower.

Finally, the clouds socked in, snow picked back up and the trail vanished in a sea of white. Everything was literally a pure shade of white, off-white or grey. So white, that the only way I could route find in the snow was to take off my sunglasses and squint to see the faint outline of a trail about two or three feet in front of me. While we were OK initially, this became hazardous quickly when traversing the crevasse fields above Camp I. We stepped slowly and searched for a familiar wand or a fixed line in the snow to clip into before the waiting maw of a black bottomed crevasse popped into view with surprising speed. As the trail rounded toward the face of Nuptse, we spread our team of three out in order to maximize interval and minimize risk to any rogue avalanche that could drop out of the clouds with no warning. I went first to find the damn trail, Francisco was in the middle and Willie took up the rear. While this picture shows some of the conditions, it doesn't show the best or worst of them - just one where three climbers have their fun-meter pegged as they try to get back home.

After some time, we reached the top of the Icefall and again noted the dramatic change in trail since last visiting this area. And man, has it changed. One portion of the trail that used to be at most five level steps along the top of an ice block is completely gone now - replaced by a zig-zag, up-down path complete with a 50' descent down, across a ladder, three mini ice blocks that hang precariously over another hundred foot drop, then a side scramble up to another ladder. One portion then requires you to scramble up on hands and knees before topping out again, at the same elevation as the start. It makes you truly appreciate those level spots now, openly praying that they don't go anywhere anytime soon. I crawled up to the top, plopped down in the snow and stared at Francisco- maybe 30 horizontal feet across from me. He was about to go through this torture-fest when after catching my breath I went "yayy..." He just shook his head silently and began. I didn't see him again for ten minutes after that and when I did, he went "yayy..." and plopped right down in the snow where I did. I think Willie believes we are both suffering from HACE.

From there, we began our slow and methodical descent to Base Camp. Through the Soccer Field, into the Popcorn and across what I'll affectionately term Crazy Ladder #1. This thing is ridiculous. First of all, it's on an angle, so you slide all over the rungs. It hangs over one of those crevasses that you can't see the bottom of, just black - so you have that going for you. It's been stretched and twisted by the moving icefall so dramatically that its support ropes are as tight as piano wire. Best of all? It’s made up of four ladders tied together. Four. So, it bows even when no weight is on it. Put a person on it and it turns into Galloping Gertie, the old Tacoma Narrows Bridge shown in black & white footage swaying and bouncing before finally falling into Puget Sound. I'd try to get some video footage crossing it, if it didn't scare me to death so badly.

Toward the end of the Icefall path, the weather cleared, the temperature rose and it actually became pleasant. Francisco and Willie were about 100 meters behind me as I approached one of the last ladders- and one that historically had given me the most problems. So, I was interested in taking more time than usual as I dropped in behind a line of Alpine Ascents team members who were in the process of crossing one of the two that cross this particular crevasse. As I waited, I heard the familiar chatter of a radio behind me and just assumed it was Willie until I heard not Nepali or English, but something else. Glancing behind, I casually noticed a Swiss guide, complete with IFMGA patch on his sleeve, casually standing behind me - not taking the second open ladder. Whatever, I thought, knowing exactly who it was. Finally, it was my turn and as I was getting ready to cross, the Swiss guide says to me "Would you like me to keep the ropes taught for you?" "No thanks", I said and tried to be as polite as I could. Once across the gulf, he crossed, and was gone, just like that.

After a few minutes, Willie came into view and I gave him a wide-eyed look and told him about my experience with the guide who had made himself famous with our team for his bullish tactics and comments just a few weeks earlier. That's when Willie told me all about how after the guide's team lead had heard about his member's behavior, he basically dragged this guy by his ear directly to our Base Camp on one day when we must have been climbing up the hill, but Willie was home. Demanding the guide apologize for his boorish actions, he also offered Willie a team lead opportunity for K2 in 2009…something akin to a Brass Ring for guides.

So here we are now, a few weeks later. The guide is being polite, offering assistance, and being courteous - all things a guide should be, and all things that a climber should be to other climbers. I have to admit. I even found him downright pleasant and appreciated his offer of assistance. And that is in a way, how justice is meted out in the mountains and things come full circle.

After some time, we made the welcoming embrace of Base Camp. G-Man gave us a big wave, the rest of the team came out to welcome us home, and Super Mila learned that in a few days, he'll be going up to Camp II to replace Indra. Despite his best efforts, Indra's going back to his farm down close to Kathmandu and Super Mila will take us across the finish line at Camp II with his good and well-cooked meals. We showered in a snowstorm and talked endlessly at dinner about how we have one last push to the top of the world.

