Make it count: 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