Day #21

Location: Mt. Everest Basecamp
Altitude: 5364m
Local Time: 10:45pm / April 17
Weather: Cool (40's) windy/snow

Today was a rest day and we used it wisely to take care of chores. I washed all my dirty clothes (something that Carol won't let me do) in a basin by my tent and did as the locals do and laid the clothes to dry on the rocks! Next came tent management and I organized all my gear into what goes higher on the mountain (down suit, down sleeping bag, snow goggles, high altitude gloves, etc). Additionally I made a list of photos needed for summit day ... and the list is long! I have a responsibility to sponsors for photos, and then there is a long list of others such as getting a picture with my hometown Almonte High School Thunderbolts hat/tocque. I will need to be very organized on that day and will rehearse the event with my climbing sherpa prior to that date. I have two digital cameras with me and hope to entrust my sherpa to take most photos.
After tent cleanup it was time to wash and shave and this is done with a bowl of warm water in the open. Due to the intense sun and breeze no drying towel is needed!

This evening we were treated by our team member, Bo (from the Great State of Michigan), to a viewing of the movie Top Gun. Only one out of fifteen had not seen the movie, but all hung on the edge of their seat as Tom Cruise defeated the Russian pilots.

I appreciate all of your comments on Mike and I avoiding the avalanche yesterday and want to reassure all that we are in good hands!

Your Messages:

Carol:
Hi sweetheart.
Thanks for booking our summer vacation to Colorado. I look forward to our camping/hiking vacation and can't wait to see the mountains. I am getting quite used to sleeping in a sleeping bag and actually find it to be very comfortable. Don't know if I will be able to transition to a bed again ... just kidding!
Love you and miss you terribly :>)

AORN Friends:

Kay ... great to hear from you and glad that you are following along! Mike is from Auckland and a pilot for Air New Zealand. He has lots of pilot stories and keeps us on the edge of our seats! Thanks for the words of confidence and say hi to all at AORN.

Rose ... thanks for keeping everyone up-to-date. I promise not to have too many more wild adventures ... that are within my control. Enjoy the star gazing with Lilg and look forward to seeing all of you in July ... and a Fat Tire or two!

Nat ... great to hear from you and thanks for the reminder re: taxes. I did have to get a lot done before the trip, and signing the tax form was one of those things that were done. Say hi to all at AORN ... and would love to coordinate a call into an AORN BOD meeting if AORN could be a sponsor of the Summit Scholarship!

Bonnie ... thanks for all that you do at AORN. I am hopeful that my experiences here on the mountain can lead to more support for the Summit Scholarship, and recognition for AORN. Not all of our days will be exciting as sprinting away from avalanches, but every day is an adventure! I love all the song lyrics and appreciate it very much. Thanks as always for your support and look forward to sharing the adventure!

Canadian Friends:

Pat ... great to hear from you and thanks for the best wishes. Continue to check in when you can!

Kevin ... congratulate Tristan on her 5th birthday for me!

Desi ... please say hi to Matt for me and congratulate him on his first communion. It snows here lightly each day and is relatively mild. Say hi to the kids for me... Go Sens!

Johnny ... yes, our sprint across the football field would have made Mr. Curry proud! Carrying a backpack and running in mountain boots/crampons made the dash a little more challenging!

Columbia Friends:

Deb ... thanks for the prayers, well wishes, and updates. Happy Birthday!!!

Dave ... we try to avoid using Diamox as much as possible and most try to acclimatize naturally!

Lyn ... as always, thanks for the warm wishes and energy, greatly needed!

Alma & Corky ... great to hear from you and did not know you had access to the internet? Thanks for keeping me in your prayers and for spreading the word of the adventure. Look forward to lots of home made cookies on my return ... and that dowry!

Norm ... yes, being secured to a rope does help somewhat with the fear of heights ... thank goodness! More challenges to come!

Greg ... I am hopeful that this avalanche will be the extent of our excitement for the trip ... short of summit day! Thanks for being such a good neighbor and friend and for checking in on Carol.