#35
May 11, 2008 – Camp II & III

Today is Francisco's shot at Camp III and I gave him all the encouragement I could, pointers on the trail and super props before he stepped off. I also made sure to fill his head with as many Patches O'Houlihan quotes from Dodgeball that I could to keep him smiling. Most can't be repeated here, but if you have seen the movie, hopefully they bring a smile to you too.

Willie and Francisco punched at 6 a.m.-ish and when they radioed at 10:30, they were making fantastic progress. Then at noon, there they were, at Camp III - all altitude issues left behind in the dust...well…in this case in the Lhotse Face ice chips.

As for me? An acclimatization hike to the top of Camp II again, where the sun is truly playing games with melting snow. All sorts of trash that was hidden from sight under snow just days ago is now plainly visible. And I couldn't help but take a picture of this poor sap who returned to his tent to find a river running through it. I'm sure he appreciated me taking the pic, but honestly…how could you not??

And then…James Bond with the guys interspersed with constant looking up at the Lhotse Face where an ant trail of – honestly – close to 150 climbers and Sherpas lined the fixed ropes to Camp III and appear to have gone all the way past the Yellow Band and out to the South Col itself. This is a big deal because of the land grab that occurs once each camp "opens" - so, the strongest Sherpas are punched out immediately to secure camp space for their respective teams. For example, Willie is THE western guide who led the roping effort on the Lhotse Face - this all completed one day after the Chinese torch ban was lifted. He had the help of approximately 8 Sherpas and another guide to do the job, hauling close to 2 miles of ropes and anchors. So, when Willie landed at Camp III, he had prime choice in picking tent sites, which he did and ID-ed it as ours. One day later, Tendi and Danubu arrived at Camp III and some other team had set up tents and claimed the area. So today, when Willie and Francisco gained the area he re-scouted for our new site and also got the name of the tent equivalent of Frigate Birds. But in some ways, that's part of a real-life Monopoly Game up here - available real estate demand gets higher and higher as the space gets smaller and smaller, so tomorrow all 3 Sherpas head up to the Park Place equivalent of all our campsites - the South Col.

Upon their return to Camp II, Francisco and Willie returned with confirmation of what we suspected - the ant trail of literally dozens and dozens of climbers had carved a well-established trail to Camp III. That's really good news for a few days from now when we hit our summit push.

The rest of the day was spent packing food bags for Camp III and Camp IV respectively although my suspicions are that we are way fat on food for these camps. Bags and bags of food. But, only one day at each? I hear we completely lose our appetite at high camps…so I guess we'll see. I'm all about ramen and things like fruit but if Indra packs us a lunch baggie filled with undercooked pasta I'm revolting.

Oh, interesting side story on today. At one point I wandered into the cook tent and an older 50-something Sherpa hauling a double load was sitting there, BS-ing with Danubu - as it turns out, they are both from the same region of Nepal and have known each other for quite some time. After chatting for a while, I learn that he's not only on the same team as the 75 year old Japanese climber who I'm dying to meet, but that in his past he has climbed with Reinhold Messner (the real one, not the nicknamed crazy kid who snuck the "Free Tibet" flag up to Camp I before waving it around and getting busted) and Peter Haebler of all people. Talk about the stories he must have. We chatted about all that and I learned that the 75 year old is currently in Dingboche acclimatizing, will have a Camp V at the balcony, and have 101 bottles of Oxygen for four climbers! Yee cats, that's a lot of Oxygen.

After all this excitement and welcoming Willie and Francisco back to the fold (and to weather a snowstorm), I wandered back to my tent and had one of the craziest altitude dreams yet: Tendi and I were on the North Korean border, trying to operate a .50 cal Barrett sniper rifle while some husband/wife tourist couple looked on, sitting on a clear plastic farm tractor. As we signed in on our target a distant 12km off I saw through the scope that it was Bob Combs, in all his glory, riding a purple and rhinstone unicorn. Laughing hysterically, an avalanche hit us and we had to jump behind a cinder block wall as snow washed over us. The strange thing is that I felt the weight of the rifle, heard the excitement in the voices of the onlookers and also felt the air blast of the snow wave. It was truly one realistic dream.

