Day #34

Location: Camp 2
Altitude: 6400m
Local Time: 7:15pm / April 30
Weather: Cool (40's) snow

Today has been another rest day as the threat of bad weather higher up has us again taking advantage of further acclimitization at this altitude! Hopefully the weather will cooperate for us tomorrow and we will all be able to go to Camp 3 as an entire team!

Today's guest blogger will be Rob Casserley MD. Rob is a veteran of Mt. Everest and has summitted twice, in 2003 and 2006.

Hope you enjoy.

Hey guys. Well, I sure have some tough acts to follow, but here's hoping for an enjoyable blog and maybe some more of the Everest jigsaw in place for you all ...

So, today I hope to let you know about the last few days leading up to hopefully the summit!

So, assuming that you've slept at camp 3 (7300m), you can rejoice by returning to base camp and if time allows, a quick trip down valley, normally to within a radius of Pangboche.

All of our Sherpas hail from Pangboche, so to us, it is like a second home. We normally stay at a lodge run by one of the Sherpa's wives and are treated like family.

After a gruelling time up on the mountain, both physically and more importantly, psychologically - all those friends and family at home that we are missing desperately - to be looked after in such a homely fashion provides an almost essential, emotional life raft for those of us missing home.

Recharged by the Pangboche experience, the anticipated radio call comes from Base Camp - "Get back to Base Camp - a weather window has arrived". Gulp. Having prepared for up to 6 weeks for this moment, a mixed bag of emotions laps over us. Excitement, fear, thoughts of home, it's never to late to turn around ... snapping out of it and recognising that this is the time - your moment. Carpe diem and seize the day and all that! A few deep breaths later and off we go. Queue the "Top Gun" music, opening scene!..

Back at Base Camp, final preparations. Anticipated summit day 5 days away. Leave early next morning for hopefully our final trip to Camp 2. Next day REST - if you can - so much nervous energy bounding around. Faces looking to you for answers - what's going to happen? It's going to be ok (is it?). Somehow our fates already laid out ahead of us - but us still confident that we can control our future for the better, even at the edge of human survivability. The arrogance of man?.. No, the irrepressible urge of humankind to keep pushing the boundaries. I am so honoured to be part of this.

Next day Camp 3. An uncomfortable night in tents whose base has been melted out by the sun. 3 man tents not capable of sleeping the pet dog, yet 3 of us crammed in like sardines at 7300m. Sleep? A far away dream. As the cold slips across us, our expirations freezing to the tent wall.

Drip...drip...drip - the next morning - did we sleep? The sun hits the tent wall and the moisture we lost overnight almost drowns us. Teammates rushing to protect their down clothing, the unlucky one lighting the stove. A race against the clock as the impressive Sherpas near camp 3 to "pick up" their less able western steads. For us the simple task (hee, hee!) of traversing the yellow band, maintaining our balance on the Geneva Spur and then dragging our weary bodies into the South Col. The Sherps going all the way from Camp 2 to the South Col. Incredible.

As for summit day, I'm sure if you'll oblige, I can summarise events as we, Pat and the crew, get closer to our big day. Remember - we are all here because we want to be. Remember - we all know that we have the most incredibly supportive and loving friends and family to enable us to stick it out here and hopefully accomplish one of our dreams... 'Till the next time, Rob C.

Your Messages:

Carol:
Hi sweetheart. It was super-great talking to you earlier today. You sounded so close that I could reach out and touch you ... maybe in my dreams! I am so glad that you are receiving emails now and hope that this service continues! Look forward to chatting with you again in a few days!

I love you and miss you terribly :>)

Pat :>)

AORN Friends:

Paula ... how wonderful to hear from you! Is Jessie home yet? What are her plans for the summer?
Thanks for sharing your story about the nursing reception that you just attended. I appreciate you noting that due to a faculty shortage we may not be able to accommodate those students that always wanted to be nurses, and due to financial constraints an even greater number of potential nursing students may not be able to realize their dream of becoming a nurse.
It is sometimes frustrating to be here on the side of the largest mountain in the world and wonder if I am doing any good at all for nursing as I don't see that donations are rolling in for the Summit Scholarship. I guess, if nothing else, I am enlightening people to the looming shortage and the urgent need to do something to protect our healthcare system! I suppose that I should not put too much value on the Summit Scholarship, but I do want to make a difference, and don't want to let people down! More importantly, I want to help that student that is struggling to make ends meet, as I was in nursing school, and give them that financial assistance that will make the difference between becoming a nurse ... or not!
I have seen where nurses have recently challenged other nurses to donate to the scholarship on the blog and, according to Carol, my brother Danny has challenged all Canadians on the blog to donate also! Maybe this is what we need to do ... throw down the gauntlet! Perhaps you could help a little by contacting AORN and doing a chapter challenge?
On a lighter note ... I have not heard any NASCAR news since I left the USA 34 days ago! Could you please have David drop me a blog with the results of the past 4 weeks races and let me know how the points standings are going ... and most importantly, how Jeff is doing!

