Lost some e-mail addresses

Our computer let us down awhile ago and we lost some of the e-mail addresses of people who wished to be contacted regarding presentations. If you do not hear from us regarding the presentation on October 3, 2008 please resubmit your e-mail address and we will keep you posted regarding other presentations we may be doing. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Hear the stories

We recently did a presentation at a seniors home that was extremely well received. One of the seniors commented that it was the best presentation she had ever been too. Another senior told us we were completely crazy but we already knew that!
We have combined forces with the Barrie Rotary clubs to do a presentation at Georgian College on October 3, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. All the family is coming home for this presentation and net proceeds go to Royal Victoria Hospital and Rotary House. Contact us at dan@malloryexpedition.com for more information or to reserve a seat. Hope to see you there!

Preparing to climb

Many people ask us how we prepare for a climb like Mt. Everest. Our preparation is our lifestyle. We are all very active, always doing something. Injuries have slowed all of us down at various points in our lives but we all come back strong. We are all strong personalities and self confident. Although we do not always agree when it really matters we always support each other. Obviously climbing other mountains and learning certain techniques has also made us more prepared for climbs.

Mount Vinson

We are beginning our research of Mt Vinson in Antarctica, the last of the 7 summits. We hope to do that mountain in January of 2010. It seems like a long way away but preparing for some of these hikes is like starting a small business. Hopefully our success on Mt. Everest will make fund raising easier and we will not have to take a 2nd mortgage out on our house. We now have most of the equipment.
Although Mt. Vinson is not as high as Everest the hike will be long since you start at just slightly above sea level. Everyone in the family will have to do some reading and make their own personal decision as to whether they want to come or not. Since the children are beginning to make their own lives (work, potential partners etc.) new parameters are coming into play.
Climbing Mt. Everest this year was a rushed decision. Most people take a year to plan and we only took 6 months. It also cost us money since many potential sponsors said they did not have enough time to set things up. We are glad we did it however since it may have been the only year all of us could have gone.

K2

There are many things that are unpredictable when climbing a mountain. Sometimes you are just in the wrong place at the wrong time - we have no control over mother earth or nature. From the reading I have done, the deaths on K2 might have been prevented if the ropes had been fixed properly. The time taken to refix the ropes on the mountain delayed everyones' summit. However, the risk of an avalanche or a serac falling at any time exists on any high altitude mountain. Most climbers realize that if you climb long enough the mountain will eventually take you. I am sure these catastophes really make people wonder why people climb at all. I cannot answer that question.
I extend my thoughts and prayers to the families of the K2 climbers.

The Porter Hotel

Adam and Alan decided to hike ahead of the family one day. They arrived late at the teahouses and they were all full so they had to stay in the porter hotel. They thought they were lucky because they had the room with a window. They were wrong. All the smoke from the cook stove drifted up and into their room, the beds and ceiling were too short, and there was no room for their backpacks. In the morning after a terrible night's sleep Adam reached over to open the door to get some fresh air and his bed collapsed. These are the kinds of things that make you thankful for small pleasures.

Mt. Everest update

I just recently sent an update to our web designer and advisor Susanne. She will be updating the Mt. Everest section of Expeditions and adding some new pictures. I also plan on changing the homepage picture every few weeks. I am even awed by some of our pics. I just finished a photo album to show to friends and people who may be interested in having us speak to their group. Sorry we are taking so long to do everything but the presentations are not our main job. Once we get everything organized and get caught up with our normal life things will definitely progress more quickly.

Our First Presentations

Alan has done two presentations to date. One for Toast Masters and one for the company he works for, Hatch in Mississauga.
Hatch really laid out the red carpet for us and we are very thankful for all their support. Alan did an excellent job talking about our adventure and showing a lot of our best pictures. Everyone had their own little story to tell (accompanied by pictures) at some point in the presentation so it was a family affair. Lots of good questions during the Q & A period after the presentation. They really made us feel like celebrities.
Dan did a presentation for extended family and friends at the cottage. The family always wants to hear all the details and see lots and lots of pictures so Dan's presentation was much longer than Alan's. We had an intermission with dessert half way through. The family was awed.
Presently, we are looking at potential dates and venues in the Barrie area. If we get a good response we will expand our area.
I will continue to keep this blog up to date. Ask questions and make suggestions. This is a learning experience for us.
We all strongly feel we have a wonderful story to tell.

Do we write a book?

We have been approached by several people to write a book. There have been lots of books written about Mt. Everest and with the internet and modern communication you can certainly get lots of information about climbing and the mountain. So if we do write a book what do we write about and who writes it? Is the story about the adventure on Mt Everest? Is the story about the family and how we as a family came to climb Mt. Everest? Is the story about the heart stopping moments on each of the 6 mountains we have climbed? Who will write the book? One person? The family? A ghost writer? Do we want to open our lives to the public?
If anyone is still reading this blog we would like your opinion.

The Chinese again

The Chinese have decided to restrict the number of people who can climb Everest on the Tibet side in the future. They have also strongly hinted that they will close the mountain for 2009 to remove the garbage.
In my opinion, the Chinese are trying to appear progressive and environmentally conscience but in reality they are really just trying to further their own political agenda. It is oddly coincidental that 2009 marks the 50 year anniversary of the Dalai Lama's forced exile from Tibet. Furthermore, China has not shown any concern for the environment to date. In Tibet, there is major deforestation, dumping of nuclear waste, and lots of mining going on (http://www.mounteverest.net/news.php?id=17375) - far greater environmental concerns than tourist garbage.
I have to ask myself the question who will be removing the garbage - the Tibetan sherpas?

Pollution on the mountain

There definitely is a pollution problem on the mountain. They try to hide a lot of it from the tourists but we came across piles of empty plastic water bottles, tin cans, paper etc. The people that live in the country are the worst polluters. A lot of the people on the mountain are just trying to earn enough money to survive so the environment is not high on their priority list.
I think Nepal pays the sherpas $60.00 to bring down the old oxygen cylinders. Infact, our family was told to leave their empty cylinders behind. This is a way for the sherpas to earn extra money. Our outfitter encouraged people to use purification tablets or a water filter rather than buy bottled water.
In Nepal, the average yearly wage is $50.00 U.S. The developed countries are more environmentally conscience with their reuse, reduce and recycle programs but then they can afford to be. I am not making excuses for the tourists. There should be a pack in/pack out policy and maybe Nepal will adapt that in the near future or at the very least a garbage fee with the money paid to porters to bring the garbage off the mountain. The problem is what do they do with it once it is off the mountain?

What is Success?

This is a favourite story that Dan likes to tell.
When hiking up Mt. Aconcagua Dan & Adam met a man hiking down and Dan asked him if he had been successful. The man replied that that depended on how you viewed success. He had spent 5 days in a blizaard at high camp with very little food or fuel to melt water. He had survived and was hiking down the mountain. Was he successful?

What's at the summit?

The summit is a small space, a rectangle about 2 meters by 7 meters, with sharp drop offs on three sides and a steep area leading from the Hillary Step to the summit. There is a Buddha statue at the top drapped in prayer flags and other momentos from climbers.

Media coverage

There has been a lot of media coverage of the family adventure. Susanne our web designer from efx wizzard is posting some of our media interviews on the website under MEDIA. Check the dates for the most recent coverages.
We have been interviewed by A Channel, CTV Canada AM, CBC Newsworld, and several radio stations.

Grocery bills soar

Everyone has been eating constantly since arriving home and sleeping a lot. I go shopping every other day to keep the fridge filled with fresh fruit and vegetables something there was very little of on the mountain. Meat is also something they crave. Dan wanted a Wendy's double burger when he got off the plane. Since all the Wendy's were closed when we reached Barrie he had to settle for a friend's homemade pies delivered to the house as a treat for the returning mountaineers.
The family all lost weight. Since none of them had a lot of fat on them in the first place a lot of the weight was muscle. Adam lost almost 35 pounds (17.5 kg). His clothes are quite loose. It will take a long time for their bodies to fully recover.

Everest Moments

We are home safe and sound and doing a number of media interviews. Normal life will have to return shortly.
We were asked about the "scarier" moments of the trip. There were several - the crossing of the horizontal ladders as many and 4 sections lashed together over gaping crevasses; Laura throwing up blood at around 20,000 ft; Laura and I watching boulders whip by us while climbing the very steep Llotse face; the safety rope breaking at camp 3 where a slip would send you off the Llotse face. All these made your heart stop for a second but clearly not hearing from Laura and her Sherpa on their summit attempt day by 9 am the next morning, that was my worst day! We tiried to reach them all day by radio and no word until mid afternoon. If there had been a fall or some other injury or incident, a rescue attempt would have been almost imposible. No planes or helicpoters would have been able to make the rescue and it is utterly exhausting to be navigating at the altitude between 26,000-29,000 ft. I/we could not have gone back up to look for her or even assist in any way. Even if we had the strength which we did not, we needed to find oxygen and it was not readily available. It was a big relief when we heard from them mid afternoon and learned of their inability to communicate because of radio battery problems.
Dan

Mallorys home Monday night

Dan just called from Hong Kong. The family will be arriving home Monday June 9, 2008 at 9:55 p.m. on Cathay Pacific flight CX828. It seems to me as if they have been away forever. It will be great to have everyone home safe and sound, to see all the pictures and hear all the stories.
Thanks to everyone for their ongoing support.

What's Next?

Several people have asked "What's next?" Dan still has one more mountain to conquer with someone in the family The Vinson Massif in Antarctica.
In the immediate future. Team Mallory have been asked to do some media interviews. They also plan on doing some speaking engagements so check the blog ocassionally to see if there is going to be a presentation near where you live. Adam and Laura still have some university exams to write. Dan and Alan have to return to work. Barbara has to heal.
No news of the flight home yet. I will keep you posted.

Safely off the Mountain

As a summary, Dan, Adam, and Alan Mallory reached the summit of Everest at 8:15 a.m. on May 26/08 and descended arriving at high camp (South Col-camp 4), very tired at about 2:30 p.m. Laura left at 7 p.m. that afternoon and summited May 27 at about 9:30 a.m. Dan, Adam, and Alan descended the Mountain to Camp 2 on May 27 and expected to hear from Laura or her Sherpa on her progress on May 27. Nobody heard from them or could communicate with them until they summited and arrived back at high camp at about 3:30 p.m. May 27. Many at base camp were praying and lighting incense and burning juniper for their safe return. We were quite worried - we did not realize that their batteries were not functioning in their two radios.
We all were joined together at base camp on May 29.
On May 30, we descended from base camp to Lukla in 3 days which would normally take 9 or 10 days to ascend from Lukla to base camp but we were extremely acclimatized. We were completely exhausted when we reached Lukla.
On June 2 we flew from Lukla to Kathmandu where we are staying at the Annapurna hotel and enjoying some well deserved pampering of good food, a soft bed, and warm weather. We are on a waiting list for an early flight home around May 8 but if not available we will be leaving on June 13 according to our current tickets.
We have many fantastic digital photos and video of the climbing experience which we will put together for presentations on our return for groups or organizations that are interested. Interested groups can email us according to our web site. Looking forward to seeing everyone on our return.

Dan

Food

Food on the mountain is adequate but not terribly exciting. All the menus in the teahouses are the same - eggs, potatoes, rice, pasta, pizza, yak steaks, milk tea, hot tang, bottled water, some herbal teas, pop, popcorn, chocolate bars, white bread. Lots of yak cheese which they put on everything. There are some fresh vegetables near the base of the mountain but higher up vegetables are canned. Everything is cooked over a wood/yak dung cookstove. I had good yak steak and yak steak that was worse than shoe leather. One day, as a treat we got little cocktail hot dogs and spam. When camping we had the above plus chicken, hot chocolate, jam, cookies and canned fruit. Everything has to be carried up on someone's back, there are no refrigerators and cows are sacred to the Hindus. There were lots of no meat days. Considering what they have available to them they do a good job.
They tell you to bring your own snacks and freeze dried food. I took over a bag weighing over 20 kilos just with snack food in it for the family. Snack food included nuts, granola bars, power bars, chocolate bars, canned tuna and chicken, sesame seed bars, mints, dried fruit, fruit jube jubes, beef jerky and power gel.
Altitude suppresses you appetite, you often feel sick to your stomach and you get tired of the same food all the time so you have to force yourself to eat. You are using up a lot of energy hiking and at higher altitudes breathing and surviving. Most people take a diuretic to help them acclimatize. It is natural to lose weight but it is not a weight loss program I would recommend.
After being on the mountain for awhile you really crave things like fresh fruit and vegetables, a hamburger, steak. There is a lot more variety in Kathmandu but again you never eat anything in a third world country unless it is well cooked, you bought and washed it yourself with safe water, or it is a high class restaurant you trust.
When everyone arrives home I can't imagine my grocery bill.

Family back in Kathmandu

Dan called today to say they arrived safely in Kathmandu. They are all very tired and very thin. They have to wait to get a flight home so they will be resting and eating and healing for the next few days.

Mallory Family in Base Camp

Picture taken by Dan Mazur of Summit Climb

Everyone is safe

The family is at base camp or hiking down from base camp. They should be in Lukla in the next few days. Then back to Kathmandu where Dan and the family will try and get an early flight home. I can hardly wait to see them, hold them and hear all the stories.
Mike is safely down at base camp. He was the last person in the Summit Climb group to try for the summit. He successfully reached the summit before running into difficulty.
A huge thanks to Summit Climb staff for keeping everyone safe. You are awesome!!

Video Coverage of the Summit

Message From Team Mallory

To climb the highest mountain in the world at 29,029 ft. (8848 meters) requires tremendous mental and physical effort. Only the most dedicated climbers in the world attempt it.

On May 26, 2008, Dan Mallory and sons Adam age 25, Alan age 23, and on May 27, daughter Laura age 20, were successful in reaching the top of Mt. Everest, the world's highest mountain. Laura is now Canada's youngest female summiter and, with her father and brothers, part of a family of 4 to reach the summit.

Adam, Alan, and Dan left high camp on the South Col at 8:30 pm in a strong cold wind to begin the final ascent traveling all night by headlamp reaching the summit at 8:15 am the following morning. After resting an extra day at Camp 4, Laura left for her summit climb at 7:00 pm similarly climbing all night to summit the following morning at 9:00 am.

The challenges are extreme, the risks are great, but the rewards on the top looking over the world are beyond words. We are looking forward to our return home to family and friends.

Dan, Adam, Alan, Laura

Europcopter

I was going to publish in the last blog that helicopter rescue above Base Camp had only occurred once but I thought I should check the internet first. The following is from GreatOutdoors.com June 2005.
http://www.greatoutdoors.com/published/helicopter-on-everest-makes-history#comment-137
Heretofore, the summit of Everest was utterly out of reach for helicopters. In fact, just landing at base camp, 10,000 feet lower, was considered a life endangering feat. Several attempts resulted in crashes. KC Madan, a Nepalese military pilot , became a hero when he landed his machine at Camp II to rescue Beck Weathers and Makalu Gau after the 1996 tragedy. Now, pilot Didier Delsalle has landed on the summit, where he remained for two minutes.
I was absolutely amazed.

Death Zone

The area at Camp 4 (approximately 8000 m or 26, 000 ft.) and above is known as the Death Zone. At this altitude the human body loses its ability to acclimatize and the body’s cells slowly deteriorate and die. The longer a person stays at this altitude the more likely high altitude cerebral or pulmonary edema or death will occur. Frostbite of exposed body parts is common. Both body and mind are in slow motion. High winds and slippery icy slopes add to the danger. At the summit, there is two thirds less oxygen than at sea level.

Mike

Summit news reports that 5 sherpas are helping Mike descend down the Lhotse face to camp 2.

Snow blind

Mike Browder, the leader-in -training, for Summit Climb on this Expedition headed for the summit last night and became snow blind at the South Summit. Sherpas are doing their best to bring him down safely. Things can happen quickly on the mountain. This is a very dangerous situation.
I spent several days with Mike in Kathmandu. He helped me with my shopping for the climb and entertained me at dinner. The rest of the family will have spent time with him in Base Camp. He is an experienced climber who leads climbing expeditions in the Alps. I am so thankful my family had a safe summit. Please add Mike and the rescue Sherpas to your prayers.

