Mt. Everest 2010 #41 - Resting at Base Camp - How Many Days/

Gabcast! Mt. Everest 2010 #41

Namaste everybody for May 2.

I spent the day at Base Camp just kind of resting and sort of planning what I'm going to be doing tomorrow.

Now last night we had about 2 1/2 inches of fresh snow, snowman snow, nice sticky snow and we had some sherpas that came and brushed off our tents at about 4:00 in the morning, just to make sure that they didn't collapse under all the weight. So that was really nice.

Now the next question I'm going to answer is: How many days will it take you to climb from Base Camp to the Summit?
So it looks like I might be leaving for my summit push tomorrow morning. It is a bit early, we'll see. It looks like we might be getting a weather window somewhere around the 7th / 8th so my plan is to be hopefully be on the Summit on the 7th - but we'll see. Anything can happen from now until then. If there's lot of snow then that process is going to stop my summit push, because it's not safe going when there is so much snow: there is an avalanche hazard up there.

So right now I'm resting. It will take me four hours to get to Camp 1 and about another two to three hours to get to Camp 2 and I'm going to do that all in one day and then I'm going to rest another day in Camp 2, so I'll spend two nights there, and then from Camp 2 to Camp 3 that's going to take me about five hours and then I will overnight there, and then from Camp 3 to Camp 4 it's going to take me, oh who knows, it all depends on the conditions and how I'm doing but somewhere between seven and ten hours and Camp 4 of course is the South Col and I will be on oxygen that whole time going from Camp 3 to Camp 4. And then from Camp 4 to the Summit, then of course I'll be on oxygen. I was planning on taking about 12 hours and then once I, then I'll probably leave about 8:00 at night. So the time, from 3 to 4 that's about ten hours, I'll be resting for just a few hours and going from there to Camp, er to the Summit. And then if I do reach the Summit, then, I'll be returning back to either Camp 4 or 3 or 2 depending on how I do and then I might rest a day or two at Camp 2 and then come down to Base Camp. So that's sort of how things are going to be going. I'm going ahead of my group: I'll be going with Domhnall, and he'll be going one day behind me 'cause he's just going to skip Camp 3.

So that's the plan right now. It all depends on how much snow we get overnight. If we get a lot of snow, I'm going to be staying put. Looks like we might get the next weather window somewhere around the 10th or the 12th. So if I don't leave tomorrow morning, and just kind of follow the Spot, then you now that there's too much snow or too much wind and then I'll be delayed a little bit. The other thing that may delay me is that they haven't put the ropes up to the summit yet, and so they're planning on doing that the ?? here, weather-depending of course, and so if that isn't in place, then the oxygen won't be up there for me and then I won't be able to go. So that'll be the other delay.

So keep an eye on the Spot and keep checking in. I'll do my best to update daily. I'll talk to you soon. Thanks to all the schools that are listening and thanks to Austin and Keely ?? who are listening as well. And we'll be talking to you guys soon. Alright. Bye.