#34
May 10, 2008 – Camp III

Title: Acclimatized

At 5 a.m., Indra came and woke us up, all cheery and prepared with breakfast of bacon and eggs. I wolfed down some extra rice, and then we were off at 06:00 on the nose for Camp III, halfway up the Lhotse Face. We set out at a relatively easy pace, and after 1.5 hours we were approaching the fixed lines when Francisco encountered some altitude problems that forced him to turn back. His shot would have to come tomorrow, but Lhakpa and I continued on. It's amazing how altitude can affect different people at different times. A wizened and highly experienced guide named Victor happened to be walking alongside when Francisco was hit and told him point-blank that despite years in the mountains and multiple Everest summits, even he is hit by altitude when he least expects it. Victor is a great guy and truly knows the personal side of guiding, so I know that his kind words worked wonders on Francisco, who headed down and felt better immediately.

Traversing on to the fixed lines of the Lhotse Face, it reminded me of the West Buttress Route on McKinley above the 14,200' camp: straight ice, blue and hard. Your jumar doing most of the work as you extend, lock, take 2 or 3 breaths, step again, repeat. Since this section of the route was only roped yesterday, there are very few "steps" to assist- mainly just toe points that you kick in via crampon tips. This creates a cascade of ice chips and larger chunks that shower down the steep face along with the other chips of a hundreds of other kicks from somewhere above. It makes for a beautiful sheen of sparkles when you hazard a glance up when the super-hard ice reflects sunlight, but it's not so fun for climbers below and you have to always be on the lookout for larger chunks and the occasional rock that breaks free. More than once I heard a "thwack" of a large ice cube that struck my climbing helmet, making me happy that I was wearing it. Some zing by and you watch these bounce bounce bounce, pick up speed and then disappear off the ever increasing angle of the Face before shooting straight off the bergschrund at the bottom.

Despite the assistance of the jumar, (OK…mechanical ascender), your lungs still scream for air as you climb higher along the steepest portion of the Face for several hundred feet before it gradually reduces from 70 degrees to closer to 45 degrees. The trail winds around and past a few snow domes, and then there it is: Camp III. Lhakpa gets on the radio and says, "Hey, we are now approaching Camp III,” which brought cheers from our team back at Camp II. Willie, who stayed back to go up with Francisco tomorrow asked how far we were from touching Camp III. "Maybe 1 and ½ hours" Lhakpa replied. "No WAY" I said…it's right there! He was right though, the extreme altitude coupled with steep terrain and sheer size of the Lhotse Face put him right on the money.

1.5 hours later we crept into camp and I collapsed on a mini ledge to relax while Lhakpa went to go deposit some gear in tents we have perched right on the face itself. While there, I small talked with a Spanish climber who was more than happy to take a break for any reason and catch his breath. There at 23,000', I honestly can't remember much of our conversation other than that we were both happy to have made it. Looking out, we both agreed that the view is flat-out stunning.

The Lhotse Face is essentially a giant wall of super-hard ice that starts out extremely steep and gradually angles out as it approaches the Yellow Band - a unique band of yellow, rotten rock that swirls almost like ice cream from Nuptse, across Lhotse and into Everest. Our trail intersects the Yellow Band at the top of the Lhotse Face en route to the South Col. From Camp III, you can peer straight down the Western Cwm to see the nest of mottled yellow, orange and red tents of Camp II and also Camp I. To the right, you can see straight past the Yellow Band and onto the South Col itself, exposing our route both to the South Col and upward onto the South Ridge of Everest, whose summit seems to be right there…so close yet so incredibly far.

But for now, our part of the Lhotse Face was definitely more of a psych job and once we gained Camp III, it became clear that every leg of this journey is do-able. Sure, it was an ass-kicker. And sure, when I returned to my tent I took a 2 hour nap of the dead. But 80% of the return down the Face was a rappel (fun!) and the route was straightforward.

I'm confident that once the mobs arrive from Base Camp and start their acclimatization, there will be well-defined footholds and it will be a quick trip to Camp III. Besides, once at Camp III we go on oxygen and the next time we arrive there, it will be for a summit push.

#33
May 9, 2008

Any false impressions I had about the Base Camp  Camp II push being the hardest day we would have on this climb were quickly erased today. Francisco and I made a push to the base of Lhotse, and as expected it took us close to 2 hours from the top of Camp II. The issue is air. Its 21,600' at the Lhotse Face entry point, which puts Camp III at close to 2,000' feet above and straight up the face. By the time we were ready to turn around my legs felt like rubber and I had zero energy. At times, we both wondered aloud - how do people do this? It's incredible, and yet we continue to march on. As for tomorrow - it's not going to be pretty, but we'll do it. Thanks to a straightforward approach and very little in the way of physical obstacles, it only took us about 30 minutes to get back to Camp II.

