Day #33

Location: Camp 2
Altitude: 6300m
Local Time: 9:00pm / April 29
Weather: Cool (30's) windy/snow

Yesterday was a hard push as we moved from Basecamp to Camp 2, however a saving grace was the fact that there was a constant cool wind at our backs which helped greatly as we crossed the Western Cwm. Today we rest in preparation for two separate team pushes to Camp 3 during the next few days! Plans at present are to stay a night at Camp 3, then return for a night at Camp 2, and the next day back down to basecamp. By going through the acclimitization moves to the various camps we have essentially prepared our bodies (and minds) for that day when we will go for the summit. After our return to basecamp we will be awaiting weather windows and opportunities for that final push. The planning for our acclimitization has been well thought out and we are very fortunate to have the best overseeing our progression!

**See Liesl's posting on 4/27 regarding how to contribute to the scholarship fund. I have had some nurses challenge others to contribute and would like to hope that if each of the growing number of bloggers could contribute a few dollars we would be able to make our goal of $1 for every foot of altitude of Mt. Everest. There are levels of contribution for those that have lots of money to donate and I suggest that you review the scholarship link. If any questions, contact Liesl at downeyl@gwm.sc.edu.

**Special birthday wishes today to my sister-in-law Joan (formerly of Pennsylvania but now residing in Virginia) and one of my favorite nieces Danielle (aka Oscar) who today turns 14. Danielle lives in Columbia so Carol and I like to kidnap her and older sister Kristen for camping and vacation adventures!

Todays guest blogger will be Mike from Auckland, New Zealand. Hope you enjoy.

Hi this is Mike updating Pat's Blog.

I'm quite amazed how many of my family, friends and work colleagues from New Zealand are following Pat's Blog.

I thought I would write about my day from base camp to camp 2 on the 28th April 2007.

We had breakfast at 5am and departed for the ice fall at 5.30am. I guess the sunrise is around 5.15am but with all the beautiful mountains the sun hits the ice fall at 9am.

I was very honoured to be climbing thru the fall with an old ice fall Doctor, we chatted and he said the ice fall was really good now since the recent collapse. The ice fall was busy and I used the stationary time to hydrate, put sun screen on, take photos etc.

The ice fall although dangerous is very beautiful. A friend of mine said "Mikey, Amateurs look down Professionals always look up" Translation being , you are roped up so you shouldn't fall into a crevasse, but always look up to see what could fall on you.

After about 4 hours I topped out of the ice fall and in the distance I could see a group of about 20 sherpas pulling a sled with the body of a sherpa that had been killed on the Lhotse face the previous day.

For some reason I started to get really upset. I have had some really hard days in the mountains before, falling into huge crevasses (roped), storms where you can not walk and have to crawl, 40 hour summit days etc. But for some reason this sight really got to me.

As the recovery team got closer I moved aside and they smiled and ushered me past, they could tell I was crying and patted me on the back. I descended into a small snow filled crevasse and sat down and had a bit of a sob, 3 more sherpas came past me with my head in my hands and each one patted me on the back and the last one said "its OK". I got up and put some kiwi music on my ipod and worked my way to camp 1 and then to camp 2 .

The sight of my team mates made me feel so much better, but without a doubt this had been my worst day in the mountains.

The sherpas are so friendly, are always smiling, always willing to help. Without them probably 1 in 100 of us would summit, if not less.

The sherpa who died didn't work for our team and I did not know him but looking at our sherps his death put into perpective how dangerous their job is and they do it all for us.

Today might of been one of my lowest but with our awesome team I'm sure many great and unforgettable days lie very shortly ahead.

Your Messages:

Carol:
Hi sweetheart. Got your text message that you were back from hiking with Deb. I sure do look forward to many hikes in North Carolina with you ... as long as you don't get too far ahead of me on the trail! Being here in the mountains has really renewed my interest in buying a second home
in the mountains of North Carolina. Of course the grandeur will be nothing in comparison to what we have here in the himalayas, but just being in the mountains provides for me an escape from reality. I could sit forever and admire the majesty of God and his creations of the hills, forests, and mountain peaks. It is also very inspirational for me as the creative juices flow and I love to write while in the mountains. I am sure that between ther mountains of North Carolina and my hammock on our patio on Lake Murray in Columbia, SC will come the drafts for the book that I plan to write about this adventure. So, lets look around at some real estate that provides a majestic view of the mountains in North Carolina and make another investment in our future.

I love you and miss you terribly :>)

Pat :>)

AORN Friends:

Jeanne ... thanks for the continued support. Glad we will have the "Buckeye Stae of Ohio" represented on the blogger map! I hope I can make AORN proud!

Bonnie ... wow, you guys have really been getting some awful weather! Avalanches are a daily occurrence here and we have seen some pretty large boulders rolling down the hills!
So far I am doing well with the elevation gains and have been able to sleep okay at altitude. Everything does take more effort and/or causes extreme SOB, but that comes with the elevation gains!
As always I appreciate you being able to associate various songs with my adventure. I especially enjoy your most recent choice, - "Every move you make, every step you take ... I'll be watching you". That could be my theme for the bloggers as they truly do monitor my moves, and are with me all the way! I appreciate all your support and kjnd words and am glad that you are along for the ride!

