Heading to C4

UPDATE:  The team is headed to Camp 4, they are about half way so far and making great progress!  Lhakpa says they are doing well and that the weather is good so far!  Keep the good news coming!

Camp 3- Lines Are Fixed!!

The lines are finally fixed to the top!  A sherpa team made it early this morning and there were a few sherpa summits!  

I just heard from Lhakpa, the team made it safely to Camp 3, had dinner and are now sleeping on oxygen.  He said they are doing great.  The plan is to head to Camp 4 in the morning, rest for a few hours and start heading for the summit probably between 9pm to midnight (their time on the 16th).  So hopefully watch for an update between 5pm-midnight (our time) tomorrow night (16th!)  I'm not sure they will have a way to text/call but Lhakpa should be able to text us.  

From everything we have heard this will be a fairly short weather window so they need a bit of luck and prayers right now!  The great news is most of the teams are still at base camp so hopefully they will not see the crowding issues that were a big concern earlier.  Historically, this team is usually able to move pretty fast if they are not stuck behind other people so let's hope they are still able to do so at this altitude (relatively speaking.) 

Climb On- to the top!

Moving to C3

Just got a message from Lhakpa that the team is moving up to camp 3.  He says the weather has been very good up there and looks good.  He said the group is doing great and safe so far.  He will update us when they get there!

Camp 2

 I received a message from Lhakpa this morning that the team made it to camp 2 and is resting now.  They stay here two nights to recover and conserve energy for the next push. Hopefully more good news to come! 

And So It Begins!

This morning Dave let me know that they have decided to start heading up for their summit bid!  They will leave EBC around 3am and the goal is to make it to camp 2.  Dave has taught me to never get too far ahead of myself on planning out their summit days because there can always be outside factors.  But for those of you that might enjoy speculating and wishful thinking, here is the proposed schedule taken from Larry's earlier FB post:

Day 1: EBC to C2 (May 13)
Day 2: Rest (May 14)
Day 3: Move to C3 - start O2 (May 15)
Day 4: Move to South Col (C4) (May 16)
Day 5: Summit, descend as low as possible, ideally C2 (May 17)
Day 6: Descend to EBC (May 18)
Day 7: Return to Kathmandu by chopper and fly home as soon as flights can be arranged (Yes, this will be great!) 

As for the summit night, people have asked me what the plan usually is so I wanted to put it here (as best as I understand it.)  Once they get to Camp 4 (South Col) they will rest for a few hours until they are ready to head out to summit.  So they don't really "sleep there" just resting and waiting.  They will leave anytime from 9pm to midnight. Dave said it should be around 8 to 12 hrs up to the top, half that to get down. However, crowds usually dictate the amount of time it takes.  So if you don't feel like doing math this early in the morning, it means they will potentially summit anywhere from 6am-noon(ish) on the 17th- or 6pm to midnight on the 16th OUR TIME. PS- if anyone who knows more than I do is reading this and realizes I've made a mistake or miscalculation- please let me know!  I'm actually not even sure what day it is anymore :)

A word on crowds- I have been reading a lot of different blogs of teams who are there and others who have insider information.  It seems that the general vibe is that there are a lot of people and a lot of permits but not an exorbitant amount like they were once worried about.  Everyone was talking about how crowded it would be this year and so far, that doesn't seem to be a huge factor.  That might be a different story once they are up there, but let's hope not.

So now is the time to start sending positive vibes and prayers their way.  They are about 12 hours ahead of us here in Utah.  I was able to connect with Lhakpa on WhatsApp so I'm hoping to get updates at least once a day.  The guys also have the In Reach device that is not the most user friendly necessarily but can get short messages out usually.  We will also be tracking their progress on the spot tracker:

https://share.garmin.com/RadHopeEverest

I'm not sure if the battery will hold out long enough to track the full expedition, I know it was giving them some issues on their last rotation so it might not be fully accurate.  But let's hope we can watch them all the way to the summit!  Keep good thoughts!

Everest: No Respecter of Persons

Larry's Facebook Post:

Today I feel a bit like my 5 year-old boy Charlie attempting to scale the world's highest peak. The last 24 hours have been a humbling reminder that the mountain has no emotion and does not care - we are at her mercy and, in the words of Tenzing Norgay, can only hope she allows us to reach the summit as a child crawls onto his mother's lap. There is no conquering of this mountain.

