North Col

I heard from Kyle yesterday and he was headed up to the North Col.  His team had been waiting a few days in Advanced Base Camp for some weather to clear.  Kyle says he now has a full beard -- interesting.  He says he is doing very well and feeling good.  No problems!  Don't forget to look on the Everest Tracking page to track his movements!

Jill

Advanced Base Camp

At 21,000 feet Kyle is at Advanced Base Camp to make his first trip to the North Col. Pictured is what is known as "the headwall". You can't see it in the picture but the North Col is at the top of the headwall at about 23,000 feet. The headwall is a challenging climb with some very steep sections. There are ladders fixed over crevasses and there is always the hazard of an avalanche. Passing other slower climbers on the headwall can be difficult because it requires unclipping yourself from the fixed lines and trying to get around them on the steep and icy terrain.

This is also the first time during the climb that crampons are used, and they will be needed from this point on. Kyle will climb the headwall 3 times during the expedition and each time it will become easier as his body will be acclimated to a higher altitude.


This is a picture of Everest on the trek to Advanced Base Camp. If you enlarge the picture you can see the summit with a snow plume blowing from the top. ABC is still a couple miles from this point.

The trek to ABC is full of amazing scenery including awesome glacial features. In this photo, yaks are taking a well deserved break.

21,000 Feet

Kyle's GPS tracker shows that he is at 21,000 feet.  Max, is he at advanced base camp?  How long will he stay there?  What is he likely doing?  Thanks for filling us in!

Jill

Kyle's on the Move

I heard from Kyle again last night.  They had to wait an extra day before they left base camp.  Today Kyle was travelling to intermediate base camp.  He is with five other people, three Sherpas and two climbers.  The head Sherpa is acting as the guide.  This will be his sixth summit.  Kyle met a 16-year-old girl from Romania who was attempting to summit Everest for the first time on her bid to finish the Seven Summits.  Unfortunately, she got appendicitis and had to return to Tibet. One of the other climbers in Kyle's group is from Russia, but he speaks no English.  Too bad my Dad is not there to translate!

The weather has been pretty good--about 40 degrees during the day.  Frankly, that's about how warm it is has been around here!  That's it for now.

Jill 

Base Camp

Base Camp on the North Side of Mt. Everest sits at about 17,000 feet, in a valley carved out by the Rongbuk Glacier. The view of the North face of Mt. Everest is stunning and shows you just how massive this mountain really is. The days can go by real slowly in Base Camp but I know Kyle is prepared with plenty to read and taking naps never gets old. There are plenty of people to meet and talk to and I'm sure he is bouncing around the different teams doing just that.

Weather at Base Camp can vary but it is much more stable than higher up on the mountain. It can be bitterly cold and usually plummets below zero when the sun goes down. Your sleeping bag becomes your safe haven, and once you warm up inside of it, you don't dare leave it until the sun rises the next morning. Due to the high elevation, during the day if the sun is shining the temperature inside of a tent can rise to over 100 degrees while the air temperature outside of the tent can be below freezing. Snowstorms occur frequently but whatever snow accumulates usually melts off that day or the following day. It becomes noticeably warmer from April to the end of May. Because Base Camp sits in a valley, the wind often wreaks havoc on tents. Wind is funneled down the valley and theres not much to slow it down. Tents are heavily anchored with rocks and most people will build rock walls up around the perimeter of their tents for added protection.

Advanced Base Camp is a 15 mile trek from Base Camp. Most of this trek is over glacial moraine and it is a brutally long distance to cover while gaining almost 4,000 feet of elevation all above 17,000 feet. This trip is usually made three times due to acclimation and the first trip to ABC is sometimes split into two days with a night spent at an intermediate camp to help the body with the acclimation process. Most teams still have a cook tent and mess tent at ABC. It is definitely colder with the increase in altitude and the simple walk from the mess tent to your tent leaves you gasping for air. ABC is still very safe but from there on the real climbing begins.

I don't want to speak for Kyle but from my experience I can imagine that this whole climb and what he's about to undertake has just become real. You read about Everest in books and you see it in pictures, you hear first-hand accounts from some of the greatest mountaineers in history, you dream about what it "might" be like. That first glimpse of Mt. Everest is an intimidating wake-up call. The mountain commands your respect and there's a new focus and a new attitude among everyone there. These next 6-7 weeks are going to be spent pushing your body and mind to the limits of human capacity and now it's time. Hopefully Kyle will be sending his thoughts and feelings on his experiences soon.

Kyle Is at Base Camp!

Kyle was able to call me from base camp (17,000 ft.) today.  He said things are going very well--he is in good spirits and feeling physically strong.  Of course, the most difficult challenges are yet to come.  In two days, Kyle will hike to advanced base camp, which I think is about 20,000 ft.  I wish I could have talked to him longer to get more detailed information, but you know Kyle, at $4/minute, he was short and sweet!

Max, can you chime in and fill us in about what the conditions are like at base camp and what Kyle is about to experience on his way to advanced base camp?

Kyle's spot tracker does not appear to be working, so hopefully he can get that going and we can follow along on his upward journey.

Jill

Don't Forget to Track Kyle's Progress

Go to the Everest Tracking Page to get Kyle's GPS coordinates and to see where he is on the mountain.

