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| Archived Everest News: April 11 - April 17, 2004 Return
to the Mountain News page for stories from
Marshall's summit push on Mount Everest May 17 through May 25, 2004. See the Mountaineering page for general information about Marshall's Quest for the Seven Summits. See the Clothing page for ordering information for all Stray Dogs clothing, including Everest '04 hats and T-shirts.
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Base Camp, North Side of Everest, Tibet. Saturday, April 17, 2004 The Drive After
The Rongbuk Monastery. (Photo credit: Steve Bell, jagged-globe.co.uk)
Base Camp Finally,
we arrived at BC on the north side of Everest! The glacial moraine below
Everest that hosts BC is almost a mile wide with huge piles of river-like
rock that has been tumbled over and over again and deposited in piles
as high as 50 feet within the floor of the moraine. The camp encompasses maybe a half square mile and there are about eight or ten other expeditions on this side, including the Russian National climbers. Our camp consists of a combination headquarters, dining, storage, and cook tent combined which is about 10 feet wide by 70 feet long. David, the other American on the team who works for explorersweb, and I spent the rest of the day wiring the tent for electricity and installing batteries and converters so we will have power for lights and communication 24 hours a day. On
the south end of camp are our tents (12 or 13 in all) that make up
sleeping quarters for the expedition members. On the north end of
camp are two additional tents that house the Sherpas, porters, cooks,
and cook assistants. All-in-all it is like a small, self-contained
city that was put up in a little over a day, complete with a generator,
heater, and state of the art communications facilities. I
felt fortunate enough to be with the Russian group before; but after arriving
and having a couple of great meals, I felt extremely lucky. They spared
no expense with the equipment and tents, making for a very comfortable
experience. To celebrate our newly established home, we invited half a
dozen climbers from the National Team over and feasted on the infamous
salted fish and beer. A little of both went a long way for me, as I am
trying to maintain my health and take care not to do anything out of the
ordinary—as if everything here isn't.
A
photo from a previous Everest expedition of base camp (Photo credit: caingram.info Web site) Health Update A couple of hours after arrival at BC, I had a slight headache (which is very normal), that went away during the night. One member of the team had a bit of stomach trouble, another dysentery, and still another a sore throat. Nothing serious, as a certain amount of sickness is expected. As for me, I'm feeling fine. At about 16,000 feet on our way to BC, the four of us in our car took an oxygen saturation test. Oxygen saturation is an indicator of how well one is dealing with the altitude—the higher the number, the better. At sea level, the number should be well into the nineties. A number of 70 or better is considered optimum for climbing. Between the four of us, our oxygen saturation ranged from 75 to 90. I was thankful to have the highest number.
Having said that, it appears that, so far, my body is handling things very well. I feel very good (knock on wood), and can only hope that things will continue as well – that the Mother Goddess of the Earth will look favorably upon me and see me worthy of being here.
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| Xegar,Tibet. Friday, April 16, 2004 The Monastery After
spending the night at the hotel, we took a 4.5 mile drive up the road
to Xegar proper. Above the city sits the Xegar Monastery, founded in 1269
A.D. At one time the Gelugpa, Bulug, and Sakya sects of Tibetan Buddhism
all used this monastery. Each sect had 7 colleges above the monastery,
for a total of 21 monastic colleges and 800 monks. Later, during the era
of the fifth Dalai Lama, it became the single sect monastery of Gelugpa.
During that transformation period the number of monks was reduced to 300.
Unfortunately, it was one of the targets of the "Cultural Revolution"
that took place in Tibet when China overthrew this country. It was blown
up, leaving only ruins behind. Some reconstruction has taken place, and
about 80 monks here. As we entered the monastery, the main and central
sacred object of worship, Buddha Shakyamuni, greeted us. At about 20 feet
tall, the Buddha dominates the main
hall.
On the way up and down the hill, a young boy of about 10 years of age led the way. I had a great time taking pictures and racing him to adjoining points in the trail, taking the main routes and short cuts. He would laugh at me when he would beat me, and I at him conversely. Despite our differences – in age, culture, and language – this game was something that we could share; making me realize that we are not so different after all. Giorgio
during the acclimation
Acclimation
and Mental Preparations Continue
I chose to walk back as I hope that, if I can do just a bit more everyday to train my body to respond positively to the stress and altitude, that, in the long run, it will pay off. So I am cautiously walking that fine line of not doing too much, but enough. Thoughts of being careful to take care of myself and make sure that my comfort level is maximized at all times fill my mind, along with knowing how important patience will be.
