Day #4 - Everest BaseCamp

 Day #4 - Everest BaseCamp 

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

Itinerary:  Kathmandu/Final Prep

I was able to sleep longer last night - getting up at 6am.  I did wake up for about 30 minutes at 3am - but I was able to get back to sleep.  I’m really glad we got here a day early so we could get our bodies on schedule before the trek. 

After another great buffet breakfast (eggs, sausage, waffles, pastries) - we had a briefing at 9am in the hotel conference room.  All 20 participants were in attendance - everybody has made it through Covid testing and green-lighted for the trek. 

The briefing went well. We were given expectations and general guidance for our time on the mountain.  Our big duffel bags will be carried by yaks to eliminate the extra porters in the huts.  We’ll each be expected to carry our own day packs with food, water, rain gear, extra clothes, and first aid needs.  

After the briefing - Greg, Korby, and I headed out into the city again for a walk about.  I bought a couple magnets and a book - written by Nims Purja who broke the record for the fastest time to ascend all the 14 peaks above 8000 meters.  It’s a Netflix documentary. 

We met back at the hotel at 1:30pm for an afternoon tour of Swayambhunath (referred to as the Monkey Temple).  This was the coolest place I’ve toured in Kathmandu to this point. “Swayambhunath is perhaps the best place to observe religious harmony in the entire country of Nepal.  Swayambhunath is one of the most ancient and holy shrines in the Kathmandu Valley and has been an important Buddhist pilgrimage destination sine the 5th century AD.” It sits high on top of a big hill overlooking the city.  We climbed 600 steps to get to the top (warmup for the coming week).  We learned about the 6 realms - which when spun together should harmonize the world. (Upper realm - God, Human, Anti-God.  Lower realm —Hell, Hungry gods, Animal). 

Once we returned from the tour - I spent the next 2 hours locking in my final packing weights. We have to bring our big duffels downstairs to the front desk for our early morning departure before bed this evening. 

After packing, we all met at 6:30pm for a final dinner together before heading off on our climb.  It’s really a good group of interesting, talented, and well-traveled people. 

Introducing the final 10 members of the trip (extension from last night):

Margot - Ann

Margo and Ann walked with us yesterday on our tour of the city. Really nice. Margot is a big time hiker and will be participating in the Island Peak extension with Jeff, Warren and Iveta.  Ann has a couple college-age kids.  Her daughter is in her 3rd year at West Point. 

David

David is an engineer from Richmond who knows Jeff really well. He’s an interesting guy with some good stories. He has some eye trouble and will be paired with his own Sherpa. 

Jenny

I met Jenny in Colorado this past summer when a few of the group met up for some acclimation hiking.  She is a doctor and is a fun person to be around. 

John - Priscilla 

The only couple on the trip.  John is 70 years old - but looks 50.  He is a triathlete and a marathoner.  He’s done over 50 marathons and both he and Priscilla have travelled the world.  I really like these guys. 

Leah - Chrissy - Monica - Randi

I’m just getting to know these 4 ladies. They only arrived late last night. All are from the Richmond, VA area and have climbed Mt Kilimanjaro with Jeff’s group back in 2018.  (Actually - just about every person on this trip has climbed Mt Kilimanjaro)

———————-

Tomorrow we get it started!  I’m feeling anxious - but I know I can do this!   You’re never sure how your body will react to the altitude change - but I feel like I’ve trained correctly and have the experience to make it happen.  The word is we should have Wi-Fi at least low on the mountain.  I’ll be blogging everyday and posting when I can. 

Thanks for all the support and good wishes!  As I often said on the Appalachian Trail - Here’s to good health and strength to bring me through this journey!!!

Goodnight from Nepal!  Keep the Faith!