Rose ... great to hear that you are having wonderful weather ... you are way overdue! Here it is snowing, as usual! We could not do anything without the Sherpas and we respect them greatly!
*Hey, contact Liesl at USC (her contact email is in yesterday's blog) and ask her to send you a Summit Scholarship poster!
Thanks for the cheers!

Canadian Friends:

Greg & Rita ... great to hear from you guys and hope that all is well in Almonte! Are you still losing sleep over that paper route? Keep in touch!

John, Jane, & Family ... thanks for the update on Mom and Dad. Glad to hear that they are being kept up to speed on the adventure! Glad to hear that the boys start work soon (more money for gas for their vehicles) and not surprised that Jules has the travel bug! I can fill her head with lots of places to go ... but she will need to save her money at work! Say hi to all!

Tony ... great to hear from you and hope that all is well. As I write this in my tent at 4:40pm it is sleeting outside. A sign that I need to change into warmer clothing! All is great as we have rested here at Camp 2 for the past 3 days and now ready to head to Camp 3. After that we return to basecamp and wait for the call to head to the summit!
I believe that Carol was making plans for our trip home to Almonte this week so suggest that you contact her to coordinate flight schedules. Look forward to seeing you at the wedding!

Columbia Friends:

Bill B ... hope you get to check the site more often as we hope to be getting close to summit day! There are so many variables involved that it is impossible to predict ... but due to our acclimitization schedule we will soon be ready!
I trimmed the beard somewhat today as was looking too much like a mountain man!

WP ... as noted above I trimmed a little of the beard today so I would not look too wild, and also to accommodate a better fit/tighter seal for the oxygen mask of which I will soon be wearing! We have re-energized well and ready for Camp 3 tomorrow ... weather permitting!

Belinda ... yes we are excited each time we accomplish another step in the acclimitization process. I would like to think that summmit day is just around the corner, when in reality there are still too many variables to make any type of predictions. Rest assured that we have done as recommended and are positioning ourselves for the summit bid!

Palmetto Health Friends:

Prithvi ... great to hear from you and glad that you are checking in as much as possible! Thanks so much for the well wishes as we will need them very soon as we tackle the Lhotse Face! Say hi to all at PHR.

Sandra ... I am doing well physically and am sleeping well at altitude. We are usually in our sleeping bags by 9-10 and breakfast is at 8 ... so am getting lots of down time! I do look forward to my bed after all of this time on a thermarest, in a sleeping bag!

Bob ... great to hear from you! At Camps 1 & 2 we have been sleeping in North Face VE 25's and at present have two to a tent at these camps. At basecamp we have the same tents to ourselves, and I'm not sure what awaits us at Camps 3 & 4.
Say hi to all and spread the word about the Summit Scholarship!

USC Friends:

Peggy ... great to hear from you and I hope that all is going well at school. I know that most of the faculty are probably breathing a sigh of relief as the pressures of teaching are off, yet final grade submissions and finishing the semester still remains. For the students I am sure the thought of summer vacation, and jobs, are priorities and the fall schedule is but a distant nuisance!
All is well here as we continue to acclimatize and with good weather should sleep at Camp 3 tomorrow, and be back down to basecamp within a few days. We are then officially ready for that window of opportunity that will beckon us to climb back up the mountain ... one more time!
I am feeling strong, sleeping well at altitude, and am ready for the push to the summit! Thanks for all the support back home and I can only hope that the growing list of bloggers will see their way to supporting the Summit Scholarship!

Sabra ... great to hear from you and am excited that you are almost done with your BSN. You have chosen such a challenging route as student and teacher and I admire your ability to do both ... you are very unique! Look forward to seeing you in the fall!

All The Others:

MC ... no matter how tired we look, we always try to smile for the cameras! We do want to reasure our families that we are safe and well so always put on our best faces for the photos!
Looking forward to Camp 3 tomorrow. Thanks, as always, for the wonderful quote!

Cam ... great to hear from you. Yes, it was great seeing Paul in the icefall but we did not want to chat too long as to tempt fate. Being that I have only gone through the icefall a few times I cannot credibly comment on the routing other than to say that repairs have been made when needed and I was able to get through safely! Avalanches do occur here daily, and we all pray that no one will be injured.
Thanks for your kind words of support and safety is our number 1 priority!

Cathy ... all of the team have enjoyed the opportunity to add their personal perspective to the climb, just as each brings their own personalities and strengths to the team.
I believe that they will again be filming on the North Side as a continuance of the Discovery Channel series last fall, and know that documentaries are being done on this side, but don't know any specifics. I would recommend you to go to www.findinglife.ca as Canadian friends are finishing the documentary of my friend Sean Egan who died here in 2005.
Thanks for following the adventure!

Mike & Pauline ... great to hear from you! I have relayed your message to Mike and he sends his best regards!