April 1 Columbus, Georgia 430’ elevation wet and ugly

I remember the let down I always felt every time I got a new book on climbing and the first few chapters were devoted to the logistics.  I wanted to get to the mountain and the climbing.  Who cared about toilet paper and porters.  This is now the third Everest trip I have had the misfortune to be involved in the planning and preparation for.  My first was 2006.  I got sick and had to be evacuated by helicopter. Last years trip that was aborted, for me at least, before it began because of the Chinese Olympic year climbing restrictions.  Suffice it to say that getting everything together for a two month trip on the other side of the world is a real challenge.  It helps immensely that we have an experienced outfitter in Nepal but it doesn’t solve all the challenges.  On top of that is the work and planning necessary to leave my family and business for that long.  Fortunately I have a wife who is long suffering and immensely capable.  She has put up with me for 31 years.  I also have a staff that have always risen to the occasion and for whom I have the ultimate in respect and trust for.  They are all taking on a great deal of extra work and responsibility so I can pursue my narcissistic dream of climbing the highest mountain on every continent.  By now they are experienced at it too!

Suffice it to say that especially for the last six months my life has revolved around Everest.  I go into work at 5:30 AM.  Quit about 5:30 PM. Eat a bite of dinner while fussing at the news.  Work out for a couple of hours.  Go to bed and start all over again.  On weekends I have my long workout – hills with a heavy pack and ankle weights – for hour after boring hour.  I know in a few days all the planning will be behind me.  The trek to base camp is ten days long and very pleasant – at least the first week or so.  That will give me an opportunity to start thinking about the practical aspects of the climb – instead of going to sleep every night wondering what I forgot.

A few ground rules.  I will attempt to post every day.  I didn’t do very well with that last time.  The process is I type this and send it over my sat phone.  Some days, for example when I am at base camp I can type it on my laptop in the relative comfort of the comms tent.  I have a solid state drive so I hope it won’t crash.  The air is so thin at base camp that the hard drives which are small spinning disks riding on a cushion of air frequently crash.  Base camp is where IPOD’s go to die.  Above base camp I’ll do the thumb thing like my kids. Unfortunately I am not very good at that and when you can get frost bite from one paragraph the post will be short.

I don’t have access for fact checking.  Please don’t flood the office with complaints if I make some innocent mistake about when Hillary summitted!  Some things I will avoid including inter group tensions, disagreements, criticisms etc.  This is a real reality show – sort of Survivor where not everyone survives.  There are always problems when you are stuck some times for days in the same tent with someone but emailing home what jerk they are won’t endure them to you.  In that same vein although the Ledger-Enquirer will be carrying many of these post I am not a reporter.  Lots of people have endured much worry over premature publication of deaths and accidents on the mountain.  I have seen in 2006 when we had a death on our team just how easily someone posting erroneous information can cause problems.  Once official announcements are made I’ll fill in what ever detail I might have that would be profitable. Finally, I think it is a small mind that can only think of one way to spell something!

Mountain climbing is a lot like flying – hours and hours of endless boredom interrupted by moments of shear terror.  I’ll try to keep you informed, entertained and inspired with my boots (or crampons) on the ground accounts.  Thanks, Bud