Top of the World

It’s hard to think that my journey to the top of the world started on a train in Tokyo. I was fourteen and I knew I wanted to climb, but wasn’t quite sure how to go about it. The closest climbing gym was three hours away and every Sunday my friends and I would set out for it. It was an all-day event and we made sure our homework from the American School in Japan was done before leaving so that the adventure could run late. Not really knowing what we were doing we bouldered our brains out, too afraid to try roped climbing. Though only pulling on plastic every Sunday, the experience would evolve into a serious passion for big mountain climbing. And, like any good climb, by no means was it a straight line from those Sunday outings to Pump 2 in Tokyo to the summit of Mt. Everest.

The flag I’m holding up in this picture means so much to me. In the middle is the rising sun; Japan’s essence. I consider it a commitment to a new day, a commitment that anything is possible. The Kanji means number one. And though I am an American, my time in Japan helped to shape the man I am today.

OR has been with me from the start of my guiding career when I met Dan Nordstrom on the Emmons Glacier on Mt. Rainier. After summiting with Dan, I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon walking out with him. At the end of our time together he offered me the Gore-Tex he had worn on the climb. He told me to tell him what I thought of the stuff. Dan Nordstrom wanted to know what I thought? OK!

So, over the next four years as OR grew, so did my career. The gear they provided me accompanied me all over the world. As I honed my skills as a mountain guide I watched OR grow into one of the most customer-oriented outdoor gear companies in the industry. I could see the parallels between OR’s infinite guarantee and IMG’s ( International Mountain Guides) pursuit to get it right. I’d say that ties right in with the idea of a rising sun. There is always a chance and a choice to make things a little bit better, which the Japanese would call Kaizen.

Eben says, " This photo is from when I was coming out from Plaza de Mulas. The Lateral duffel...I love that thing. Carry on, caching bag, truck duffel- its awesome and ultra durable..."

When I met and guided some representatives from OR’s Japanese distributor A and F, I had the opportunity to tie in my boyhood adventures -setting out on three hour train rides to feed my climbing needs- and my adult career of international guiding. Being able to work in the mountains with representatives of OR’s Japanese distributor, A and F, was a very special experience for me. When I thought of carrying a flag to the summit of Mt. Everest I thought it would be appropriate to recognize my Japanese roots while also emphasizing the support I have received from Outdoor Research. So, Thank you OR, and Arigatoo Nippon!

You can read updates from Eben’s trips guiding with IMG on their blog.

IMG's Phil Ershler, Greg Vernovage, Justin Merle, Mike Hamill and Eben Reckord

What does a ‘veteran’ Everest climber do to feel young?  Go to Everest with a bunch of young Everest veterans.  In the spring of 2010, I got a burr under my saddle to go back and spend some time working with our IMG customers on the side of Mt. Everest.  An added bonus was the fact that my wife, Susan, was anxious to trek into base camp.  She and I had climbed Everest together in 2002 and she’s always anxious to return to Nepal and spend time with our Sherpa friends.

So, we’re at Everest base camp and had just completed our puja.  The puja is a Buddhist ceremony asking the gods for permission to safely climb the mountain.  Nobody gets high on that mountain until the puja is held.  It certainly was an ‘auspicious’ day.  We had our entire team of climbers and Sherpa assembled and the weather was flawless.  All the IMG guides pretty much lived in hooded OR puffies or softshells and we all had them on that day.  Nice puja, nice weather – it’s time for a photo.  Want to feel inspired?  Pose with 4 stud IMG Everest guides.  That’ll lift your spirits!

Need more mountain inspiration? International Mountain Guides have teams on expeditions throughout the entire year; find stories from their trips here on VertiCulture (like Mark Allen’s expedition to Ama Dablam) or on the IMG blog.

I am back in Base Camp after quite the mountain experience.

Sefl portrait from basecamp

Four days ago, May 22,  I left on a speed ascent at 4:30 pm. There was a crowd of people at the start to wish me well and see me off. I walked through the Khumbu Glacier quickly with a water pack, track spikes, and jacket in a stuff sack clipped to my harness. I ran across Denis Arubko from Kazahkstan. Just before the Icefall I stepped in an ice covered puddle and soaked my left running shoe. I quickly changed into my track spikes and left my shoes tied to the fixed lines. The afternoon was warm and there was about three inches of slush on the trail. I was getting little purchase in my track shoes and had to resort to pulling on the fixed lines using a lot of upper body strength early in the climb. I made it to the top of the Icefall in just over two hours which was slower than anticipated. I continued to weave through the large crevasses toward Camp 1. When I arrived to Camp 1 I had cached a ski pole in the rescue tent. The ski pole had been taken so I continued on, less able to harness my full upper body.

