Day #18

Location: Mt. Everest Basecamp
Altitude: 5364m
Local Time: 10:00pm / April 14
Weather: Warm (60's) windy

Today was the day that I have waited for many years, and that was my initiation to the Khumbu icefall. The Khumbu icefall is a flow of ice down Mt. Everest which shifts, twists and forms caves, sculptures, and yawning crevasses. Due to the intense sun at this altitude the iceflow melts and routes across this vast expanse have to be changed routinely. Crevasses are crossed by means of aluminum ladders which are secured to each side of the crevasse by ice screws, and are further stabilized by ropes which are intended to prevent swaying motions from left to right. After climbing up a few single ladders, and crossing over a small crevasse by navigating a single ladder, the ultimate challenge became a reality as I came to a gaping crevasse that had 3 ladders roped together to get from one side to another. Yesterday we had practiced walking across a ladder with our crampons affixed to boots (crampons are the razor sharp metal points that affix to our mountain/plastic boots and allow us to walk in ice/snow), but now we had to do the real thing and navigate this crevasse. It takes extreme skill to place a crampon securely onto a frozen ladder rung, while maintaining balance by holding ropes taut on each side, going uphill over a bottomless crevasse, and all the while trying not to look down at the gaping hole below! Each of us took turns, and at times held our breaths, as the skills required to cross were slowly learned. As the others retreated to basecamp I stayed a little longer to practice my new skills and at one point was requested by my guide to stop in mid ladder and look at the depth below. I challenged my fear of heights to peak at the depths and saw aquamarine blue colored walls of ice that stretched forever to a dark abyss below. I took my time and looked to my left, and then right, and found that I still had a fear of the height/depth, but now had a higher sense of self-esteem as I was able to bridge a fear that I have had forever!
On this day I developed a renewed sense of faith that I could manage the challenges ahead. My fear of heights still remains, but I now have self-confidence that the new skills acquired today will get me to the top!

The sunset today over the Khumbu was breathless, and the stars tonight frame the mountains as they reach up into the sky. The orange, yellow, and blue glow of lights from tents in basecamp create a festive type atmosphere and the silence here is deafening. I took time to look at the stars tonight and thought I could make out the big dipper, but know that Carol would correct me and say that I was wrong (she is great at locating constellations). Being that I am 10 hours ahead of the east coast, I challenge all of you to look at the stars tonight and know that we are all sharing this beautiful piece of nature that we too often take for granted.

I am still working on charging camera batteries so pictures of the Khumbu will be coming soon. I hope that this post finds all of you well and again I thank you for your thoughts and prayers.

Pat :>)