The Otto brothers

I have had a lot of interviews from the press. I have been very specific in those interviews that Laura is the youngest female Canadian to summit Mt. Everest at age 20. A young man Eric Otto from Kingston was also on the mountain and successfully summited Mt. Everest with his brother Christian. Eric just turned 20 and is the youngest Canadian to summit Mt. Everest.
My family met the Ottos. Christian is a doctor and was doing some medical research on the mountain. Among other things he was doing some tests with Viagara. It is believed that Viagara may increase the oxygen carrying capacity of blood. Christian also cared for people in need of medical assistance on the mountain, my family included. Eric will be attending University of Western Ontario next year in London so he and Laura can compare notes of their adventure.
Congratulations to the Otto brothers for their successful summit.

Exciting past few days

This has been an exciting past few days. I am soooo proud of all the family.

The Mallorys still have a lot ahead of them before they are off the mountain. Their minds and bodies have been tested to the limit and it will take quite awhile for them to fully recover. I am anxious to get a medical report from each of them.

Hopefully, when they reach base camp Dan will contact either Susanne (our web designer extrordinarie) or myself and we will have some stories to relay. I will also post some info about high altitude mountain climbing incase we have inspired any of our blog readers.

Keep those comments coming. I know the family will want to read them and all the positive comments and encouragement from family, friends and strangers have been a great comfort to me.

Summit Climb News - Laura

From Summit Climb:
Laura Mallory and Pasang Sherpa summitted this morning at 9:00 am. The weather was perfect, sunny and calm. They returned to the south col at 4:30 pm. We congratulate them.
All Nepali times.

Laura on Top of the World

Laura called my cell phone from Camp 4 so excited she could barely talk. She summited Mount Everest with her sherpa last night. She said she was in a tent by herself resting since the rest of the family hiked down to camp 2. She is the youngest female Canadian to summit Mt. Everest at age 20. I am so proud of all of them.

Laura

I do not know Laura's health but there was an error in the Summit Climb notice I copied. She will be climbing with a sherpa. Message from Dan Mazur from Summit Climb:
Sorry about that, it was a mistake in the transcription. Laura is on her way to the summit now with Pasang Gyaluk, a very strong and experienced sherpa.We are praying for their safety.
I will hopefully get news either later tonight or tomorrow morning as to whether she went up or not and if she was successful. I will post any info as soon as I know about Laura. The Mallory men should be resting in Camp 4 now. They will probably wait there for Laura unless they feel unwell in which case they would have to descend for safety reasons. I am sure they are exhausted.
Keep the prayers and positive thoughts going their way.

News from Arnold

Summit Climb:
I have some good news. This morning at 8:00 a.m. local time, Dan, Alan, and Adam Mallory summited Everest. I just spoke with them on the radio. They are doing fine and they will soon start their descent. Unfortunately Laura Mallory left camp 4 last night, but didn’t feel too good so she turned around. She wants to try again this evening with a sherpa. Also, Linda turned around last night and she’s back safely in camp 4.
From the very brief conversation I had with Dan, I think Laura has what Adam & Alan had. Laura is strong and very determined. The family will have to decide if it is safe for her to try another ascent now or if she should descend, recover more and try later. Climbing is not all physical.

Dan, Adam & Alan on top of the world

11:15 p.m. Sunday May 25, 2008 Ontario time
Dan, Adam & Alan are standing on the top of the world. Regrettably, Laura got ill and was unable to continue. Short conversation. Congratulations to the boys and speedy recovery to Laura. Now the most dangerous part of the adventure begins their decent.

Mallorys heading for the summit

From Arnold at Summit Climb:
The Mallory family and Linda just left the South Col, together with Pasang Norbu, Jangbu, and Sange Sherpa for the summit push. I hope tomorrow at about 10:00 a.m., we get some news from them from the summit. So far they are doing fine and they have a whole night of climbing ahead of them.
Anyone expecting a call from the summit might be woken up in the night. Remember they are 9 hours and 45 minutes ahead of us. You do the math. I for one do not expect I will be getting much sleep over the next few days. I hope their guardian angel is not sleeping.

Mallorys in Camp 3

From Summit Climb news:
The Mallorys left this morning to climb to camp 3 and have all arrived. They are probably resting now and getting ready for the long haul to the South Col tomorrow.
This is it. The South Col is Camp 4. Camp 4 (8,000m/26,000ft.) is the beginning of the Death Zone. Your body does not acclimatize at this height and it starts to deteriorate and die. A person can only stay in the Death Zone for 2 maybe 3 days.
They should attempt the summit on Monday if the weather holds. It has been clear near the top but snowing below 7500m. Nepal is 9 hours and 45 minutes ahead of Ontario time.
Pray for their safety and good weather.

Where are the Mallorys?

The answer to that question is I do not know. There are two Laura's in the Summit Climb group if people are following Arnold's news. I think it is the older Laura who is trying to summit now.
They have communication but will only use it when they summit or for emergencies.
If they miss this weather window, they get another chance to summit after they come down and have a rest. Something they will not want to do but they might have to. Safety and health have to be the number one priority.
The waiting is hard.

Sleeping or Not Sleeping at High Altitude

The wind, the cold, and altitude all contribute to a poor night's sleep on the mountain. Periodic breathing or Cheyne Stokes breathing is common. A person takes 3 to 5 deep breaths followed by several shallow breaths or even a complete pause in breathing for 5 to 15 seconds. This pause in breathing ends with a gasp which often wakes the individual or their tenting partner. For a scientific explanation of what is happening in the body to cause this type of breathing see http://www.altitude.org/sleep.htm

Dan, Alan & Laura are hiking again

Dan called the office to check on his staff and business. I doubt he could do anything from the mountain but it was nice he called. Lori and Irene have everything under control. We are lucky to have terrific staff. So many people have supported us in so many ways.
They hiked for 12 hours yesterday, were exhausted and resting in tents with snow blowing all around them. My guess they are at Camp 1. They will meet Adam at Camp 2. Poor connection and short conversation.

Barbara's Experience

My experience has been tainted with disappointments but still it was wonderful and I am certainly glad that I did what I did.
First, my hike to base camp on the Tibetan side of the mountain was cancelled just before I left Canada.
Second, the guide I was supposed to hike with, Dan Mazur who is famous for rescuing Lincoln Hall in 2006, fell and broke his leg in 2 places 2 days prior to my departure.
Third, I was unable to spend as much time with the family or climb as high as I had hoped because of my injury.
On a positive note:
I met great people from all over the world and had some fascinating conversations
I climbed to Everest base camp at 5,380m/17,700 ft. saw the hustle and bustle of tents being set up, prayer flags flying and the famous Khumbu Icefall.
I climbed to Kala Pattar at 5,545m/18, 187 ft. where you get the first view of the summit of Mt. Everest and views of all the high 8000 meter peaks around Everest.
I climbed over 5700m/18,700 ft. in the dark with a torn Achilles tendon on Island Peak deciding to turn back when the climbing became too technical for me to trust my injury.
I experienced a new 3rd world country & learnt a lot about the Hindus & the Buddhists of Nepal and how they live and interact.
I also learnt first hand how super powers like China control smaller poorer nations like Nepal.
I learnt that I can survive on a mountain and in a 3rd world country on my own.

My injury was an accident. I stepped on a flat stone that was much like a teeter totter while crossing a river, my heel dropped down and I tore my Achilles. I had it bandaged and then I tore the muscle attached to the Achilles when I fell hiking down from Island Peak. The next few days were a real challenge for me both physically and mentally. The group I was with was hiking down off the mountain and I was hiking on my own with my porter Dawa to meet the family in Pheriche. What should have taken 3-4 hours took me 8 hours. The next day I met the family and saw the doctor. They hiked up and I hiked down.

How High is Mount Everest?

Height Comparisons
People have trouble conceptualizing how high Mt. Everest is. The following are some approximate heights above sea level that I hope will help.
Barrie ON 500 ft./150m
CN Tower 1,800 ft./550m
Kathmandu Nepal 4,400 ft. /1,350m
Lukla Nepal 9,100 ft. /(were you fly to to begin the trek) /2,775m
Base Camp 17,400 ft. /5,300m
Summit of Everest 29,000 ft. /8,840m
Commercial jet flies at 37,000 ft./11,280m

Summit Climb Update - May 15

(as reported by Arnold at Camp 2)

Today our last 2 members who slept in camp 3, Linda and Laura, went down to basecamp for the final rest before their summit attempt. The only member who is coming up to camp 2 today is Adam Mallory. He is trying to catch up for lost time, so we will see him here soon.

All of the members are eating well and resting a lot for their final attempt for the summit. It’s going to be a couple of hard days for them.

Right now all of our sherpas are doing a marvelous job. They have to carry more than 100 oxygen bottles to the South Col at 8000 metres/26, 200 feet. They also have to pitch tents and stock food, so they are pretty busy right now while our members are resting to make everything ready for their summit attempt.

I expect our members back in a couple of days in camp 2. Our first attempt for Lhotse is planned right now for the 19th of May, if the weather stays good of course. The first attempt for our Everest group will be on the 21st, also if the weather allows of course.

To read the full dispatch from Summit Climb go to www.summitclimb.com

On Track to the Summit of Everest

(As dictated by Dan Mallory via satellite phone)

The last report on May 2, 2008, was from “the village” of Dingboche as we had trekked 18 km down to it to better recover from higher elevation and they had an internet café (highest in the world) . We rested there and trekked 18km back up to base camp at 17,800ft / 5,425m (it changes slightly daily with the changing barometric pressure).

Unfortunately Adam and Alan were ahead and on entry to the base camp the Nepalese army checked their bags, found a satellite phone, and confiscated it (afraid of the negative news from the Chinese Olympic Everest climb).

After one day of rest on May 8 we were up at 3:00 am to set off through the Khumbu Icefall for 8 hours to reach Camp 1 (elev. about 19,500ft / 5,945m). After leaving the icefall, there is about 1 to 1 ½ hours which is the start of the Western Cwm that feels like you are in an oven, even though there are many crevasses to go over or through to reach Camp 1 - very hot!

After one night in Camp 1, melting snow for drinking water, we begin to get ready to set off for Camp 2 (elev. 20,600ft / 6,280m). However, Adam had developed a serious bacterial stomach infection that forced him to return through the icefall to base camp for medical attention. He lost three to four days there as we continued higher.

Camp 2 is situated just below a steep mountain-side slope of “seracs” (chunks of ice). It is a regular occurrence to hear avalanches. A somewhat difficult thing to hear because the next day they could be falling on your head.

After one rest day, up at 5:00 a.m. and Alan, Laura and I set off through the Western Cwm to the Lhotse Face. Camp 3 is carved into the very steep wall about a 5 – 7 hour mountain climb. We had a short time to acclimatize, then back to Camp 2. Falling rocks are an issue as Laura and I had two fly by us on our left and right like missiles and to be hit would be serious. You have to be on the alert.

On Tuesday May 13 the three of us departed for Camp 3 (elev. 23,500ft / 7,160m). The highest point ever for me and in the Himalayan Mountains; no higher mountains in the world. The normal acceptable elevation to ascend per day should be limited to under 2,000 – 1,500ft (610 – 460m) and if we are going up about 2,950ft / 900m, there is a real danger of serious high elevation conditions like pulmonary and cerebral edema. A climber above me left a trail of blood on the ice and snow and on the ropes – he should have descended.

We all needed to rest after many hours of climbing. In camp 3 the tents have ropes between them and if you were to slip, you would certainly fall off the ledge (that happened a few years ago). The heart is racing the whole night to compensate for the low blood oxygen levels, making for a very sleepless night.

Up at 4:00 am to descend to Camp 2, pack any extra gear, and return to base camp to recover. We met Adam that afternoon at base camp and the next day he set off at 4:00 am to continue climbing. We are set to leave base camp May 20. That’s still a questionable date.

Camp 2 is where we’re going to meet up with Adam, then up to Camp 3, then over the rock outcrop, up to the Yellow Band and over and up to the South Col (Camp 4 at 26,300ft / 8,000m). Then the 18-hour summit along a narrow ridge and up the Hillary Step for the summit attempt (29,028ft / 8,848m) hopefully on May 25 – Yahoo! We made it!

One of the greatest challenges is related to culture shock. People are writing long notes, missing family and their friends and all that’s familiar and things they enjoy -- very easy to become depressed.

The end is in sight!

May 13th report from Summit Climb

Arnold from Summit Climb reported on the 13th from camp 2:

Tonight Christian, Eric, Michael, Andrew, and the three Mallorys will sleep in camp 3 to prepare for their summit attempt. They will go down tomorrow and rest in basecamp. In that time, all of the sherpas will start carrying all of the oxygen to camp 4 and prepare the high camp so that everything is ready for our members to summit.

I estimate that the first members will summit around the 20th of May, if the weather allows us of course. Everybody is quite healthy and strong.

So we’re doing well here and everybody is getting pretty excited to go to the summit. The clock starts to tick now. In a few weeks we’ll probably be finished. After all of the delays with waiting for the Chinese to summit everything is going very fast now.

Where is the 4th Mallory? Adam must be below camp 2. I assume he is still recovering or on his way up to camp 2. There are sherpas and other members in the larger Summit Climb group he can climb with when he is ready.

There are several satellite phones on the mountain but where they are and whether they are charged and/or working is the question. They have to be charged from a solar panel at base camp when it is sunny.

Kathmandu has character

Kathmandu grew very quickly in size from 1.5 million to over 4 million people. The infrastructure and money was not there to accommodate the rapid growth so the city has major problems.
Reasons for the pollution:
1) The shape of the Kathmandu Valley is like a bowl and the pollution sits in the bottom of the bowl.
2)There are lots of old cars with no pollution or exhaust controls. Everyone seems to own a small motorscooter or motorbike. No helmet laws and sometimes as many as 4 people on a motorbike.
3)The streets are full of pot holes. Very dusty - you always feel gritty.
4)Littering is a problem.
5)Dogs and cows run freely through the streets. 80% of the population is Hindu so cows are sacred.
6)They always seem to be burning something - candles, incense, bodies of the dead, sacrifical animals, plants, food.
7)This is their dry season and there is a water shortage.
After wandering around the city during the day my throat always felt scratchy at night.
I know this probably sounds terrible but remember this is an overpopulated 3rd world country. It has few natural resources and about half the population is illiterate. It is the 12th poorest country in the world and gets 60% - 80% of its money from foreign aid.
Even with the pollution and problems the city grows on you. I could just wander the streets or sit and watch the world go by because there was always something interesting to see. There are no deadlines, storekeepers open and close their shops at will, vendors don't harrass you. The electricity is off in different parts of the city for 4 to 8 hours everyday. Life is tough but simple.
Kathmandu has character.

Khumbu cough

The pollution in Kathmandu is terrible. Infact, a lot of the locals wear masks. Then you head to the mountain with dusty paths and low relative humidity. This all irrates the respiratory tract and the result is the "Khumbu cough". It keeps you and others awake at night and can be serious enough to break a rib. The best way to prevent it is to wear something over your nose and mouth so the air you breathe in is warm and moisturized. A ski mask, balaclava, or bandana works well. Getting a comfortable fit over the face is the problem - too lose and it falls down all the time - too tight and it is hard to breathe.

Happy Mother's Day from Base Camp

Adam wished me a Happy Mother's Day from base camp. He was quite ill at camp 1 with diarrhea and acid reflux. He couldn't eat anything and had to hike down to base camp which took him 10 hours - arriving in the dark. He did not mention a headache so I do not think he had AMS. He is on medication, feeling better and hoping to hike back up either tomorrow or the next day.
Dan, Alan & Laura are well, at camp 2 now and heading up to camp 3 to spend the night tomorrow - weather permitting. They had about 4 inches of snow last night.
I am pleased that they are looking after each other, not taking any chances and making sensible decisions.
I told Adam that they need to check in with either Susanne or myself on a regular basis now that the Chinese have summited. Hopefully, they do that.

