The Blog on alanarnette.com

My throat was so tight, I couldn’t swallow. My chest felt like it was exploding from the inside out. And with every step I took higher, the pain level increased. So, why in the world would I take another step towards the summit of Imja Tse aka Island Peak this Saturday in October 2018? The Long Goodbye One of the worst days of my life was in 2006 when I stood in my parent’s bedroom with my mom, Ida, standing in front of me. “Mom lets get a few things so you can spend the night.” She looked up at continue reading

Well time has come to stop posting and to start climbing! First I wish all a happy Dashain. Kami and I leave Tomorrow 19 Oct for Island Peak. The summit is on the ridge far behind the face as shown in the pictures. Today we did our final acclimatization hike to Chungkung Ri, about 17,700’ more or less. We were rewarded with clear, sharp views of Cho Oyu, Pumori, Nuptse, Lhotse, Peak 38, Island Peak, Makalu and of course, Ama Dablam. they were stunning. The weather forecast hasn’t changed a lot so we are expecting sub 0F wind chills and continue reading

As Kami and I arrived in Dingboche this morning, we were treated with a perfect view of Imja Tse aka Island Peak, only seven miles away.  I stopped in my tracks to study our objective. Even though I have seen this view many times before, my eye had always focused on the 8000er Lhotse looming high above the “lesser” peaks to her east. This time is different. Our plan is to leave base camp in the single digit hours of early Saturday, October 20. We hope to summit perhaps 5 to 7 hours later, perhaps longer depending on many variables. continue reading

Setting and striving to achieve hard goals is central to my life. I’ve found that when I lack a goal, I feel like I’m drifting with no destination in sight. Thus today was a milestone in a series of goals I set almost two years ago. When that 100 mph wind gust sent me spinning into a rock field breaking my face and leg I knew my life would never be the same. However, I almost immediately began setting goals as to my progress, both short and long term. But, I didn’t know what I didn’t know and that unknown continue reading

I spent the day visiting a few of my favorite places around Namche Bazaar. A few photos from the day. Thanks to all who donated yesterday. We are at $4,925 of the $10,000 goal. Aiming for $25,000 including the matching grant. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything