Hi Everyone,
It’s Paul coming to you from my home in Melbourne nearing the end of what has been a busy week. It’s now less than two weeks before I leave for Nepal and begin the trek in with my brothers Tim and Damien.
No major issues with the web site in it’s first week
The website has been live for nearly a full week now and there have been no major issues. Thanks to everyone that has created a login and in particular to those that posted messages. I have been working hard with TA and Pat helping them setup their pda and technology, and I am pleased to report that everything is going really well so far. It does take a bit of effort to learn the system, but like anything, practice makes perfect and pretty soon it feels like you could do it in your sleep (or even at 8000m). I should add that it takes a bit of effort to do updates every day, particularly when you are tired and cold, but the reward is the feedback you give in the form of your messages, so do keep them coming. We would start writing our daily update at about 4:30pm Nepal time, including answering your questions (we loved getting questions) and then upload it shortly before 6pm, when we would receive all the messages that you had posted up until that time. Going through your messages afterwards was one of the highlights of the day and we would often share them with other climbers. In a later update I’ll describe a bit more the steps we take to go from a scene half way up Everest to your computer screen. (Someone please remind me if I forget!).
How we will try to climb safe on Everest this year
I wanted to draw your attention to a post that Fiona put up in the climbing page of this site. It’s our ideas on how we will try to climb safe on Everest and it’s updated with our learnings from last year. Perhaps most importantly there are some ideas that we have about how climbers could verify that their oxygen regulator is delivering the correct amount of oxygen. On my second attempt last year I noticed what I thought was a significant difference in the amount of oxygen that I was receiving into the mask and it caused me some concern. (I felt fantastic aerobically, and it was only 14 hours since I had last been climbing above the South Col. You can read about our 2006 climb under the Preparations menu -> Past Climbs.) However I was able to check while I was climbing from the South Col up to the Balcony that it was actually delivering the correct amount of oxygen.
Medicine and Health focus
Fiona and I went to the doctor last week and had a Hepatitis B booster shot (the last one in the course so that you get 10+ years of protection). A good friend and former neighbor, Dr Daryl Jones, also suggested getting the flu vaccination too as this might offer some additional protection against upper respiratory illness – those that followed us last year will remember how I was really hit hard with this, and I am trying to think of everything that I can do to prevent it this time. We received some Psolar heat exchanger masks last week, which I am also hoping will help – check out our sponsors page for a bit more info. I have loaded up on Codeine based cough mixture as this was the only thing that would stop me coughing – works great for putting you to sleep too :). Again on Daryl’s advice, I am taking a B complex vitamin (B12 is the important one) and a Folate tablet to hopefully boost my ability to create red blood cells during the acclimatisation process. Apart from a mulit vitamin, I will also take a baby asprin daily to try to prevent frostbite caused by your blood not reaching the extremities. The acclimatisation process makes your blood much thicker and it doesn’t move as easily through the small capillaries.
Anyway off to bed now to try to get a good night sleep before my ride tomorrow – approx 180km from home down the Mornington Peninsula to Portsea and return.
Cheers, Paul.
Good to see you getting back into the reporting routine Paul. Have a good ride tomorrow. Keep an eye out for me on your way back. Nick
Have a nice ride. Say “hi” to Nick if you see him!
Last year Fiona and you were very prepared for Everest. With the info and experience that you gained from your previous climb and the preparation and hard work you have put in this year, you have ensured yourself the best chance possible to summit. I wish you success, good weather and also an adventure that you will treasure your lifetime! mc
Btw, great photo of you at 4:00 am setting off to climb Mt. Donna Buang!
….to wear your helmet on your ride! (Safey’s a good idea OFF the mountain, too!)
😉
Glad to hear you’re continuing to get ready. Everest, here we come!
I’m really looking forward to living vicariously through you guys again this year. Wish I was there. But remember Paul, you have MANY years ahead of you to tackle this mountain. Don’t force it… Good luck and Godspeed.
SB
Didn’t see you out on the ride today, but I was coming back at about just after midday and I imagine that you would have finished your ride by then.
Headwind going down to Portsea, but a nice tailwind coming back.
Paul.
Thanks MC, Yes, I think we are reasonably well prepared again. I have done the hard work, but it’s so easy to get sick, and this could end your opportunity. I was very close to not being able to climb last year.
Paul.
Hi wilberfan,
It’s illegal to not wear a helmet over here, which is a good thing. I am a big believer in helmets when climbing, although there were very few other people wearing them last year. We wore them through the icefall and on the Lhotse face. One problem is that it’s a little hard to keep your head warm when you are wearing a helmet. Paul.
This is so true. So, I will add to my well wishes the best of health! The extra precautions that you are taking certainly can’t hurt and could be beneficial. One other thought might be to bring Air Borne (herbal extracts, vitamins, electrolytes, amino acids and antioxidants) which seems to have great success with stopping a cold or flu in it’s initial stages. mc
Hi Paul, I wish you a safe journey, and I hope you get to the summit this time! I’ll be rooting for you! Have a fabulous trip and God go with you both up the mountain and back down again!
Paul –
Thanks so very much for your regular and encyclopedic advice on getting ready for an Everest climb. I look forward to joining you in commencing our expedition next week. For all who read this web journal, Paul has written me no less than 50 e-mails offering advice on literally every article of clothing and piece of equipment. I couldn’t have gotten ready without his most generously dispensed knowledge and wisdom. I have also been both humbled and inspired by Paul’s workout routine. I haven’t been doing nearly as much conditioning to get ready, but Paul’s exhausting physical preparation has nonetheless spurred me to do more than I otherwise would have.
Now if I could only receive my passport in time!
Thanks so much, Paul. See you in Kathmandu,
Steve Giesecke
U.S.A
Hi Steve, Happy to help you – other people gave us good advice last year, so I am just passing on the favor. Looking forward to spending a couple of months together tackling the mountain. Should be a really great experience.
I’ll probably jinx myself and forget something really important!
Paul.
Thanks SurferBill and Sandra – yep I hope I am lucky this time too. I am have sure put enough work into it. Paul.