Guide: Willie Benegas, Casey Henley, Jaime Laidlaw & Teddy Anderson Team Members: Base Camp Trekkers (click here for trip details): 1st Group: Mark and Patricia Earnest, Lisa Wolfe, David Harrison, Laxman Kamath, Anne and Birgitte Horve, Simon Carter, Mark Stephenson 2nd Group: Adres Asmus, Ann & Doug Robinson, Jim Perkins, Torsten Wilke, Marilyn Grove, Shane Stumm, Marisa Souza, Robert Kasten, Robert Hicks Khumbu Climbers (click here for trip details): Trond Stenerson, John Inderdal, Grant Musgrove, Erin Lally Summit Team (click here for trip details): Bjorn Evenson, Eirik Tryti, Eric Dalzell, Brian Smith, Mustafa Mustafa Our strategy: 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

May 30, 2007 Kathmandu

Hello friends at home. The team is back in Kathmandu and our expedition is over. We took the easy way home, hiking from base camp to Pheriche, about a 5 hour walk, on the 27th. The next morning we went out by air, and were back in the comforts of the Yak and Yeti hotel by late morning. Most of the day was spent by the pool eating salads and fresh fruit. And for dinner we spoiled ourselves to some delicious Thai curry in downtown Thamel, the tourist district.

Our time since then has been spent shopping for the beautiful items offered on the streets of Kathmandu, eating more delicious food, and celebrating our safe return with the many friends we made up there, most of whom are also back in town. We think next year we will just meet at the Yak and Yeti and spend two months here sipping tropical drinks, and extending our tan lines beyond our hands and faces. But it's always true, these luxuries are better enjoyed when earned, and a little bit of time in the cold mountains is the best excuse to spoil yourself back in town. So the mountains just may beckon us again.

Thanks to all our many supporters, and we are very satisfied with the outcome of this trip. Not only did we have a huge summit success rate, but also we enjoyed eachothers' company and did a good job of working as a team. The greatest satisfaction to take home is the part that can't be explained to those back home: the jokes we made, the times we helped others, or others helped us, the beautiful sights and crisp air, and having spent two months with new friends. Being an Everest summitter is just the icing on the cake. Until our next Himalayan adventure, we say Namaste'.

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May 25, 2007 Base Camp

The group is back in base camp, and happy to be so. There has been a lot of action on the mountain lately, and today most of it seems to have wrapped up. Along with our boys coming come, and a couple other big groups, a couple of major rescue/recovery missions were completed today. We are very sorry for the loss of Pemba Doma Sherpa from Namche Bazar. She was killed in a fall in the Lhotse couloir four days ago, an unfortunate accident for such an accomplished climber. Fortunately, the other mass-effort was a rescue situation, a Nepali woman who had trouble above the south col three days ago, and was rescued by many competent climbers from other groups. She was brought down last night, and safely flown out by helicopter today. So a lot has been going on, the icefall has been a mess, and there are a lot of worn out climbers in base camp, relieved to be safely wrapping up their own climbs. Again we send out lots of support to the many Himalayan climbers and friends who were a part of Pemba Doma's life.

The boys tell an interesting summit night story. They left at 9:00 pm and arrived at the balcony at 10:20, an amazingly fast time. They made it to the south summit at 1:15, and huddled in a naturally protected cove to try to pass some time. Willie says that what might have been 10 or 20 minutes seemed more like an eternity, and both he and Brian were feeling the cold in their hands and toes. So they accepted their fate of a dark summit, and arrived up top just before 3:00 am. The same luminous half moon that you admire back home had, by that time, dropped below the surrounding peaks, so it was a dark and surreal experience. Brian took the lead for the last leg, and had a few minutes to himself on the summit with the understanding that he was higher in the sky than any other person on planet Earth for a short time. He felt so strong for the whole day, and impressed us all with his speed. Willie was amazed at the difference in the route from 8 days before, and apparently doesn't remember what it's like to not break trail. He has also recieved many compliments for setting the best route in years. Clearly it served him well his second time around.

On the way down they watched the sunrise, and got some pretty amazing photos of a cold, early morning sky. They arrived at the south col at 5:30 am, and crawled into the small tent to find a Sherpa from another team curled up in Willie's sleeping bag! No harm, no foul, so Willie, Tendi and Brian all curled up in there with him, in their down suits, and snoozed away a couple hours of the morning. They made it all the way back to camp II by 10:30 am, and slept all day. Today was a piece of cake, with the exception of lots of traffic in the icefall, and now back in camp they are living it up, and breathing relatively rich air, compared to where they've been.

We're also really happy for Jaime's success. Being such an accomplished skier, we have to take his word for it when he reports this to be some of the most difficult skiing possible, especially without oxygen at that altitude, and in the dark at that. There were a lot of sighs of relief when he returned to camp II, and then rolled into base camp with the rest of them today, all of them as skinny as beanpoles. Time to seek out life's luxuries for awhile; a tropical beach is sounding pretty good to most of us.

As a last thought for our time on the mountain, a quote by Ralph Emerson: "Courage charms us because it indicates that a man loves an idea better than all things in the world, that he is thinking neither of his bed, nor his dinner, nor his money, but will venture all to put in act the invisible thought of his mind." Perhaps this epitomizes the mountaineer's experience, and to complement that, a quote from an unknown source: "You never conquer a mountain. You stand on the summit for a few moments, then the wind blows your footprints away." That is the relationship we have with mountains, and we have counted ourselves as lucky to spend the last two months with this mountain rising above us to the east. Tomorrow we finish packing up, and the next day we head home. We will give a last dispatch from Kathmandu in about three days time. For now it's time for the climbers to relax and enjoy their great accomplishment, and dream about the food we will eat, the shorts we will wear, and the baths we will take in the city. Goodbye for now.

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May 24, 2007 Summit of Mt. Everest-Base Camp Mgr's Dispatch

At 3:00 am this morning Brian Smith, Willie Benegas, and Tendi Sherpa reached the summit of Mt. Everest! For Brian, this was his first summit of Mt. Everest, and he made an amazing comeback after a bout with Pulmonary Edema only 3 weeks ago. He was amazingly strong and made excellent time, and we're all so happy he was able to have this second chance at the mountain. For Willie, this was his 7th summit of Mt. Everest, the 6th one being only 8 days ago. For Tendi, his fifth. They were a great team, and probably made it look easy. They reached the south col from camp III yesterday morning at 10:00 am, which was a good indication that they would be fast for the summit. They rested for most of the day on oxygen, eating and hydrating and sleeping.