Monkey at the Monkey Temple

Very rare basketball court

Temple pic

More monkeys

Pretty awesome family shot

Prayer flags everywhere 

Top of the temple

Temple pic

More monkeys 

Streets of Kathmandu 

Monkey Temple

First part of hike to Temple

Streets of Kathmandu 

Crazy electrical system

Streets of Kathmandu 

71 year old Steve - he’s the class clown 

Hiking up the 600 steps to the Temple 

Posing monkey

More prayer flags 

Steep stair climb

Good luck fountain

Streets of Kathmandu 

Flower necklace given to us at airport upon arrival

Day #3 - Everest BaseCamp

 Day #3 - Everest BaseCamp 

Monday, February 21, 2022

Itinerary - Kathmandu (leisure day)

I woke up this morning at 4:30am - jet lag told me that was the time I needed to start my day.   Only problem - it was pitch black outside - I’m in a third world country - and I don’t have anywhere to go. 

No problem - I chilled out in the room and caught up on the news.  At 7am - Warren and I headed down for breakfast.  We met up with Liam, Jeff, Iveta, Steve, Newman, and Jan.  We sat around talking - drinking endless cups of hot tea as others filtered in.  

At 10:30am - Liam and I did my final gear check. We made sure my weight restrictions would be met for the upcoming flight to Lukla on Wednesday morning.  Our big duffel must weigh less than 33 pounds and are daypacks need to weigh under 15 pounds.  I’m basically right on the number for each pack - and that was after eliminating a few things.  We’re allowed to keep a storage pack in Kathmandu while we do the trek with items not needed on the mountain.  

After the gear check - several of us headed out into the city to explore. Nepal is a country of nearly 30 million people. The city of Kathmandu has roughly 1.4 million people.  The city is very underdeveloped- and the streets are generally narrow with motorbikes and cars flying by very consistently. It’s hard to even cross a small lane at times.  

When I’m in a place like Kathmandu- I try to just take it all in.  It’s really interesting to absorb the conditions, the surroundings, and all the people.  Granted - with the Everest trek pending - I was wearing my mask and not really fully immersing myself in the culture. I wasn’t wanting to risk eating a variety of foods - and didn’t want to be roaming around in small shops with a lot of people.  However - I was able to get a good feel for the city. 

We walked around until nearly 5:30pm and then came back to the hotel for dinner and more conversation.  The last 8 people in our group arrived this evening after 7pm.  I met most of them briefly.  

I’ll introduce 10/20 people tonight:

Kyle - Greg - Liam - Korby

My buddies and I make up 20% of the group.  Greg, Korby, and Liam are from Raleigh, NC - all our engineers at Caterpillar.  Liam will be the assistant guide for the trip

Jeff

Jeff is the main guide (56 years old) - his company is S2Mountaineering.  He has summited all 7 highest peaks on each continent. He’s both summited and guided Everest several times.  He has unbelievable stories and is the engine for the entire trek. 

Steve - Newman

Steve is the 71 year old father of Newman - a former rugby player. They both climbed Mt Kilimanjaro with S2Mountaineering in 2017.  Steve lives in Richmond, VA and is retired.  Newman now lives in New York City

Iveta

Iveta is from Slovakia and now lives in Florida.  She is an avid hiker and is 1 of 4 people doing the Island Peak extension of the trek.  This requires 5 extra days of intense climbing on glaciers - ultimately summiting Island Peak at over 20,000 ft.  She is super detailed and very well traveled 

Jan

Jan is a religious studies teacher at VCU in Richmond, Virginia. She knows Steve well - who has introduced her to the group.  She is super interesting - and a good source of knowledge while walking the streets of Kathmandu. 

Warren 

Warren is my roommate. He is in his fifties and has hiked Mt Rainer and the 100 Mile Wilderness (a section of the AT).  He’s done quite a bit of cold weather hiking and will also be summiting Islands Peak with Jeff, Iveta, and Margo.  He lives in Richmond, VA. He’s a former Boy Scout and rugby player as well. He knows Steve from his time playing rugby. 

I’ll try to introduce the rest of the group tomorrow- I don’t know much about them yet.  In general - I’d say the average age of the group would be mid 40’s.  I don’t think anybody is younger than 30-35.  Everybody appears to be pretty fit.  As always - when taking on a trip like this - almost every person is well traveled and has interesting stories/experiences to share.  Part of the fun when taking on these challenges - is getting inspired for your next adventure by simply talking with those in your group. 

