Personal April 24th Saturday
Thanks to all who have responded on the blog and I really appreciate all the kind words on the email. Tomorrow is a big day for me and I need all of your encouragement.
My address for personal email is sslaughter@uuplus.net Please only send text as I have scanning to block even large emails of text.
Danny – great story and appreciate the words
Cee- I hope all went well with the store specials. I can’t wait to come and see you guys sometime. I know it is tough with Lida on Vacation love ya Steve
Philippe- thanks to you for always checking on me
Graham- Thanks for your words from “Down Under” I hope all is going well in your business.
Toffee- we are so glad Ann is doing well enough now so she can translate for you again. Your friends have been worried about you and it was Ann who we should have been asking about and not you. Ann Thanks again for letting Martin come to spend time with Jim and me in the Himalayas. We miss him but we know we will see him again soon on a mountain and I hope to see you soon in Brisbane. Take care of yourself, Martin and Toffee but we really know that Toffee will be taking care of you too. Smile.
Claire- Great to hear from you. SO you got to the top of the “Big Granite “Kota Kinabalu. I hope it was drier on you than on me when I did it a few years ago in July. What a miserable up in the monsoon and a miserable trip down slip sliding away on that big granite stone in the monsoon. I hope you found some time to snorkel as I hear it is one of the top places in the world. Looking forward to climbing again soon Talk to Martin about PNG in Oct and see what we can do. I do not keep the phone on at all until I try to call someone. The batteries run down in no time due to the cold. When you get stationary let me know the number and I will call you. Start the number with the “+” sign then I shouldn’t have any problems calling. Take care and safe travels.
caroline- thanks for your comments i miss you and the little Leah take care of yourself
Saturday, April 24, 2010
prep day at base camp
April 24th Sat
Slept well but awoke to a pretty windy cold day. I had a good breakfast (pancakes and cheese and eggs) I quickly finished off the pancakes but sure didn’t want the eggs but Jim was not going to let me off the hook. He said that the next few days will be very tough to eat and I really needed to eat them. I begrudgingly ate them but sure didn’t like the feeling of them going down.
It is not that I do not want to eat. I have no urge to eat 3 meals a day and I never eat breakfast. For me to get up from bed and go straight to eat is just not easy for someone who never eats.
I came in and go on the computer and checked and replied to emails and actually spent some time on the internet to get caught up on the BKK situation and some news. I learned that they were moving my work friends out of the apartment/hotel where I lived for 4 years due to the intensity of the situation and the latest bombs to another location which is much further from the main intersection. I called K Bee to make sure she was ok and if she needed to move but she said she was ok. She was not very happy with the Red Shirts and now the government as it is now closing the sky train which makes it very difficult for Thais to travel without a hassle.
We had a great lunch which I actually ate, got the base station set up for radios, swapped out my sleeping bag for the porters early morning trek so the same thing doesn’t happen like last Monday and got all my stuff located in the right place for easy and efficient working in the morning. Jim wants to leave right at 430 to try and keep us out of the sun as much as possible so this is ok with me.
I am looking forward to it as I feel better today and I am sure I have more food in me than the previous trip. I am checking email one last time here at 5 pm because I didn’t want to get caught like last night in the 25 degree weather trying to type and my hands were frozen. I tried to go back and fix as many problems in that last dispatch but I will fix them all one when I am too old to do anything else. It is the story that I am trying to convey so cut me some slack on the grammar and spelling.
I hope all of you have a great Sunday and to my friends in BKK Please be safe.
Slept well but awoke to a pretty windy cold day. I had a good breakfast (pancakes and cheese and eggs) I quickly finished off the pancakes but sure didn’t want the eggs but Jim was not going to let me off the hook. He said that the next few days will be very tough to eat and I really needed to eat them. I begrudgingly ate them but sure didn’t like the feeling of them going down.
It is not that I do not want to eat. I have no urge to eat 3 meals a day and I never eat breakfast. For me to get up from bed and go straight to eat is just not easy for someone who never eats.