AMS - Acute Mountain Sickness

Anyone who climbs to high altitude can get AMS. Why some people get it and others don't is unknown. Why someone suffers from it one time and not the next is also a big question mark. It is not related to your age, sex, physical fitness, or previous altitude experience. It is related to your genetic make up and your rate of ascent. The general rule for acclimatization above 10,000 ft. is not to gain more than 1,000 ft. per day and take a rest day every 3,000 ft. If you are sick at altitude there is a 99.9% chance it has something to do with elevation.
You expect certain physiological things to happen as you ascend. Your breathing will become faster and/or deeper i.e. you hyperventilate, you have shortness of breath climbing uphill, your night time breathing changes, you awaken frequently at night and you urinate more. You may develop a headache which can be relieved with aspirin. This is all normal. However, if you develop a headache not relieved with aspirin and some sleeplessness you should stay at the altitude you are at for a few days or descend. If you have a headache not relieved by aspirin and one or more of the following symptoms loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, weakness, dizziness, lightheadedness, difficulty sleeping you must descend immediately.

Adam sick

The Mallorys are in camp 2 awaiting sherpas to finish setting up camp 3. Adam had a sick stomach in camp 1 and returned to base camp. Hopefully he is on the mend and will join the others in a day or two.

Summit Climb Update - May 9

(From the Summit Climb website)

Today we got the official news the Chinese summited! That means all our restrictions to climb Everest and Lhotse are gone!

Tomorrow Ken, UK John, Irish John, Jo, Harris, Linda and Sofie will go to Camp 2 to join Matt, Berry and the Mallory family, who are already on the way to C2. Camp 3 will be fixed on the 9th and our tents will probably be in place on the 10th or 11th.

Everybody is very happy to start climbing again and spirits are very high.

On the 10th, Laura, Eric, Christian, Michael, Andrew, the Polish couple, Arnold and Maya will go up to C2. This way we have enough tent space in C3 and everybody will have a good night there.

Most members will come down after sleeping In C3 at 7,200 metres/23,600 ft to have their final rest in basecamp before pushing to the summit.

So everybody is fine and we are all excited to start the final stage of our expedition! Cheers, Arnold.

Everest Southeast Route Summary

Base Camp - 5,380m/17,700ft. south side of Everest in Nepal on the Khumbu Glacier

Khumbu Icefall - ice walls, crevasses and huge blocks of ice.

Camp 1 - 6,065m/19,900ft.

Western Cwm or "Valley of Silence" - gently rising glacial valley with huge crevasses in the centre forcing climbers to cross on a small passageway known as the Nuptse corner - can be unbearable hot on clear windless day

Camp 2 or Advanced Base Camp - 6,500m/21,300ft.

Lhotse Face - wall of ice 40 to 50 degree pitch with occasional 80 degree pitch

Camp 3 - 7,470m/24,500ft. on small ledge about half way up Lhotse face

Yellow Band - rock band at top of Lhotse Face

Geneva Spur - steep snow covered black rock outcrop

Camp 4 - 8,000m/26,200ft. on the South Col (pass separating Everest and Lhotse)

The Balcony - small platform to rest

South Summit - 8,750m/28,700ft.

Cornice Traverse - narrow ridge

Hillary Step - 12m/40 ft. rock wall

Summit - 8,848m/29,028ft.

Note: exact heights seem to vary slightly in the literature

Dan, Laura, Alan, Adam on way to Camp 2

All restriction to climb have been lifted. Mallorys are on their way to Camp 2.

Chinese reach the summit of Mount Everest

The Chinese have reached the summit of Mount Everest and lit the Olympic torch. See www.cbc.ca/sports/amateur/story/2008/05/07/torch-china.html
The ban on climbing above Camp 2 has been lifed by the Nepal government. This is a very good account of what has been happening on the mountain.
thehendricksreport.wordpress.com/2008/05/08/everest-2008-nepal-lifts-south-everest-ban-climbers-free-to-head-up/

Latest news

Following is information from the Summit Climb website posted 7 May, 2008:

"Today our liaison officer in basecamp told us that 50 Chinese are in camp 3 right now to push to the summit tonight. They hope to summit on the 8th. This means if they summit tommorow we can move around freely again.
Tomorrow ... the four Mallorys go to camp 1 and then camp 2. Eleven Summit Climb Sherpas are in camp 2 waiting to get the "go" to fix camp 3 ...We are only a little behind schedule and will catch up.
Slowly, through the following days, all members will go up and try to sleep in camp 3 at 7200 metres/23,600 feet. After this we will rest a final time in basecamp and try for the summit when the weather is good. Traditionally this is between the 20-25th of May, but we will see how the conditions are around that time.
We are working closely together with other teams and will make the route to the summit together.
Wishing the team all of the best for a safe and successful ascent!!
All our members all healthy and strong and everybody wants to climb higher on the mountain soon!"

Squat toilets

For those people who have not experienced a squat toilet let me describe the ones in the teahouses. The toilet is a small room with a porcelin toilet bowl in the floor with spots on the sides for your feet. A waste paper basket or box sits in one corner for used toilet paper (you have to bring your own roll of tp). A large barrel of water with a pitcher or cup in it to pour water down the toilet when you are finished sits in another corner. Note there is no sink to wash your hands. You could use the water in the large barrel but I was always leery of that. Small bottles of hand sanitizer are great things especially if you do not want to get sick. I found it interesting that the cost of the toilet paper increased and the size of the roll seemed to decrease as you progressed up the mountain.
How best do you use the squat toilet? Do you face the door or the wall? How far down do you squat? Problems can arise. Night visits are always interesting since there are no lights so you just have your headlamp (something you keep in your sleeping bag) to guide you. To make things more interesting at higher altitudes there is ice on the floor and sides of the toilet. Add to this a torn Achilles tendon and things really get interesting. The night I had to do a one legged knee bend on an icy floor in the dark was a real highlight of the trip. Use your imagination! I can see the humour in the situation now but at the time it was no laughing matter.

Communication explained

I know that lots of people check the website daily hoping to hear some news from the mountain so I thought I would try to explain how things work. Presently, there is very little satelite phone communication because of the Olympic torch run. Everything is being monitored closely. Unauthorized use of a satelite phone could result in you being forced to leave the mountain and therefore lose your opportunity to summit. The authorities are not fooling around in this regard. I assume Arnold from Summit Climb posts his updates at Base Camp through an Army Liason officer.
Although there is an internet at Dingboche where the family is presently resting it does not always work. Power to this area is limited to solar power. No sun - no power. You pay by the minute to use the internet and I imagine there are lots of people trying to communicate with home.
There is a lot of down time on the mountain when you do nothing but rest to prepare for climbing or rest after climbing. On those days there is nothing to report. One of the biggest concerns to this adventure is mental boredom. It is hard to read or do anything in your tent during the day because it is like a sauna and at night it is cold and you have to use a head lamp.
After May 10th news should pick up. Keep your fingers crossed that the Chinese summit by then or we are into more politics.

Contact with the family

Someone asked if I was in contact with the family. Since I left Nepal - the answer to that is no. I read what you read at this point. Once the use of satelite phones is allowed I expect to have more contact but that will not happen until after the Olympic Torch is off the mountain. At least I am assuming communication with teams will improve at that point but you never know. If an emergency should occur I would be contacted immediately.

Best, worst, most interesting teahouse

The most luxurious teahouse I stayed in was at Pheriche. For dinner they gave you a hot towel to wash your face and hands, had candles on the tables, and provided you with cloth napkins. The food was also exceptionally good. There was a plastic sit down toilet that you could put over the squat toilet and a sunroom outside to sit in and read in the afternoon.
The worst teahouse was at Lobuche. The dining room was crowded, smoky, had no windows and mice ran over your feet at night.
The most interesting teahouse was in Pangboche. It was painted pink with a centre courtyard. My room was on the end with beautiful views of two mountains. After supper I was walking back to my room at night and the whole courtyard filled up with yaks returning from their day of hauling supplies. I watched as a man and woman carefully removed their gear and tethered them to a rope just outside my window for the night.

