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The Expedition
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Summit day!
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By Candice Martin on 6/14/2007 3:57 PM
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Summit Day: In the early hours of the morning, the Base Camp team comprising myself, Mark, Alex, Ken and Joe, were all huddled around the radio in the shack. Joe’s task was to record the radio traffic between the summit team members from the moment they left Camp 4 at 0230. Via the intermittent...
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Technology
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Geek on Everest - A tale of High Tech vs. High Altitude (Part 1)
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By Mark Kahrl on 6/4/2007 7:14 PM
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The Mission
As an IT professional, I rarely get out of the office. I have worked from home and telecommuted for the last few years so my long office hours are tolerable. So it was more of a surprise to me than anyone else when I was recruited by Altitude Films to go on an expedition to Mount Everest...
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Acclimatizing
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The body really does adapt to the altitude
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By Candice Martin on 5/24/2007 5:29 PM
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Joe and I went on a two hour hike towards Interim Camp this morning gently encouraging our bodies to produce more red blood cells. Although we travelled a fraction of the route hiked a few days earlier, I for one found the difference quite remarkable.
Last time, I was forced to halt every ten minutes...
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General observations
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What I miss most
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By Mark Kahrl on 5/18/2007 11:33 AM
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I miss 5 Mb/s internet, cable TV, a soft bed and a hot shower. Everyone misses the thick air and warmth. But I think most of all we miss those that we love, our wives, our girlfriends, our children, our pets.
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Team members
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A new addition to the team
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By Candice Martin on 5/31/2007 11:07 AM
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We had a temporary new addition to the ‘Altitude Everest Expedition 2007’ team today - a young puppy we've taken to naming ‘Chomolungma’ or 'Chommy' for short (in honour of the Tibetan name for the highest mountain in the world).
This latecomer hails from the foothills of...
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Local traditions
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Buddha Day
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By Mark Kahrl on 6/1/2007 5:05 PM
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Candice and I attended the ‘Buddha Day’celebration at the Rongbuk monastery and it was a truly unique experience. This is perhaps the most important of the Buddhist holidays celebrating the birthday of Buddha. It is multi-day holiday - on the second day of the festival the monks dress in...
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Local culture
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Visiting the bright lights of 'Yak Town'
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By Candice Martin on 5/30/2007 4:00 PM
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Mark and I decided to head off on a mini expedition of our own. Base Camp is slowly turning into a ghost town as the last of the expeditions leave. Our Lithuanian friends have incredibly decided to eschew the comforts of Everest Base Camp for a trip to the Maldives. So before we transform ourselves into...
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Sherpas
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Sherpas are as at home here as we are out of place
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By Kevin Thaw on 5/17/2007 11:36 AM
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The Sherpas are the real heroes of all expeditions. They clean, cook, carry our gear, climb the mountain for us, set up our camps, carry our oxygen, fix the ropes and ladders. Many of them have summited numerous times. Their strength, cheerfulness and sense of humor is an inspiration.
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Sleeping
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Sounds that will live with me forever
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By Peter Allibone on 6/3/2007 12:50 PM
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I'm a cameraman, so sound is usually a secondary thing to me but there have been some sounds on this trip that have stuck in my mind and will live with me forever...
Its a bit tighter for space up at Advanced Base Camp so the tents are even closer together. This means that not a single solitary sound...
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Weather
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Everest makes its own weather
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By Kevin Thaw on 5/16/2007 7:39 PM
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As usual, the mountain weather is unpredictable and variable. Everest makes its own weather and it's usually bad. It gets well below freezing at night due to the altitude. We are in a deep valley that also has its own strange weather pattern. Some mornings are sunny and clear but often there's a micro-storm...
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Nightlife
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Hanging out at 17,000ft
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By Kevin Thaw on 5/15/2007 8:39 PM
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Hanging out above 17,000 ft is difficult - normal daily tasks are quite tiring. Any kind of real physical activity, like hiking or filming, leaves one exhausted at the end of the day. Though usually a night owl, I go to bed early, as do most people.
We do have a large dome tent with a DVD player...
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Food
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Freshly prepared food
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By Kevin Thaw on 5/15/2007 7:40 PM
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The food here is quite good and is freshly prepared every day by Nepali and Tibetan cooks in a designated cook tent, before being served to the team members in our mess tent.
Breakfast - Served at 8:00 am - Typical menu: Toast, eggs ( boiled, fried, or omelettes), bacon, porridge, rice pudding, tea...
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