It’s 10:45 pm now - I’m crashing hard.  We have a 9am group meeting in the morning - followed by another tour of the city. Wednesday morning it gets real - we fly to Lukla at 6:30am to get things rolling.  1 more day of prep and mental focus - then the excitement begins. 

Good night from Kathmandu, Nepal

Iveta and Greg talking about yesterday’s flights

Kathmandu - from the 8th floor balcony of our hotel

Another balcony pic

Balcony pic

Everest Outfitter - where some of our group got gear

Random pigeons

Motorcycles everywhere 

Legendary Sherpa

Balcony pic

Narrow, busy streets

Traveling carts

View from balcony

Interesting 

Expansive city

Climbers who summited Everest signed this

More street pics

Looking down at our hotel

Nepal flag

S2Mountaineering

Lots of cars

Strong electrical showing

Day #2 - Everest BaseCamp

 Day #2 - Everest BaseCamp 

Sunday, February 20, 2022

Coming to you live from Rm#606 at the Hotel Moonlight in Kathmandu, Nepal.  It’s 9:30pm local time - and I’m one tired fella.  

Today turned out really well - just a LONG travel day (26+ hours) My overnight flight into Doha, Qatar went smoothly. We had a 2-1/2 hour layover before catching our Kathmandu flight.  Doha has an incredible airport.  Often voted as the Best Airport in the world - tons of shops, lounges, and technology made it appear almost like it was a shopping mall - not an airport. 

We hopped on our 4hr, 15min flight to Kathmandu.  This leg went by quickly. I read my John Grisham book - Sooley.  I’m nearly half way through the book in a day.  We jumped ahead a couple more time zones and arrived into Kathmandu, Nepal at roughly 4pm local time.  We had to get a visa on arrival which took some time. We then met our buddy Liam who was there to pick us up with a couple Kathmandu porters that will be joining us on the trek. 

Sunday is a work day in Kathmandu.  There was a bunch of traffic on our way back to the hotel.  Streets were littered with motor bikes, cars, people darting out everywhere, no real order - basically chaos.  There’s no way renting a car would be a good idea here coming from the US.  Pictures to come later  

We got to the Moonlight Hotel around 5:30pm.  I grabbed a shower and then met the group for some dinner/drinks on the 1st floor of the hotel.  10 of the 20 group members arrived today.  It was great meeting everybody.  I’ll expand on the dynamics more tomorrow.  I’m actually sharing a room with a guy named Warren - who I just met 1-hr ago.   He’s an older guy from Richmond, Virginia - works in real estate, has a couple kids he hikes with.  I don’t know much about him yet.  

After being up for about 30 hours - I’m looking forward to some solid sleep tonight.  Tomorrow is a rest day in Kathmandu.  The guides will go through our gear to make sure we’re not missing anything - but it’s mostly a day of leisure. 

That’s all I got for tonight - gonna pass out.  Good night from Kathmandu.  

Flying into Doha

Doha airport 

Hotel Moonlight

Doha airport

Hotel Moonlight

Sunrise coming into Doha 

Hotel room

Hotel room

Not a bad place

Day #1 - Everest BaseCamp

 Day #1 - Everest BaseCamp Trip

Saturday, February 19, 2022

I’m coming to you live somewhere over Europe on American Airline Flight AA 8118 - operated by Qatar Airways.  I’m 8 hours into a 12-hr nonstop flight from JFK (New York) to Doha, Qatar.  I just finished watching a movie (The Mule with Clint Eastwood), had a Mushroom & Potato Masala Pastry (handed out to us as a mid-flight snack), and I now feel inspired to write a little bit. 