Teahouses

When I first heard that I would be staying in Teahouses on the way to Base Camp my mind pictured a quaint gazebo type building in a romantic English garden setting. Wrong! The teahouses we would be staying in would consist of roughly constructed buildings with a dining room, bedrooms and a shared bathroom with a squat toilet (more on it in another blog).
The dining room is the centre of all activity. It is the social centre where you eat and meet fellow hikers and hear their stories. It usually has 3 sides of glass windows with terrific views of the snow capped mountains in the area. Benches covered in Tibetain rugs with long tables infront ring the room. A central pot-bellied stove provides the only heat for the entire building. They burn wood at low altitude and dried yak dung at higher elevations. Depending on the wind, the dining room and if you are unlucky your bedroom is quite smoky.
The bedrooms consist of two beds with a narrow centre aisle and a large window with a view of the mountains. The walls are paper thin and you can hear the person in the next room's every move. Sometimes the electricity in the rooms work and sometimes it doesn't so you always have a headlamp at the ready so you can find your belongings and stumble down the hall to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Some teahouses provide you with an extra quilt at night which is a luxury. All this for 200 rupees a night, approximately $4.00. Considering a person or a yak had to carry all the building supplies etc. up the mountain to the building site you feel quite fortunate to be indoors out of the weather. This is all part of the Everest experience.

Medical update

I saw the doctor yesterday and I have a ruptured Achilles tendon. I have to have a ultra sound and begin physiotherapy next week. Depending on the results of ultra sound I may have to see an orthopedic surgeon to get the Achilles stitched which according to Dr. Bones is a very unpleasant procedure. For now, I am taking anti-inflammatories and elevating my leg higher than my heart to reduce swelling. I am hopeful time not surgery will be the answer.

Politics, Sickness and Mountain Climbing

Our 3 biggest obstacles to summiting are as above in that order. When we arrived at Base Camp, all cameras and satellite phones were prohibited. The Nepalese army was at the entrance to Base Camp checking people entering and exiting. A Chinese general came in by helicopter to check out the situation. A surveillance plane was circling the summit of Everest recently to make sure there were no unwanted climbers in the area. All climbers were to be off the mountain by April 30, 2008 and we would optimistically be able to go up from Base Camp on May the 6th at the earliest and possibly not until May the 10th, 2008 or later. Also, the Nepalese army were to be looking in all the tents today for satellite phones or video cameras or articles favoring Tibet. All this to safeguard the televising of the Chinese Everest climbers who are climbing to the top of Everest on the north (Tibetan) side and they do not want any interference with the Olympic torch relay or any attention drawn to the ‘Free Tibet’ issue. The delay could cost us the narrow window of opportunity for us to make a summit attempt.
It is very difficult to manage disease/sickness at elevation. Most everyone is getting, has, or is recovering from a viral chest infection. Dan has had it and has it. Alan is nearing the end of his sickness. Laura is dealing with the “Khumbu” cough which is widespread. It is easy to get an eye infection which a few have including Dan but he can use sunglasses with a prescription insert (Thanks Doug!) during recovery. A couple of the others are dealing with gastroenteritis with Imodium to the rescue. The immune system is weakened with extreme exertion and high elevations but just another challenge to overcome.
Now the real reason we are here. We did a few acclimatization hikes up about 1000ft. higher on nearby mountains. On Monday April 28, 2008 we were up at 4:30 a.m. with a fresh snowfall and set off after breakfast at 6:15 a.m. from Base Camp at 17300ft. to 19380ft. camp 1 at the top of the infamous Khumbu Icefall. After crossing about 50 ladders strung across bottomless crevasses, carefully placing your crampons on the ladder rungs so they didn’t slip and after 8 hours of this with full packs to leave gear at camp 1, we arrived. Some of the ladders are up to four ladders strung together and vertical to get up and over a serac (a wall of ice). Keep in mind that this icefall is in motion each day!
In 2005, camp 1 comprising 60 tents, was all swept away by an avalanche. Every day and night you can hear and sometimes see these avalanches. They moved camp 1 higher to a hopefully safer location.
The next day, we went to camp 2 (elevation 20500ft.), crossing a few more ladders and returned to camp 1 quite tired. On Wednesday April 30, we descended back down through the icefall, reaching Base Camp after about 5 hours, relieved to be back safe but completely spent.
Since no one can go up for 6 to 10 days we have descended to the “village” of Dingboche at 14300ft. to hopefully rest and get completely healthy before we go back up for our push to camp 3 then back to Base Camp for our summit push after 4 or 5 rest days.
All is well. This internet site is the highest internet café in the world so when we get back up, communication is difficult.

Dan

Home Sweet Home

Arrived home last night at about 11:00 p.m. after 15 hour flight from Hong Kong. Long flight inwhich I had to lie on the floor outside the bathroom with my leg in the air to control the swelling. I am sure some of the people on the flight really wondered what was going on. Doctor appointment tomorrow to find out exactly what I have done.
Nancy met me at the airport and drove me home. It was so nice to see a friendly smiling face and fall into my own bed.
The house is full of clothes and housewares from the children's various households which are all now in Utopia. My tidy instincts are coming into play quickly but there are lots of things I do not know what to do with including the new dog that seems to be protecting the house even though no one knows where he or his food bowls came from.

Update From SummitClimb.com

No more news by phone to Barrie Base Camp but I have been reading the posts on the Summit Climb website. Summit Climb is the outfitter that the Mallory's chose to help them on this expedition. On April 28 the team leader posted this:

All of of our members, except the Mallorys and Linda, made it to camp 2. They are all healthy and strong. The Mallorys are a little bit behind schedule, but they are sleeping in camp 1 right now and tomorrow they will come up to camp 2 for a short visit before returning to camp 1.

(No clue as to why they are "a little bit behind schedule".)

To read the full dispatch from Summit Climb go to www.summitclimb.com and look for the Everest Climb, Trek, Lhotse & Island Peak Spring 2008 link under "News" in the left-hand column (about half-way down the page).

Home May 1, I think

I am now staying at the Annapurna Hotel in Kathmandu for 2 days. A big upgrade from the Bejing Hotel where I have been staying in for the past 5 days. No cockroaches!!
I have arranged a flight home leaving Kathmandu April 29, 2008. My ticket has departure times but no arrival times so the exact day and time are questionable.
I discovered today that even though this is the only time to attempt to summit Everest it is not the best time to see Nepal. I will have to return when things are green and the air is fresh after the monsoon season to get a true appreciation for the country.

No news from the Mountain

The Chinese must be really paranoid. There has been no news from any expedition from the mountain for the last week and RUMOUR has it that there will be no news from Base Camp until after May 10th. Another rumour is that because of the American with the pro Tibet banner the Nepalis (really the Chinese) are not letting people climb to camp 2 after May 1 as originally stated. Everyone will have to come down to base camp or lower. Only communication with base camp will be emergency evacuation. The Chinese are at camp 2 on the Tibet side.
No news is good news -right?

Barbara trying to get home

It seems to be easier to get into Nepal than out of it. I have been trying to get a flight home but things do not seem to be working out. I will keep everyone posted.
My anke and leg show little sign of improvement. I had hoped to be treated at home but may have to see a doctor here. As for now I just keep hobbling around this overcrowded polluted city of blackouts.

Mallory update from base camp

Summit Climb gets regular updates of all their climbers. The Mallory clan has adjusted well to life at base camp and has been doing some hiking in the area and some ice climbing in the Khumbu icefall. All the ladders have been set in the Icefall and hopefully they will be able to climb to camp 1 and possibly camp 2 before the May 1 partial shut down of the mountain for the Olympic Torch run.

American kicked off of Everest

A "Free Tibet" sign was found in an American's bag at Base Camp. His climbing permit has been revoked and he has been sent down off the mountain. He was supposed to arrive in Kathmandu yesterday but he did not arrive and no one knows where he is. The Chinese are not fooling around with the torch run and the Nepali government is supporting them whole heartily.

The Moaists rule

The elections were the fairest ever held in Nepal. The Moaists won the majority and will form the next government. Rumour has it that they will tread carefully since 60% of the countries income comes from foreign aid. The monarchy is still in place but who knows what the future will bring.