I came in and go on the computer and checked and replied to emails and actually spent some time on the internet to get caught up on the BKK situation and some news. I learned that they were moving my work friends out of the apartment/hotel where I lived for 4 years due to the intensity of the situation and the latest bombs to another location which is much further from the main intersection. I called K Bee to make sure she was ok and if she needed to move but she said she was ok. She was not very happy with the Red Shirts and now the government as it is now closing the sky train which makes it very difficult for Thais to travel without a hassle.
We had a great lunch which I actually ate, got the base station set up for radios, swapped out my sleeping bag for the porters early morning trek so the same thing doesn’t happen like last Monday and got all my stuff located in the right place for easy and efficient working in the morning. Jim wants to leave right at 430 to try and keep us out of the sun as much as possible so this is ok with me.
I am looking forward to it as I feel better today and I am sure I have more food in me than the previous trip. I am checking email one last time here at 5 pm because I didn’t want to get caught like last night in the 25 degree weather trying to type and my hands were frozen. I tried to go back and fix as many problems in that last dispatch but I will fix them all one when I am too old to do anything else. It is the story that I am trying to convey so cut me some slack on the grammar and spelling.
I hope all of you have a great Sunday and to my friends in BKK Please be safe.
Friday, April 23, 2010
trail walk to gorbakshep
Went to bed at 9 pm last night and it was a little less cold than the previous 2 nights. I crawled in the bed and it seemed like I slept all night. I peeped out of the sleeping bag and it was light. What a relief and I felt good.
I just laid there listening to the IPOD, relaxing and thinking about the trip today. Finally got up at 810am for the breakfast call and had pancakes with melted butter and some great scrambled eggs. This was only the 2nd meal, (1 being dinner last night) that I actually could look at the food and not feel like I was going to throw up. I don’t know if that was because I had been sick or the thought that Jim was going to make me shovel something down. Anyway it was a good breakfast and we had decided to leave at 930am so I went back to the tent to change clothes and get my back ready.
Jim was on the computer and finally came by about 930am and said let’s go. A dash through the snacks and I was out the door. In the meantime ( only mins) Jim got consumed looking through the stuff that the porters brought up late last night. He was going through the list and of course I was looking myself. I saw Kraft Thousand Island Dressing; I saw 4 boxes of Pop Tarts, French’s mustard, Heinz Ketchup and 2 more bottles of Heinz 57. This made my morning today. It was like in the old days when Mom would come home from the store and we would tear through all the packages to see what favorite we go this month. (Yes we only went to the store 1 time per month) Then I thought I saw something else when they started removing all the stuff and taking it to the kitchen and dining tent, it looked like a jar of pickle spears. I knew I had requested them but Jim never acknowledge that he got them on the list. Well when I saw them I thought of 2 things 1) I want one of them right now and I did eat one and 2) wouldn’t my friend Roger Williams want one of my Clausen Dill spears. He loves them as much as I do.
After this small celebration, we were off to Gorbakshep. We are on one end of the base camp so we walk across base camp for almost 25 mins meandering up and down and around to we finally get clear and on the trail. The walk was rather slow; Jim was very deliberate so not to let me overdo it. It was a nice walk and we made it down there in an about 2 hrs and I felt pretty good. The only thing today was the wind was there all day so I never really warmed up, which would have been really nice. Nawaan went with us so he could use the land line phone to call and check on his wife, who is having the baby in KAT and they said that it would be around the first of May. He mother had arrived in KAT a couple of days ago so he was checking on them. He is such a nice guy (30 years old) and very inquisitive in a learning type way so it is very nice talking to him. We had a few teas and a hot lemon, I had a few snacks and Jim and Nawaan had some noodles and we were on our way back.
We are stating about 320 meters lower in altitude than when we left base camp so we knew we were moving back uphill but still this walk is a classic “up and down” Khumba region walk. Trails, large boulders, small rocks, water, mud, and yak poop etc so it is not just get on the trail and walk. We were back home in about 1 ½ hours and I still felt pretty good. A little tired but overall pretty good after the 5 hour round trip. We met people along the trail and heard that 3 more people are on their way home by helicopter. One lady Wanda was a MS lady who had climbed 6 of the 7 summits but just could not get this one done. This was her 2nd try and her lungs just would not let her take the long times at altitude. She was being taken up by one of my friends I met at Mt Rainier many years ago. He had just let her off at the helicopter in Pheriche and he was on his way back to base camp.