At 9:00 pm they set out for the summit, perhaps not expecting to be quite so fast, or for the trail to be so much easier than it was 8 days ago, when they were the first climbers of the season. But indeed we got the call at 1:00 am that they were at the south summit, and trying to stall as to not summit in the dark. But the effort was futile, it was too cold to stall too much, and they were on the summit at 3:00 am! It might have been a different view than they expected, but probably just as beautiful, with the stars and silhouettes of surrounding peaks.

They were back down to the south col and 6:00 am, and left a couple of hours later toward camp II. This is a big push, but worth it to sleep in the comforts of an advanced base camp, rather than high and exposed at 25,500 feet. On last reports, they have arrived at camp II, and it's time to rest up for the last leg of their journey tomorrow, past camp I, through the icefall, and back home to base camp!

Jaime Laidlaw was on his own adventure last night. He also had a quick trip yesterday morning, to camp IV of Lhotse, the mountain just to the south of Everest. From camp IV, on the Lhotse face, the climbing route up the mountain steers into a narrow couloir, perhaps 2,000 feet in length. Jaime set out from camp at 10:00 pm, climbing alone on a route with a few fixed lines, but for the most part unprotected. He quickly made it 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up the couloir, but had to stop when his oxygen mask malfunctioned while changing to a fresh bottle. He wisely chose to turn around, and strapped on his skis, as was the purpose of his mission. He skied the couloir by headlamp, probably with more effort than he wished, having no oxygen, but safely made it to camp IV by 4:00 am. This is some of the world's hardest skiing, especially at this altitude, and it is a great accomplishment. After several hours of rest and boiling water, he suited up this morning for another descent of the Lhotse face. Hopefully there will be a photo record of this descent, as his last one, on the more northern edge of the Lhotse face, lives on only as legend in the minds of more than one hundred on-lookers.

So with everyone safe at camp II, tomorrow marks the final day of climbing for this expedition. Big kudos to Willie and Tendi for an amazing two ascents in 8 days, and to Brian for being so tenacious, and such a nice person to be around, to boot. Tomorrow we will be happy to report everyone's safe return to base camp. For now, it is time for everyone to catch up on sleep. Goodnight.

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May 24, 2007 6:00 a.m. South Col

Willie, Tendi and Brian have returned safely to the South Col. Willie called in with some more details from the climb. The team left for their summit push at 9:00 p.m. They made it to the South Summit at around 1:00 a.m. and realized they were moving too fast to have daylight on the summit without an extended wait. They found a bit of shelter in a feature in the snow and tried to wait it out for some daylight but soon became too cold and needed to get moving again to warm up.

At this point the winds had died down and they could not waste a good window of weather for continuing the ascent. All three of them arrived at the summit at exactly 2:50 a.m. in calm, but dark conditions. After a brief stay on the summit, they began their descent and arrived back at the South Col at 6:00 a.m. They will rest for a few hours and then clean up camp before continuing down to Camp II. The boys are tired, but are all feeling strong and very happy about their successful summit.

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May 24, 2007 3:00 a.m. Everest Summit

A short message relayed via satellite phone confirmed that Willie, Tendi and Brian successfully summitted at 3:00 a.m.! They are all reported to be feeling strong and healthy and expect to be back at the South Col by mid-morning and continuing on to Camp II later today. We will have a more detailed report when they are back to the South Col.

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May 23, 2007 9:00 p.m. Summit Push

A satellite phone call was relayed into the Mountain Madness Seattle office. Willie, Tendi Sherpa, and Brian began moving up and were feeling strong. Conditions are somewhat windy, but Willie had a good feeling that it would calm down. We will post more details when the next call comes in.

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May 23, 2007 Camp III

Tonight Brian, Jaime and Willie are at camp III, hopefully sleeping well and holding up with energy for their climb. They plan to start moving at 6:00am, suited up and with the oxygen flowing on their trip to south col. Everyone seemed to move at a consistent pace today, and they were all in camp by 1:00pm.

This is just a short report to keep everyone informed. Details of the climbing route have been outlined in previous dispatches. The difference is, this time Willie and Tendi don't have to fix ropes! More tomorrow as the boys start moving into committing ground. Peace to you back home.

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May 21, 2007 Camp II

It's back on the mountain again for Willie and Tendi! This morning they left with Jaime to head back up to camp II, where they will meet Brian, and move up to camp III together tomorrow. Willie and Tendi Sherpa had about three days rest in base camp, during which time Brian was acclimatizing at camp II, with a day trip up to camp III. Brian's health is holding up so well that we have faith he will have a good shot at the summit in 2 days time. These days there is a lot of traffic up there, so we are hoping Willie finds the route much easier this time, not having to break trail. As for Tendi, he was Willie's partner on their last summit day, fixing lines together all night, out in front of everyone, even spooning with eachother for two hours while waiting for more rope, at one point. That's a strong foundation to a trusting climbing relationship, so we know the two of them will be a good team for Brian on this attempt.

As for Jaime, he will be climbing Lhotse, if all goes well, and his amazing ski turns of last week have become legendary around base camp. We are hoping he is able to make a ski descent of all of Lhotse on the same night as our Everest summitters. We will stay posted on him for the next few days, too.

All is well in base camp, as groups are leaving daily, rocks are falling out from beneath tents, and it is downright pleasant weather most of the time. Tomorrow we hope to report a timely arrival at camp III, where the climbers will start oxygen and indeed, the ball will be rolling. We are sure Brian is very excited for this monumental step in progress up the mountain, and until then, standing by.....

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May 19, 2007- Base Camp

Tonight is the team's last night in base camp. The day was spent getting everything together for our departure, from group tents to leftover personal food that the climbers brought in two months ago. It's all coming out of the woodworks, and we're getting it all organized and packed. There are a lot of congratulations and goodbyes going around; the mood in our camp is high, and we're all gathered in the dining tent telling stories and enjoying our last night together!