For now, base camp feels so far away. But, tomorrow we will drive the approximately 62 miles and be there by late afternoon. We will call that “home” for the next month-and-a half as we climb up and down the mountain in an effort to become accustom to the altitude as much as possible. Today, I long for base camp…and for my real home.
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| Xegar,Tibet. Thursday, April 15, 2004 The Road to Xegar We left Niyalam, at 12,300 feet, this morning and drove most of the day toward Xegar, at 13,800 feet. We traveled through desolate valleys with some agriculture under about 14,000 feet. It seems strange, to be here in the mountainous region of Tibet and to make a connection with a place a world away. But, the huge, rolling, almost barren hills that eventually give way to the mountains, remind me of Death Valley.
After
about five hours, as we approached Zonglar pass at 17,000 feet, some of
the major peaks began to appear in the distance: Luozhi, Makanu, Zhuoaoyou,
and Xixiahangna, all over 8,000 meters (26,246 feet). Then, Everest came
into view. The Buddhists of Tibet call Everest "Chomolongma” – Mother
Goddess of the Earth. When you see her, you can understand why. Descending from Zonglar pass we saw many small villages with people preparing their fields for planting. Pairs of yaks pulling crude single bottom plows were frequently seen and the colorful tassels and rigging they adorned looked to be something out of a National Geographic magazine. But, this picture was real.
People here are extremely resourceful, growing potatoes and a few vegetables, and raising sheep and yak. They use the stones and dirt from the valley floor to build their houses, and burn dung to heat them when wood is not available. When I approach the people, I am always greeted with a warm smile—coal black eyes, set within their dark, almost chocolate brown complexion, glimmering. They are happy and extremely friendly. Despite the language barrier, they always seem open to making a connection with those that pass through their homeland. Patience
and Gratitude While it is difficult to be so tantalizing close to heading toward BC, I understand that it is necessary to stay here in Xegar tonight and again tomorrow night in order to allow our bodies to acclimate to the altitude as much as possible. Tomorrow, the team plans to take a 6-mile acclimation hike up the valley from town. Nothing too strenuous; just another piece in the puzzle to make our bodies produce more red blood cells and, hopefully, accept the stress that we are putting them under.
Temperatures here in Xegar are very similar to what they would be at 14,000 feet in the Colorado Rockies this time of the year. At night the temperatures dip down below freezing and the wind seems to blow almost always. Our travels have been great. The food has been good throughout the trip and everyone on the team seems to be healthy. But, we know that things can change. Today, a person from an American team was brought down from BC with pulmonary problems. He had been in BC, which is at over 17,000 feet, for a couple of days but was not tolerating the altitude well. He will rest at this lower altitude in hopes that he can recover soon and return to BC. If not, his trip to Everest will be over. It was a reminder to me to never take anything for granted, especially at high altitude.
I'm looking forward to the hike tomorrow and am very anxious for the next day when we will arrive in BC and start setting up camp!
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| Niyalam,
Tibet. Wednesday, April 14, 2004 The team spent most of the morning dealing with officials and getting our papers secured and in order at the border town of Zhangmu , and got a late start to Niyalam. The drive up the river valley was spectacular with a winding road and huge drop offs wherever you looked.