We arrived at the camp and went it to drink a little Mt Dew and Jim wanted some tea. We had a visitor from IMG to come over and pick up a violin that had been delivered by our porter last night. Vern Tejas who is accomplished violinist/guitaiarts/Fiddle player himself side he had a classical Violinist on his team and he wanted to hear some music so he had one sent up the trail but the case was also full of drugs (all legal) so we gave Vern a hard time about really wanted to hear music or did he need the drugs. I wanted a picture with Vern because I see about 5 to 6 guys here( all in mid 50’s) who are all starting to see that they cannot continue to be the leaders at the top of the mountains anymore and the guard is changing. These 5-7 guys were the leaders of making this place and others what is it is today and were the reason why people like I want to come here and try to climb this massive mountain. Vern has submitted 8 times in 14 tries. He is a great guy and is very well respected in this small circle of Professional mountain guides.
As he was leaving Russell Brice was walking up. All of you should know Russell Brice. He is the guy who started “Beyond the limits: Everest” on the discovery channel a few years ago. What a nice guy. He was collecting money ($100 per climber) for the fixed lines being installed up to the top of the mountain. ( they are installing 7000 linear feet of rope with 1000 carabineers help people like me get too the top safely) I got a picture with him also as I think he is a really nice guy vs what my impression was off the TV show.
I finally went to my tent to change clothes and get into something warmer and then to check email and write this blog. I am now going to dinner and then to bed and hopefully another good night’s sleep.
I hope all of you have a great Friday and a great weekend tomorrow will be a day off and I will write more.
I just laid there listening to the IPOD, relaxing and thinking about the trip today. Finally got up at 810am for the breakfast call and had pancakes with melted butter and some great scrambled eggs. This was only the 2nd meal, (1 being dinner last night) that I actually could look at the food and not feel like I was going to throw up. I don’t know if that was because I had been sick or the thought that Jim was going to make me shovel something down. Anyway it was a good breakfast and we had decided to leave at 930am so I went back to the tent to change clothes and get my back ready.
Jim was on the computer and finally came by about 930am and said let’s go. A dash through the snacks and I was out the door. In the meantime ( only mins) Jim got consumed looking through the stuff that the porters brought up late last night. He was going through the list and of course I was looking myself. I saw Kraft Thousand Island Dressing; I saw 4 boxes of Pop Tarts, French’s mustard, Heinz Ketchup and 2 more bottles of Heinz 57. This made my morning today. It was like in the old days when Mom would come home from the store and we would tear through all the packages to see what favorite we go this month. (Yes we only went to the store 1 time per month) Then I thought I saw something else when they started removing all the stuff and taking it to the kitchen and dining tent, it looked like a jar of pickle spears. I knew I had requested them but Jim never acknowledge that he got them on the list. Well when I saw them I thought of 2 things 1) I want one of them right now and I did eat one and 2) wouldn’t my friend Roger Williams want one of my Clausen Dill spears. He loves them as much as I do.
After this small celebration, we were off to Gorbakshep. We are on one end of the base camp so we walk across base camp for almost 25 mins meandering up and down and around to we finally get clear and on the trail. The walk was rather slow; Jim was very deliberate so not to let me overdo it. It was a nice walk and we made it down there in an about 2 hrs and I felt pretty good. The only thing today was the wind was there all day so I never really warmed up, which would have been really nice. Nawaan went with us so he could use the land line phone to call and check on his wife, who is having the baby in KAT and they said that it would be around the first of May. He mother had arrived in KAT a couple of days ago so he was checking on them. He is such a nice guy (30 years old) and very inquisitive in a learning type way so it is very nice talking to him. We had a few teas and a hot lemon, I had a few snacks and Jim and Nawaan had some noodles and we were on our way back.
