May 16, 2008- Tim checks in: "Expedition leaders and sherpas gathered yesterday to discuss next steps of fixing the route to the summit. The sherpas need some time to rest and prepare and the winds were high today so everything has been bumped back a bit. Seven sherpas have been contributed from various teams to head out when the winds die down probably around the 19th or 20th.  Peak Freaks will head up behind them on the 20th along with quite a few others from various expeditions to line up for a summit bid beginning May 21st . This should be the first wave of summits. That is the plan as of today. Weather from here on out will dictate how it will go. Everyone has been watching the May 21st window for sometime now and it hasn't changed much. Have a nice weekend everyone back home. We will be enjoying life at Camp 2. Food as usual is good, our infamous Peak Freak's sushi parties are as always a real spirit lifter. We are getting fresh chicken ferried up to us with fresh vegetables and eggs for breakfast so we aren't hurting in the food department. Pass the jelly beans please!  Over and out - Tim "

Ang Karsung Sherpa

Our base camp cook Ang Karsung has been working with Peak Freak's for 17 years now. It has been a real pleasure having such a talented cook and friend. Several years ago I taught Tim how to make sushi, he bought the equipment and condiments and spent one afternoon showing Ang Karsung how to do it. Ang Karsung nodded his head, Tim went on his way, and for dinner out came the most amazing sushi 100 x better than Tim's.  I think we should organize a sherpa cook off for the cooking channel. Can you imagine Hell's Kitchen up here!

Really!... having good food is a very important element in the success of an expedition. Maintaining good health through appetizing easy to digest food at these extreme altitudes is essential. Knowing what foods will keep well and eat well takes experience. Nationalities and their tastes are also a consideration for cooks. Because of this Ang Karsung is very good at preparing  international cuisine.  If you are reading other expedition blogs at this time you will see everyone is talking about food. That is because this is the main event from now till summit time.

Support Trek Team- Is now back in Kathmandu. Pictures coming soon. Some are getting ready to depart home tomorrow. Tonight they will be enjoying a Nepalese cultural dinner and dance as part of their Peak Freak bon voyage celebration.

SHERPA MARATHON on May 29, 2008.  THE HIGHEST MARATHON IN THE WORLD! The original Everest Marathon was created and listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the highest marathon in the world. It is the world's most spectacular race and has been held twelve times since 1987.The start line is at Gorak Shep 5184m (17,000 feet), close to Everest Base Camp in Nepal. The finish is at the Sherpa town of Namche Bazaar at 3446m (11,300 feet) and the course is a measured 42 km (26.2 miles) over rough mountain trails.  This race traditionally consists of foreign racers. This year the sherpas are busy organizing their own right now from base camp. They are anticipating a start date of May 29, 2008 ,the end of the Everest season.  

Peak Freak's is sponsoring Ang Pasang Sherpa who has already made several trips back and forth during this year's climbing season.  All the yaks should be off the trail and at base camp by this time collecting expedition equipment so they should be able to really move. Epic!  what a great way to end the season.  Go Pasang Go!

May 15, 2008- Tim checks in: "The weather has been awesome and the team is also doing awesome. Sultan (first Everest climber from Oman), did his acclimatization climb to Camp 3 and is now back at Camp 2 resting. He is doing terrific! Farouq (first climber from Saudi Arabia), will be going up to complete his acclimatization day tomorrow and then we are in position to begin our summit bids. More oxygen is doing up and everyone is getting pumped. There are a lot of climbers on them move right now making their way up to Camp 2 from BC getting in position for the big summit push. "  Over and out- Tim

The cyclone we had been watching in the Bay of Bengal has now been down graded to a tropical storm.  We may have some precipitation rolling in around the 21st for a couple of days but the high pressure will hopefully keep it down in the valley. The team is now looking at a summit window around the 18th - 19th in hopes to avoid the crowds on the 21st onward. 

