Everest 2024: Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 5–Arrival At Base Camp

Part 5 of Everyday Everest, my new Podcast series, drops today with chapters 14, 15 and 16. I’ll continue my annual coverage as usual.

Based on my 2020 Virtual Everest series, Everyday Everest follows a fictional team of nine climbers and their personal Sherpas from leaving home to trekking to base camp, acclimatizing, and finally, on their summit push, returning home. I’ll have a twenty-minute episode a few times weekly for the next two months.

In Part 4, our protagonist, Harper, now at Everest Base Camp, is enjoying the smells from home as she unpacked her duffle when she is suddenly interrupted:

As Harper pulled her pillow out of the duffel, the scent of laundry detergent filled the tent’s confines. Harper pulled it close, pushing it against her face into it, deeply, with intention. She drew a deep breath as the smell rubbed off. Now, she smelled like home. 

For a moment, she was transported half a world away to those most important in her life. She saw faces, heard laughter, felt love. Harper smiled. She took out her small picture album, preferring to have printed pictures she could hold than electronic ones on her phone.

With a jolt, Harper was brought back to the present, her attention shifting to the sound of footsteps. Big footsteps and a bell. Again, she leaned forward for a look-see. She made eye contact with her visitor.

He was 600 pounds, covered in fur, but had gentle eyes. He could have been a she, hard to tell.

The bell, a yak bell, around his/her neck, clanged with the resonance of a well-designed church bell. His job completed, his load delivered to base camp, he was meandering around camp, loose from his tether, searching for a bit of lunch. He moved on. “

The main characters are

1. Harper – protagonist, strong climber,  Aconcagua, Denali (Husband -Marc, Daughter – Olivia, Son – Jay)
2. Dutch – solid climber, quirky
3. Tony – solid climber, introvert, impatient
4. Michael – Good experience, Manaslu, good friend
5. Jim – Second Everest attempt, not strong
6. Aaron – good climber, strong friend
7. Bart – good climber, strong friend
8. Pablo – weak mentally, Aconcagua, Denali
9. Claudia – strong climber,  Aconcagua, Denali
10. Guide John Paul – highly experienced, patient, good leader
11. Sidar and Guide – Dawa Sherpa
12. Guide – Gyalzen Sherpa
13. Guide – Tenzing Sherpa

We will go through Everest climbing each day as the team arrives in Kathmandu, flies to Luka, and treks to EBC. We’ll follow them at base camp through the acclimatization rotations and receive invaluable help from the Icefall Doctors and Climbing Sherpas. And, of course, the summit pushes starting in mid-May.

While there will be accurate historical references, this series is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Now, Part 5, “Arrival At Base Camp”

Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything

Everyday Everest Part 5 Podcast

Previous Everyday Everest Episodes

• Everest 2024: Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 4–Blessing in the Khumbu
• Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 3–The Trek Begins
• Everyday Everest Podcast Series Part 2–Hello Kathmandu
• Everyday Everest Podcast Series–Welcome and Part 1

You can listen to #everest2024 podcasts on Spotify, Apple Podcast, Breaker, YouTube, Pocket Casts, RadioPublic, Anchor, and more. Just search for “alan arnette” on your favorite podcast platform.

Preparing for Everest is more than Training

If you dream of climbing mountains but are unsure how to start or reach your next level, from a Colorado 14er to Rainier, Everest, or even K2, we can help. Summit Coach is a consulting service that helps aspiring climbers worldwide achieve their goals through a personalized set of consulting services based on Alan Arnette’s 30 years of high-altitude mountain experience and 30 years as a business executive. Please see our prices and services on the Summit Coach website.

Everest Season Special through May 31, 2024: 10% discount on all plans. Mention Everest 2024.