From Kathmandu

I finally made it to Lukla. Quite a challenge, infact I think it was harder climbing down than climbing up. Dowwa, my porter, said his good byes at the airport and presented me with a Budhist scarf.
I am now back in Kathmandu trying to get a flight out. I was going to do some more hiking but am afraid I might competely severe this tendon and that would be disasterous.
Today is Democratic Day. Lots of military around and I saw the soon to be owsted Prime Minister drive by. The King says he is a Nepali citizen and will remain in the country but he will likely loose the palace and all his possessions and wealth. We will have to see what the Moasists decide to do. Strange that the military which fought against the Moaists now has to protect them. Also, the Moaists are atheists in a country of strong Budhist and Hindu religion.
The front page of the Kathmandu Times said anyone trying to disrupt the Olympic torch possession or cause problems at Everest would be shot dead. Be thankful we live in Canada.
Barbara

Everest Base Camp

(as dictated by Dan by satellite phone)

Hello! We have made it to Everest Base Camp along with Adam, Alan and Laura. We arrived yesterday after following the very rocky Khumbu major moraine for a few hours. We are basking in sunshine at 17,500 ft. We are dealing with some altitude issues; not the least being short of breath.

We are surrounded by towering snow-covered peaks where loud avalanches are a regular occurrence.

We have a full view of the challenging and somewhat dangerous Khumbu Icefall that we will be attempting in 2 or 3 days which will lead up to Camp I at about 19,500 ft. We will be crossing multiple crevasses on extended ladders amongst other challenges.

We are ready!

Barbara's porter

After my injury I was assigned Dawa as my personal porter. He is 19 years old, illiterate. speaks very little English, and has worn the same clothes day and night for the past 3 weeks I have known him. He has a lovely smile, is very devoted to me and we manage to communicate in various ways. He is from the "low valleys" which means he is at the bottom of the cast system which still exists here in Nepal. I think he likes me because I pay him the highest porter wages - 600 rupees a day (approx. 60 rupees = 1 US dollar) and share my treats with him. Most porters carry up to twice their body weight up and down the mountain but Dawa only has one bag of mine which is not that heavy. I think all tourists should have to carry their bags for 1 hour up a steep incline and we would discover what "essential items" were thrown to the wind. One lady complained she forgot her nail brush which for her seemed quite serious. I do not know where Dawa eats or sleeps but he is always waiting for me in the morning with a big smile on his face.

Politics on Everest

Be aware that this information is from a third world country and the Khumbu valley so it is not necessarily 100% accurate.
From Yangji, my guide's wife
The Nepali new year just happened and it is now the year of the rat.
From Ian a Canadian who tried to rent a helicopter
The Chinese are now in control of all of Nepali air space and only offically Chinese sanctioned flights are permitted.
From Kurt a guide who recently was in contact with Everest base camp
An army liason officer has been assigned to each expedition at base camp. Satellite phones and video equipment are being confiscated. This should be interesting since I passed several high tech camera equipment crews on my hike down.

News from Barbara

Since my last posting I have climbed Kalapatar, visited Everest base camp and climbed to 5700 meters on Island Peak. Regrettably, I tore my Achillies tendon the day before and some of my calf muscle so even though I was feeling strong I decided to opt out of the final ascent which was quite technical. This was a good decision since my leg progressively got worse over the next few days. I left the main group I had been with since arriving in the Khumbu Valley and hiked on my own with my porter to Pheriche to meet up with the family. It took me 2 days to hike to Pheriche which should have been only 4 hours. I checked with a doctor at a clinic in Pheriche who informed me I could hike down myself if I took my time and taped the ankle well. I am now in Namche and heading off to Lukla tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Pictures

Some Pictures along the trek to base camp.

Everest Update

It is Sunday April 13th, and Adam has arrived at Namche Bazaar at 11200 feet and is feeling very strong and no acclimatization issues. During the day, we met a Japanese man that five years earlier at age 70 was the oldest person to summit Everest. Recently, his record was broken and he has returned this year at age 75 to recapture his record. We have a picture of Laura and him together which will be the youngest Canadian female (maybe) and the oldest Everest summiter (maybe). Also at the hotel, we spent time with the first Vietnamese team to attempt to summit Everest and got photos of each other.

Monday April 14th, we leave Namche (Dan, Alan, Adam and Laura) to go towards Pangboche at 13000 feet. It is a long day starting at 9:00am and ending at 4:00pm and we are all feeling a little elevation fatigue. The route follows the cut-out side of steep mountains where a fall to the side would lead to a 1000 plus foot drop. You soon learn to stay on the uphill side of the trail when the yak trains pass as other wise they would knock you off the trail. Everything is carried by porters or yaks or yak-cow combos called Jobkes.

Tuesday April 15th, we rest in Pangboche and it is a well needed rest for Adam who has not had a rest day since the start of his trek in Lukla.

Wednesday April 16th, we went to visit the local Lama who gave us his blessings of safe travel and this was interesting. From there we travelled along the mountain side to arrive at Pheriche at 14200ft. Here we met up with Barbara and we are now a complete family of five, for now (is that a sigh of relief from my family?). Laura and Adam are climbing machines and are not having to work at all to deal with the trek. Alan is doing very well as well particularly dealing with his troublesome achilles but it has not slowed him down too much. The chest infection that I have is still lingering but does allow me to continue never the less and I hope for a recovery before I reach base camp (in three more days). The lungs have to be working at full capacity in the higher elevations. Now Barbara, this is the first that we have talked to her in almost two weeks. She has been doing some high elevation climbing and trekking but it has cost her as her achilles tendon is stretched with related muscle bruising and she is going to be heading down to recover tomorrow. We will see where this ends up.

The last blog was sent from Namche and there was to be only one Internet sight above Namche at Tengboche however, it was closed. We did learn however, that we could trek from Pheriche to where we are sending this blog at Dingboche a 30 min hike uphill both ways (haha). So glad to have this last opportunity to post. We hope for a continued success to base camp where our next update will occur from 17500ft.

In general, the route is absolutely spectacular with dramatic snow covered peaks in every direction against the clear blue high elevation skies.

Dan

The Family Gathers

Adam arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal despite the concerns about the election held that day.
He landed in Lukla this morning and is now only 1 day behind us. Barbara is ahead of us but we have had no communication with her for about 10 days. We hope she is well and we will meet her in the next few days hopefully but it is a big mountain.
Dan's chest infection has progressed further to the bad. Dan went to a Tibeten doctor in Namche today to get a second oppinion on taking Ampicillin (antibiotic). He had never heard of it and he only had herbal medicines. Dan decided to try them and got 3 small packages of 10 days worth of what looks like various shades of rabbit poop. Dan has taken 3 today and so far is still standing. He desperately needs the lungs to clear before he should go higher. Happy birthday to Him today as he celebrates with 'rabbit poop' droppings for dessert!
Alan and Laura are feeling quite strong and looking forward to moving up the mountain after Adam arrives.
We did an aclimatization climb yesterday up the mountain about 1500 feet to Everest View Lodge with great views of the high mountains all around.

Dan, Alan, Laura

The Mallory's are Climbing!

Wow! what a wild previous week and a half. On Monday, March 31, Alan and Dan did a live interview with CBC Canada am in the morning, A live interview with CBC newsworld in the afternoon, and two telephone interviews in the middle. On Tuesday April 1st, Dan did a live telephone interview with CBC radio - Ontario Morning and for the balance of the week, turned down other requests.

Friday April 4th - Dan was up all night at the Mallory Insurance Office getting to bed at 5am and up 1 hr. later at 6am to catch the 11:00am flight from Toronto to Hong Kong and then to Kathmadu. Very long flight (~24hrs total) and glad to arrive in Kathmandu.

Kathmandu is the wildest City you can immagine with completely chaotic traffic flow, impossibly rough and narrow roads, and people everywhere. The air quality is very poor.