As a goodbye from the climbers, we will get a little story from each, telling of their adventures on the top of the world. We have formed such a great team, and we will all appreciate and remember this time with each other for all our lives.

First Eric.....The climb was great! A good adventure, first having to break trail in 20 to 30 knot winds up to the balcony with all of us wondering... will we ever finish this climb? Around two in the morning the wind stopped, making the climb just that much better all the way to the summit! I thank all of our Sherpas for their hard work, and hope to have more great climbs with them in the future. I will always remember my first Everest climb!

From Eirik: It has been a great trip! I first met Willie Benegas in 2005, although I was part of another team. In that year, with such bad weather on Everest, I reached the South Summit, 100m from the true summit. Seeing Willie in action trying to organize the different teams in base camp and the fixing of ropes to the summit impressed me so much that when deciding who to go with in 2007, it had to be Willie and Mountain Madness. This year we have not been disappointed. Willie Benegas must be one of the best mountain guides in the world: enormous strength, organizational skills, and looking very well after his clients! The summit day was very good for me. I felt strong and enjoyed the whole day, although the night was long and windy. We spent almost 50 minutes on top of the world. A good view and almost no wind. Really, a day to remember for the rest of my life! Thanks to everyone, especially Willie and our strong Sherpa team!

From Bjorn: Sitting in the cooking tent on the last evening in base camp, it is only natural to reflect on the last 8 weeks. Mount Everest has been a dream of mine for many years and tomorrow morning, it kind of all becomes "history." It is a little bit strange that something so dominant and important in life soon will be memories; I have had a fantastic couple of months in base camp and on the mountain under the superb leadership of Willie Benegas. Willie is the complete (mountain) guide and I would go anywhere in the world with him. His experience, his leadership style, his relationship to the mountains and his relationship/attitude to the people of Nepal/ the Sherpas... I realize that there is A LOT to learn. Reaching the top of the world was just fantastic - a dream coming true!!! We had 50 minutes in fantastic weather with the most magnificent views there is! In order to be successful on an expedition like this, the team must work. Our base camp manager, Teddy, will also be deeply missed when we leave the mountain tomorrow morning. I want to thank all the team for their contribution to making this trip an adventure of a lifetime! All the best from Bjorn (Norway).

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May 18, 2007- Base Camp

The team is back together again in base camp, filing in throughout the morning and early afternoon, as everyone made their way down from camp II. Returning from base camp is met with applause and hugs and handshakes from teams all over camp. Bjorn reports that all the way down from camp II today, every Sherpa he met in the icefall asked if he'd made the summit, and warmly congratulated him that he had. His account of summit night held us spellbound. The weather was rough enough for the first six hours that he had big doubts about how it would go. They called Willie on the radio in the wee morning hours and he told them definitively to continue upward. The weather started to improve, and Bjorn says that by the time they were approaching the south summit, and the sun was starting to come up, he knew they were going to make it all the way. Reports are that he was strong as an ox, or that he might have cheated by strapping a self-propelling rocket to his pack. I will try to rope him, and the other climbers, into giving a firsthand account of summit night for tomorrow's dispatch.

Our Sherpa team enjoyed a warm reception, though regretfully one of the team, Chongba, has a bit of frostbite on his toes. We spent a good bit of the day helping him with medical care, and since hiking would be too difficult with such an injury, he will be out on a helicopter tomorrow. He will recieve top care in Kathmandu, as he already is here at base camp, in hopes of full recovery. We're all wishing him the best in this, he is one of Nepal's finest!

In other news, we have started to piece together a plan for getting Brian on the summit! He is excited about the opportunity to give it a shot, after having fairly serious lung problems, beginning when he first arrived in base camp several weeks ago. But he has taken such good care of himself, and spent enough time down-valley, that he has been given a good bill of health from the doctors here. If the plan continues to fall into place, Willie will guide the mountain again next week! Tonight Brian is at camp II, and it's probably a bit lonely up there without the rest of the team. But he has worked so hard that I'm sure the time alone at camp II is not among the most difficult of his endeavors. Though the first wave of our climbers is down, it looks like we will keep shop set up, and keep writing dispatches, for a little while to come while Brian makes his bid. Stay tuned! And for now, goodnight.

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May 17, 2007- Base Camp/ Camp II

Two members of our team have arrived at base camp, in an amazing push from the south col this morning. Willie and Eric arrived this afternoon, both of them appearing to be still running on adrenaline, and probably gaining lots of extra energy in this oxygen-rich air of 17,500 feet. Bjorn and Eirik are at camp II with all seven members of our Sherpa team. They will come down in the morning, and tomorrow night will probably be celebration time! It's great to have these two back in base camp safely, and the others shortly behind. Willie provided us with some amazing photos, which speak more of the world they have seen from the summit than words ever could. In person we were able to get a more detailed description of their summit night, than we were on that night with our spotty radio transmissions. Willie and Tendi Sherpa were alone out front all night long. They shuttled the hundreds of meters of ropes in need of fixing, and made great time to a point above the balcony, where they stopped to wait for more rope to arrive by our Sherpa team. They were freezing cold; the wind was strong from 10:30 pm to 2:00 am, and the last two hours of that time period were spent huddled together while waiting for the rope to arrive. Finally Willie turned around to check on the team's delay, and quickly found Undi Sherpa with the next section of rope. They headed back up together and when they reached Tendi he proclaimed "Willie Dai! The wind has stopped!" That was 2:00 am, and rope fixing and climbing became much easier from then on with the improvement in conditions.

At 5:00 am they reached the south summit and waited there for the rest of the team, and all were there by 5:30. In places usually covered in thin ice there was a foot or two of snow, and the scariest climbing was on the traverse between the south summit and the Hillary step, where the snow formed a steep slab that broke out from under their feet with every step. The Hillary step was its usual obstacle, but once above it the team was sailing smooth to the summit. They arrived at 7:30 am, all 11 of our team members being the first south side summitters of the season, and having a half an hour to themselves before turning around to head down. We will post a group summit shot tomorrow when Bjorn and Eirik arrive with their cameras!