I made it to Camp 2 in 3 hours and 45 minutes which was an hour slower than expected! I wanted a quick turnover at Camp 2. I switched into compression tights and Batura ice climbing boots. I filled my water bladder again and put batteries into my hand warmers. Then I ate two eggs and some Dal Baht before heading out. The changeover took 45 minutes. It was dark and pretty cold at about 9:15 pm when I took off. I wore my Nathan pack under my jacket to keep the hose from freezing. I put on my crampons and headed up the Lhotse Face toward upper Camp 3. I arrived cold and hungry about 11:45 pm. The section from 2 to 3 had gone well.

Before hand I had arranged for two Sherpas Tenzin and Gelgin to prepare water in a thermos for me at Camp 3. Jamie Clarke had lent me his Champion tent at Camp 3 which helped logistics a bunch. Inside the tent I changed into my down suit and set up the batteries and footbeds for my electric foot warmers. Without oxygen, extremities are more subject to frostbite and it was cold outside at 24,000 ft. I set up my water pack with hot water and held the cup to warm my frozen fingers. I was ready to continue at 1 am. Suddenly, I remembered that I had forgotten to call Baburam at Base Camop to let him know I was alright. I placed the call with my SAT phone and then put on my Alti gloves and headed up toward the Yellow Band.

The sky was lit with over half a moon and provided a beautiful sight as I climbed through the thin air. Almost everyone uses oxygen between Camp 3 and 4 due to the thin air and to reduce exhaustion. I was expecting to make it to the South Col in around 4 hours. The hours sped by as I forced my legs to turn over, they were being fed by my hard working lungs in the cold air. I tried to cover my mouth and nose with a buff cloth, but it restricted my breathing a bit to much. I could see my friends above on Lhotse climbing the couloir towards their summit.

I rounded the Geneva Spur about the time I could see without a headlamp. Above, on Everest there was a line of climbers from the South Col to the South Summit. I walked purposefully into Camp 4 looking for the Patagonia Brothers Camp where I could get more water. I could not find the tents! I knocked on a random tent and my friend Lhakpa Gelu unzipped the door. We both recognized one another and I asked him if he knew where the tents were. Immediately Lhakpa escorted me toward the Alpine Ascents Intl. cook tent. He knew time was essential and got me a bowl of hot soup and filled my water pack with hot water. He even helped me get my pack on under my down suit. Vern Tajas was also there offering encouragement and heading me off in the correct direction. My brain was a bit hypoxic at 26,000 ft. I moved up the fixed lines aware that there were over 150 climbers above me.

The going was slow as I picked my way through the snow covered rocks. Near the Triangle Face I began to encounter traffic coming down the fixed line. The upward progress was slowed down by all the climbers descending. I soon ran into some of the Argentinian climbers going down. They let me know that the wind and snow increased greatly once I got above the Balcony above the Triangle Face. I continued up slowly and encountered an old climber’s body between the rocks. I decided maybe I should take a dexamethazone tablet to reduce the chances of HAPE and HACE. I made it just below the Balcony and decided that Wednesday the 23rd of May was not going to be the day for the speed ascent. I looked at my watch and realized it was 11 am. I had been going for nearly nineteen hours. I sat down on a rock at 27,000 ft and watched as dozens of climbers passed me on their way down to the South Col. The view was obscured by clouds and blowing snow to the North. The morning weather had been good, but the weather had deteriorated as predicted.

I reflected on the combination of problems at hand: wind, snow, traffic and fatigue. The ascent had a combination of issues that I could only learn from for the next ascent. The focus of the climb had not just been to get to the summit. If that were the case I would have just strapped on a bottle of oxygen and gone to the top. This climb was about meeting the mountain in the most difficult way I could imagine. No porters carrying loads, helping to fix lines, without oxygen from Base Camp to the Summit of the world in a continuous push. I had made it nearly 10,000 vertical feet from Base Camp to the Balcony at 27,000 ft. Although I was disappointed with not achieving the summit, the effort was notable.