We are stating about 320 meters lower in altitude than when we left base camp so we knew we were moving back uphill but still this walk is a classic “up and down” Khumba region walk. Trails, large boulders, small rocks, water, mud, and yak poop etc so it is not just get on the trail and walk. We were back home in about 1 ½ hours and I still felt pretty good. A little tired but overall pretty good after the 5 hour round trip. We met people along the trail and heard that 3 more people are on their way home by helicopter. One lady Wanda was a MS lady who had climbed 6 of the 7 summits but just could not get this one done. This was her 2nd try and her lungs just would not let her take the long times at altitude. She was being taken up by one of my friends I met at Mt Rainier many years ago. He had just let her off at the helicopter in Pheriche and he was on his way back to base camp.
We arrived at the camp and went it to drink a little Mt Dew and Jim wanted some tea. We had a visitor from IMG to come over and pick up a violin that had been delivered by our porter last night. Vern Tejas who is accomplished violinist/guitaiarts/Fiddle player himself side he had a classical Violinist on his team and he wanted to hear some music so he had one sent up the trail but the case was also full of drugs (all legal) so we gave Vern a hard time about really wanted to hear music or did he need the drugs. I wanted a picture with Vern because I see about 5 to 6 guys here( all in mid 50’s) who are all starting to see that they cannot continue to be the leaders at the top of the mountains anymore and the guard is changing. These 5-7 guys were the leaders of making this place and others what is it is today and were the reason why people like I want to come here and try to climb this massive mountain. Vern has submitted 8 times in 14 tries. He is a great guy and is very well respected in this small circle of Professional mountain guides.
As he was leaving Russell Brice was walking up. All of you should know Russell Brice. He is the guy who started “Beyond the limits: Everest” on the discovery channel a few years ago. What a nice guy. He was collecting money ($100 per climber) for the fixed lines being installed up to the top of the mountain. ( they are installing 7000 linear feet of rope with 1000 carabineers help people like me get too the top safely) I got a picture with him also as I think he is a really nice guy vs what my impression was off the TV show.
I finally went to my tent to change clothes and get into something warmer and then to check email and write this blog. I am now going to dinner and then to bed and hopefully another good night’s sleep.
I hope all of you have a great Friday and a great weekend tomorrow will be a day off and I will write more.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Another day of recovery at base camp
April 22nd Thursday
Finally went to bed @ 830 pm on Wed night. I didn’t eat much as the smell of mo mo’s Jim had almost made me throw up. I went to the dinning tent just to try and stretch the day as long as I could to try and regain some strength. I just sat in front of the heater after I went in to help Curly and Larry try and light it. Think about “lost in translation” with me and 2 Sherpa’ s who do not speak any English nor do not have any mechanical skills ( no that it takes much to start a heater) but it was quite comical to a point. I was trying to be nice but really was in the mood to let 3 people with 3 different ideas try to start this heater( although I have been starting it every night so I knew what needed to be done). I was cold, tired and after the few moments of “humor” I told them “thank You” and I could just do it myself. They left the tent in all smiles and I started the tent and then almost collapse in the chair in front of it. That episode just about wore me out at this altitude.
I went to bed with a slight cough and Jim thought that this was more of an exhaustion cough than anything. I think he was right as I did it for about an hour and then fell asleep. I think I did pretty well later in the night as I awoke about the time the sun came up which is about 530 and I would just lay in the bed until it hit my tent about 745am( snoozing on and off) when the warmth of the sun would make my tent feel good. Jim’s tent is only a few feet away and we started discussing the day’s events and the even Sat’s event.
We both thought about my eating and we thought maybe I could eat something every hour instead of trying to force some big massive meal down me 2-3 times a day. We have done that pretty regular today and it seems to have worked some. I have been drinking water pretty good today including cokes and Mt dew just to add to the calorie intake.
We also both thought about taking a “test ride” hike tomorrow back down to Gorashep which is about a 2 hr walk done the mountain, have a hot lemon drink and walk back home just to see how the body does. I thought this was a great idea and look forward to it because I am still a bit shaken mentally after what happen to me on Mon and I want to know I can do this with some sort of certainty, Damn I lost an entire week due to some infection that if I would have had it at home I probably wouldn’t have missed a step but up here took me down to me legs. I have to admit I am mad about what happen but understand “stuff happens” and I will move on from now.
