With departure imminent, I want to sing the praises of my beautiful (inside and out) girlfriend, Carla, and her efforts to bring much-needed winter clothing to the kids in the mountainous regions of Nepal.  She coordinated a similar effort in 2012 for our first trip to Nepal, and the grateful beneficiaries of that effort can be seen at left.  I also want to extend my sincerest thanks to all of you that donated your children’s winter clothing (either in 2012 or for this trip) to make these moments possible.  We are simply the grateful conduit for your generosity.

The climbing season in Nepal is getting underway and our team is looking forward to joining the fray shortly.  Most teams are already making their way up the Khumbu Valley and will be arriving in Everest base camp in the next few days.  We will be coming in behind most of the groups, but with a small, strong team, we will have plenty of time to acclimatize effectively.  There are reports of rain/snow in the Khumbu, so we may have timed our arrival optimally to avoid some of this, although we will find out if this is the case soon enough.

Courtesy of Garrett Madison; Madison Mountaineering

The Icefall Doctors, the dedicated team of Sherpa that each season establish and maintain the route through the perilous Khumbu Icefall (site of the devastating avalanche on 4/18/2014 that tragically claimed 16 lives), have been hard at work setting the route to Camp I and Camp II.  Reports suggest that they have shifted the route away from the dangerous hanging glaciers on Everest’s West Shoulder (the cause of last year’s deadly avalanche) toward Nuptse.  This should help mitigate some of those risks and make the route a bit safer for all that climb above base camp this season.  However, the new route will pose its own challenges as Garrett Madison points out in his recent post (which includes some great pictures of the new route vs the old that expand if you click on them while visiting his page):  Madison Mountaineering

As our expedition gets underway, I will try to keep this blog updated regularly as travels, conditions and connectivity permit, but a great option to follow what is happening on Everest in its totality every year is Alan Arnette’s excellent blog (link at left – but note you need to scroll down a bit on this page to see his most recent posts).  Alan’s coverage this year should be particularly interesting given the events of last year and the fact that he will be reporting directly from Everest base camp this year as he attempts to climb Lhotse.

Everest, Lhotse & Nuptse as viewed from the summit of Cho Oyu (26,906′) on May 17, 2014 (photo courtesy of climbing partner and 2014 expedition teammate, Charley Mace)

It’s that magical time of the year when climbers from all over the world converge on Kathmandu and head up the Khumbu Valley, and elsewhere, to pursue their Himalayan dreams.  For the third time in four years, count me amongst them.

I feel very fortunate that many things have conspired to allow me to return to this majestic place yet again, including a generous sponsorship from Q-Force (a terrific, Quercetin-based chew that helps build endurance, promote recovery from strenuous work-outs, sharpen mental acuity and boost the immune system).  With Nepal’s Ministry of Tourism finally approving the recognition of our “unused” 2014 permits for Everest & Lhotse, all of the pieces have fallen into place, including the return of my stellar team from last year.

Mike Moniz, of the father-son team, will not be returning this year with us since he climbed Everest & Lhotse as a member of my 2012 Everest expedition.  Therefore, I will be returning with his 17 year-old son, Matt (an exceptionally strong climber), and expedition leader extraordinaire, Willie Benegas.  As a strong and nimble team of three, we will be going in a little later than usual, beginning our trek through the Khumbu in mid-April (most Everest teams are arriving in Kathmandu as I write this).  This should put us in position for a late-May summit attempt of Everest (29,035′) and then Lhotse (27,940′).

And, if climbing two of the four tallest peaks in the world in one push wasn’t enough of a challenge, conditions permitting, Matt & Willie will attempt to be the first to ski down the Lhotse Couloir back to Camp II (skiing from 27,940′ to 21,500′ down the Lhotse Couloir and Lhotse Face – the steep, snow-covered face on the central peak in the photo above).  I will gladly serve as witness and videographer for that portion of the expedition, as that’s a bit out of my pay-grade at this stage.

Training day on CO’s Continental Divide

A highlight of this year’s expedition will be having Carla join me for the trek to Everest base camp, which by itself is more than a two-week journey from 9,300′ up to 17,500′ through the many welcoming villages of the Khumbu Valley.  Additionally, we’re hopeful that she will be able to attend our puja ceremony, once at base camp, where we ask for permission and safe passage during our climb.  In 2012, we did a two-week journey through India and the Kathmandu Valley on my way to climb Everest.  Last year, in 2014, she met me in Thailand for a week of R&R on beautiful Kata Noi beach after my successful ascent of Cho Oyu (26,906′) while the team awaited final approval from the Chinese to climb Everest from the North side (an approval that never came).  The trek through the Khumbu Valley is one that she has always wanted to do, so this year’s expedition, hopefully, will culminate in both of us realizing a lifelong dream.

The always agreeable, Camden, ready for yet another ascent.

We depart in a little more than two weeks, so things are a bit hectic as we finalize preparations.  That said, I am getting up to the hills to train quite a bit with my trusty climbing partner, Camden, who never complains about the wind, weather, snow conditions or anything else.  A quick treat and scratch of the belly and he’s ready for whatever the day has in store for us (wouldn’t it be great if we were all so amenable).  We’ve climbed a dozen or so peaks in the past few weeks, with many more to follow prior to departure, so he’s doing a fine job of getting me ready for another Himalayan season.  More to follow, and I will try to keep this blog up-to-date as the expedition and connectivity allow.