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.