I spent quite a bit of time in the tent today trying to regain my focus. I begin to reorganize my stuff for the next couple of days, while listening to my iPod and generally trying to get back in the game mentally. The weather has been quite nice today with just a little wind. I know there is still a lot of time left to make this thing work out. If some of the guys I saw at the hospital yesterday think they still have a chance to make it then I for sure still have a chance. I saw some very sick people yesterday struggling in and out of that tent and I have seen those faces high on the mountain before so I know what altitude can do to you and I am lucky that that was not me.
Wally came and visited several times today and it was fun catching up with him His guys are heading up to camp 2 today. His main guy had a bad cough early in the week but Wally confirmed he was doing much better. Wally sounded awful with his cough but as I have said everyone at base camp gets sick it is how you minimize it that allows you to win or not.
I laughed at Jim as I heard him try to program the radios He talks to himself a lot so it was funny to hear his expressions which I cannot print in this blog because mine are bad enough but he sure made me chuckle a few times today. He finally got them done and we should be good to go. He also work with the Sherpa’s on the antenna’s which was funny but not a funny as the radios.
My face around my cheeks and the bottom of the chin began to peel today. I got burned on the way down on Monday I applied at 4am but never did again the reflection off the snow can just burn you up. MY nose which is usually the first place I get it was pretty much left unscathed but the other places are peeling deep. I will start the use of 50 SPC on Sat in lieu of the 30 I have been using. I have already seen some horrific faces on the mountain and I do not want to look like I did when I came off Aconcagua 2008. I know my little Leah remembers and it looked bad.
It is 530pm on Thursday and today has been good. I do feel better and I look forward to the walk tomorrow.
Couple of interesting things that did happen today.
There was a collapse in the Ice Fall today in the area called the “popcorn”. According to the information that we have heard no one was injured and we heard the Ice doctors have already got the trail remapped out so it will be interesting to see the differences when we go back in there on Sat.
This was also the first day in the last 3 days that I did not hear the helicopter fly someone out so that is always a good thing.
I am sure soon Jim will be chasing me around trying to shovel food in my mouth and I will be like the child who doesn’t want to eat but I am sure in the end we will come to some compromise.
Have a great day
Finally went to bed @ 830 pm on Wed night. I didn’t eat much as the smell of mo mo’s Jim had almost made me throw up. I went to the dinning tent just to try and stretch the day as long as I could to try and regain some strength. I just sat in front of the heater after I went in to help Curly and Larry try and light it. Think about “lost in translation” with me and 2 Sherpa’ s who do not speak any English nor do not have any mechanical skills ( no that it takes much to start a heater) but it was quite comical to a point. I was trying to be nice but really was in the mood to let 3 people with 3 different ideas try to start this heater( although I have been starting it every night so I knew what needed to be done). I was cold, tired and after the few moments of “humor” I told them “thank You” and I could just do it myself. They left the tent in all smiles and I started the tent and then almost collapse in the chair in front of it. That episode just about wore me out at this altitude.
I went to bed with a slight cough and Jim thought that this was more of an exhaustion cough than anything. I think he was right as I did it for about an hour and then fell asleep. I think I did pretty well later in the night as I awoke about the time the sun came up which is about 530 and I would just lay in the bed until it hit my tent about 745am( snoozing on and off) when the warmth of the sun would make my tent feel good. Jim’s tent is only a few feet away and we started discussing the day’s events and the even Sat’s event.
We both thought about my eating and we thought maybe I could eat something every hour instead of trying to force some big massive meal down me 2-3 times a day. We have done that pretty regular today and it seems to have worked some. I have been drinking water pretty good today including cokes and Mt dew just to add to the calorie intake.
We also both thought about taking a “test ride” hike tomorrow back down to Gorashep which is about a 2 hr walk done the mountain, have a hot lemon drink and walk back home just to see how the body does. I thought this was a great idea and look forward to it because I am still a bit shaken mentally after what happen to me on Mon and I want to know I can do this with some sort of certainty, Damn I lost an entire week due to some infection that if I would have had it at home I probably wouldn’t have missed a step but up here took me down to me legs. I have to admit I am mad about what happen but understand “stuff happens” and I will move on from now.
