Ready to Climb!
What a difference a day (or week) makes! I came down from C3 last Wednesday basically shattered. My upper repository lung infection was taking control and I was in a battle for the future of my climb. Combined with my personal battle was the fact that Everest weather this year has been down right strange. […]
The Final 2 Minutes
While the title of this dispatch may not resonate with those outside of the US, it seems true of many sports that for most of the game, professional sports teams seem to trade goals waiting for the final two minutes before getting serious about wining or losing. Well, climbing is kind of like that. We […]
The Western Cwm: Best and Worst of Times
“It was the of time, it was the worst of times” so started The Tale of Two Cities. The same might be said of my last 5 nights in the Western Cwm. As I wrote in my last dispatch from Camp 1, I arrived in good time for me, felt great and was once again […]
Audio Dispatch from Mt. Everest
This is the latest audio dispatch live from Mt. Everest; the third of Alan's 7 Summits climbs. These climbs are to raise Alzheimer's awareness and $1M for research. Please donate today. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Audio Dispatch from Mt. Everest
This is the latest audio dispatch live from Mt. Everest; the third of Alan's 7 Summits climbs. These climbs are to raise Alzheimer's awareness and $1M for research. Please donate today. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Wobbly Ladders to Camp 1
As I left my left my tent at 3:30 AM this morning, I could see the flames from the juniper boughs. Breakfast was a fast ordeal as was dressing, packing and a final gear review.With a handful of rice each, Kami and I passed through the smoke. He chanted…
Entering the Western Cwm
I leave for my first rotation to the high camps in about 12 hours. We will get up abut 3:00 AM for a breakfast of toast and a single fried egg, maybe a cup of coffee. Then along with our personal Sherpa we will pass the puja alter and through the smoke from burning juniper. […]
Gurgeling at Everest Base Camp
“You don’t look good” said a teammate to me during Sunday’s dinner. We both laughed as I refuted his comment, > but he was right. I finished dinner and went to bed at 7:30; normal for almost all the team. A simple gurgle then a swoosh caused my eyes to open with urgency. No, store […]
The Winds of Everest
I walked as far as I could today. OK,that sounded worse than I meant. I walked from my tent to the end of Everest Base Camp at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall.As I left the noise of stoves, music, movies and yak traffic; a sound etched deep in my memory…
A Puja for Climbing, A Call to Action
Ceremonies mark life. Many come with a birth of a child, ment a union of a couple or upon death. Today, we had a ceremony to climb a mountain but as with all ceremonies it meant much more. The puja is a traditional ceremony lead by a Lama where the mountain Gods are asked permission […]