Rahn & Smyth ... thanks for the words of support. Hope you can keep Carol busy while I am gone!

Kristen & Danielle ... yes, it was scary, but did not have too much time to think about it as we just ran for our lives! Say happy birthday to your Mom for me! Good luck with Dutch Fork and remind Danielle to use suntan lotion!

Susan ... thanks for the quote and very appropriate. Struggle and endurance are definitely a part of this adventure!

Palmetto Health Friends:

Sandra ... thanks for the continued prayers as I used up a few yesterday! Tomorrow we hike to another area for altitude gain and should be no worries. Extra calories are always welcome here as we burn alot!

Allison ... thanks for checking in and feel free to drop in/out whenever acording to your schedule. Thanks for spreading the word about the scholarship as I hope more people will contribute. Thanks also for the prayers ... greatly appreciated!

USC Friends:

Jane ... great to hear from you and thanks for the updates. Glad that all is well in my absence and appreciate all your help. Sounds like your trip with the students was interesting and remember from last year that it was busy, busy, busy! I am sure that you are excited that the semester is over soon! Keep in touch!

Nathan ... thanks for the updates on the conference. I really enjoyed it last year so can understand somewhat of what you experienced. Best of luck in your remaining NURS 231 tests and keep me up-to-date.

Ashley ... thanks for keeping things organized. Keep me up to date. Hey, did you get the powerpoints, etc. from Linda yet?

Anita ... great to hear from you and know that you would appreciate my cause! It has been my pleasure to teach at USC in the College of Nursing and to be able to advocate for nurses is a thrill! Congrats on your lifestyle changes, your position, and your desire to return to school. Say hi to Brooke for me ... and I appreciate the quote!

LW & Senior Nursing Students ... I do miss all of you and hope that classes are going well. It's my pleasure to be advocating for nursing!

Alan ... thanks for the offer to have me help Coach Spurrier with sprint training, but I am sure that he has everything in control. Yes, hopefully this will be the last sprint, as the climb to the top may be a crawl! Thanks for the NURS 231 updates!

All The Others:

Bill & Michelle ... I am not sure what the blue rectangle shapes are on the google earth map, but am sure that Paul could let you know. Keep tuned in to the findinglife site as it should be very informational also!

David aka Demento ... I go to sleep listening to avalanches and the sounds last quite along time in the night! We are not in their paths, so all is well! Souns like you had a great ski vacation ... wish I could have joined you! Carol has booked our trip for the last 2 weeks of July ... will give accurate dates later!

Carolina Jim ... glad that you are able to follow along! I am writing a book about this journey as well as the 3 complete year long trips through 53 countries ... and hope you will eventually read that one too!

MC ... thanks for including the quotes, great stuff! Yes, adrenaline can help you to do amazing things ... the fight or flight response!

Wendy ... great to hear from you and glad that Mike called you prior to the avalanche blog as I did not want to worry family and friends. Mike is doing well and has become a good friend. We have tents in close proximity to each other and lots in common (I have my private pilot license, am a nurse as you are, and love travel and adventure).

Bobby & Jess ... great to hear from you and glad that I can help in keeping you up-to-date. Mike has read your message and believe will be in touch vie regular email.

Lorraine ... Mike has read your message regarding good karma and I am glad that I have been able to keep all of you connected!

Bonnie (KY) ... thanks for your note and unfortunately there is no avalanche control here ... just mother nature!

Kim ... glad to hear that you are following along and am happy that Carol will be visiting you soon. Hope you can keep her busy and her mind off my climb as at that time we may be experiencing some of our most challenging scenarios!

Agustin ... great to hear from you and thanks for spreading the word of my adventure. Thanks for the good vibes my big/little brother!

WP ... thanks for ther info on your solar panel experience. I plan to send mine in for a refund and agree that they probably can't take much stress. Thank goodness there are others here with panels so I can charge batteries as needed!

Paul ... as always, great to hear from you. Sounds like both of us swap stories of how each other has had an influence on us! I am sure that you have already influenced someone to choose the nursing path, and if not, no doubt you have the passion to do so!