The route out of Camp II and up to the base of Lhotse is actually interesting, altitude considered. There are some mini waves like at the base of the Icefall, but these are minor and actually fairly pleasant. Some fixed line areas across hidden crevasse do exist, but only in one area so that's OK. My guess is that something like 5 to 7 hours to Camp III, including the 2.5 hour press out of our campsite at Camp II.

So we returned to Camp II where Indra had made one of his worst meals yet. Some undercooked pasta jobbie with Spam and vegetables. Ya know, it's hard enough to eat up here anyway and everyone says "Ya gotta eat!" Ok fine. But this one was inedible and I literally shoveled in 2 or 3 mouth-fulls before giving up. I just couldn't do it, and neither could Francisco. So what happens? Later on, when Willie comes down from fixing lines all the way to Camp III I overhear him asking about us and A #1 on the report is that we didn't eat lunch. OK, whatever I think as I put down my 5th Clif Bar since lunch. That's ok though, Indra's day is coming in the kitchen. Just four short hours later when a remarkably similar dinner is served - still undercooked - a now extremely tired Willie goes bananas and Indra scrambles. Burned popcorn, anyone?

In yet another ominous sign of things to come, Tendi and Danuru show, straight from Base Camp in the Sherpa version of commuting to work. They are all smiles and talk of how broken the Icefall is now, but also discuss how they made sure their time on this push…slow. Important to save time for tomorrow, they say. Ok, great. If the flippin' Sherpas are focused on economy of effort for tomorrow's push, then that says something. Great...

But then, they also talked about the masses moving to Camp II now that the Chinese torch issue was no more and the Icefall was open again. Mobs of teams were racing to beat the acclimatization clock - which we found ourselves several days ahead of. Talk about Base Camp Legs…some climbers were obviously having too much fun down the hill - it wasn't uncommon to hear that some people were taking 12 hours to reach Camp II. Twelve hours. Those people had actually reversed their progress, so hopefully they get back on track soon. But, Camp II is now fully populated, unlike the ghost town we saw just two days ago.

Apparently the Nepal Army is leaving Base Camp today, their fearless leader walked around to visit and butt snorkel the same teams that he didn't help and ignored. Apparently he's taking his team back to Kathmandu where I'm sure he'll receive a medal for his efforts here. See ya, Major. Meanwhile, Willie is leading the charge in getting ropes fixed to Camp III and is making incredible progress in that effort - completed today. The guy's a machine, I swear. Not a day goes by where I'm not impressed with his level of energy, can-do attitude, and unwavering dedication to the community at large - but then there are other days where he truly shines. Volunteering to fix ropes to Camp III came without any prodding, and he did it in lightening speed time, personally pulling together a team of the most capable Sherpas and western guides around to complete the task for all teams attempting this climb. Every climber going up the Lhotse Face - just one day after the mountain "opened" has him to thank for his efforts.

#32
May 8, 2008 – Everest Base Camp (17,575 ft)

Title: Chinese summit

I woke this morning to the now familiar sound of a jet circling the summit. But we have heard this sound at least five times since first arriving at Camp II last week, so no one is getting their hopes up too high that the Chinese actually pull this torch thing off. The first time I heard the jet screaming around overhead I jumped out of my tent and everyone was pointing at the sky. This time the sun hadn't hit the tent yet and there was a little bit of a breeze, so I just hunkered down and didn't even move. What's the point? You see this little white dot in the sky zipping along as it circles the mountain right behind Camp II. It circles and circles, then it disappears and you are still cold looking like a Lemming at the sky along with everyone else. Two hours later, you learn that it "was a Chinese plane"…no kidding. And then that's it, biz of not being able to go anywhere as usual.

Today was different. The plane was gone well before 08:30, and then at 09:15 we received word that today was the day. They had done it, summitted with their blessed torch. We had a false alarm back at the end of April where the Sherpas were chatting it up and passed bad scoop. But this time two things happened that made it believable: The word came along with confirmation that news agencies were reporting the summit. And the Nepal Army detachment at Camp II pulled out with lightening speed. Summit? Bam, gone. Shows you how excited they were to man that checkpoint. I have some opinions about what occurred here with diplomats and policy enforcement, but I'll hold those until a later date.