They all returned safely to the south col and commenced to sleeping and eating. Willie and Eric shared a tent, and Willie fell asleep while Eric boiled water in the tent vestibule with the door open. The two of them have a somewhat disjointed narrative of the afternoon's events. It warmed up enough that Willie slept in his sleeping bag with just his under layers, while Eric in his down suit remembers nothing beyond watching the stove busily melting snow. It seems he fell asleep, too, with the door open, and when the two of them awoke 10 hours later the inner contents of the tent were frosted in snow, Willie was freezing without his down suit, and both had run out of oxygen for the night. This didn't have a serious effect on their breathing, but did make it harder to stay warm, and much of the night after 1:00 am was spent awake. The morning was distinctive in its contemplation of a gallon-size frozen pee bottle, and how to not carry that weight down. Their clever solution shall go unrecorded. Through the early morning hours they made efforts to stay warm (spooning) and eventually gathered the strength to boot up and face the early morning cold. While we haven't yet had a first-hand account from the Norwegians, it seems their camping is usually less eventful.

On arriving at base camp this evening, Eric claims that this day was just as hard as summit day. No surprise, with 8,000 feet of fixed lines to descend. Tomorrow the family will be back together again for a celebration, probably involving other groups as well. Believe it or not, we still have something in the works for Brian, who moved to camp I today. We will continue to report on that as plans come together- he might have another shot at the mountain. And... the last bit of exciting news is that Jaime, who was on-board with Mountain Madness earlier in the season, guiding the group who climbed to camp II, skied the Lhotse face today, from the yellow band all the way down to camp II! There were maybe 100 people watching, and they say every turn was perfect for a full 4,000 feet of descent. Everyone on our team bragged that we know him, and for sure Jaime was happy in his element, doing what he does best. Good work, everyone, and we'll tune in again tomorrow.

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May 16, 2007 - 1:00pm- South Col

Hello, and join us in propagating the good news: the team is back at the south col, warm in their sleeping bags, probably sleeping and all hopped up on O's (oxygen.) We are so happy for this news. They have finished their climb of the upper mountain, and will probably sleep all afternoon and night, probably pausing for some food, hopefully having at least a bit of an appetite and ability to sleep at 25,500 feet. Other teams are still out there, hopefully moving down from the summit, and not still up toward it. We estimate that up to 20 people may summit today, probably 2 out of 3 being Sherpas.

We hope they have calm winds for their night up there, because that can get pretty gusty in itself. Everyone was happily exhausted by the time they arrived, and depending on their energy tomorrow, will descend to camp II or all the way down to base camp! This will be the last dispatch for our summit night, we will catch up with the boys tomorrow after they make their way further down the mountain. Warm thoughts home! Time for us to take our own naps at base camp, too! Goodnight.

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May 16, 2007 - 10:00am- South Summit

The team called from the south summit, where they have all reconvened on their way back down from the summit. They report that everyone is strong and full of energy. Two or three other small teams also made the summit today, and it is reported that one team is still on their way up. There is also another team who made the traverse from the north side to the south side this morning, and they are on their way back down the route on this side this morning.

As for our team, they are below the Hillary step, which is the most likely place to end up in a time-consuming bottleneck, so from here the small crowds of the day should not be a problem. We are getting regular reports of their descent, and the radio reception is greatly improved from last night. We will continue to report as they make their way down to their camp at the south col......

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May 16, 2007 - 7:45am- Summit of Mt. Everest- 29,030 feet, 8848 meters

The team has made it to the summit of Mt. Everest! At 7:45am we got the call at base camp that Willie, Eric, Eirik, Bjorn and 7 Sherpas: Chongba, Undi, Tendi, Lakpa, Tsering Wangchu, Ang Pemba, and our camp II cook Mila, all had reached the summit. We are the first team from the South side to reach the summit this year, and that is no easy feat, since it means doing the rope fixing while going for a summit. But we are such a very strong team, and they were all ecstatic to be at the top.

They spent a few minutes alone on the top, then turned around to return to their cozy tents at camp IV, at the south col. We estimate they will be there by early afternoon. They will stay on oxygen throughout the night, and tomorrow will return to camp II. While reaching the top is only half-way there, with time on their hands they should have no issues with safety. Moving slowly, clipping to every rope, and keeping your energy up are the keys to a safe descent, and under the capable guidance of our amazing Willie Benegas, we think the boys will be just fine.

The enormity of this accomplishment cannot be overestimated, not that it often is. Climbing Mt. Everest is an oft-used metaphor for accomplishing whatever ones biggest goals are in life. For some of our team, that goal is, indeed, climbing Mt. Everest. Climbing is rarely just climbing, anyway. In one day a climber can experience the whole range of human emotions, or at least a good chunk of them. The amount of resilience necessary to continue throughout a long, cold, dark night, high above the rest of the world, up at cruising altitude for an airplane, twice as high as anything in the U.S., with the safety and comfort of base camp almost in view from up there, but worlds away in terms of the work to get there, is something only a mountaineer can know. So, this morning there is a lot of cheering in base camp, and a lot of full hearts on the summit.

Base camp was a festive scene, as well. We slept from about 3:30-4:30 this morning, and after getting our call from Willie at the south summit, we couldn't get back to sleep. About five of us slept here in the dining tent, and around 6:00am our first visitors from the night before came back to wait for the call. There were about ten of us here when we got the call at 7:45am, and we were all surprised to hear from them so early, and overjoyed at the news. The Nepali folks in our camp spilled out from the kitchen, the folks from near-by camps gathered on our "front porch," and we all banged pots and pans and gongs stolen from other camps in the middle of the night last night (oops!) and made plenty of noise to bring in the good news. The calls have been coming in over the radio from the other camps, congratulating us and planning the party for the team's return. The energy in base camp is high, and many teams are probably thinking more and more about their upcoming summits, and hoping for the same success.

We will write again when the team reaches the south col tonight, but it may not be posted until morning for you guys at home. I'm sure the climbers are very much looking forward to contacting you, their supporters, but until then, we are all looking after them from below, and we know they will have some good nights of sleep ahead of them. Signing off for now from base camp.