I got up and joined the throng heading down. I encountered Lhakpa Gelu heading up to assist Willie with a rescue. He was carrying oxygen and injectable dexamethazone for the patient, hoping to reach him in time. Speed capabilities also cross over for rescue situations. He let me know that he thought well of my effort. I made it back to the South Col and met Seth, Casey, Dave Hahn, Michael Brown and other friends. Seth refilled my water pack and Michael gave me some hot drinks as well. I found the Argentinians at the Patagonia Brothers camp and radioed down that I was alright and was headed down to Camp 2. I congratulated the Argentine climbers on their successful climb and headed out.

The winds were blowing hard and transporting snow into my face. I switched into goggles and pulled the balaclava up over my nose to prevent frostbite. As I rounded the Geneva Spur below Lhotse I saw three folks I knew get onto the trail ahead of me. I was Pemba, Tamara and Eva. They had summited Lhotse earlier that morning. We were all very tired as the sun broke out of the clouds. There was no way to conveniently get out of the down suit and reduce the sweat bath. Our tactic was to sit down and rest every few rappels. I made it to the base of the Lhotse Face at dusk and wound down through the glacier arriving to Camp 2 just after dark. Pemba joined us for dinner and Tamara and Eva continued down to Tamara’s camp below.

The snow began to fall in earnest. I made the decision to stay at Camp 2 Sunday night. The forecast was for major amounts of snow to arrive by Thursday. I assessed that I would not be able to physically recover for another ascent by the time the Monsoon season arrived. In addition, Camp 2 was being disassembled on Tuesday and I would have to bring down 100 lbs of gear to Base Camp in the mean time. I had made my preparations over two months and had my shot at the speed ascent this year. It was time to head home. I had a good run and returned with all of my fingers, toes and life intact. I made good decisions and had put in 100% effort. Hopefully I will get another shot at an expedition for a speed ascent in the near future.

If you want more of the story that went into Chad’s expedition to climb Everest or to read additional dispatches from the trip check out his page. Check back for a new interview with Fitz Cahall when Chad returns to hear more of his story on the mountain.

I am preparing to leave for my summit push in 5 hrs. There is a phrase that my friend gave me that I think is appropriate for the climb.

“Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. 
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.
 Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved, but for the patience to win my freedom.” 
Shantideva

Footage of Chad climbing was provided by Sam Bricker. Keep checking back for more as we upload additional videos from Sam’s trip to Everest.

We are sending you all the best for your climb, Chad. Stay strong in  mind and body – we look forward to hearing the story on your safe return to base camp. Readers of Chad’s expedition: follow his ascent/descent online here at VertiCulture.

I have been back in Base Camp for four days resting. The weather forecast changed for the worse for the eighteenth and nineteenth weather window. The next window begins May 22 and runs through the 25th. I am biding my time getting logistics together for the speed ascent. Jamie with Hanes Brand is letting me use their tent at Camp 3. I am hiring a Sherpa to melt water for me at Camp 3. In addition, the Patagonia Brothers have a backup Sherpa at Camp 4 that can melt some water for me at the South Col.

I now intend to leave at 4:30 pm on the 22nd and head for the summit. The weather has warmed up enough that I can wear Javalin shoes from Base Camp to Camp 2 and then carry the Batura boots to the base of the Lhotse Face. At the Lhotse Face I will leave one ski pole and change shoes. Then I will climb to Camp 3 and change into my down suit at about 10 pm. I will also put on my Olympus Mons boots and feet warmers. I will drink some water and refill my Nathan hydration pack. There are some bars and gels as well as my Alti Mitts and Julbo goggles. Then I will continue to Camp 4 refill my water and head toward the summit. I anticipating reaching the summit around 11 am if all goes according to plan.

I am currently working on my patience with the changing weather. Last night over fifty people made the summit. The night of the 22nd will be even busier. I plan to deal with the crowds on my summit day by making it to Camp 4 at 3 am. Most people will leave for the summit around 10 pm on the 22nd. If I am five hours behind the crowds I hope that the bottlenecks will be resolved by the time I reach the Hillary Step. I should only have to contend with clients, Sherpas and guides descending from the summit.

Today I am carrying Batura boots and BD crampons to Camp 2. I am going to do a simulation of the time of day and equipment I want to use on the 22nd. I will carry a BD speed 40 pack with boots, water, crampons and OR jacket up to Camp 2. Then I will return to Base Camp around 10 pm. I will have three plus days to recover. Everything seems to be in place that I can arrange.