Just an interesting side note - a 12-hr nonstop flight (while painfully long for sure) is nowhere near the longest nonstop flight in the world.  Here’s a few of the longest: (I’ve done a 16+ hr flight from Atlanta to Johannesburg)

1. JFK to Singapore (18hrs, 40min)

2. Auckland to Doha (18hrs, 5min)

3. Perth to London (17hrs, 15min)

4. Auckland to Dubai (17hrs, 5min)

—————————————————————-

OK - it’s been 1-1/2 years since I last posted on the blog.  The trip I’m starting today has been a long time coming.  As I sit here writing this in my 22A window seat - I’m hoping I can sort through my feelings and emotions leading into this journey - and move forward with perspective, hope, and curiosity for what the future holds.  

My buddies and I (Greg, Liam, and Korby) decided to take a trip to Everest BaseCamp about 3 years ago (late 2019). The seed was first planted while on a trek to Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa - over 15 years ago now.  October 2020 was targeted for our adventure.  

In some part due to this trip, I decided to resign my financial job in November 2019 and take a year of travel (which would include hiking the Appalachian Trail, followed up with the Everest BaseCamp Trip) in 2020.  Well - due to Covid-19, my trip to Everest was postponed.  But I wasn’t giving up. 

I still wanted to go to Everest - but what company is going to let me take 5+ weeks of travel after just starting a position.  Likely - not many.  What do I do?   I decide to take a contract position to remain flexible.  I schedule the Everest Trip for October 2021.  Surely - Covid-19 will subside by that time - I’ll be all good to go. Not so fast my friend (Lee Corso) - due to new variants and on-going Covid-19 issues - my trip was again cancelled in the fall of 2021.

Not being one to give up - what do I do now?   I talk with my boss at my current contract job - explain my scenario - asking if I can remain in my role while taking a Spring 2022 trip to Everest.   They were very gracious and had no issues - even being excited for me.  They sent out an email this past Wednesday to the whole team (with a picture of Everest in the background) wishing me good health and success.  Grateful!

I have to explain my feelings and emotions leading into this trip. I’ve been absolutely overwhelmed by anxiety.  More than I’ve felt on any other trip I’ve ever taken.  The protocols with Covid - requiring a negative PCR test 72-hours before departure to board the flight.  Additional testing upon arrival which could lead to days of mandatory quarantine. The fear of getting sick and being alone in a foreign land.  Getting a kidney stone 4 months ago that sent me to the ER with the strongest feelings of pain I ever experienced (and the thought it could happen again on this trip).  

I want to apologize to my family and friends.  I truly appreciate you - supporting me through a lot of ups and downs.  See - the thing is - I really like to plan, I like to dream about the future - where can it take me?   Well - the past couple years have been so filled with uncertainty- I sort of lost that ability to dream.  I couldn’t execute my plan.  “Without a plan, there’s no attack.  Without an attack - there can be no victory”. So - I haven’t been able to get that feeling of accomplishment- of success.   I feel like I’ve been floundering and spinning my wheels.  It’s about time for that to end.  Let’s turn the page!!

OK - so it’s finally happening.  I’m on the plane to the most majestic mountain in the world. Our tour guide sent us this inspiring message yesterday:   “BE READY - be ready to be humbled by the enormity, beauty, and severity of the highest mountains on the planet.  Be ready to experience the warmth of an ageless culture. Be ready for the challenges - physical, mental, and emotional - that will greet you each day.  Best of all - be ready for fulfillment and empowerment.”

That gives me goosebumps.  I’m excited!!  I’m inspired!!  I’m alive!!!  I have tears in my eyes while writing at this very minute.  I know it’s hard to understand - but it’s something very real for me.  

I’m planning to blog my journey for the next 3-4 weeks - posting whenever I have a signal.   