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May 16, 2007 -5:15 am - South Summit, 28,500 feet

The team has just made it's first contact in over three hours, and we are very relieved to hear Willie has made it to the South Summit. The rest of the team is half and hour behind, and behind them are a handful of people from other groups. Willie is joined by three of our climbing Sherpas, who have been helping all night to fix ropes. We aren't yet sure how thoroughly the ropes were fixed by a team which made the traverse from the North side of the mountain yesterday, but we are guessing there has still been some work to do.

While they didn't mention the wind being a big problem, Willie said it is really really cold up there right now. Even small amounts of wind can significantly decrease already cold temperatures, and at this point in the game frostbite can be a serious risk. Along with that, the body loses a lot of its ability to hold or create heat at such high altitudes. Luckily, the sun has just come up, and once they are in direct sunlight, which quickly follows up there at the top of the world, the temperatures could show a nice increase.

The South Summit is pretty far along the summit ridge, toward the main summit, and from it's peak the route drops down again before making a climb back up to the Hillary step. The HIllary step marks the most technical part of the climbing route, and once above it, the summit sucess rate is quite high. We think the boys are going to make it, and the earliest estimates are within 2 hours! Depending on circumstances, it could be as many as 4 or 5 hours, but for their sake we are hoping they maintain their great pace and get up and back down quickly and safely. We will post again as soon as we hear from them, probably at the Hillary step. Until then, we maintain vigil at base camp, and everyone is excited for their progress!

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May 16, 2007 - 2:00am- Balcony 27,500 feet

Hello back home! The team is making their way to the balcony, and while radio contact has been spotty, we have just heard that Willie is still out front fixing lines, and the team is following shortly behind. The weather got pretty rough at the south col, so it is a possibility that it is also rough up high, toward the summit. We hope they are maintaining decent visibility, and that not too much snow is falling. Yesterday evening at south col a little bit of snow fell, but at that time the winds were still low. We hope the winds are low on the way to the summit, too.

We at base camp have finished our game of mountaineering monopoly, and we are down to the last five party-goers, most of them party-sleepers at this point. The radio is on high and we are waiting for our next call. It is difficult for them to call frequently with all those layers of clothes, and plenty of technical climbing to contend with. They are now on the summit ridge, which is where it becomes more and more necessary to take precautions with exposure, as well.

We will check in again when we hear from them, and hope all is well at home.

May 15, 2007 - 9:30 pm- South Col 25,500 feet

The team has left the south col! They left camp III at 6:30 this morning and the first of them arrived by 11:00. They set up the tents and made camp, so that the entire team was cozied up at 25,500 feet by noon. A few other small teams were on their heels, so that in total, about 17 team members and 20 Sherpas will be leaving tonight for the summit. The boys all relaxed for the afternoon in preparation of the night's departure.

When climbing at these high altitudes, it is best to avoid travelling during the times of the day that are likely to bring the most turbulent weather, which is usually the afternoon and early evening. Also, if they can time a summit early in the morning, they have all day to get back down to camp in case of an emergency. With that in mind, they were all out of the tents and on the mountain by 9:30 pm, down suits and oxygen masks adorned. Willie left earlier than the rest of the team with three of our Sherpas. They will be out in front fixing all the lines, as they are the first team to move toward the summit this year. Word is a team attempted the summit last night and fixed some ropes, but didn't make it all the way. Willie anticipates having to fix lines for most of the climbing from the balcony on up. The balcony is at 27,500 feet, and he guesses his arrival time to be 12:30 in the morning. We should hear from them around that time, and we will report back to keep you posted! In the meantime, the base camp party is raging: competitive mountaineering monopoly, red vines, and coca-cola. We'll write again soon!

May 14, 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, on up to the colder parts of the world, away from the relative comforts of camp II. We gave a route description from camp II to camp III in a previous dispatch. Briefly, they leave camp II and continue up the Khumbu glacier until reaching the base of the Lhotse face. From there the climbing becomes much steeper, and the fixed lines are a safety measure that get used from time to time for little slips, keeping one right in place instead of subjected to a bigger fall. Camp III is in the middle of the Lhotse face, the tent platforms carved into the ice and snow. Tonight the team is in their two seperate tents, Eric and Willie in one, Bjorn and Eirik in the other.

They arrived at camp III in early afternoon, and 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, and the best bet is to plan ahead to bring the food you love the most. Chocolate, jerky, peanut butter, whatever it is, if you have it on hand and can eat a bunch of it, it is the best bet for giving yourself energy to climb higher. The boys report that they all had decent appetites, and they went to bed with the sun, before their bones were chilled by the night air.

Tonight they will start using oxygen, and will continue until they are back at camp III after their summit. The flow of oxygen used is based on the climber's needs, but it is best to start with a flow of 2 liters per minute. If, higher up, the climber's breathing becomes labored, the flow can be increased, so it's a good ace in the hole if a respiratory problem arises.

Tomorrow they will leave by 6:00 or 7:00am, and will hopefully arrive at the south col by early afternoon. If all goes well, and the weather holds up, they will spend a few hours resting, then start out for their summit bid around 9:00pm! Willie reports that today the weather was the best he has ever seen up there, so we hope for more of that for the next two days, and on up to the summit. But tomorrow morning they are likely to be feeling the chill in the early hours, starting out in their down suits and oxygen masks.

Everyone in camp is excited and supportive of their move on up the mountain, and tomorrow night, which is Tuesday morning for you at home, we will begin regular dispatches to keep everyone updated of their progress throughout the night, as they climb to the summit. Here in base camp tomorrow night Mountain Madness is hosting a summit night party, complete with movies and games and good food. We will stay tuned to the radio all night to check the climbers' progress, and make a big bed for the party-goers to sleep in the main tent! We seriously know how to party, and if we had a beer we might split it, but we don't. So coca-cola and red vines it will be, and we will be sending all our extra energy out to the climbers to keep it up, up top.

Stay tuned, this is an exciting time!

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May 13, 2007 Camp II

The team took a rest day at camp II today, their afternoon naps spoiling them for a good night of sleep. This is a minor complaint, and they are all happy to be there with our tents intact, and getting necessary rest. A few groups met them up there today, and it is as yet unknown whether those groups will be getting on Mountain Madness's schedule, or staying a day or two behind. At this point, most of our decisions hang on the weather forecasts. Being social is a good asset in this business, and as such we are able to gather lots of information by comparing our weather forecasts with several other groups'. All forecasts are calling for a decrease in summit wind speed from the 15th through 17th of May, and the team is setting up for a summit on the 16th. This would mean leaving on the night of the 15th around 9:00pm, and it's hard to believe that is less than 48 hours away. We are using every little clue in the forecasts to decide whether or not to push through now; tomorrow morning is essentially decision time. If the team moves to camp III they will begin using oxygen that night, which is a committing move. Not irreversible, but also not a decision made impulsively.