We’re sending the best to Chad in the next week as he makes his summit bid. All our good energy is headed your way, man, for a strong, safe ascent/descent!

You can get the most updated dispatches from his expedition by subscribing to VertiCulture RSS feeds. You can also find more information about Chad and this expedition on his site, www.chadkellogg.com

I am back in Deboche again taking some rest days. The past week has been very eventful. I arrived in Base Camp on May 3rd with another round of acclimatization necessary before getting set for a summit bid. The forecast was for high winds and a large dump of snow. In Base Camp, I talked with the RMI guides to see what they were planning. Dave Hahn informed me that they were heading up for a final acclimatization round for the next five days. That was all I needed to know to set my wheels in motion.

Sam and John Bricker had met me in Tangboche to shoot some footage of my efforts. We met up again in Base Camp and shot some additional film footage of plans and climbing preparations taking place. Suddenly I was preparing to go up which compressed their time schedule with me.

I headed out to Camp 2 on May 6th at 7 am. There were two other climbers with Willie Benegas’ group heading to Camp 2 as well. We ate and rested at Camp 2 with different acclimatization plans, but at least it was nice to have other folks to share company at 6500 meters. Motoko and Mara were planning on touching Camp 3 and then returning to Camp 2. My plan was to carry a 45 lb load to Camp 3 and then continue on to the South Col (Camp 4 on Everest) and return to Camp 3 to sleep.

At 7 am I headed up to Camp 3 with a load of gear to sleep overnight and some extra gear to cache for my summit climb. I made it to Camp 3 at 10:30 am and handed my gear to Simone Moro. He had an extra tent he was allowing me to use overnight. Then I continued on toward the South Col. I was wearing a down suit in anticipation of high winds and possible snow. However, the weather was clear and calm. I was very warm in my suit and had to open the side zippers and tie the top around my waist to vent the heat.

I followed the fixed lines above upper Camp 3 and began the traverse towards the Yellow Band. I made progress slowly as this was a new altitude for my body this trip. Up and over the Yellow Band and across the next traverse towards the Geneva Spur. I ran into two climbers with full oxygen systems on descending from the summit. We exchanged glances as we passed on separate ropes.

Lhotse Face Route

Above me I could see three tents at Camp 4 for Lhotse. I traversed onto the Geneva Spur and enjoyed fantastic views of the Western Cwm from above. I was level with the 7,890 meter summit of Nuptse which until then had always been above me. The final section of the Geneva Spur was almost vertical. I was making about twelve steps before taking a rest to recover. As I rounded the Spur I was able to see the South Col and a huge boulder. The traverse to the Col was gentle and I made good time. I left two thermos bottles tied to the First Ascent oxygen cache. My hope is that on my summit bid somebody will be able to fill the thermoses with hot water on my behalf.

I returned to Camp 3 and found Pemba Sherpa also sharing the same tent. He had come up to remove the tent the next day as Simone’s client had already gone home. It turns out that we have mutual friends. In fact he had a text on his phone telling him to get in contact with me. We spent the night at Camp 3 and woke to high winds and spindrift in the morning.

I filled my pack with two thermos bottles, my down suit, Alti mittens, Raw Revolution Bars and battery operated toe warmers. The winds and blowing snow pummeled me as I ascended the fixed lines to the Hanes Expedition tent at high Camp 3. I could see climbers climbing the Yellow Band in poor weather. I was not envious! I unzipped Jamie’s vestibule on the tent and cached my gear inside.

Quickly I descended the fixed ropes back to Simone’s tent. Pemba had been unable to take down the tent in the high winds. It was too easy to get frostbite in this weather. I collected my overnight gear and made my way back to the fixed lines. The cold was a motivator to move quickly down to warmer temperatures below the Lhotse Face. As I walked back to Camp 2 I could see Pemba making his way down the face with a hefty load.

I arrived in Camp 2 and talked with Motoko about his trips to Camp 3. He had encountered the high winds and cold temperatures that morning before the sun came up and had frozen his toes a bit. It was warm at Camp 2 and I decided to rest until the Khumbu Icefall had gone into the late afternoon shade.

At 4:45 pm I descended. As I reached Camp 1 I went into the clouds and shade of the evening. My timing was good and the Icefall went quickly and safely. I arrived in time for dinner. Sam and John Bricker had left for home that morning and I did not have a chance to say goodbye.