Kyle is in China!

Hey, everyone!  I got a text message today from Kyle.  He arrived in China yesterday, 4/14, and stayed overnight in a town called Zangmu which is located at 7500 feet above sea level.   Today he drove to a town called Nyalam (12,000 ft.).  He'll be there two nights and then travel to a town called Thingri (13,500 ft.) for another two nights.  Finally, from there it is on to base camp.  Kyle says that he has met lots of great people on his journey so far, and it sounds like he is having a good time.  

Jill

Kathmandu!

Hey Folks!

First off I'll properly introduce myself, my name is Max O'Meara and I'm a 21 year old from New York. If you've read Kyle's report of his ascent of Aconcagua you'll find that's where I met Kyle and ended up climbing with him for over a week. This time last year I was on my way to the base camp on the North Side of Mt. Everest and Kyle is doing the same thing at this moment. I spent two months on an expedition to climb Everest last year and I'm hoping I can help the readers of this blog feel like they are alongside Kyle throughout this amazing experience. I'm posting updates I get from Kyle and I'll be adding pictures to the blog as he progresses up the mountain. Please feel free to ask questions as comments under the posts and I'll make sure I answer them the best I can! And a shameless plug for my blog from last year- maxomeara.blogspot.com Check it out!

On to the good stuff,

Got an update from Kyle last night-

After 35 hours of traveling he's made it to Kathmandu, the starting point for pretty much all Everest expeditions and countless other expeditions to the majestic Himalaya. Kathmandu is hard to describe in a few words, but "organized chaos" seems to work pretty well. I know after spending two days there this time last year I was dying to start the trip to base camp. The air is filled with dust and very dry making it unpleasant to breathe. It won't be long now before Kyle's breathing that mountain air! Or at least trying...

The team consists of 3 climbers which is small by modern Everest standards but I can see the positives and negatives of that and hopefully they strike up a good chemistry, something that can really pay off on the mountain. They each have a Sherpa but there is no guide. One of the first things I told Kyle when he told me he was interested in climbing Everest was that there was no way he needed a guide. Kyle's experience in the mountains, most importantly being self-reliant and not using guide services before, puts him on a level where all he needs is the logistical support. He can climb that mountain on his own, there's no doubt in my mind about that.

Kyle is picking up a few last minute things before heading off because after he leaves Kathmandu, the remaining 4 "towns" he'll pass through during the next week won't have much other than bottled water and chocolate bars. There seems to be an endless supply of shops in Kathmandu catering to climbers and trekkers, offering the chance to buy climbing gear and clothing. Almost all of it is second-hand because people often want to lighten their luggage loads on the plane back home.

If you are walking around Kathmandu in the evening you might notice that it is very dark except for the bars and restaurants. Electricity is rationed throughout the day, usually 7 hours on 7 hours off. Kyle had to keep his update short because he wasn't sure when the power was going to be cut again. The first two towns he will be stopping at in Tibet both have "internet cafes" (a couple of the oldest computers you've seen and a few plastic chairs), but hopefully we'll be getting an update on his acclimation and the experience of traveling through Tibet.

I was 7 and he was 10. Mom and Dad were out for the evening. It was a summer night in our suburban house south of Denver and the two of us were running around doing what boys generally do. As he stepped outside the front doorway, a flash of instantaneous revenge kicked in. When you are the younger sibling, you only get so many chances to exert dominance and provide a little bit of payback. This was one of them.

The door quickly closed behind him. The deadbolt latched while a grin of sheer accomplishment must have exuded from my face. Little brother was in control now. I saw which way he ran to find the next unlocked door or window and pursued in order to keep my upper hand in the situation. A few minutes passed and every entrance to my castle was secure.

Now that I controlled the castle walls, I also controlled the remote. It was my time, now. I sat down, turned on the Nickelodeon, and enjoyed the lugie free, swirlie free evening.

A few minutes passed and the sound of something banging against the window interrupted my bliss. Did he order the archers to attack my castle? Was he ordering the catapults to take aim? I glanced over to see that the noise was coming from a rope hanging from the roof outside of the second story window. Would he repel? Could he? "Crap," I thought to myself as I recalled the dangerously simple accessibility of jumping onto the roof from an adjacent boulder in the back yard. "He would."

Kyle has shown me time after time that there is never an obstacle that cannot be overcome. I have learned that you never challenge Kyle to do something that should not be done. I have discovered that once he has made a checklist, there is nothing that can stop its completion. I know that he will push the envelope even if it doesn't need to be pushed. These are the qualities of a highly driven and ultimately highly accomplished individual. I think that I may have known very early on that this adventure of climbing Everest was inevitable.

Godspeed, Kyle.

(I may or may not end up telling you how the story ended...)

Leaving Denver

Thanks to all for your well-wishes.  Today I'm leaving DEN arriving in Katmandu on the 12th.  My son wants to go along - maybe next time!

Color Commentary by Max O'Meara

Just a quick reminder to those checking in on a regular basis - Max O'Meara will be checking the blog frequently and will be able to respod to blog posts and questions.  Max will be a great resource based on his own experience on the big E.  Additionally, Max will be posting pictures of the various camps during the ascent so that readers can better visualize the trip up the mountain.  Thanks Max!