In the meantime Helen Lutz our team dietitian is working with the team and the cook to help build the climber's energy for the feat ahead of them. I will share with you some of her valuable information:

Eating for Everest:  Minimize Your Weight Loss on the Mountain

Helen Lutz MPH, RD

High altitude mountaineering is an immense physical and emotional challenge.  Eating and drinking are essential to maintaining energy and hydration for best performance.  However due to significant body changes and stresses at high altitude, eating and drinking can be an enormous challenge for many climbers. 

A number of changes happen to mountaineers when they reach altitudes higher than about 3000 m or 10,000 ft.    Many of these changes directly affect how well the body is able to eat, digest and use the food and fluids that are consumed. 

Weight loss is a common consequence of climbing and mountaineering at altitude.  Some researchers estimate that climbers can burn over 6000 calories per day in such extreme environments.  Yet food intakes of climbers at altitude have been shown to fall by 10-50% depending on the rate of ascent and individual tolerance. Just when a climber needs food energy the most, a high altitude, low oxygen environment immediately reduces a climber’s appetite and interest in eating.   

Weight loss at altitude represents the loss of lean muscle mass.  Those lean muscles are the ones that are needed to get you up (and down) the mountain.   Excessive weight loss caused by loss of appetite, exhaustion and stress can lead to further weakness and may mean the end of a long awaited trip.   

Meeting energy needs while climbing at altitude requires a concerted effort.   Carbohydrates are the most efficient source of energy to consume at high altitude.  Complex carbohydrates are found in whole grain bread and cereals, potatoes, dahl, rice and pasta.  These foods take several hours to digest, but provide the body with a sustained long lasting source of energy.  Simple carbohydrates on the other hand are digested very quickly and provide instant energy for working muscles.  Choosing food and fluids that provide the most energy with the least amount of digestive “effort” is the best choice while at altitude.  Research has shown that aggressively loading a climbers diet with carbohydrates, particularly sweet fluids, can be helpful.  Here are some additional strategies to minimize weight loss:

•   ·       Seek out foods that feel good in your mouth, sit well in your stomach and are more likely to stay down.  Common “hiking” foods such as jerky, trail mix,  

•        chocolate, cheese or nuts may be unappealing, and take too much energy to chew, swallow and digest. 

• ·       Include protein rich foods in small servings throughout the day when possible.  Examples include lean meat, hard boiled eggs, skim milk powder added to hot drinks, small servings of nuts and cheese (they digest slowly), and dahl / rice meals.  Protein foods are helpful for repairing muscles tissue.    

• ·       When you have the time and are feeling well enough, try to eat a larger sized portion than normal. 

• ·       Snack on small amounts of food frequently throughout the day and be sure to keep these within easy reach.    Examples include hard candies, crackers and jam, instant breakfast drinks, small bites of meal replacement bars (with fluids), small bites of dried fruit (with fluids), dry sweetened breakfast cereal, soft candy such as gummy bears, and cakes.    

• ·       Drinking sweet fluids that are high in carbohydrates is helpful.  Examples include apple cider, hot jello drinks, hot iced tea mixes, Gatorade, and sweet tea 

• ·       Develop a schedule for regular, enforced drinking of sweet fluids

• ·       Drink warm beverages if and when possible.  They are great physical and emotional boosters.

• ·       If nausea strikes, sip on fluids frequently

• ·       Most experts will suggest avoiding caffeinated beverages at altitude.  However, some climbers find relief from high altitude headaches by drinking a double strength cup of coffee.      

 May 14, 2008- Tim checks in:   "Nabs is on his way up to C1 then C2 tomorrow. Farouq has arrived at C2 and Dom completed his C3 acclimatization. Tim expects the Indian Army team is probably in the best position to make the first summit bid on May 17. Our sherpas are still working our oxygen supplements up to C4, 21 bottles went up and there is much more to go. We most definitely want to give these guys some days rest before the summit push.  We will make that priority. The ropes are just about completed to the south summit.  

Our summit bid will be the 17th or 18th of May. There is some wind on the 19th that will want to avoid and then there is a calming trend again on the 20th of May. There is a lot of talk of teams looking at the 20th to the 23rd. We are leaving ourselves open for the 17th or 20th depending on the status of our climbers and sherpas and their stamina around those times." 

