Day #50

Location: Basecamp
Altitude: 5364m
Local Time: 10:00pm / May 16
Weather: Cool (40's) sunny/windy

I will be posting the Summit Scholarship Update daily for the rest of this week as I realize that not everyone reads the blog daily and I want everyone to know how easy it has now become to donate to this scholarship!

If you are familiar with the details, please jump ahead to my daily message!

Summit Scholarship Update

Following is an update from Liesl:

The USC website for the climb
is now online at www.sc.edu/everest. The University of South Carolina team has created a comprehensive site
which includes many video clips about
your trek and your goal, links to news
coverage, great pictures, and how to make a gift.

Gifts to the cause have been coming in faster, competing with your climb, and we're now at $4,397! Recently, Palmetto Health Alliance made a generous Mount Kilimanjaro level donation. There are many other gifts mentioned even on this blog that are coming down the pike. Every gift helps us get closer to the "one dollar for every foot" goal. Let's continue to spread the word! We've been sending posters out all over the state and through the country, and are now
having more printed.

Online Giving:
https://giftsonline.sc.edu/contribute.asp
As of today, the Summit Scholarship is
available as a drop-down choice for
online giving. The new steps are more
simple:
Fill out all information as described. When you reach "Contribution
Information", enter as follows in the
drop-down categories:
1. Division/Campus: SELECT "Columbia
Nursing"
2. Category: SELECT "Scholarships"
3: Gift Designation: SELECT "Summit Scholarship Endowment Fund"

Today's excitement is the progress of our fellow team mates; Rob, Bo, and Ward as they pushed from Camp 3 to Camp 4. I understand that Ward left an audioblog at some point and hope that he has been keeping you up to date on their progress. No doubt you should be able to get accurate information from the ICE8000 website as they are constantly being monitored. We here in basecamp are planning to get up early and hopefully catch some radio reports to follow their progress. Please send all your warm thoughts and prayers to this group as they head for the summit.

Our own summit bids should be very soon as we hope to take advantage of the weather window that has recently presented itself. Hopefully can give you some exciting news soon. In the meantime we go through our checklists to make certain that we are ready to go when beckoned!

Your Messages:

Carol:
Hi sweetheart. Would love to have you as a tentmate and share this view! We have shared many a tent and have had some great views ... but this one beats them all! Perhaps on a return visit to Nepal we can share this view ... without your worry of me climbing again!

I love you and miss you terribly :>)

Pat :>)

AORN Friends:

Bonnie ... it is quite comforting to look at the Khumbu Icefall daily as I mentally track my route to the top!
I have to agree with the following listed example from your visionary exercise, "Support can come from the most unexpected places" as this blog and the bloggers are great evidence of that support for me, my team, and the Summit Scholarship! I appreciate the wishes for the elements being with me ... as that needs to happen to be a success!
Appreciate your support of the Summit Scholarship and know that any support is well appreciated! I realize that most give to many charities and in doing so a lot of people are stretched quite thin!
Many thanks, as always!

Kay ... look forward to sharing pictures, video and commentary through a series of chapter visits (if they will have me) and hopefully at Congress.
Thanks for following along as the end is in sight!

Rose ... not much waiting left as summit time approaches. Will confirm dates very soon! Thanks as always for all your "cheerleading" efforts!

Canadian Friends:

Danny ... thanks for the recount and am hopeful that within the next few weeks more will log on that have been simply monitoring the site!
Am feeling very strong and 100% better than a week ago!

Rob ... thanks for following the adventure! The real challenge soon begins! Thanks for your support!

Columbia Friends:

Belinda ... thanks so much for your support of the Summit Scholarship! It is a wise investment in your future! As you noted, most of us will be cared by a nurse in our lives and it is vital that we have enough of trained nurses to care for selves and family! Wish I could bring the snow ... but will bring pictures of it which will last much longer!

Rahn & Smyth ... thanks so much for your contribution to the Summit Scholarship! Thanks for sharing the family history of medical personnel. I have found that those with medical people in their family are always more understanding of medical related causes, as are those that have utilized quite a lot of medical services!
Summit day soon approaches!

Palmetto Health Friends:

Sandra ... glad that you had the time to check in during your holidays and hope that you enjoy Bryce Canyon. Thanks for your help in having PHR become a contributor to the Summit Scholarship.
Hope you have a chance to check in again over the next week as their should be more action!

USC Friends:

Dean Hewlett ... as always thanks for your encouragement and support! Liesl and her team have done a "bang up job" (hanging around too many Brits ... starting to sound like them!) on the Summit Scholarship process ... many kudos! Our summit bid is just around the corner and will confirm within 2 days! Thanks for the prayers ... well needed!

Judy ... thanks so much for the NASCAR update! I am so jealous of your experience at Darlington! Can't wait to see your videos! I hope that Jeff continues in his winning mode after I arrive home! Look forward to talking NASCAR when I get home! Just checked today and hopefully the NASCAR flag will arrive here on 5/18 ... just in time before we depart for the summit!

All The Others:

MC ... thanks for the weather report and we hope to take advantage of that weather window. Will confirm within next 2 days our departure date!
Also, thanks so much for the Three Dogs Night chorus and words to Shambala. Can't wait to get home and play this music! Love the quote on success and fits my lifestyle as I always hope to find adventure along the way!
As always, thanks for the support!

Kurt ... great to hear from you again! Am feeling great and ready for a summit push! Sounds like the girls are actively engaged in sports and hopefully summer holidays are approaching soon! Would love to hear from the girls when they get a chance! Thanks for the continual support!

Ann & Graham ... thanks for the well wishes for Ward and team on their summit push! I'm sure more audioblogs to follow!

Jen ... one of my most favorite quotes yet, "Greatness lies not in being
strong, but in the right use of
strength." All others loved it too!
We are all prepared for the summit bid and feeling strong! Weather is good and we are positive!
Many thanks for continued support!

Fred & Munroe ... thanks for the well wishes for Ward. I'm sure there will be more audioblogs as he progresses to the summit!

Belle ... many thanks for the well wishes for Ward. Am sure he will leave more audioblogs!

Cathy ... thanks again for your donation to the Summit Scholarship! I am hopeful too that we will raise the money needed for the scholarship ... and thanks to people like you we will get closer to our goal! I am feeling much better and ready for our summit bid, which is just around the corner!

Ken ... thanks for the best wishes and confirmation of good weather to come! Am confident that we will take advantage of this weather window with a summit bid soon! We met with Bear before he broke his record, and part of our team celebrated with him afterwards!

Mark ... yes, the excitement builds as we hope the weather window stays open for us to make a summit bid soon! Will confirm actual date within next few days! Thanks for the Republican debate news ... had no idea it was hosted by USC! Just checked today and hopefully the NASCAR flag will be here on 5/18 ... just in time for our summit bid!
Appreciate the support!

Gabi ... thanks for your well wishes and appreciate the kind words for Bo. Hopefully there will be an audioblog from Bo as he goes for the summit!

Gill ...Hi Guys, It is getting very exiciting now, a few days and we will have our chance, thank you for your kind thoughts and support... mike

Bob & Jess ...Hi guys, nice to hear from you, not long now. Half our team are above camp 4 towards the summit tonight, we are all waiting for word.... mike

Mike's Mum ...Hi Mum, having a nice few days rest in base camp before the big push, will let you know when we are going..... Prayers are with the first summit team climbing tonight ... mike