My trip started this morning with a 3:30am Uber to RDU (Raleigh, NC International Airport). I had a flight from RDU to JFK - arriving into JFK at 7:30am.  We boarded our JFK flight to Doha at 10:40am.  Once the 12-hr flight concludes in Doha - we have a couple hour layover - then our last segment of the journey.  We have a 4hr, 15 min flight from Doha, Qatar to Kathmandu, Nepal.  We’re set to arrive into Kathmandu on Sunday, Feb 20 at 3:40pm local time.  We’ll stay a couple nights in Kathmandu before we fly to Lukla - starting our trek to Everest BaseCamp.  All total, I’ll be in the air nearly 18 hrs today - with the total travel experience being  around 26 hours.  Greg, Korby and I are together.  We meet up with Liam in Kathmandu.  We’ll be joining a tour group of 20 people (us being 4 of the 20)

I’m feeling OK.  We’re now only 2 hrs out of Doha.  I have a KN95 mask on.  I was starting to get a headache from lack of oxygen - so I loosened it up a bit.  I’m telling myself I’m training by wearing this mask.  I’m restricting the flow of oxygen - maybe simulating what I’ll experience at 18.500’ in a couple weeks. 

Page turned.  Anxiety replaced with anticipation.   LETS DO THIS!!  My director told me in her message on Wednesday- “Good luck and Safety 3rd”.   She said it’s the motto of the Medical Director of the company.  Interesting!   You know what - in order to achieve and gain life altering experiences- maybe you do have to risk a little bit.  Safety is always there - if anyone knows me well - I will always be cautious.   I have the strangest dynamic of “adventure seeker” and “most conservative person around” - all bundled into one body.  It’s just part of my journey. 

Good night from the dark skies above the Middle East.  It’s time to have a little FUN!!

3:30am - start of trip in Raleigh

Sitting in the JFK American Admiral lounge overlooking NYC

Flight Map on JFK to Doha flight

3:30am start in Raleigh

Appalachian Trail - Hotel/Hostal Rankings

 Appalachian Trail - Hotel/Hostal Rankings

(Best to Worst)

1) Hostal of Maine - Stratton, ME

2) Mountain Harbour - Roan Mountain, TN

3) Amicalola Falls Lodge - Amicalola Falls State Park, GA

4) Woods Hole Hostal - near Pearisburg, VA

5) Boots Off Hostal - near Hampton, TN

6) Sterling Inn - Caratunk, ME

7) Rattle River Hostal - near Gorham, NH

8) Shaw’s Hostal - Monson, ME

9) Hanover Adventures Hostal - Hanover, NH

10) Blood Mountain Cabins - Neels Gap, GA

11) Stanimals Hostal - Glasgow, VA

12) Quality Inn - Harpers Ferry, WV

13) Bear Mountain Bridge Motel - Fort Montgomery, NY

14) Best Western - Newport, TN

15) Red Roof Inn - Carlisle, PA

16) AT Lodge - Millinocket, ME

17) Dancing Bear Inn - Damascus, VA

18) Abol Pines Cabin, ME

19) Mountain Inn - Erwin, TN

20) Comfort Inn - Pine Grove, PA

21) Days Inn - Falls Village, CT

22) Town & Lake Motel - Rangeley, ME

23) Killington Motel - Killington, VT

24) Howard Johnson Inn - Daleville, VA

25) Stanimals Hostal - Waynesboro, VA

26) Plaza Hotel - Pearisburg, VA

27) Pinnacle Lodge - Manchester Center, VT

28) Econo Lodge - Dalton, MA

29) Days Inn - Great Barrington, MA

30) Clarion Inn - Delaware Water Gap, PA

31) Baymont Inn - Front Royal, VA

32) West Bethel Motel - Bethel, ME

33) Catamount Motel - Bennington, VT

34) Quality Inn - Waynesboro, VA

35) Barn Door Hostal - near Glencliff, NH

36) Berkshire Lakeside Lodge - Lee, MA

37) Budget Inn - Franklin, NC

38) Parker’s Motel - Lincoln, NH

39) Relax Inn - Atkins, VA

40) Doyle Hotel - Duncannon, PA

41) Pine Ellis Lodge - Andover, ME

42) Bert’s Steakhouse - Palmerston, PA

43) Lisa’s Hostal - Boiling Springs, PA

44) Four Pines Hostal - Catawba, VA