At this stage of the climb the climbers are starting to show the effects of living at altitude. They loose incredible amounts of weight at altitude. It has been seven weeks now and a week or more to go before the summit push. They have by now lost all fat reserves and even continue to do so while resting. In this harsh environment the body will start to consume muscle when there is no fat left. It is always such a balancing act when climbing Everest. Acclimatization with health, time needed to recover, trips up and down to avoid AMS, hauling loads, sitting out weather. The down time with the Chinese invasion didn't help matters adding another consideration in the equation. Thankfully the weather isn't hammering them too bad this year. There is another cyclone developing off the Bay of Bengal but again, it is not expected to cross over Everest but never say never. They will be watching it closely. The spin off may throw some wind their way and unexpected gusts may develop. They will be watching!  Speaking of watching.... what a roller coaster of emotions for me watching "Storm over Everest" last night. We knew some the people that didn't make it and the sherpas that were put in a very hard position. The amazing David Breashears documentary of the 1996 disaster known to many by the book "Into Thin Air". A must see!!!  Riveting...This is the best climbing documentary you will ever see. 

Tomorrow our team dietitan will giving advice how to maintain body weight at altitude. If you have a particular question about nutrition for the high altitude climber. Now would be a good time to ask our High Altitude Nut - Helen Lutz MPH, RD    Stay tuned!

STORM OVER EVEREST BEGINS TODAY- MAY 13 ON PBS or Watch it online at Frontline- PBS

 MAY13- Vanessa EBC support leader checks in from Namche:     " around 10am that morning, Tim and group radioed from the top of the Khumbu Glacier to tell us all to come outside and look with our binos. They were waving to us! How cool was that???? They were 4 wee peeps standing at the top of the last ladder."  ....more here

Tim checks in: Today Tim, Scott, George, Larry did their acclimatization climb to Camp 3 and are now resting at Camp 2.  Sultan and Dom took one more day of rest at

 Camp 2, Dom will go up tomorrow and Sultan wants to wait till Farouq and Nabs get up and are rested. 

Tim says, " It was quite the visual the day before yesterday watching a steady stream of climber's butt to butt making their way up to C3, granted most of them were sherpas, but it put it into perspective of how many people there are up here. At base camp everyone is in tents and spread out so you really can't see the scale like we do now. The two ropes up and down from the south col will work well. Also the multiple summit windows on the horizon should make a smooth sailing for those who have been able to maintain strength, both mental and physical. "

 He also added that the route up to C3 was no longer icy. There had been some snow and now with sherpas stomping the steps down combined with the extreme temperatures during the day it is all compressing and making the route straight forward and easy to travel on. They went up in about 7 to 8 hours up and 2 hours down. 

May 12- Climber's going up and trekkers going down!- The trekker's left BC today. There was a storm yesterday and the clouds are still socked in so the trekkers that were thinking of climbing Kala Pattar for the popular photo advantage of the Khumbu glacier and Everest will instead head on down the valley making their way down to Namche to meet up with the rest of the team. 

Nabs and Farouq who took a rest day yesterday at Base Camp were stuck there today because of the storm. Tim, George, Dom, Larry and Sultan had a nice day above the clouds and storm at Camp 2 resting, reading and enjoyed a fresh chicken lunch, ham and veg snacking throughout the day and pasta and soup for dinner. They are comfortable, eating well and gearing up for Camp 3 in the early morning. There is plenty of time for Nabs and Farouq to catch up as Tim is talking about two waves for summit pushes. There are two windows right now. One is May 17 with higher winds increasing on May 18 and slowly tapering off offering another good window on May 21 to 23.  

As noted yesterday the south col Camp 4 is now fixed and our sherpa staff are now ferrying loads of oxygen up for the summit pushes. All is moving ahead in good speed. Good cooperation and everyone is still having fun but are at the same time starting to get anxious to get on top and get home to their loved ones and land of the living. 