We were in Kathmandu 1 day and we were glad to get our early morning flight in an 18 seater Twin Otter plane to Lukla. It plummits out of the sky towards the landing strip and it lands on the shortest runway in existance in the mtns. Fortunatly for us, the runway was uphill which helped slow the plane down. It will be a wild downhill take-off on our return.

The two day trek to Namche (which is where we are now, at 11200 feet in elevation) is remarkable, challenging, beautiful and very steep. The tiny sherpa porters should all be called Galioths with the massive loads they carry - one tiny guy had a chesterfield strapped on his back! The trek is across many towering and long swing bridges and not for the faint at heart or anyone afraid of heights. The trail follows deep valleys surrounded by towering snow covered peaks. There is a turquoise glacier-melt raging river most of the way.

Unfortunatly, Dan caught a chest infection and Alan and Laura are struggling with stiff muscles and joints but other than that we are all well. After a few days we should be good to go. We will be waiting here at Namche for Adam's arrival in a few days. We hope so because Adam arrives tomorrow and that is election day in Nepal and everything (traffic, phones etc.) will be shut down in anticipation of possible riots. We don't even know if he is going to be able to get a ride from the airport to the hotel on his arrival in Kathmandu. It should be an exciting time for him and we hope for the best. Meanwhile we have a beautiful view of snow covered peaks on the steep side of a mtn. with beautiful sunlight and blue skies to enjoy.

My hike begins

Highlights of the first 2 days. Weather has been beautiful but very windy and lots of dust. Competition on the trails with the jobyaks,(? spelling ) cross between a yak and a cow that is used for packing goods in at lower altitudes below Namche, and other hikers. First day was a gentle downhill to a quaint teahouse. Second day was a really difficult hike where we crossed a huge river on swing bridges 4 times and hiked uphill for what it seemed like forever. Namche Bazaar is a neat little town with most amenities. After tomorrow it will be difficult to communicate.
Barbara

Don't drag your feet

Flight from Kathmandu to Lukla is worth the price of the whole trip. It is a small boxy propeller plane that they take the seats in and out of at random. You can see right into the cockpit and talk to the pilot if you could be heard above the noise of the engines. There is a stewardess who hands out cotton balls for your ears and candies after take off. No pressurized cabins so they fly fairly low. Going through the mountain passes it seems as if the wing tips will brush the sides of the mountains. Good views of the area below. The landing strip at Lukla is an uphill to a turn around. I imagine the take off going home will be something else since then it will be a downhill into mid air.

theme song

Thanks to Mark Rutherford for his song "Challenge", composed and produced in tribute to the Mallory Expedition. (Hopefully you're hearing it right now as I have embedded it in this blog.)

Rumours from the Mountain

Rumour has it that the Chinese gave Nepal a $121,000,000.00 development ? loan recently which means they have a huge influence on what is happening here. Until today everyone was unsure whether permits to climb past base camp would be issued. Lots of people have just been sitting at base camp waiting for news from the government and the Ice doctors had not set any ropes or ladders in the Khumbu Ice Field. The permits were issued today but we are still unsure how high anyone can climb or what happens if there is demonstration on the mountain or the Chinese need more time to bring the torch from the summit. The Nepali army has been sent to base camp to discourage demonstrations.
Welcome to politics in the third world.

Welcome to Kathmandu

I have safely arrived in Kathmandu after a long journey from Toronto to Hong Kong to Kathmandu.
Napel is the 12th poorest country in the world and Kathmandu with a population of 4,000,000 reflects this. Except for a few major roads the city is a jigsaw puzzle of narrow nameless streets and alleys. Pollution is terrible with lots of people wearing masks. Most of the temples I have seen are in various stages of ruin. Electrical wires dangle hap hazzardly from various buildings and poles and scheduled and unscheduled blackouts occur daily. The internet is slow and unpredictable. There seem to be few rules.
In contrast to all this, I feel very safe here and all the people are friendly and helpful.
This is a country with 50 plus gods and a living goddess.
An election is happening in mid April so there are lots of political rallies.
Barbara

crazy busy

This last week has been none stop with interviews, visiting family and friends, and of course packing and repacking. Barbara is off on her adventure tomorrow. The trip is evolving with the Tibet side of Everest closed to climbers.
All three children move home this week and Dan has to finish off all our personal business which should be interesting.
Next news from me will be from Kathmandu.

Communication

We are still working on how to communicate on the mountain and from the mountain.
You can learn about our adventure either from this blog or on our outfitter's website at www.summitclimb.com under RECENT EVENTS on their home page. The information there will be more general but everyone is encouraged to post something and they will give progress reports.

Thank you

Friends and family have helped us in so many ways, people have been very inventive. We are very greatful for all your support.

Last Mallory Family get together

Traditions abound in the Mallory family. This weekend the extended Mallory family plus friends will get together at the cottage for a winter cookout, Easter hunt, and Easter dinner. It will be the last time we will all be together before we leave for Nepal. Even the adults take part in the Easter hunt since we are all kids at heart.
The list of little things to be done is not getting any smaller because everytime we eliminate one another magically appears. We do have almost all our gear now thanks to our friend Paul who brought a lot back from the U.S. for us.
Sunday is the final packing for Barbara and the pre-pack for everyone else. The situation in Nepal and Tibet is still a bit of a mystery. We are unsure what we will find when we arrive but we do know it will be a great adventure.

Departure dates

Barbara - March 27, 2008
Dan, Alan, Laura - April 5, 2008
Adam - April 9, 2008
Expected return for everyone - June 14, 2008
Our departure dates are staggered due to school and work commitments. Schools have permitted both Adam and Laura to write some to their exams upon our return. Earlier departures allow for more acclimatization.
Our home presently looks like a sporting goods store. Each person has their own area for clothes, food and equipment.
This weekend is the final time we will all be together before we meet in Nepal. It takes a lot to prepare for such a trip and also to make sure all loose ends are tied up at home.

Situation in Nepal & Tibet

The Chinese government has not made life easy for climbers and what is particularly annoying is the fact that they have known that the Olympics was going to be held in China for many, many, many years now. The present unrest appears to be in the caoital city of Tibet, Lhasa.
We have just heard from our Outfitter Summit Climb and although there may still be some alterations to our plans it appears we are going ahead with a modified agenda. Climbing to base camp is permitted. There is no climbing above base camp on either side of the mountain between May 1 -10 so the Chinese can film the Olympic torch parade from the summit of Everest to Beijing. Alternate routes to acclimatize are being considered.

Problems in Tibet

Life is never dull or simple. Rumour has it that the Chinese government wants to close the Tibet side of Mount Everest until after May 10th because they want to film the Olympic flame coming from Mt. Everest. They are also trying to influence Nepal to do the same.
We continue to plan for our hike and await the outcome of this latest event.

Checking and re-checking equipment lists

It is crucial that we bring all the equipment necessary for comfort and survival. Since we go from vary warm weather in Kathmandu (shorts and t-shirts) to below freezing at night at base camp and possibly -60 degrees Celcius near the top of the mountain that means a lot of gear. Missing equipment could mean someone has to abort the trip early. Our house is now a mini sporting goods store with everyone having a designated area for their gear. If interested check out Summit Climb to see just what we are bringing and remember that list is not exhaustive.

Specialized boots and mitts

On Mt. Everest above 26,000 feet, is known as the death zone. At this height, the body starts to degenerate due to insufficient oxygen getting to the cells. Frost bite occurs at a very fast rate particularly in the hands and feet.
Dan was in Ohio on the weekend trying on special high altitude boots known as Millet Everest Boots so the toes won't freeze above high camp. We have ordered the special mittens by Outdoor Research to keep our fingers warm. All the gear we plan on buying in Canada and the US should be purchased by the end of this week.

Our next challenge is how best to communication from Mount Everest. I will leave that challenge up to our Computer/Electrical Engineering genius Adam.

Paperwork complete, working on gear list

It is a relief to finally get all the paperwork into the outfitter. Dan Mazur of Summit Climb has been a huge help with our planning. Now we continue with the gear list which for 5 people is a little overwhelming. I leave in one month from today so I'm beginning my countdown.
Barbara

Mallory Family Everest Blog

Welcome to the Mallory Family Everest blog. You can also visit our website at www.malloryexpedition.com