Canadian Friends:

Maureen ... great to hear from you again! So glad to hear from you that you have pursued the education track and are now functioning as an education assistant. It seems like we Hickey's like to teach and help others as Danny, myself, and yourself work with students in school settings .... while all the other Hickey's work after hours to coach sports and give back to the community. I feel your frustrations regarding teaching ... but know that you are making a difference!
I would love the opportunity to come and speak to a class and can coordinate it with a visit home to Almonte. I really enjoyed talking to the students at ADHS and look forward to more of those opportunities!
*See my response to Dave posted below as another option that could be done ASAP!

Nick ... thanks for checking in from St. John's Newfoundland. It is very cold here also, especially at night. However, all of us have special high technology gear and clothing that keeps us warm. Did you know that the inventor of basketball (Dr. James Naismith) is from my hometown ... Almonte, Ontario!

Heather ... thanks for your posting. All of my team are very brave, strong, and very dedicated to what we are doing!

Dave ... great to hear from you again. Let Sean know that I would be more than happy to talk to his high school class. The only issue I could foresee would be that of timing as I don't come home often. I will be home for Danny's wedding in early July, but imagine that school will be out then! I could always arrange to do a telephone interview from Mt. Everest if Sean's teacher could set up a speaker system in his classroom. I am 10 hrs. ahead here so if his class was at 9am, it would be 7pm here and no problem. If Sean's teacher wanted to do that I would ask if he could dip into his petty cash to pay for the call which would be about $1 US per minute.
Let me know what you think!
Thanks for your prayers for the sherpa ... they join mine!

Larry ... great to hear from fellow Canucks ... and from such a unique area of our country! No doubt you will be isolated on the blogger map! Congrats on your work as a nurse practitioner ... I am sure that you have played a valuable role in the lives of our First Nations Aboriginal peoples. Mike has been a great additiion to our team and always has exciting stories to share with us. Thanks for your kind words, and best of luck in your nursing career! Please spread the word about the summit scholarship ... so we can get more nurses to help you do your work!

Eric ... thanks for the greetings from Quebec. It's my pleasure to share the adventure.

Columbia Friends:

Gere ... great to hear from you. My masters and doctoral degrees are from the Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina. I teach an Introduction to Community Health in the College of Nursing and love exposing the students to the community. Look forward to meeting you on my return and perhaps discuss the opportunity of a guest lecture in my class in the fall?
Please also spread the word about the Summit Scholarship to friends and colleagues.

Sheila ... thanks for the greetings from PHTS. I have great respect for all that you do for patient safety and have always enjoyed our collaborations.

Bill ... thanks for the greetings, and I have heard through Carol that she is using air-conditioning! Believe it or not, I miss that climate and can't wait to sweat (or in the south ... perspire) again!

Susan ... thanks so much for throwing out that challenge to all of the other nurses that are on this blog. It seems simple enough, but I know that people are pulled left and right as far as giving contributions to charities, fundraisers, and scholarships. But this donation is definitely one of an investment in the future of a bright student who will someday be rendering quality healthcare to our loved ones!

Palmetto Health Friends:

Sandra ... great to hear from you, as always! We too enjoyed the descriptions of the climbing types.
We are through the icefall and safe at Camp 2. Next is the climb to Camp 3. Thanks for the best wishes, and again for another wonderful quote!

Kelly ... thanks for spreading the news of the scholarship at Lexington Hospital. Best of luck in your summer rotation ... hope you have time to enjoy the lake and the beach!

Linda ... thanks so much for getting in contact with Greg and for distributing the posters to the reps! No doubt my picture has been changed radically and I probably have horns, squinty eyes, and a not too flattering haircut. Hey, whatever it takes to help with the scholarship! No worries on the safety factor as I clip into every line and take extreme caution when crossing ladders over crevasses. I made a promise to Carol to return home ... and that I will, safe and sound!

USC Friends:

Liesl ... thanks so much for your briefing on how to contribute. Whatever is easiest is best! I appreciate all that you are doing for the scholarship fund and am hopeful that a lot of the bloggers can see their way to giving any amount of money!
Thanks also for getting in touch with Dave and Charlie at 93.5. If they don't mind paying $1 for each minute of the call that would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks also for updating the monies received to date on the scholarship link.

Bev ... thanks for your postings and am glad that school is winding down. Hope that you have exciting summer plans ... despite working! Take time to relax and enjoy and treat yourself ... you deserve it! Say hi to all!

Karen ... thanks for sharing your mountaineering experience, as well as that of your student! Glad to hear that the move is going well. Enjoy your move, relax for the summer, and keep your options open. We only go round this life once ... and it's a wonderful experience so treat yourself as much as possible. You have a lot to offer nursing and students ... but do it on your terms!