May 12- China's earthquake and the Everest region!- Nothing was felt in the Khumbu Valley as far as I know. Nepal has not reported any quake activity there and Tim called this morning oblivious to there having been one.  Rest assured everyone is fine.  Updates coming in the next hour on the climb.  Becky

May 11- THE SUPPORT TREKKERS HAVE ARRIVED AT B.C.   Trekkers at base camp include: Vanessa, Bud, Val, Lisa, Tim, Kim, Sabrina, Naomi, Anne and rumor is out that Scott W. is on his way up today after taking a day off. Some may make a summit bid of their own on Kala Pattar while others start the decent back down valley. Ginette developed a cold by the time she first arrived at Namche which unfortunately developed into a chest infection, Hugo was not doing well from the altitude so he went with her and Bill is chill'in in Namche. Ginette's blog for the Canadian Nurses Association:  Roger and Mario got their heli pick up and are seeking medical attention on his foot in Kathmandu.  A BIG CONGRATULATIONS out to super star Bud Price from Nevada- 70 years old and who has just undergone a hefty dose of chemo treatments, is at base camp!.  Everyone is stoked for him.  Larry has asked if he could guide him up to Camp 2 tomorrow.

Tim called in from Camp 2: "Nabs and Farouq are taking a day of rest at base camp after their long walk back from Namche Bazaar. At Camp 2 right now is: Tim, Sultan, George, Larry, Scott and Dom. Tomorrow is a rest day at Camp 2 while Nabs and Farouq will ascend to Camp 2 to join them. The next day they will all push up to Camp 3. The route to Camp 4- (south col), is now fixed and loads of oxygen are on their way up to stock Camp 4." 

Everything is moving along swiftly now and news of summit bids are going to start coming off of Everest soon.  Exciting times!   Our team is looking at May 17 for a summit bid. The first summit bid window for this year. If they miss that one the next would be May 21. Everyone is doing remarkably well at this point but the hammer comes down now as the altitude really starts to kick in.  It will be a hole new experience for most of them. However they have one common strength that we believe plays a major role in the success of an expedition and that is their positive attitudes and team spirit." 

May 11, 2008 "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY"- This is a prayer that Nabil's Mum composed for Nabil and for all the members of the Peakfreak expedition lads for the their final ascent. And this perhaps would reflect the prayers of all the other Mums who like me would want to wish them all a successful summit climb and a safe return.   Suhaylah

MUM'S PRAYER

FINAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE TIBETAN PEOPLE:   During the take over of Mount Everest by the Chinese and throughout the torch relay around the world there was one climbing news website who rose to the occasion in support of the Tibetan people publishing information never heard before.  Today's contribution I want to pass on to our readers. It is well worth reading!  EXPLORES WEB:  George Patterson's  FINAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE TIBETAN PEOPLE

May 9, 2008- We have our BC village back to ourselves - Tim checks in: Our military friends said their good byes yesterday thanking us for our cooperation and our hospitality. They are now packed up and gone and the mountain has been given back to the climbers on the south side only. China had announced in April it was going to re-open Tibet May 1 to foreigners again and a few days later made the announcement to keep it completely closed till after the Olympics is finished in August.  What this means for us on the south side?  

It means climbers can now wear "Free- Tibet" t-shirts and mention those words, we can have sponsor banners back on our tents, we have our mountain radios back, sat-phones, computers and video cameras returned to us, our freedom of speech, say what we want on our website and the best part is the mountain is now open to climbing to the summit!!!  

Last night was a very noisy night. The mountains were alive train wrecking all around us. Big chunks were slamming down off Mt. Pumori and the ice- fall was crashing and groaning. The days are getting warmer which will start to deteriorate the structure of the ice-fall. Have no fear though because the ice-fall doctors have built the route away from any of the dangerous areas and will be maintaining the ladders throughout the day. 

Everything is moving along swiftly right now. The ropes are in to Camp 3. Some of our sherpas headed out today to start chipping out tents spots at C3 and everyone is contributing sherpa man power among their teams to start fixing the route to C4- the south col.

Our teams climbing plan currently looks like this:

• May 11: Team climbs up to C2 - sleep there two nights.

• May 13: Team climbs up to C3- sleep one night.

• May 14: Retreat to BC- or C2 and rest.

• May 17: Good weather for a summit bid from the 17th to the 21st and possibly beyond. 