Willie was out of our camp area like a shot, heading to the top of Camp II with other western guides that he trusts and several hand-picked Sherpa - the goal being to begin roping to Camp III. Amazing as it seems, the goal within an hour of the Chinese torch making the top of the world was for the Nepal side to be roped to Camp III - or as close as they could come - within the day.

Francisco and I decided that since we would be heading to Camp III within a series of days now, it would be a good idea to press back up to the top of Camp II - if for no other reason than to see where all the action was, and as a side benefit, get some more altitude under our belts. Camp II is no picnic…our campsite is the Taj Mahal compared to Camp I, but even then it's still fairly confining and not a place you get very comfortable in. So off we went, sliding and scrambling down through the loose rock and then up again through the gully next to our site.

The roughly 400 vertical feet up to the top of Camp II went smoothly and we found that our speed and time had improved even over yesterday. When we arrived at the top of camp and the Lhotse Face came into full view, we found quite a spectacle - Sherpas led by Willie had already roped up all the way to the Lhotse Face where a surprisingly large bergschrund blocked the trail. Willie and several other climbers had already traversed the bergschrund face and were moving directly up the Lhotse Face itself.

Francisco and I observed this spectacle for a while before heading back to our camp and talking about that Face, and how it's in our immediate future. It looks crazy.. I think that once we are on it it'll be ok, but for now…yee cats. All the Sherpas are coming up tomorrow and will overnight at Camp II. Then on the 10th, we all go up. Tomorrow, Francisco and I are going to the base of the Lhotse Face on another acclimatization push to prep one last time - it'll apparently take close to 2 hours from Camp II.

#31
May 7, 2008 – Everest Base Camp (17,575 ft)

Last night was fairly restful, Camp II location considered. I slept the whole night through with the occasional nose blow or pee bottle excursion. When the sun hit the tent, it warmed the inside by 15 degrees instantly. After a hearty breakfast, we were greeted by Danubu and Tendi, making another gear run. They didn't stay long, just smiled their cheerful smiles, had some tea, and headed back down to the warmer, more welcoming climes of Base Camp with Lhakpa in tow. Sherpas prefer Base Camp to Camp II, and will only overnight here during preparation and the actual summit push.

Willie, Francisco and I walked up to the top of Camp II and sat for a bit with some IMG guides that Willie knows, and the topic of conversation turned to Chinese summit attempt as well as the ever-present Nepal Army detachment, who positioned themselves at the very top of Camp II in order to "monitor" those reckless and scofflaw westerners. Better make sure no one sneaks off and tries to climb the Lhotse Face when no one is watching, right? Even yesterday when we arrived at Camp II, the Nepal Army - likely acting under direction from Kathmandu, who were likely acting under direction from their neighbors to the north - changed the playing field yet again on what we are/are not allowed to do. Today is yet again another perfect summit day, so hopefully the north side is abuzz in activity as I write this.

After a while, Francisco and I decided to go out and throw a football at 21,000', possibly the highest game of catch in the world at that particular moment. It's pretty neat though - thanks to the rarified air, you can throw that thing for what seems like miles with little effort. We became Herculean in how far we could throw that ball, but it's short-lived…throw it three or four times and you immediately become winded.

But the ball throw did have one funny side effect. We were throwing the ball right alongside the now-faded and unreadable "Dear Climbers" sign - the same one that warns you from trying to climb apparently also makes the Nepal Army detachment out here think that you might try to climb all the way up with no crampons, light clothes, a Nalgene bottle, and an American football. Three detachment members, complete with a sniper rifle - completely for show, I am confident - popped up and wanted to know what we were doing, and did we see the sign. You mean the sign that says no one past this point? Yep, we sure did. Did you notice that we didn't pass the sign and have one water bottle with no climbing gear? Willie chatted with them - mainly for entertainment and as we walked off I looked back - one had a camera, and was taking pics of another one posing with his rifle and the Lhotse Face in the background. Military members are the same across the world - no matter what country, I learned from that encounter.

We wandered back toward our campsite and en route happened across a Nepali Sherpa gentleman who is attempting to break the World Record for age of a summitter. He is 77 years old and is in fantastic shape for what he is attempting. He's got one fantastic support team to make his goal a reality, but even so he's extremely pleasant and energetic. Francisco and I took a pic with him and told him that we'd see him up to