We had received word yesterday morning that the fixed lines were placed to the summit. This early report was incorrect. Lines are in as high as The Balcony, but the Sherpas had to turn back due to deep snow and unsafe climbing​ conditions.

Weather the next few days calls for very heavy additional snow, meaning it's very unlikely IMO that the lines will be in for at least several more days - assuming the forecast is accurate.

Bottom line, we will continue to be patient and adjust our schedule as needed. But our window of reaching the summit on May 16th as we were planning, is seeming increasingly unlikely.

For now, we're staying in Namche for one more night with plans to return to EBC tomorrow. Hoping we can start moving up the mountain within a few days, but the weather and Sagarmatha dictate those plans. We will do what is safe.

Once we do start moving, our planned schedule looks like this:

Day 1: EBC to C2

Day 2: Rest

Day 3: Move to C3 - start O2

Day 4: Move to South Col (C4)

Day 5: Summit, descend as low as possible, ideally C2

Day 6: Descend to EBC

Day 7: Return to Kathmandu by chopper and fly home as soon as flights can be arranged

Despite the bummer news of the past 24 hours, we all remain optimistic and hopeful. Just a stark reminder of the need to be patient and that we are not in charge, the mountain is.

As an aside, today is Buddha's birthday celebration in Namche. We are about to witness a parade from the monastery. One of the Buddha quotes hanging on a banner in town reads:

"There is nothing more dreadful than the habit of doubt. Doubt separates people. It is a poison that disintegrates friendships and breaks up pleasant relations. It is a thorn that irritates and hurts; it is a sword that kills."

So I'll say it again - Climb On!!

Having the guys go back to EBC is good because they will be in position but just tougher conditions up there.  Also, the internet is pretty spotty so it will be back to random small spurts of communication.  I have enjoyed talking on the phone and being able to text with Dave a ton these last few days as well as get these awesome long updates from Larry.  Each day, I constantly refresh several different blogs I have found of teams who are up there and others who seem to have inside information.  It's helpful to me because these are some of the only places on the internet I can actually go that speak positively about this journey- and come from knowledgeable people who are not skewed by sensationalism.  Once I tried to google "Everest wives support"... yeah, that doesn't really exist (and not a great idea to look anything like that up by the way haha.)  Chaci, Prairie and I (Brandon and Larry's wives) have each other which is such a blessing!

These guys have such a great outlook at a time where I'm sure it is difficult to stay positive.  Dave told me yesterday that he is in it for the long haul, if there is a chance to summit he will stay to do it.  Thankfully there are so many great people at home who help support the rest of us.  There was a time a few days ago I though he might be able to get up there early and come back within the next week.  I should know better than to get my hopes up- this isn't my first rodeo :)

Tenzing Norgay

Larry does it again, here's another great post!  

Today we trekked to the Sherpa museum and statue of Sherpa Tenzing Norgay (who summited with Hillary in '53).

Pictured is our head guide and Everest legend, Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa, who holds the world record for the fastest ascent of Mt Everest in 2002 with an ascent from EBC to summit in a smoking 10 hours and 56 minutes. To put it into perspective, it takes most teams 4-6 days to accomplish the same feat. You might say our team of 4 is in good hands!! We have a 1:1 ratio of Sherpa to climbers (with a backup Sherpa as well) and each of our Sherpas have been to the summit at least once, most many times.

As to an update, high winds have continued to prevent completion of fixed lines from Camp 4, so no teams have summited to date. Likely, the ropes will be in place by May 10th.

Our Sherpas have been working tirelessly to stock the upper camps with oxygen, tents and other supplies.

We are aiming to leave EBC May 12 which would put us on top on May 16 if all goes according to plan.

Until then, resting up for another day or two in Namche. Weather down here is perfect!

Looking forward to getting back to EBC and starting the climb in earnest.

Climb on!

Side note, I just read some other information that the winds have died down and there possibly might be a sherpa summit within the next 24 hours.  This might move their date up a day or 2, just depending on logistics.  Let's hope it gets some groups to the summit and back down in the next few days to let the crowds die down a bit!