As I went to bed the evening of May 8th I began to cough. The cough grew worse throughout the night and cemented my resolve to descend again to Deboche the following morning for some additional rest. I spoke with Willie Benegas and got the extended weather forecast. High winds were expected to continue through the 14th.

I went to talk with Jamie and Scott at the Hanes Base Camp and let them know I had put a cache at their Camp 3 tent. They said it was no problem and they were waiting out the high winds as well. I said my goodbyes and started the 20 mile walk down to Deboche. Five hours later I was resting at the Rivendell Lodge and eating with the Argentinians. The thick moist air felt good on my tired lungs! I will rest here until the morning of May 13th before heading back up to Base Camp for my summit bid.

Well the past week has been very different from the previous month. I decided to take some rest in the forest of Deboche 20 miles down valley from Base Camp. I left Thursday at 7:30 am with a small pack and cruised through the towns of Gorak Shep, Lobuche, Pheriche, Pangboche and on to Deboche at 12,000 ft. I met up with Sam and John Bricker and their guide Susan in Deboche. We all decided to stay at the Rivendell Lodge for some rest and relaxation. The thicker air felt so good to breath as it had more humidity and essential oxygen for recuperation. The food was great and it was good to hear about the trekking adventures of Sam and John.

Everest and Ama Dablam from Rivendell

The following morning Sam and I headed up to the Tengboche Monastery to shoot some film. We found some memorials to past Everest and Lhotse climbers that had died during their climbing efforts. A reminder of the dangers that are inherent to high altitude mountaineering. After the weather and clouds moved in, Sam continued up valley to catch Susan and John who had hiked ahead towards Dingboche.

I took lunch back at the Rivendell Lodge and met Aldo, a climber from Mexico who had stopped by our cook tent at Camp 2. We talked about the different acclimatization strategies between climbers that use oxygen and those that climb without. He is climbing with one Sherpa and using oxygen. Having spent the night at Camp 3 already he is resting before his summit bid. I still have another round of acclimatization up to Camp 4 before I am ready for my summit bid. The next round will include nights at Camp 2 and Camp 3 with a climb to Camp 4 to view the upper summit ridge and lock in the entire route to memory. Then I will go back to Base Camp for rest before my speed ascent.

On day three at Deboche I took a hot shower and caught up on more than 1,000 emails in my inbox! Everything was in order and my cough had healed up. I was feeling fairly rested physically and mentally the change of environment was nice. We traveled up to Tengboche for the service at the monastery. I enjoyed a good meditation session and we returned to Deboche with a whole new set of topics to discuss.

We were on the same rest schedule so we trekked back to Everest Base Camp together over the next two days. The morning of May second we headed out under cloudy skies. The trail was muddy from the torrential downpour from the night before. The hills were covered in snow above 13,500 ft. I wondered when we would encounter snow on the trail as I was in running shoes and Aldo wore light boots.

1200 year old painting of Guru Rinpoche

We hiked at a steady pace with one or two five minute breaks. Having descended through Pheriche along a muddy trail we decided to take another approach and climb the ridge between Dingboche and Pheriche. There was a faint animal trail that lead directly to a high path from Dinboche to Thokla. Thokla was the half way point between Deboche and Base Camp. We made it there in just over four hours. After setting down our packs inside the Yak Hotel a large rainstorm moved through. We had made it just in time without getting soaked! The Yak Hotel offered [sparse] accommodations compared with the Rivendell Lodge but we ate well and went to sleep early at 15,000 ft.

On the morning of May 3rd we began the slow climb for an hour up to Thokla Pass. This was the largest vertical gain of the day. The trail climbed more slowly after the pass and we made good time to Lobuche and Gorak Shep at 16,800 ft. We took a break so Aldo and I could check emails one last time.

After business was taken care of we made the final push for the next hour and a half to Base Camp. It was good to have made it to camp and drop the 30 lb. pack from my back. There had been a substantial snow event in our absence and a few inches still lingered on my tent. I was greeted by our waiter Lhakpa with hot drinks and some lunch.

