So this is it. After 2 years of preparatory climbs and training, I leave on April 10th, 2011 in an attempt to climb the big "E". Although risk is inherent in any mountaineering activity, and the thrill of a summit is without parallel, my primary goal is to come home safely to my family and friends. In preparation for Everest, I've scaled a great number of peaks in the U.S. and in other countries. Additionally, physical conditioning has included extensive weight and cardio training at altitude.
Given that I will not be able to manage this blog during my climb, my friend Max O'Meara will be posting information as it becomes available, and will be answering questions as appropriate. Max and I climbed Aconcagua together in January 2010, and in April/May 2010 Max climbed Everest while I was on Denali.
Last, one of the tabs along the top of this blog is to track my progress on Everest. I will be carrying a SPOT device that will report my location via satellite to SPOTwalla, and the resulting terrain map will be embedded on that page.