We arrived into the small town of Niyalam , population of about 1,000 people tucked high in the Himalayas (12,300 feet). After eating, a few of us went for an acclimatization walk for about an hour-and-a-half climbing out of town up to approximately 13,400 feet. Going up in altitude, slowly, and then coming back down (when possible) is necessary in order to get the body accustomed to higher altitude. The key is to not work too hard, and stay healthy. After this stop, we will travel higher still – to Xegar at 13,780 feet, then on to base camp (BC) at 17,060 feet. If a person falls ill, it is not likely that they will be able to recuperate, and they probably have to return to a much lower altitude, usually below 12,000 feet. The rest of the day was uneventful. Everybody on the team is doing very well. So far, no one has gotten sick – either from an illness or from contaminated food or water (knock on wood). Tomorrow we will travel up the valley another couple of thousand to the last stop (Xegar) before we reach BC. We may spend two nights in Xegar before continuing on to BC to make sure that everyone is handling the altitude well. My wife, Heather, has been passing along messages from many of you about the fundraising effort, as well wishes for me and my safety. It means a lot to me to have your support! Gianni,
dealing with the dust;
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Zhangmu, Tibet (China). Tuesday, April 13, 2004 On the Road We left the hotel in Katmandu, Nepal at 6:00 a.m. It was good to finally start the journey that I have been dreaming about for over 45 years. As we left the city, the rolling hills that are terraced hills for rice farming gave way to a more mountainous region. After driving for seven hours along the river valley, we reached the Freedom Bridge that crosses from Nepal into Tibet. For the next couple of hours, the team worked together to gather all of our expedition baggage, and waited while the process of obtaining the appropriate visas to enter Tibet, which has been occupied by the Chinese since 1949. The Dalai Lama, Tibet 's spiritual and temporal ruler, fled the country, along with 100,000 Tibetans, in 1959. For all teams that enter Tibet on their way to base camp (BC) on the north side of Everest, all expedition baggage has to be unloaded from the Nepalese trucks, as they are not allowed to cross the bridge. We all pitched in to unload all of our equipment and carry it over a quarter mile, across the Freedom Bridge, and up the hill. There, trucks hired in Tibet waited to be loaded. During this process, the two 12-volt car batteries that we purchased for standby power when our generators aren't running for BC and Advanced Base Camp (ABC) got turned over inside the sealed poly barrel which held the batteries as well as cooking stoves, pots, and pans. So, once again, the team worked together – this time to wash the acid off our cooking equipment so the acid wouldn't destroy them. After regrouping, we drove up the mountain another 4 miles to Zhangmu, Tibet where we once again were required to check in at the consulate where they are processing our visas for morning departure. The advantage to this rather long, slow process of entering Tibet is that we will spend the night here at over 7,000 feet, aiding with the acclimatization process. For me, this stop seems almost silly, as my home is at approximately 10,400 feet in Colorado. But, it is an important process for everyone, and a key to staying healthy and increasing our chances of doing well on the mountain. Before the sunset over Zhangmu, we were able to see the snow on the higher Himalayan peaks over the high and steep hills that surround this city. Memories Throughout the day, as we were driving up the rocky dirt road on our way to the Freedom Bridge, my mind wonder back to last time I was here, in 2000, as a participant in the Raid Gauloises adventure race. That year, our team of five raced from Lhasa, Tibet, at almost 12,000 feet, up to 17,000 feet along a course that took us to within about 30 miles of Everest BC. We started out running, then mountain biking, followed by more trekking at that 17,000-foot level. This portion of the race alone took three days. During that time, three of us on the team suffered from fairly severe altitude sickness, as we had started out too fast. My vision was reduced to a blur at best. I had an extremely hard time breathing, and a hard time moving along the course. I didn't recover until we had dropped in altitude on the third day and switched, again, from trekking back to mountain bikes. On our second mountain bike leg, as my vision and body recovered, we traveled down on these very roads that I traveled on today, dropping over 12,000 feet in less than 24 hours. During that ride, I could never have imagined that I would return to this very road, this time as part of the Everest Russian Adventure Team. It's interesting how small the world can seem at times. To Come Tomorrow, our trip will continue as we ascend and continue to acclimate. This process will be our life for the next seven weeks as we move toward, are finally on, and attempt to climb, Mount Everest.
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| Katmandu, Nepal. Monday, April 12, 2004 We're Leaving! We leave in the morning for Everest! After staying here for the last few days, I feel like it is time to leave. It's hard to focus on climbing when there are so many distractions that are unrelated to the sport. During the next few days, while we're traveling to Base Camp (BC) on the north side of Everest, I will be arranging my thoughts and visualizing the climb in preparation for the mountain. This is part of a “programming” process that I go through in my mind to clear it of all things that may interfere with the focus that is required. I have done this in the past for ultrarunning and adventure racing, and have found it helpful for climbing Denali, Aconcagua, and Kilimanjaro (see the Mountaineering page for more information). I can only hope that it will also help me to prepare for Everest.
Why? The sights and sounds of the city will eventually fade as we will drive into the countryside. The freshness of the hills and valleys will, no doubt, refresh my body and soul – bringing it to a state of awareness; a state that I prefer to that which is possible to obtain in the city. So many times my life has been distracting, and a need to return to a state of peacefulness and tranquility has overwhelmed my thinking. The calling of the mountain prevails and I wonder how it was that I got sidetracked from what I truly love to do.
