Day #29

Location: Basecamp
Altitude: 5364m
Local Time: 10:30pm / April 25
Weather: Cool (30's) windy/snow

Hi world,
It's Sherpa Shek's (Anna) turn to write the blog from Everest Base camp today. I refer to myself as that purely due to the ridiculous tan I obtained, as per the photo attached, on our first trip up the ice fall to camp 1 and not due to my speed on the hill! I won't make that mistake again, slip slap slop with the sun screen next time...
Well, I'm having a fantastic trip so far - I think! The team I am with are all fantastic guys, very diverse in backgrounds and experience but I hope we will all pull together when it matters. I secretly like them refering to me as team totty as the token girl in the group although of course I pretend to take offense. Our first trip up to camp 2 was tough but then this is Everest isn't it! We are currently recuperating and preparing to go back up and this time to camp 2 and then weather dependent to 3, a thought which conjures up both feelings of excitement and intrepidation. The shower tent has been used overtime today and for some of the group this was the first they had seen of clean water for over 3 weeks, no names mentioned...
Keep your postings coming - it's always great to hear from the real world,
Love, sheks x

sYour Messages:

Carol:
Hi sweetheart. Hope that you got my private email as am still trying to work out the system issues! Had my first shower today in 3 weeks and feels great! Can you remember when you had that much time between showers? All is well here as we keep busy getting ready for Friday departure for further up the hill. Great talking to you a few days ago and talk to you Thursday morning.

I love you and miss you terribly :>)

Pat :>)

AORN Friends:

Rose ... thanks for keeping Sara and Bonnie in the loop. Keep up the cheers!

Canadian Friends:

Des & Family ... glad to hear that you guys are still checking in on the adventure. Our team is bonding and we are doing great together. There is a lot of experience not only within the team members, but within the organization that has brought us together.
I look forward to checking out some soccer games when we are home for Danny's wedding and can't wait to see Matt and Jenna. Say hi to all!

David ... great to hear from you and always exciting to speak to someone from home. Thanks for your words of support and hope you can spread the word about the Summit Scholarship. Nurses are necessary ... indeed!

Shelagh ... great to hear from you and thanks for the update on TA. I have not met her yet but will look for the flag! I could not do any of this without Carol's support ... she is my foundation!

Jesse ... great to hear from you while you visit Tehran, Iran. I am jealous of your upcoming trip to Bolivia as I love that country. My wife Carol and I backpacked for about a month around Bolivia in 1993 and were way off the beaten path. Best of luck in your climb! Appreciate any support I can get for the Summit Scholarship (see other pages on my blog site, and/or an earlier posting by my brother Danny) and am glad that you have expressed an interest in learning more about the nursing shortage. Thanks for the kind words and enjoy your visit!

Debi ... great to hear from you and thanks for spreading the word! I'm slowly getting use to the thin air as we climb higher! Keep in touch.

Tristan & Liam ... great to hear from you and glad that you were able to listen to my audioblog. I sure miss you guys and look forward to seeing you in July at Uncle Danny's wedding. Say hi to Jaxon and Grace.
Hey Kev, slow and steady is my pace! Take care.

Danny ... thanks for your work on the map and for collaborating with Liesl. I am unable to view the map so trust that you have done a great job!

Columbia Friends:

Norm ... I too enjoyed Sue's posts in previous years. Glad that you are able to follow both!

Palmetto Health Friends:

Tim ... great to hear from you! Please say hi to all the surgery crew and if you don't have a USC Summit Scholarship poster contact Kate Lincoln.

Mike ... great to hear from you. Hope all is well at work, and please say hi to all!

Sandra ... I don't get to see what the photos look like once posted on the site so hope they look somewhat close to what I see. The high altitude boots are made of special material that protect feet at very low temperatures as blood flow is normally directed away from extremities in cold weather. These boots cost on average about $800.00 ... but worth every penny! Thanks for continuing to spread the word and am glad that you and Kate are collaborating!

Allison ... great to hear from you. Yes, I appreciate those that came before me and have perfected the equipment that we use today. Safety is our number one priority here and we are very conscious of doing the right thing, each and every time! It's my pleasure to share the photos and the experience!

USC Friends:

Lisa ... thanks for your post and the offer of good wishes and good weather! Hope that all faculty have their class evals in to you on time! The team is great and we are getting to know each other better by the day!

Alan ...last week of school, I'm sure that you are extremely happy. Please ask the class to send me a final email if they can after the last test to let me know how they did. As always I appreciate the support and best of luck!

All The Others:

George ... my mouth is watering! I look forward to that meal an a visit. Maybe I can rent a Harley and we can cruise down to Corpus Christi and look up old friends. Appreciate the support of the flight attendants/nurses as we need to spread the word about the nursing shortage. I do fondly remember our days at MMC; we learned alot and helped alot of people!

Ann & Graham ... diversity is the spice of life and each of us brings something different to the team! We are bonding and growing stronger!

Kirsten ... great to hear from you and thanks for checking in on the adventures. Thanks for your kind words abour dedication and preparation as all on the team have put in the time and effort to get here! More photos and updates to come!

Paul ... never say never in regards to fulfilling a dream (sorry Sandy) ... if climbing Mt. Everest is a dream. What's most important though is your support system, as without that you would have a nightmare! Carol has been my solid foundation of support, and I could not have done this without her!

Ron ... thanks for making the contact with Dorothy and Camille. Carol has already received a call from Dorothy and I see a posting from her sister! Thanks for bringing us together!

MC ... layering is a part of mountaineering as high tech clothes are now lighter and easier to add/remove. Dependent on conditions is when we add/delete layers. As always, thanks for the quote!

Anne ... always great to hear from a fellow nurse! Hope you can spread the word about the Summit Scholarship and hope you can continue to follow the adventure. I look forward to warm weather again and know that SC will be plenty hot when I get home!

Mira ... great to hear from you. I have seen Attila a few times and looks great! Most of us will cross paths often as we climb the hill. Thanks for the warm wishes and yes this site is a great venue for keeping family in contact with the climbers! No doubt many books will be written!

Rita ... thanks for your post and glad you are following the adventure. We are a diverse team and cross paths with other teams quite often. I hope that you are following Paul's team also as we are on parallell paths.

Jean ... great to hear from you again. Always glad to meet a perioperative nurse as I was very involved with AORN on their national Board of Directors, and continue to be on a patient safety committee. I believe Danny has posted the link recently and should be on my site on a separate page. Hope you can keep checking in on progress!

Gina ... great to hear from transpalnted USC Alumni. Best of luck in your nursing program ... we need you badly! Hope you can spread the word about the Summit Scholarship!

Linda ... great to hear from you after so many years! Please say hi to all your sisters and send my love to all. Hope that you can keep checking in on the progress! Say a special hello to Dorothy for me and send my thanks for lighting the extra candles!

Ken ... great to hear from you and thanks for the update on Sir Edmund Hillary. No idea yet on summit day ... keep posted!

Cathy ... thanks for ther post and for sharing your recent positive experience with nurses. Best of luck in your recovery process.

Shanda ... yes, the thicker air here at basecamp, good food, and showers have been a treat! It's onward and upward from here!

Melissa ... thanks for the post and the warm wishes from Prague ... can use them!