A wake up call of 4am was in order with a departure time of 5:30am. Today we’ll be descending from Camp 2 back into Base Camp. An early start was a must as we wanted to be by the icefalls at 7:30am and avoid the crowds plus the sun. It was freezing cold! Learning from...
Author: Silvia Vasquez-Lavado (Silvia Vasquez-Lavado)
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Day 20 – It’s really windy for a rescue.
The day started with an unexpected update on one of our teammates, Gavin, who had injured himself on the ribs prior to the arrival into Camp 2 and as his condition hadn’t improved an evacuation via helicopter would be the best solution. Both Dorjee and Mike had been up since 5:30am trying to find a...
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Day 19 – Camp 2 and a walk into the Lhotse Wall
Though it was cold at night, sleeping through the evening was massively impacted due to the strong winds. By 3am the strength was so hard (80mph) it felt as if it was about to tear down our tent. It took a lot of meditation power for me to sleep through the rest of the evening....
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Day 18 – Camp 2 and It’s Cold!!!
The evening in Camp 1 was quite cold and windy. Our wake up time would be 6am with a departure of 7:30am. By 7am the winds were so strong and I was running a little bit behind as the previous spicy dal dinner hadn’t sit well with me. First big lesson for this journey, I...
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Day 17 – Camp 1 and the Western Cwm!
Not having enough sleep and climbing through the night was enough to wipe me out completely. Our journey had been so exhausting that sleeping for the whole day was the only way to regain energy. Our goal for today would be to walk halfway into Camp 2 through a beautiful semi-flat section called the Western...
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Day 16 – Into Camp 1 via the Khumbu Icefall
A little delayed due to lack of connectivity, but a recap of the last week. And so finally here we have the opportunity of heading into Camp 1 of Mt. Everest via the very famous Khumbu icefall. If anything I was beyond nervous as I’ve heard so many stories on the Icefall, the danger and...
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Day 14 – The Best View of Everest outside Everest!
Today was our last rest day before our departure to Camp 1. Granted that this rest day wouldn’t be a lazy rest day. Today we’d hike up to Advanced Base Camp of Mt. Pumori close to 5800mts around 19,000ft and have our bodies acclimate to the altitude. We had an early start around 7am as...
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Day 13 – A welcome into the Mountain and final arrival into Lukla
Today was an exciting day for us at Base Camp. Mike and Dorjee ,our lead guides, will be leading us into the Khumbu ice fall for a real practice on all the skills that we’ve learned the day before. This was extremely significant as it would be the first time we’d be directly setting foot...
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Day 12 – Remembering my Mama Telle!
I had a hard time sleeping through the night. Maybe the food from the evening before, or maybe the fact that is April 16th and the 3rd anniversary of my beloved Mama Telle’s passing. It was a little rough to get the day going, I think maybe subconsciously my mind was grieving the memories. Even...
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Day 11 – A new start and ongoing transitions
Wake up call and breakfast by 8am. My first night at Base Camp hadn’t been the greatest. It was extremely freezing cold and the rumbling sounds of avalanches kept me up all night. Joining breakfast for the first time and opportunity to learn the name of my teammates. 7 kind and sweet gentlemen –Mark and...