Willie, Damian and their clients were still up at Camp 2 on their final acclimatization round. They had been up for the past four nights touching Camp 3 and sleeping at Camp 2. They would be coming down the following day. I decided to go visit Jamie and Scott in the Hanes Expedition Camp. They were returning from Gorak Shep where they had gotten some rest after their final acclimatization round. They informed me that a major snow storm was foretasted for May 7th and 8th. Not good news for me since I still need to spend four nights at Camp 2 and above. This weather forecast will delay my plans a bit. It is my plan to go up either the 9th or 10th after the snow. Following my final acclimatization round, I will need a few days of rest to recuperate from the effort. If all goes well I will be ready when the second summit window arrives and should be prepared for my ascent by May 18th.

Sam and John arrived to Base Camp yesterday. We are shooting some film of activities in Base Camp and the preparations for my speed ascent. All my essential gear and food is ready to stock at Camps 2, 3 and 4. We are just waiting on the weather.  The Swiss forecast predicts temperatures to increase 5 degrees over the next week. Great news for me since climbing without oxygen makes it more difficult to stay warm. I will keep you all up to date on the developments.

Continue following Chad’s expedition by subscribing to VertiCulture RSS feeds. You can also find more information about Chad on his site, www.chadkellogg.com

April 27th

I decided Tuesday would be a good day for a trial run from Base Camp to Camp 3. I put together a small pack with water, clothing, food, cameras and gloves. The weather was supposed to be marginal, but below the South Col it should not be too extreme.

The route up Everest

I woke up at 5 am and gathered my belongings. The winds were gusty down low and made me question whether I should call it off. I do stand by the decision that you have to try to really find out. So I went to the kitchen and Baburam made me some eggs. I also got a juice box and an apple for lunch.

At 6:30 am I headed into the Khumbu and toward the Icefall. There were very few folks in the Icefall so I was able to make it to Camp 1 in 2:15 hrs. Moving on, I ran into my friends Seth and Dave between Camp 1 and 2. I rolled into Camp 2 and found that our cook tent was unoccupied so I went to the RMI camp and got 2 cups of water from the cook. We share the same operator, High Altitude Dreams (HAD), so there is no conflict of interest.

I ate the apple and a Raw Revolution bar to refuel. Moving on I headed to the base of the Lhotse Face where I ran into a friend I had not seen in a decade. Kenton Cool was guiding a group of clients to the Lhotse Face. We talked briefly and I checked with him on the time. I made it to the base of the face in 5 hrs. I was glad to reach the fixed lines so I could switch up muscle groups from lower to upper body.

The change of pace was welcome! I could move the jumar up 15 strokes before I had to take a literal breather. About 20 anchors up I passed lower Camp 3 and reach my previous highpoint. Two Russian climbers were out of their tents and watching my progress. As I passed their camp, I saw them clip into the fixed lines behind me. The weather began to change rapidly. The snow began to fly and the winds kicked up. I continued on for another 7 anchors topping out on a bulge above the lower camp and above the base of the Geneva Spur. I believe my high point was around 7300 meters.

I switched from up to down mode in moments. The temps had exceeded the warmth of the clothing I had carried. I soon passed the Russians still heading up. Asking the time I realized it had taken me 7.5 hours from Base Camp 6,000 feet below. I could see Sherpa’s above in one piece down suits and goggles. In the future, I will be wearing the same outfit at this elevation during the night on my summit bid.

Camp 3, Lohtse Face

I descended as quickly as possible knowing that it would be much warmer on the glacier below the face. I walked toward Camp 2 knowing that I had four hours to make it back to Base Camp. The RMI cook welcomed me in for another cup of hot water. Then I was back into the wind and snow toward Camp 1. Usually I do not wear crampons between 2 and 1 but the new snow and the lack of a defined trail warranted wearing them.

When I walked past the 40 tents in Camp 1 there was not a soul. The place was a ghost town. I was weaving through the crevasses and fixed lines to reach the top of the Khumbu Icefall. I could see the tents of Base Camp 2,000 ft below. Now I just had to navigate the icefall without incident. I zipped through the 45 fixed ladders and into the dry glacial ribs of the “flats”. I had promised Baburam I would be back in time for dinner at 6:30 pm. I popped off the crampons and made it to the cook tent in less than 11.5 hours.

I was pleased with the effort, but I know that I need to improve on a few of the segments. Now I will take a couple of days of rest. I am headed down to Tengboche to recover from the effort so far. It is important not to get too depleted as you cannot fully recover at Base Camp (17,400 ft). I am feeling healthy and strong at this point. Next week I plan to climb to Camp 2 and then go for a burn from Camp 2 to the South Col.