Jane ... thanks for the update on the class and apologize if I burdened you too much with inserting grades into VIP! Glad to hear that the pressure of class is off and know the busy work at the end of the semester!
Enjoy your time in SD. Carol is from a small town (Clark) near Watertown and on trips to visit family there we have also done the tourist thing and visited the Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, and of course Wall Drug Store for Buffalo Burgers! The missile silo tour sounds cool!
Enjoy your summer ... and I don't plan to go away again!

All The Others:

Craig ... great to hear from you "down under"! Best of luck to your daughter in her pursuit of a nursing degree ... she is greatly needed! Keep in touch!

Billl & Michele ... great to hear from you. I am not sure of the male:female ratio of climbers on Mt. Everest, but from my perspective they are in the minority. At some point I will count the ladders in the Khumbu as I cross through to give you a better idea of how many crevasses we actuallly cross.
Regarding the climber classifications, I believe that Carol has reported that I am an Amalgam! Again, I appreciate the prayers!

Jill ... great to hear fom you! I lived in Corpus Christi, Tx. for 10 years and have always considered Texas as a second home. Love the people, love the food, love the State! I guess that for you some of the Khumbu photos are deja vu. Kudos on your hike in as you know it is a long trail of many ups and downs ... not for the weak of heart! I relayed your kind words to Ward and he is very appreciative!

Anna & Graham ... Anna is a wonderful addition to our group and brings many strengths! I relayed your comments to Ward and he is appreciative. We too enjoyed the descriptions of the climbers! My wife Carol says I'm an Amalgam ... and I don't question her!
I can't see the map that Danny has created but imagine that it does a good job of capturing where all the bloggers live!

MC ... I passed on your kind words to Ward. We too enjoyed the classifications and as you can read from an earlier post Carol says that I am an Amalgam.
Thanks for sharing with me the information on the icefall dilemna. As far as we are concerned the routes are fixed, change occasionally, and appear to be very safe.
I am unable to see the map that Danny has created but sounds like it should be quite informative and am glad that we are able to capture this information!

Jen ... appreciate the posting. I shared it with Bo and also your kind words and prayers with the rest of the team!

Ben ... I relayed your support to Bo. He is a great addition to our team and always has a story, or two, or three to share with us!

Vic & Snake ... your making us all jealous with your description of the pool and beers. I have relayed the message to Mike and he appreciates the regards!

Julie ... well, it's Mike's turn to blog ... hope he gives you enough information as requested! Always great to hear from a fellow Canadian, and nurse! I have enjoyed sharing the adventure and am hopeful that all bloggers will learn more about the nursing shortage and what I am trying to do about this isssue! Keep in touch.

Ken ... thanks for the support regarding the climb on the Lhotse face. Our team will be hitting that challenge over the next few days and are looking forward to it!

Wendy ... not a mealtime passes without Mike talking about you and the kids ... he truly does miss all of you! The team appreciates your kind words, and I appreciate your postings! Don't forget to spread the word about the Summit Scholarship ... as we need to put more nurses in the workforce, that will inevitably help you and I.

Dr. 9 Toes ... I have shared your message with Anna. She is great and we are all jealous of her tan!

Joan ... glad to hear that the move is going well. We look forward to visiting and seeing that view of the Potomac as well as your vacation resort in SC.
Happy Birthday ... hope you have a fun day!

Paul ... looks like another day here at Camp 2 before we go for Camp 3. An extra day at altitude can't hurt! Besides, the food is better here!

Moraima ... thanks so much for your posting and I imagine that you will be getting the whole picture by monitoring all the posts! Thanks for the wishes of good luck and hope you can continue to follow our progress!

Bonnie (KY) ... great to hear from you and good questions. It snows here off/on every day with varying levels of accumulation dependent on altitude! While the sun is out in the day we still wear our fleece or goretex and temps are in 30-40's (F) and in the evening dip into 10-20's (F). As I write this from the confines of my tent the heat of the sun is warm, but it is snowing and very cool outside! Hope this helps some!

Bonnie (CO) ... thanks for logging in from Colorado and my best friend David (aka Demento) sends me daily messages from your lovely neck of the woods. Victor has a great group and he is a great guide!

Beck ... great to hear from you in Alaska. I climbed Mt. McKinley in 2003 and loved it. Thanks for following along on the blogs. By monitoring all three you get the bigger picture!
Thanks for sharing the nursing history in your family. They, more than most, will realize why I am so passionate about the Summit Scholarship and hope that they can contribute and/or spread the word!

Ron ... thanks for the update on Kiko's and appreciate the suggestion for us all to get together for a meal. It would be a great reunion! Would love to take you up on the offer of meeting us on the Harley's and will work with George to coordinate. David is probably overdue for a trip to Corpus so it would be great to coordinate his visit and ours!
If you get a chance it would also be nice for CW Gilleleland, Larry (Gus) Johnson, and Noe Soza to be notified of my site and our get together if they are still around! They all played an important part in my life when I worked in the ED at MMC and would love to hear from them. Look forward to planning our get together!
If you and David contribute the amount of the bill to the scholarship fund ... I will plan to come to Kiko's with a very hearty appetite!

Craig ... we followed an icefall doctor through a part of the Khumbu the other day and was very impressed with their skills. We could not do what we do without them! Thanks for the best wishes!