I spent quite a bit of time in the tent today trying to regain my focus. I begin to reorganize my stuff for the next couple of days, while listening to my iPod and generally trying to get back in the game mentally. The weather has been quite nice today with just a little wind. I know there is still a lot of time left to make this thing work out. If some of the guys I saw at the hospital yesterday think they still have a chance to make it then I for sure still have a chance. I saw some very sick people yesterday struggling in and out of that tent and I have seen those faces high on the mountain before so I know what altitude can do to you and I am lucky that that was not me.
Wally came and visited several times today and it was fun catching up with him His guys are heading up to camp 2 today. His main guy had a bad cough early in the week but Wally confirmed he was doing much better. Wally sounded awful with his cough but as I have said everyone at base camp gets sick it is how you minimize it that allows you to win or not.
I laughed at Jim as I heard him try to program the radios He talks to himself a lot so it was funny to hear his expressions which I cannot print in this blog because mine are bad enough but he sure made me chuckle a few times today. He finally got them done and we should be good to go. He also work with the Sherpa’s on the antenna’s which was funny but not a funny as the radios.
My face around my cheeks and the bottom of the chin began to peel today. I got burned on the way down on Monday I applied at 4am but never did again the reflection off the snow can just burn you up. MY nose which is usually the first place I get it was pretty much left unscathed but the other places are peeling deep. I will start the use of 50 SPC on Sat in lieu of the 30 I have been using. I have already seen some horrific faces on the mountain and I do not want to look like I did when I came off Aconcagua 2008. I know my little Leah remembers and it looked bad.
It is 530pm on Thursday and today has been good. I do feel better and I look forward to the walk tomorrow.
Couple of interesting things that did happen today.
There was a collapse in the Ice Fall today in the area called the “popcorn”. According to the information that we have heard no one was injured and we heard the Ice doctors have already got the trail remapped out so it will be interesting to see the differences when we go back in there on Sat.
This was also the first day in the last 3 days that I did not hear the helicopter fly someone out so that is always a good thing.
I am sure soon Jim will be chasing me around trying to shovel food in my mouth and I will be like the child who doesn’t want to eat but I am sure in the end we will come to some compromise.
Have a great day
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Personal
Toffee Please come back I have heard from many of your fans that your words of wisdom are truly inspirational.
All thanks for all of your comments it really helps
I am posting now here at 6 pm wed night it has turned very cold and I am ready to get in my bed.
have a great day
All thanks for all of your comments it really helps
I am posting now here at 6 pm wed night it has turned very cold and I am ready to get in my bed.
have a great day
Feeling better and went to Hospital
April 21st Wed.
I awoke with my favorite fragrance again this morning, the smell of pee. I am sure all of you would like to smell this when you wake from a good night’s sleep. Well I hope this will be my last. The last time I went this morning I was able to be regular and was able to hold it until all was in place so I was pretty happy with that process.
I was able to get up and go to breakfast and eat pretty well and then went in the communications tent to read email and talked to Mark Dale in Australia and it looks like we finally got a big deal we needed and some warranty issues cleared. So Life was getting back to normal mentally but the body is still shot. The weather finally cooperated and I was able to get those nasty clothes off (even Jim was talking about it) on me, took a nice shower (well as nice as it can be in 40F degree weather and I put on my favorite pair of long underwear (Thanks Sybil) they are best wearing and the thinness is perfect for what I need on the climbing trips. I am off to eat lunch now and then over to the hospital. Jim and I have been going through every detail of the last couple of days to try to nail down what really happen but at this point there is no real conclusion. I have been climbing 8 years and Jim has been doing it for 38 years and we cannot put a series of things that happen that point to a clear conclusion. I will update this letter before I post it if the Dr has anything else to add. Well we went to the doctor and guess what he gave me for the next 3 days, Cipro, surprise for you guys in the medical field. He said I could have a little bit of a kidney infection, (yes not normal for a man my age) but that is what we are treating. The lungs are still good but we had to wait on several who are not in good shape. I am so glad that is not my problem because that is something that is hard to overcome as you get higher.
