Camp 3 Chaos!

At 6:00 AM on Monday 5/3, we set off for the Lhotse Face. Over the past three days, I had seen a stream of antlike figures working their way up what look like impossibly steep slopes to Camp 3 — and now it was our turn to enter the queue. With the previous day’s bad weather, the queue was even longer than usual.

After an hour of climbing on more moderate slopes, we hit the Face itself, and the uphill angle went from 25% to 50% and even as much as 65% in sections. It is by far the most difficult climbing I have done to date and reputedly the hardest stretch between Base Camp and the summit. In spite of the six inches of snow the previous day or two, we were fortunate to have some well worn steps in parts to facilitate the inexorable uphill climb. Compounding matters, the steep slopes make it too dangerous to stop for rest breaks, with few exceptions. Normally breaks are taken every hour but on Lhotse, we had to go up to two hours without a break.

As the sun rose, the bitter cold quickly turned into furnace like heat as the sun was reflected off the snow covered slopes — it’s if you were in the center of a parabolic cooker. At the next break I shed my 8,000 meter parka, leaving only two thin layers on top. Unfortunately, because of the need to remain tethered to the safety lines, I could not remove my climbing harness and hence, my thick down pants had to remain in place.  I did lower the side zips, which provided substantial ventilation.

Six hours into our ascent, at about 22,700 feet (and 600 feet shy of Camp 3), we took a break. I immediately threw on my parka to keep warm, which was fortunate because a few minutes into our break the weather turned on a dime. Clouds rolled in, snow began to fall, winds became gusty and the temperature plunged 20-30 degrees. Our guides made a very quick and wise decision to “descend immediately.”   We scrambled to get our packs back on and started heading back down to Camp 2.  The same decision was made by most of the other expedition companies, so there was something of a stampede down the ropes, which became quite congested in spots, with climbers repelling down the steep slopes.

At one point, as I was about to repel down 50 feet, Damien Benagas (of the famous Benagas brothers of Argentina) screamed “…everyone FREEZE!”  About 20 climbers in my immediate vicinity came to a halt, as we watched a young female solo climber who was standing at the edge of a crevasses — unclipped — while grappling to find the right rope to connect to. Had the surrounding climbers not paused in unison, she may well have taken a step back or been accidentally nudged to her death.  It was a scary moment!

Two hours and many repels later, I was back in my tent a Camp 2 — disappointed that we came so close to, but did not meet our objective of reaching Camp 3 — but quite happy that the day’s ordeal had ended without further incident.

//Don

The Weather Turns

In the five weeks since the trek to Everest Base Camp began on April 1, we have not experienced anything but good weather. At EBC and higher camps, it’s generally been sunny and relatively warm in the mornings. In the afternoon, we might get some snow flurries or simply clouds that would make things much colder, but usually clearing before sunset. Temperature swings are another matter — often 0⁰ f. or below at night switching to tee-shirt weather in the bright, snow reflected sunlight (even though the ambient temperature might be in the 20s.)

Today (5/2), however, was another matter. Instead of being rallied at 4:00 AM to prepare for our ascent to Camp 3, we were advised to stay in our tents because of high winds and snow. Approximately 6” was dumped on Camp 2 and the Lhotse Face and winds were in the order of 30 m.p.h. It’s enervating, to say the least, to sit in one’s wind-whipped tent, shivering from the cold and trying to turn the pages of a book with gloves on! Rumors were rampant that the storm might last a few days, and I feared we’d be trapped at Camp 2. That evening I was awakened numerous times by gusting winds rattling my tent. I was sure we were in for another weather day, but much to my surprise, the guides sounded the alarm at 4:00 AM on Monday morning and we prepared for the push to Camp 3.

//Don

Optimist or Naïf?

Today (5/1) was a very laid-back rest day prior to our planned assault on Camp 3. We did take yet another two-hour acclimatization hike a few hundred feet up the side of Everest itself, which looms 1-1/2 miles high in the sky above Camp 2. The views from our perch on Everest were wonderful.

We spent the afternoon relaxing and preparing our gear for the big push to Camp 3. For the first time, I’ll have the opportunity to use my “8,000 Meter” down parka and pants, which make me look like the Michelin Man. There’s an interesting story behind this outfit.

When I decided to take up mountaineering in early 2007, I did a lot of research online — both on mountaineering training programs, typical progressions and required gear. At that time, I created a calendar of training programs and expeditions that would get me to Everest on my 65th birthday (May 18, 2010). I knew it was an accelerated program, but from what I read, within the realm of possibility. What I didn’t know at that time, despite endless Google searches, was that no American 65 or over had summited Everest! This record was finally broken just last year when two Americans (65 and 67) made the summit. Overall, only 19 people (including two Sherpa) 65 or older have made the summit out of some 4,509 successful summits through last spring.

Creating my climbing calendar was relatively easy. Figuring out the gear was much more difficult — I didn’t know a soft-shell from a hard-shell, or expedition mitts from glove liners. I spent hours online researching the types of clothing and hardware required and related brands, as well as “gear lists” for each of the climbs I planned to undertake in the following three years. To check things first-hand, I ventured to Paragon Sports in New York, where I met a very knowledgeable saleswoman. She confirmed many of my selections, got the manager to match discounted prices I had found online. As we were wrapping things up, she suggested I purchase my Everest parka and pants at an end-of-season close-out price! Whether I was naïve or overly optimistic, I made the buy and the parka and pants sat in storage for three years. Despite the odds, they have finally come into use!

//Don