Continue following Chad’s expedition by subscribing to VertiCulture RSS feeds. You can also find more information about Chad on his site, www.chadkellogg.com

I am back in base camp after a productive week higher on the mountain. I left for Camp 2 on Tuesday the 20th. This was the last major carry up through the Khumbu Icefall. I left Base Camp at 7 am with a 35 lb. load. I was pumping through the maze with my favorite songs playing on my iPod.

Lhotse face, Camp 3

I arrived to Camp 1 just before 10 am. My friends Scottie and Jamie were staying there for a couple of nights so I stopped by to say hello. They informed me that my cache of gear had been moved. Grateful to know the whereabouts of my gear I collected it from the other side of the crevasse. Now my load had increased to about 55lbs. I waved goodbye and shouldered my load.

As I made slow progress towards Camp 2 I met many folks that I knew from the climbing community. There was Garret and Vern from AAI also Michael Brown, Dave Hahn and Leif Whittaker from RMI. It made the trip very enjoyable. The weather was clear and sunny as I rolled into Camp 2 around 1 pm. This would be my first night above Base Camp.

The weather changed in the afternoon to snow and gusty winds. I opted to sleep in the weather port and hope that the early weather would favor building a tent platform and erecting my MSR tent.

The sleep went pretty well above 21,000 ft. I woke up feeling surprisingly good as most first nights at this elevation are complimented with a headache and some nausea. Feeling hungry the cook made me bottomless rice pudding for breakfast with hot Tang to hydrate.

I set to work with shovel and rock bar to level a good sleeping platform. After an hour and a half I had made a great foundation for my tent. Crushed rock less than 2” made up the final layer. There would be no sharp rocks in my back at night! Then I set up my tent using pickets and large rocks to secure the structure in place.

After a few moments of rest in the sun the Argentinians arrived with the Benegas Brothers. They wondered why I was not so eager to help them level their tent platforms. I needed some rest for the work ahead of me in the week.

Lhotse face base

Willie approached me and asked if I would help work on the fixed lines that needed to be placed on the Lhotse face. I agreed as no one would be allowed up the Lhotse face until the up and down lines were in place. We agreed to begin the following morning when the sun hit the face about 9 am.

Early the next morning we synched up during breakfast. We would pick up ice screws and carabiners to replace all of the anchors going 2,000 ft up the face. There was a group of 14 Sherpa’s that were carrying up the 11 mm fixed lines and leading the 50-65 degree ice. Willie was in charge of the lines that climbers used to go up and I was in charge of the lines that climbers used to go down. As 95% of the face was blue ice Willie suggested that we make two V-threads and equalize them every 165 ft. This would replace the single ice screws that were in place and would melt out in the sun relatively quickly.

We arrived to the base of the Lhotse face at 11 am. We switched into work mode and began by crossing a bergshrund that separated the face from the glacier below. There was a small snow bridge in place, but after a large amount of traffic this would disappear. The bergshrund would need some ladders brought up to fix in place later. The Sherpa’s had taken all of the 7 mm V-thread chord so we made a pendulum over to last year’s fixed lines and cut about 100 ft of nice 9mm chord to use for anchors.

We were able to secure about 8 anchors each before 3 pm arrived and the whole work crew descended to the base and began the mile walk back to camp. The ropes to Camp 3 still were not fixed so we would have to resume the anchor task the following day. Damian (Willie’s twin brother) and Charly, from Argentina, had jumared up to our high point and dropped off some more rope and ice screws for the Sherpa’s to use the following day to reach Camp 3.

Lhotse face descent

Back at camp Willie decided that his group was going to descend the following morning. Damian was going to get the ladders to the base with the help of another Sherpa and Alvero. I had mentioned that April 23rd was the three year anniversary of Lara’s death. Someone suggested that I had better do something good in her memory. I decided that replacing the anchors on the Lhotse face up to Camp 3 would be the most productive activity that I could do for the whole community.

The morning of April 23rd I picked up a V-thread hook from Mike with International Mountain Guides and headed up to the bergshrund with Damian, Alvero, and one Sherpa carrying the ladders. I made it to the base, holstered my ice tools and began to jumar to the highpoint of yesterday. I turned on my iShuffle and listened to the mantras my friend Brittney had put together for me. The work and the Sanskrit helped to sooth my mental state. By the end of the day I had made it to lower Camp 3 above the 23,500 ft level. I was the only westerner on the face besides the Sherpa’s. They thanked me for my help as they abseiled the down line I had secured. The temperatures dropped and the winds increased. That was my cue to go back down to Camp 2. It is a surprising amount of work to make 40 V-threads above 22,000 ft.