Jim went and got oxygen for us to go up to camp 3 today so that made me feel good. This is a pay to play type deal when you pay for it is yours unless you are lucky to unload it at a fire sale. The cost was about $2500 so it is not cheap. These are refill bottles which we will use below but he did not spend the big money for the summit (new) bottles yet. He will wait and see how I do in the next few days of climbing which hopefully will be day 3 from now. I have to get food liquids and rest over the next couple of days so I can be ready to go again. I feel so much better but am still tired and have little energy but after the last couple of days I will take anything better.
I spent the day trying to reorganize worked a bit and saw the doctor so it was a pretty full day. The one thing is that I got up at 8 and am still up at 5:30 which is has been 4 days since that has happened.
Have a good day and may tomorrow be better than today.
I awoke with my favorite fragrance again this morning, the smell of pee. I am sure all of you would like to smell this when you wake from a good night’s sleep. Well I hope this will be my last. The last time I went this morning I was able to be regular and was able to hold it until all was in place so I was pretty happy with that process.
I was able to get up and go to breakfast and eat pretty well and then went in the communications tent to read email and talked to Mark Dale in Australia and it looks like we finally got a big deal we needed and some warranty issues cleared. So Life was getting back to normal mentally but the body is still shot. The weather finally cooperated and I was able to get those nasty clothes off (even Jim was talking about it) on me, took a nice shower (well as nice as it can be in 40F degree weather and I put on my favorite pair of long underwear (Thanks Sybil) they are best wearing and the thinness is perfect for what I need on the climbing trips. I am off to eat lunch now and then over to the hospital. Jim and I have been going through every detail of the last couple of days to try to nail down what really happen but at this point there is no real conclusion. I have been climbing 8 years and Jim has been doing it for 38 years and we cannot put a series of things that happen that point to a clear conclusion. I will update this letter before I post it if the Dr has anything else to add. Well we went to the doctor and guess what he gave me for the next 3 days, Cipro, surprise for you guys in the medical field. He said I could have a little bit of a kidney infection, (yes not normal for a man my age) but that is what we are treating. The lungs are still good but we had to wait on several who are not in good shape. I am so glad that is not my problem because that is something that is hard to overcome as you get higher.
Jim went and got oxygen for us to go up to camp 3 today so that made me feel good. This is a pay to play type deal when you pay for it is yours unless you are lucky to unload it at a fire sale. The cost was about $2500 so it is not cheap. These are refill bottles which we will use below but he did not spend the big money for the summit (new) bottles yet. He will wait and see how I do in the next few days of climbing which hopefully will be day 3 from now. I have to get food liquids and rest over the next couple of days so I can be ready to go again. I feel so much better but am still tired and have little energy but after the last couple of days I will take anything better.
I spent the day trying to reorganize worked a bit and saw the doctor so it was a pretty full day. The one thing is that I got up at 8 and am still up at 5:30 which is has been 4 days since that has happened.
Have a good day and may tomorrow be better than today.
long day at base camp sick
April 20 Tues
I got up around 8 am when the hot sun had hit my tent and it felt good. I got up and had a good breakfast of eggs, bacon and potatoes and my pop tarts. While I was sitting there discussing yesterday with Jim I also managed to drink 3 ½ liters of water and did not have to go to bathroom so that certainly told me something about hydration.
We chatted on until about 11 am and then I needed to go to the bathroom and I never got out of the tent again.
Now when I went back to the tent I had no blanket or sleeping bad (remember I had peed on it and they were washing and drying it for me so I was laying on my sleeping bad on the ground which was pretty cold not to mention every rock was piecing every bone on my body no matter which was I was able to turn.
Once again I thought I could shake it off and finally around 1ish I called Jim over and told him if he could go and see a doctor for me as I know I am sick and not just dehydrated. He went over and asked the favor and a Dr named Steve came and visited me about 230ish He was the one on call and the tent is pretty busy right now. (They have evacuated at least 5 people already this week) He spent about 20 mins with checking me and asking quite a few questions but he only conclusion was I had picked up probably 1 of the million viruses floating around here but if I could make it over the hospital then he could do a better check on me. I said ok and thought later in the day I would be able to get up but that time never happened.