So all eyes and ears in base camp are alert with a view to gathering any information to help us make a decision. This is also a time of a lot of secrecy, each team wanting to keep its plans only in the hands of our co-conspirators. But secrecy here is a silly notion, so everyone has a pretty good idea what other teams are doing. That being said, it looks to us that Mountain Madness has the first intended summit date for the South side this season. Sources tell us that over 15 people have summitted on the North side so far, which is usually the case, the North side putting people up there much earlier. But a May 16th summit is plenty early for us, and we hope it works out.

Today Brian returned to base camp, after a nice rest down valley for about a week. The thicker air down there does wonders, and his cough seems to have found something else to do, as it has left him for a different, unknown host. We are so happy to have him back, and we are working on a seperate set of plans as to how he might still be able to summit. We will keep posting on this, as for now it hangs on a few, unknown factors. Luckily for us all, he seems to have given up on the emaciated beanpole look. He got plenty of exercize down valley, ate a lot of dahl baht, treated himself to mid-morning pastries at the Namche bakery, and made some friends along the way. Some of us are jealous of his little vacation.

The boys at camp II are all reporting excellent health. The familiar grounds of camp II are a comfort to them now that they are well-acclimatized to 21,000 feet. Pretty amazing to think about, especially for those of us used to the scale in the States. But here they are- strong and competent, confident climbers having laughs and fried chicken at such a height. Imagine looking at the tallest mountain in the United States, then stacking another one on top of it. The mountains here never start looking small, and the numerous daily avalanches and massive rock-fall never become blase'. We have come to identify their source from within our tents: this one was Pu Mori, the icefall, Lho La pass going big, Nuptse, or rockfall from the rear moraine wall at base camp.

So we can rest assured our boys have holed up for the night in comfort, and will be up early, hopefully to a calm, warm day, to make a big move in something they have been working on for 2 months, if not several years.

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May 12, 2007 Camp II

Tonight the team finds peaceful slumbers at 21,000 feet. 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 16th and maybe into the 17th. Beyond that there may be a few more days of bad weather, and based on that, the team decided last night to leave this morning, with the intention of summiting on the 16th!

Yesterday was spent in careful preparation packing, and soaking up the last bits of base camp's comforts for the next few days. The kitchen crew treated us well last night, sending the boys off with a many-layered chocolate cake, shared with some of our regular visitors. Everyone went to bed earlier than usual, yet some of us not sleeping as well as we'd like. This is an exciting time around base camp.

For the past few days we have had many little coffee and tea meetings with members of other expeditions, everyone comparing notes on weather forecasts, and putting together a plan for fixing ropes on summit day. This plan is mostly based on who will be there initially, and for now Mountain Madness seems to be among the first to start the push. So, many teams are supporting each other in decision making, and trying to spread out the work for summit day. For the most part, a plan has to be flexible, and the team's safety is top priority. The nice part of starting a summit attempt so early in the season is that it leaves extra time if this one can't happen. But all our energies are focused on bringing some calm weather and keeping the team healthy and strong up there, and hoping this trip is the ticket.

A cold, windy snowstorm brought in the morning today, and brave is the climber who boots up in this weather to leave his warm tent and go higher. All our boys faced it in good form, charging into the cloud engulfing the icefall, warming up by moving, and doing the best with his gloves that he can to clip each rope. Not an hour into it we recieved word from another group that their camp II tents had been blown over, some of them destroyed. Apparently, the wind began blowing hard this morning at the camp II level, and even with a few people up there from various teams, was powerful enough to out-do their salvaging efforts and lift a few loose flaps. Luckily, the teams whose camps were hit the hardest have some extra supplies, and their camps should be put back together soon. Even more luckily, the Mountain Madness tents were spared, with the exception of a little snow finding its way through a few zippers. So, an hour into the icefall, and with the information of this windstorm, Willie and the team were undecided as to whether they should go up or down.

Willie chose up, and the team reconvened at camp I, above the icefall, where the clouds were already lifting, and the winds were mild. After a short rest they made excellent time to camp II, and decided upon arrival that they would spend the night, and take a layover day tomorrow. They helped out with piecing together some other camps, and took warm naps while the wind slowed down and the sun set between the walls of the canyon that opens to the west of the western cwm. This "canyon" is formed by the towering cliffs of Nuptse to the left, and Everest's southern wall on the right, a warm sun dropping ahead into the cracks and seracs of Pumori and Lingtren. What a place to watch a sunset!

The next matter of business was a nap. Reports are that everyone slept very well, so they are off to a good start. After so many rest days the climbing was sure to be a welcome change, and also brought the blanket of sleep over them more heavily than a day of movie viewing will. Most of the climbing was through about 4" of fresh snow, which is enough to soften the step, but not enough to slow anyone down. After napping they were catered to as usual by Super-Mila, the camp II cook, and back to bed before the cold night kicked in.

We know there are many supporters of these climbers out there, and be assured you are in their thoughts, as well. As this is perhaps their summit attempt, their fans (you) can be assured we will give regular daily updates. Summit night might be coming very soon, indeed, so wish the boys all the best. Goodnight.

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May 10, 2007 Everest Base Camp

We're racking up the rest days and waiting out the weather here at base camp. Our original idea of leaving on May 9 to begin the summit climb has been pushed back a couple of days, and now the team intends to leave on May 12. That makes tomorrow their last day at base camp, unless the weather plays tricks on us again. Some forecasts call for moderate winds, but it's hard to say with any accuracy that far ahead. For now, everyone will spend tomorrow gearing up for the big move! Hopefully this all runs smoothly.