In the past, the significant issues in my life had to do with being “successful” and attaining a comfortable life for myself and, more importantly, for my family. That was out of necessity and it was entirely appropriate. Somehow, though, the spiritual side of me was not nurtured. The issues that I have dealt with all of my life left no room to touch that side of me that was so yearning for a connection to the world and the universe—that which would give it meaning beyond going through the motions of living. So away we will go toward the mountain. I will be searching for that perfect state of mind which lies within me, and which only I can attempt to gain for myself.
Truly, I am grateful for my family and for the opportunity to attempt to climb Mount Everest. Like so many other opportunities in the past, this will be challenge for me—perhaps the biggest challenge I have faced. For me, challenges are essential to the ongoing discovery process that brings me closer to being a whole and complete person. In keeping with this discovery process, the fundraising for the impoverished in the world gives purpose to what I am doing. It also adds to the motivation and focus I will need on the mountain. So, it becomes a complementary situation, and it feeds upon itself—the more I can do (especially to help others), the more meaning there is in my life, and the more I discover about myself. So, when people ask, “Why do you want to climb Everest?” this is just a small part of the equation.
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| Katmandu, Nepal. Sunday, April 11, 2004 Easter Greetings First, I want to wish you all a Happy Easter! And, to ask you to remember those less fortunate, like the women and children in Adigrat, Ethiopia and Hamelmalo, Eritrea. If you would like to help the Sisters of the Religious Teachers Filippini to help these people help themselves, please see the Fundraising page for more information. A special greeting to my kids, Elaine, Taylor and Ali. I'm thinking of you always! And, my best wishes to my wife and her family, especially Rory and Janis. Food and Equipment This is the third day that we have been in Katmandu preparing to leave for Base Camp (BC) on the north side of Everest. We have been searching the city for generators to use at BC, at 17,060 feet, and at Advanced Base Camp (ABC), which is almost 21,000 feet.
One generator will be rented, and the other one bought and stored after the expedition to be used in future Russian Adventure Team expeditions.
We are also buying extension cords, sockets, light bulbs, electrical plug-in strips, and 12 volt car batteries and a charger. If we are successful in obtaining all this equipment, we should have power at both base camps 24-hours a day. We have three computers and a satellite phone, so we will have (if all of the technology cooperates!) the capability to communicate with the outside world during our two-month climb.
Today, food will have to be purchased for the entire 60 days. There are 12 people in the group, not counting our porters and high altitude Sherpas who will join us soon. So, shopping will be a major outing! The Team Over the last couple of days I have been getting to know the members of the team. My first insight into these people came at the arrival dinner on Friday night. In true Russian spirit, several toasts were made, mostly with vodka, by various members of the group. One was a commitment to return to the Rum Doodle Restaurant to complete the expedition full circle. Another was a blessing for good health and safe passage. One spoke of the spiritual nature of the mountain, with the hope that she will allow us to climb in safety. Still another was to the women who love and support us, but are left behind.
During dinner conversation, I got to know a number of the expedition members.
Alex Abramov, the team guide: Whatever you want, Alex can make it happen. He is confident, capable, and always attentive to everyone's needs. At about 6' 1", his shoulders are stooped and, by first glance, you wouldn't know that he is a world class climber. In this sport appearances don't mean anything. So much of it depends on weather, high altitude and genetics, experience, common sense...and luck. People that you would never suspect do extraordinary things, and ones that are "buffed out" can have the hardest of times, or fail. Keeping with his nickname, the “Extreme Chef,” Alex has plenty of raw, whole, salted dried fish that was hanging out above his balcony. It is a Russian tradition to eat this fish while drinking beer. They have about three strung bundles of the fish that they are taking along to BC. Alex said, “It's good energy food.” Once you get over the smell, the taste is great—they say. Just don't hang them from the balcony of an upscale hotel. The hotel management wil make you remove them, as they are a bit smelly!
Alex
removed the fish from the balcony... (Photo credit: David D'Angelo) Dmitry Moskalev is a bit older and was on last years' expedition. He was not able to summit last year, but is back again for another try. He sells computer software in Russia and is in charge of all computers and communication devices for the team. He stands tall – at over 6' – and has a bit of a belly, which may be a good thing, as many people loose up to 25 pounds on the mountain. He is very intelligent and organized and, having guided, is bound to be a stabilizing force during the expedition.
