April 30, 2008 - 5:07am — MountEverest2008
Tentbound and a Promising Jet
6400 m
Today was another rest day at Camp II. Oddly, I do not feel so refreshed after such a day at altitude. Rather, I feel the cumulative effects of spending a number of days up here. We are losing braincells and muscle mass, and the long hours of downtime seem to be slowly taking their toll. I find myself reading a book I dislike- at lower altitude it would be in the trash. Here it is part of my tentbound survival kit. My tentmate R.C. is struggling a bit too. His vice is a little electronic Solitaire game. He's a smart guy, but he never seems to win. Perhaps this is deliberate- if he masters the game, he'd lose countless hours of useful distraction.
Relief is soon to come. By 3pm tomorrow we should be back in base camp and enjoying the relative luxuries (like thicker air) of our home away from home.
One notable site today was a military jet that passed over the summit maybe seven times. We optimistically thought this may be a sign that China and the torch were summitting today. We were wrong, but we did get confirmation that the torch (lit!) had left the northside base camp, officially now en route for the summit. Dependent on weather and rate of ascent, the torch could reach the top of the world within a few days.
For the final posting tonight, I'll introduce my teammate Mark Luscher, 60, from Albany, OR, a town about 60 miles south of Portland. Mark's a designer and builder of commercial and residential properties. As a hobby, Mark's part of the National Ski Patrol with a homebase of Santaim resort, near Bend. He's married to Valerie and together they have 6 kids, 11 grandkids, and another grandkid coming soon!
Like many on the team, Mark has attempted Everest before, just last year in fact. This 2007 effort was unguided and Mark did well, making it to Camp III twice before health issues prevented further gains. With success this year, he'll have completed the seven summits.
That's a wrap. Thanks again for joining the climb.