Yesterday was another day well-spent with training for the Sherpas. We walked to a steep ice pinnacle on the edge of base camp to set up crevasse rescue scenarios. Willie led the charge by making Jaime his first victim of a mock crevasse fall. He set up an anchor up top and lowered himself down into the "crevasse" to get to Jaime. He then rigged Jaime to the rope, jumarred back up the rope, and set up a 3:1 hauling system to pull Jaime up, which worked marvellously. Covering a few days of material in about 20 minutes (building anchors, several knots, systems, and tricks) you would think the Sherpas heads would be spinning. But they are amazingly fast learners, and splitting into two groups, spending about three hours doing several more scenarios, they were all able to do it on their own, and quite quickly. We were very impressed; the boys are very keen to pick up on new skills to make them even better at what they do. A big thanks to Willie for choosing to spend his rest days with Sherpas from many teams, and teaching them what might save a life one day.

After that there was a lot more socializing and some afternoon naps. Bjorn, Eirik and Eric hiked to Gorak Shep and were back in time for lunch. There's not a lot to do in Gorak Shep, but, relatively speaking, it is the big city, with interior plumbing, permanent structures, and purchasable wares for the taking. We've become regulars at entertaining dinner guests, which keeps our days so much more interesting. We've got a regular little group going for sharing stories and whatever good food any of us can dig up from our barrels. These are sometimes the difficult days of a climbing trip- the waiting. Most of our time here is spent acclimatizing, with little waiting games being played out in the later part of May. But it actually gets much worse in other areas of the world where the weather is even more volatile, and many such a story is told of spending an entire month in a tent (not a base camp dining tent, a tent,) without a single bit of climbing to speak of. So we don't have it so bad here.

It is important that the climbers stay active to keep their bodies healthy and muscles working, and they are doing well with that. But be assured, every member of the team is ready to plant his body on top of the biggest rock on earth, then return safely home to his family. Some of them are asking themselves the age old question: Um, what am I doing here again? Tonight we watched a surfing movie, and more than a few minds were wondering if beach sports might not be a good outlet for our athletic energy. But like it or not, we are mostly burdened with the same affliction- a bad memory, and the love of big mountains. That is what sets the mind to planning the next adventure, often only minutes after returning safely from the present one. It's silly enough to laugh at, the way our memories elude us. But here we all are, and for most of us this isn't the end of it.

So for now, wish the boys luck on keeping their heads in the game and their bodies healthy. Goodnight

*******

May 10, 2007

Hi folks!

This is Casey reporting in from Kathmandu. Last time you heard from us Mostafa and I were headed back up to B.C. to give the climb another shot. We had a good rest in Namche and spent 3 days walking back to the mountain. We were ready to give it another shot after doing "laps" on the trekking route!

Once back at the mountain we rested for a couple days before waking up early in the morning to try and go up to C1 and C2.

Mostafa's cough came back once we returned to the thin, dry, cold air at B.C. The morning we were to go to C1/C2 he couldn't raise his arm and his side(ribs) hurt quite a bit. Just taking deep breaths was a chore(which isn't good when exerting energy above 6000m!). He had been coughing all night. If we were to try and get through the ice-fall one more time there is a good chance that Mostafa's condition would get really bad at C1 or C2 and his condition would make just getting him down quite dangerous.

It is a shame to plan so much and to prepare/train so hard and have these things happen, but with the length of the trip and the high altitude of even basecamp, anything can happen. Your body is always struggling to deal with different variables. Such is the nature of big mountain expedition climbing...

He now has his arm in a sling to help his ribs recover and the return to lower, more humid environs will aid in his recovery. The doctors say he has probably cracked or separated some ribs as a result of his cough. The peak will not be an option this year. He is dissapointed in not getting a second attempt this year but excited to see his sweetie and their 3-month old son!

It has been a great group to hang out with. As the trip started we all discussed that the biggest focus on a trip such as this is the need to connect as a group, have fun and to be as safe as possible on an 8000m. peak. We definitely accomplished this and hopefully we all get a chance to climb together again sometime soon! We wish the rest of the group the best of luck and to climb safe.

Cheers, Casey

-due to my lack of acclimatization in the schedule (being so far behind -weeks- in the rest of the group's schedule at this stage of the expedition) I will also be calling it quits...

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May 8, 2007 Everest Base Camp

Today was a fun day at base camp, beginning with morning coffee with friends. On a good day we can stretch this out for a couple of hours, usually with plenty of laughing and plotting of sinister pranks, most never to be realized. We have become experts at entertaining ourselves, we proudly admit, and if finding oneself to be uncommonly funny is indeed a valuable attribute, well, we are all high achievers. Many have dedicated ourselves to what can be tactfully be called "enlightening" Eric, but really we're just corrupting him. Such is the result of a group of active people held captive in a dining tent for a week. We are on about our 20th movie.

So today, before things got too silly at coffee hour, we made valuable use of our time doing some training with the Sherpas. Within the past few years a great effort has been made to train Sherpas on climbing techniques, most prominently through the Khumbu climbing school. This school operates in January with the help of western climbing guides, in the small town of Phortse. Through this program the Sherpas have become exceptionally good at their spring jobs of climbing on Everest, safe in climbing techniques as well as infinitely strong. So, in the spirit of this training, Willie has in past years organized small first aid and rescue training courses at base camp for interested Sherpas.

Today we started with basic first aid training, focusing on trauma management, high altitude problems, cold issues, snow blindness, and any of the little things one is likely to encounter high in the Himalaya. This was fun to teach, and we had about 25 Sherpas in attendance from 5 or 6 different teams. We covered a couple of litter-carry techniques, which we will do more of tomorrow, along with crevasse rescue and hauling techniques. It's a good way to keep occupied at base camp, and valuable information for those in attendance. Our next task at hand was more a necessity than a scheduled event. We have been living lives of adventure and danger lately. No, not the climbing of Mt. Everest, I'm talking about the crevasse-fill we have trusted our lives to these five weeks past. Just that side of our dining tent is a long, deep crevasse which serves nicely as a moat about our private little location on the glacier. Of course we, as residents, need to cross the crevasse from time to time ourselves. Easy was the solution to this problem upon arrival, when the local crew did a complete fill with hundreds of pounds of rock. Like everything else it has progressively melted out and become undercut. We all but laughed in the face of danger each time we scurried across its expanse, rocks tumbling from beneath our very feet. We listened to it progressively crumble to bits from within our dining tent, yet without batting an eyelash trusted it time and time again to its purpose. But alas, today, its last supporting rock tumbled, and we called in all the troops for a complete renovation. We put in enough work to justify the 5 rupee toll we have imposed upon its commuters.