Ilya Rozhkov and Arkadiy Ryzhenko are traveling together and plan to climb together. They are both soft spoken and tend to stick together. They are both pharmaceutical distributors in Russia.
Dilmurad Tillahodjaev looks at Mount Everest as a very spiritual place. He believes, as do I, that – the Mountain willing – with the proper respect, she may be willing to allow us to reach the top. He is in his mid thirties, about 5' 8" and slight of build, with olive skin and curly hair. He works for Coca Cola in Russia, and speaks excellent English. Already, we have a good understanding of each other. Providing that our climbing abilities are similar, he and I will probably be together a lot on the mountain. There seems to be a trust developing between the two of us that indicates that he may be a person that could be depended upon in the event something would happen.
Artur Karapetyan is a friend of Dilmarad's and is also in his mid thirties. He looks more like a boxer than a mountain climber. He is deceivingly tall, as his broad shoulders and muscular build lower his apparent height. He is an artist and paints for a profession.
Vladimir Gaidamak arrived yesterday and is medium in build and very determined. Last year he got to about 26,000 feet on Everest, but was turned back by weather. As he attempted last year, he is trying to summit without oxygen. Vladimir and I are roommates here and Katmandu. As I do not speak any Russian or German (Vladimir is a Russian who lives in Germany with his wife), and he speaks very little English, we have some interesting conversations!
The two Italian climbers are Profumo Giorgio and Gianni Carbone. Profumo is tall with an average build. Not much is known about him as he has been out with his wife who is seeing him off from Katmandu. His friend, Gianni, is somewhere around 5' 8" and is a professional guide in Italy. He is a very outgoing, friendly, forty-something climber who is very experienced. My bet is that he will do very well on the mountain, as his maturity is evident.
And last, but not least, is David D'Angelo from America. David arrived in Katmandu a few days before the rest of us and has been touring the country ever since. He just arrived back in Katmandu tonight. David will be sending news postings to the Xexplorers Web. Look for updates on mounteverest.net.
The Schedule For now, it appears that we will be able to obtain our visas Monday afternoon, allowing us to leave for BC on Tuesday, April 13, 2004. This is a bit behind schedule (we were scheduled to drive from Katmandu to Zangmu on April 11) but, as I'm learning, you have to take things as they come here in Nepal.
I am anxious to get started on the drive up to BC. It will take about four days, as we will be headed up to 17,600 feet, passing through:
After being in Katmandu the last few days, I almost forget why I am here. The sights and sounds of the city seem to have overtaken me in some way. So, it now will be a process of focusing on the climb. I'm sure by the time I reach BC, my mind will be in the state in needs to be. I will be ready.
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Archived News For news from the final summit push (May 17 through May 25), return to the Mountain News page. For news from Everest for May 5 through May 16, see the Archived News-May 5-May 16 page. For news from Everest for April 21 through May 4, see the Archived News-April 21-May4 page. For news from Marshall for April 18th through April 20th, as well as updates from Heather for April 21st-22nd, 25th, and 28th, see the Archived News-April-18-20 plus Heather's updates page. For news from Marshall for April 5th through April 10th, see the Archived News-April-5-10 page.
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eating
breakfast at Xegar, we loaded up our gear and headed for base camp (BC)
about 62 miles away. It struck me as interesting that the dirt roads are
void of any road signs except for the one marking the turnoff to Mount
Everest. It is an amazing road, which winds and twists and turns, with
many switchbacks, climbing up out of one valley to 17,000 feet. Here,
we were greeted with a great view of Everest and things to come. Then,
the road drops back down to 14,000 feet into the main Rongbuk Glacier
Valley, only to ascend again to just over 17,000 feet where BC sits. About
four-and-a-half miles from BC, we passed the Rongbuk Monastery. At 16,500
feet, it the highest monastery in the world, and is home to approximately
34 monks. As we approached BC there were large herds of yaks grazing on
the sparse grass that is hard pressed to exist at this high altitude.
urther
up the hill, another 400 feet or so,
to the top. Here, prayer flags are placed everywhere and flap in the ever
present wind, sending the prayers into the sky. From the top, we had quite
an impressive view of the city. 