Satisfied with my contribution I walked back to camp and thought about Lara and her rappel accident. It seemed to me appropriate that the descent anchors would be my project in her memory. I ate dinner with two of the Argentinians that had decided to stay. Topo, Alvero and I ate dinner in the weather port and talked about climbing. The cook had decided to go to Base Camp the following morning so everyone would have to descend.

I spent the fourth night at Camp 2 and slept very well. The weather had changed for the colder and Alvero measured the morning temp at -19 degrees Celsius. I had to break out my one piece down suit to stay warm outside my sleeping bag. Once the sun hit at 8:15 am we all began to descend towards Base Camp. A person does not recover physically above 19,000 ft in this region so I was feeling good about heading down for some rest.

I arrived to Base Camp safely negotiating the icefall again. It took about two and a half hours to get down from Camp 2 to base. I would have to go nearly that fast up on the speed ascent. I am getting times and splits figured out. Staying healthy is half the battle at this point both mentally and physically.

Yesterday I carried my third load through the Khumbu icefall. I began at 4:15 am and was carrying a 35 lb pack. There were literally two hundred porters and I headed out within an hour and a half’s start time. So the adrenaline race began. In front of me were 80 porters and behind were another 100 plus. All of us are trying to get our payloads to the destination before the sun gets too hot and the icefall begins to do just that.

Climbers navigating icefall popcorn

There were trains of faster porters with lighter loads and others moving slower. I was probably moving at 90% of my max and breathing hard as I got in the faster stream of climbers moving up through the icefall. The effort was worth it as I arrived at Camp 1 in 2 hours 45 mins. with a moderate load. This was 45 mins. faster than the previous carry. At Camp 1 I picked up some of the cache I had left there on Tuesday. An added 15 lbs of ice tools, shovel and tent felt much more difficult to carry on the second half of the uphill effort! My pace decreased a bit, but I still pushed my pace in the air above 20,000 ft. I set my intention before I began and was following through with “joyous effort”. I had a great time meeting porters, climbing Sherpa’s and other international climbers acclimatizing up to Camp 2.

I found the Altitude Junkies camp close to where the High Altitude Dreams camp was supposed to be set up soon. Since they were with the same outfitter I was using, they let me cache my equipment in their kitchen tent. I walked back down the glacier to locate my duffel bag I had cached on Thursday lower down at Camp 2. I found it and nothing seemed to be missing so I carried it 20 minutes back up to the Altitude Junkies camp. It had taken me less than 5 hours to arrive with all of my gear to the kitchen. This was still 30 minutes quicker than my last carry.

When I combined the load I had just carried with the duffel contents, the total weight was about 80 lbs. You may be wondering why I had carried a 45 lb load and a 50 lb load and the contents of the cache only weighed 80 lbs. The reason is that pack weight, water, camera, essentials etc. are carried both ways.

I ate my lunch of eggs, apple and cheese washed down with Nuun and headed down. I ran across a Sherpa, with whom I had shared some water, and we headed to Camp 1 together. There were some great shots of the summit of Everest so I had to stop a few times for some pictures. I also ran across my friends from Columbia, one of them with an artificial leg. We exchanged high fives and kept at our prospective goals.

Khumbu Icefall route, image courtesy of International Mountain Guides

At Camp 1 I put my crampons back on and checked the rest of my cache there. At the cache there was my clothes, OR gloves, my one piece down suit and my Olympus Mons with crampons. I would pick the rest of the cache up on my next carry on the way to move to Camp 2.

I left Camp 1 at 11 am and was acutely aware that the sun was high overhead. I got on a train of three other porters and ran the gauntlet as quickly as possible. If you passed people as a group it went much better than three or four disparate passes. I roasted away for the next two hours and made it to base camp right at 1 pm. The cook, Baburam, was grateful that I was back right on time with no incident since I was the only person from the outfitter up on the mountain.

I was glad that Camp 2 is now established and stocked with all the provisions for Camp 3. I will take two days to rest and recover from this week’s workout. On Tuesday, I intend to move to Camp 2 for a couple of nights. If there is action up to Camp 3, I may do a light carry and acclimatize higher. We still have over a month until the typical summit window, but I want to be as acclimatized as possible!

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