More training in store for tomorrow, more mining for our favorite jelly bean flavors, and probably more coffee with friends. Life is indeed good.

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May 6, 2007 Base Camp

Another rest day at base camp, though today everyone seemed to be antsy enough to get up and move. There is plenty to do within a short walk of base camp, and off the glacier, which is about twenty minutes of walking along ice, topped by granite boulders and gravel of all sizes. The weather seems to have warmed considerably, since everything is melting, and in many places the rocks are like ball bearings in water running over ice. Usually there are one or two good wipe-outs per day. In some parts of the glacier the water is running in streams which, with eyes closed and ears alert, call to mind the grassy, green organic streams of home. Straight off the glacier the trail is gained along the moraine, and the walking gets considerably easier. The whole team left base camp today, with Eirik, Bjorn and Trond hiking up toward the mountain Pu Mori. Eric, Willie and Teddy went with a friend to some bouldering rocks just a few minutes walk beyond the moraine. Some did more bouldering than others (Willie), and we were all lulled into a nap by the mid-morning sun. For the truly adventurous, another hour's hike will take you to the town of Gorak Shep for lunch, but for the most part our recreation is in the immediate vicinity.

Yesterday Willie, Teddy and Jaime did some more ice bouldering in a cave under the glacier. The cave is about eight feet tall and twenty feet long, and the overhung walls slope upward to meet at the top. The walls are sheer glassy ice with a couple of rocks suspended within them, making for welcome footholds along the traverse. Plenty of light comes in through the opening, and in the warm mid-mornings it is quite a nice private little gathering place.

The path home from the bouldering rocks and the ice cave fortuitously passes by, believe it or not, the Everest Base Camp Bakery. Dawa Sherpa and Tsira Sherpa have found a magical way to cook banana bread, pumpkin bread, cookies and apple pie, at 17,500 feet, that calls to mind nothing less than Christmas at Grandma's. They have no shortage of fans, and the Mountain Madness team may be their latest captives.

As can naturally be expected, there is a lot of socializing at base camp. Eight-hundred people living on one glacier must have something in common, and more often than not that is climbing, and a sense of humor. There are a few alluring haunts about town where we catch up with our friends, drink coffee, and sun ourselves before the snow starts falling, usually beginning between noon and 2:00pm. It's pretty easy living, with every meal prepared for us, no bills to pay or gas-tank to fill, no alarm clock or housecleaning, just the basics: waking up, getting dressed, eating, staying healthy, and sleeping. This is especially well-deserved after several nights spent in cold, high camps on the mountain.

Tomorrow is another rest day at base camp. With any luck we will get an early weather window and the team can get on top of the mountain soon! In the meantime we will keep looking for fun at base camp.

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May 4, 2007 Everest Base Camp

We are all here enjoying rest day upon rest day at base camp, and for the most part we are strong and healthy. While climbing days entail big goals, ie: avoiding rock fall, crevasses, staying warm, breathing, and paying attention to every move... rest days command a different set of goals, along the lines of: eating as much as possible, and taking afternoon naps in between movie viewing. Everyone earned top points in these today and yesterday.

Brian's cough has hung on pretty tenaciously, and he will have to drop down-valley tomorrow in hopes of quick recovery. Staying healthy is the name of the game up here, and sometimes, when something grabs you early on, it just doesn't relent in this thin air. We don't yet know what this means for Brian's summit possibilities, but of course all of us here, and the hundreds who send him emails from home, wish him the very best recovery and safe proceedings.

The team, being all acclimatized, would like an early summit window, but can not yet predict when that will be, based on the big storm patterns that have returned the past couple of days. Yesterday and today we recieved six inches of snow at base camp in the afternoons, which then melts away fast in the sunny mornings. The white blanket makes for a nice change of scenery, and also gives a perfect reason (excuse) for the boys to stay inside with movies. So, when the weather stabilizes a bit, we might be able to make some summit plans. Since it is not snowing quite so much up high, the Sherpas have been able to make good progress in fixing lines and stocking food and supplies to camp IV. Once this is done, everything is in place for a summit push, with the lines being fixed to the summit on summit day itself, by whichever team is the first to make that move. So for now, we wait to see how mother nature treats us.

As for Chomolungma, the mountain mother, we can guess that over the millennia she has persisted unperturbed whether there are climbers on her flanks, or not. Chomolungma is the beautiful Tibetan name for Mt. Everest, and it literally means Mother Goddess of the Earth- a more expansive moniker cannot be imagined. According to Bhuddist lore, Guru Rinpoche first ascended Chomolungma on a ray of sunlight when he introduced Bhuddism to Tibet in the ninth century. The name Everest was applied in 1865 for Sir George Everest, head of the British-controlled Indian survey that first determined the mountain's height. The 1920's marked an era of several attempts at climbing the mountain, via the northern/ Tibetan side. The most fateful of these is the famed Mallory-Irvine expedition in which both men died. Nepal was opened to visitors in the early 1950's, and this allowed for the British expedition led by J. Hunt to put Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa on the summit in 1953. As is the case with all exploration and technology, the vast improvements in equipment, and increased knowledge base, have advanced this past-time considerably in the past fifty years. To date over 1,000 people have summitted Mt. Everest.

We are all here for our own reasons, probably representing a broad spectrum indeed. But while we are here we are a cohesive unit, everyone looking out for eachother and learning about ourselves. This is one of the gifts of an expedition, removal from the usual distractions of another world, and a lot of time alone with one's thoughts. If there happens to be stunning scenery, challenging climbing, and a good dose of practical skills learned to go with the laughs and the teamwork, why, all the more complete an experience can an expedition be. With that in mind, we assure everyone at home that the climbers are well-looked after by the guides, Sherpas, and each other, and that we have plenty of good laughs and stories to fill in the lulls between suffering away on the mountain. Good night.

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May 2, 2007 Everest Base Camp

Hello from base camp, where the team has rejoined just in time for Eric's 24th birthday party! Eric, E