post<\/a>, I discussed the final\u00a0steps in training, gear and being prepared for summiting but let’s take a closer look at three areas: Physical, Mental and Emotional.<\/p>\nPhysical<\/h3>\n
With three weeks to go, this area is greatly simplified from a year ago. Bottom line – don’t get sick, don’t get hurt. The time for pushing your limits has passed. Now is the time to let your body rest. Get as much sleep as you can. A restful sleep is when your\u00a0body heals itself and restores. You will not sleep as well during your expedition as you do at home so take advantage of these last few weeks.<\/p>\n
Mental<\/h3>\n
Having the right attitude is crucial to a successful expedition. First, clear\u00a0off all the items on your todo list now, don’t wait until the last minute. If you have\u00a0been putting off buying snacks, that last piece of gear, making sure your cell phone works with the NCELL network – get ‘er done.<\/p>\n
This is the time to get everything at work in order. Train your replacement, talk to your boss, make\u00a0sure there are no loose ends and no surprises that will haunt\u00a0you during the climb. Two months is a longtime way from work. If something blows up in week five, there is nothing you can do about it from Everest, but you can make sure you have\u00a0done all you can now, before you leave.<\/p>\n
But don’t\u00a0over do it. Trust those you leave behind to do the right thing. If you don’t, you probably shouldn’t be going.<\/p>\n
If you are a list person, make a list and celebrate checking off the items. If you keep everything in your head, consider using lists\u00a0to clear your brain for more important subjects.<\/p>\n
Having these monkeys on your shoulder only weighs you down and distracts you from what\u00a0is most important, preparing yourself emotionally.<\/p>\n
Emotional<\/h3>\n
This is probably the most important of these three areas. My simple advice: leave nothing left unsaid.<\/p>\n
I’ve written about\u00a0this philosophy for my own climbs and about Everest for over a decade and it remains the best advice I can give anyone leaving for\u00a0Everest.<\/p>\n
Closure<\/strong><\/p>\nI remember overhearing a teammate on an 8000 meter climb literally yelling at his soon to be ex-wife about divorce terms. Not only was he seriously upset and distracted but it brought a wave of negativity\u00a0over the entire camp.<\/p>\n
Another teammate was intent\u00a0on complaining\u00a0about her\u00a0spouse and how she was misunderstood. While she may have\u00a0felt better, the negativity was unnecessary and\u00a0not helpful to everyone else.<\/p>\n
Everyone has emotional baggage they carry with them, but an Everest expedition is not the time or place to resolve them.\u00a0Your Everest\u00a0teammates are not your theaparists.<\/p>\n
Now, this week, is the time to begin to get closure. No you cannot solve years long issues in a few days but you can try to get agreement and closure on some areas.<\/p>\n
Family Meeting<\/strong><\/p>\nNow is the time to have a family talk about your climb. Get everyone together in the same room and talk openly about\u00a0the schedule, what to expect, when you will call or send an email. Set expectations so you minimize surprises. And remember to tell everyone that no news is not bad news, it is just no news.<\/p>\n
Make sure that everyone knows Everest Base camp is remote and\u00a0communications is spotty, regardless of what they may read. If voice to voice live communications is important to you, buy or rent a Thuraya or Iridium satellite phone. It is the only method you can\u00a0100% count on from anywhere on the mountain. Yes, it is expensive but hearing your loved one’s voice after\u00a0a disaster like an avalanche or earthquake is beyond measure.<\/p>\n
If you have parents that live far away, take time to call them, listen carefully to their fears. Talk them thru everything. Of all people, they most likely don’t understand\u00a0why you are climbing. This is not the time to argue, it is the time to listen and tell them that you understand that they don’t understand and\u00a0that you love them.<\/p>\n
Communications\u00a0<\/strong>Blackout<\/b><\/p>\nTalk about your summit night, when you will leave. Calculate the time difference so they are clear if you say you are leaving High Camp\u00a0at 10:00 pm, what time that is at home. Talk about it may take 12 to 20 hours before they might hear anything. And talk about your guide or logistics service and what they post\u00a0on the web. Most importantly, talk about the lack of communications that always occurs during this time.<\/p>\n
If you will use a GPS tracker set expectations that batteries go dead, the devices are not 100% accurate so again, don’t jump to a conclusion when something looks odd. Talk about what they might read on the Internet and how the press loves to post stories about climbers\u00a0in trouble and death on the mountain. Set up a support system if something\u00a0does go horribly bad. It is OK to talk about problems and what to do.<\/p>\n
Who to Call?<\/strong><\/p>\nMake sure your spouse, partner, significant-other knows\u00a0who to contact in case of an emergency. If you are going with a well established western company, they will probably provide a contact available 24 hours a day. If you are\u00a0climbing with a small outfit, or one of\u00a0the Sherpa based guides, double and triple check how to get in contact with them in case of an emergency.<\/p>\n
This is one area to make sure there is no confusion. If you have\u00a0an email or a phone number for your guide service, ask how often it is checked and by whom. You might be surprised to learn it is monitored by the same person you are climbing with and if you are both at Camp 3, that means no one will answer the phone or respond to that email.<\/p>\n
How Much Information?<\/strong><\/p>\nIf someone close to you is currently ill, be clear on what information you would like to receive if things turn bad. Don’t leave it up to those at home to guess. Talk it over now, face to face.<\/p>\n
But it gets harder. Make sure your “person” knows exactly what your\u00a0decision is\u00a0should something happens to you on the mountain. If you die, do you want\u00a0your body to be returned home, if it possible and you can afford it? If not, are you comfortable being left on the mountain forever? Are\u00a0your loved ones comfortable with your choice?<\/p>\n
Have the Talk<\/strong><\/p>\nBut this\u00a0is the most important emotional step of all. Have a conversation with the one person in your life that matters the most to you. Be open, candid, honest. Tell them how you feel. Share with them your dreams, your hopes. Listen carefully as they tell you their fears, what\u00a0will keep them up at night.<\/p>\n
While you may be on the mountain, they are climbing with you each step of the way back home. You have\u00a0the advantage of knowing what is going\u00a0on, they can only guess and sometimes they will guess wrong.<\/p>\n
Often there are no answers to these fears, these dreams, but talking about them together will help you feel closer when you are lying in the tent at Camp 4, with the wind howling and the temperature dropping. You will remember that conversation forever.<\/p>\n
Surprise your\u00a0climber and your\u00a0loved one with a short video message left on their phone that they can watch before heading toward\u00a0the top of the world. Your confidence and energy will touch them in ways you never imagined.<\/p>\n
And for those left at home, they will draw on that conversation as they struggle to go to bed on your summit night. It might have been days since they last heard for you and this conversation will be the strength from which they draw, the comfort as they replay your voice in their mind.<\/p>\n
Climbing Everest requires a team, and part of your team is at home.<\/p>\n
Leave nothing left unsaid.<\/p>\n
Climb On!
\nAlan
\nMemories are Everything<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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