It was funny I was lying against the back wall on the ground in the tent, my pad was just thrown in there with my blanket on top of my clothes and I was wondering what he was thinking. The Sherpa’s wanted to make my bed but I just couldn’t get up. It was all was cleaned and dry but it had begun to snow so we had to put it back in the tent.
After the doctor left they came into the tent and just put it in the middle of the tent and at sometime I eventually rolled over on my better smelling linen which was nice.
Jim kept trying to feed me with all my favorites but I could move much less sit up and eat. I was shaking one hour and going back to sweating the next. This went on all night as I slept very little except one time when they thought I was gone. They were screaming into the tent and I was not moving so the young boy Dawa was scared and he went out and got one of the other Sherpa’s to come and shake me to see if I was alive. When He grabbed my leg I came up immediately. I don’t know who scared who the most but at least I was alive.
All night was another “peeing” fiasco and by the time I woke up this morning my clothes smelled so bad I was about to vomit not to mention the smell of the pee bottle when it was open inside my sleeping bag so I knew what today held for me
There were many times I thought about throwing in the towel last night. I was tired scared because I didn’t know what was going on with my body and really how much does a man have to take to prove is manhood or reach some silly dream? You know I have spent well over $100,000 on this trip that I have planned for over 4 years and these 2 days has certainly knocked me back physically and mentally and I just didn’t know if I could go on. But I never called to Jim and made it through the night Thank Goodness.
Thanks for all the prayers as I really needed the past 2 days.
I got up around 8 am when the hot sun had hit my tent and it felt good. I got up and had a good breakfast of eggs, bacon and potatoes and my pop tarts. While I was sitting there discussing yesterday with Jim I also managed to drink 3 ½ liters of water and did not have to go to bathroom so that certainly told me something about hydration.
We chatted on until about 11 am and then I needed to go to the bathroom and I never got out of the tent again.
Now when I went back to the tent I had no blanket or sleeping bad (remember I had peed on it and they were washing and drying it for me so I was laying on my sleeping bad on the ground which was pretty cold not to mention every rock was piecing every bone on my body no matter which was I was able to turn.
Once again I thought I could shake it off and finally around 1ish I called Jim over and told him if he could go and see a doctor for me as I know I am sick and not just dehydrated. He went over and asked the favor and a Dr named Steve came and visited me about 230ish He was the one on call and the tent is pretty busy right now. (They have evacuated at least 5 people already this week) He spent about 20 mins with checking me and asking quite a few questions but he only conclusion was I had picked up probably 1 of the million viruses floating around here but if I could make it over the hospital then he could do a better check on me. I said ok and thought later in the day I would be able to get up but that time never happened.
It was funny I was lying against the back wall on the ground in the tent, my pad was just thrown in there with my blanket on top of my clothes and I was wondering what he was thinking. The Sherpa’s wanted to make my bed but I just couldn’t get up. It was all was cleaned and dry but it had begun to snow so we had to put it back in the tent.
After the doctor left they came into the tent and just put it in the middle of the tent and at sometime I eventually rolled over on my better smelling linen which was nice.
Jim kept trying to feed me with all my favorites but I could move much less sit up and eat. I was shaking one hour and going back to sweating the next. This went on all night as I slept very little except one time when they thought I was gone. They were screaming into the tent and I was not moving so the young boy Dawa was scared and he went out and got one of the other Sherpa’s to come and shake me to see if I was alive. When He grabbed my leg I came up immediately. I don’t know who scared who the most but at least I was alive.
All night was another “peeing” fiasco and by the time I woke up this morning my clothes smelled so bad I was about to vomit not to mention the smell of the pee bottle when it was open inside my sleeping bag so I knew what today held for me
There were many times I thought about throwing in the towel last night. I was tired scared because I didn’t know what was going on with my body and really how much does a man have to take to prove is manhood or reach some silly dream? You know I have spent well over $100,000 on this trip that I have planned for over 4 years and these 2 days has certainly knocked me back physically and mentally and I just didn’t know if I could go on. But I never called to Jim and made it through the night Thank Goodness.
Thanks for all the prayers as I really needed the past 2 days.
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