Depending how well the climbers recover from their sleep at C3 will determine how the summit bids will play out.  Scott, Farouq, Dom and Nabs are due back from Namche excursion tomorrow. As well the trekkers are now at Lobuche and should arrive at BC tomorrow.  Tim said the Peak Freaks camp looks like a little village of its own with many tents assembled for the trekkers scattered around them. It will be bustling with activity tomorrow night if they are on schedule. 

It has been quite fun for the trekkers and the climbers because of the break down to Namche. With everyone being scattered out down the valley during the closure, they have had the opportunity to become acquainted and really feel like they are part of the climb too and they are!  Their moral support does a lot for the climbers and what perfect timing! They will see everyone off on May 11- big celebration...  The last celebration was yesterday. It was Saad's birthday. Ang Karsung whipped him up a beautiful sherpa cake for the team to share with him. Nice!

Stay tuned! - summit fever is just around the corner....          P.S.  Roger and Mario were successfully lifted by helicopter today to Kathmandu. 

May 8, 2008 - A Larry spotting!- Trekkers spent the night with Larry May 8, May 9 at 0300hrs he sprinted off to base camp. The others will take it easy as Scott has an sprained ankle he needs to treat it with tenderness.

May 8, 2008- Chinese torch put helicopter rescue on hold. Now a trekker is stranded and very sick.  Emails from our headquarters in Kathmandu..

Becky

May 8 - Scott in Namche 0718hrs Nepal Time:  Hey Becky, Did our "GO! China mantra finally pay off? We have late breaking word that the summit was torched. I'm packing my bags in Namche Bazaar along with Farouq, Nabs, and Dom for the 26 mile walk back up to base camp. We'll take it easy as not to fry our legs. If the rumors are true we should be up to Camp III next week and then summit ourselves sometime before the end of the month...

Again, this info is all communicated via the Sherpa wireless but it has been quite reliable so far... all family and friends wish us luck. Hopefully we can now start fliming, calling, and communicating. We are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers and you are with us every step of the way... Godspeed,   M. Scott Mortensen

EVEREST HAS BEEN TORCHED

May 8, 2008- this picture distributed by China's official Xinhua Nws Agency

CHINESE SUMMIT-  Here are a couple sites to check it out.

Live torch coverage at CNN website      Live torch coverage at Beijing website    CCTV- Beijing Official Internet broadcast

May 7 - Chinese going for the summit right now?    Go China go!!!!  I am sure the climbers on the south side would be beside themselves to join in the celebration. Out of a courtesy for all that they have been through they should be allowed to help cheer them on.  Can someone in China please wake them up share the news? I am serious! -  Becky       Posted: 1300hrs PST.

May 7, 2008 - Tim calls 0800hrs PST from Base Camp - Three days to go till Sagamartha (Nepalese name for Everest) is suppose to be given back to the world according the permit agreement. Our team members are slowly making their way back from Namche enjoying every minute of the land of the living. A place where things grow and body cells mend. Speaking of which- I sure hope Scott's sprained ankle is on the mend. 

Some of our Sherpas have been given permission to carry rope up to Camp 3 to start getting ready for the opening of the upper mountain. 

The weather is favorable from where I sit at base camp, but higher winds prevail on the summit. The weather reports show higher wind spikes in the next few days and dropping back down around May 13 but nothing significant. The skies are clear up top. This is all normal weather patterns for Everest. Traditionally the calmer wind transition doesn't take place till mid to late May so all is normal.  

Saad has had a successful acclimatization stay at C1 and C2 and will be ready to sprint in Rapid Ascent style whenever he is given the word "go" and the oxygen is in place at Camp 4. 

Everyone is doing well, spirits are still high, everyone is having fun but anxious to get on with what we all came here for. Planes were flying around Everest again yesterday but still no word from the Chinese.  Over and out- Tim

Our support base camp trek team who the climbers enjoyed an evening with in Namche should now be sleeping in Pangboche. Home of Lama Geshi, the Yeti Skull, Nima Dorjee and his wife Lhakpani. Tomorrow they will be moving up to Dingboche for two nights. We should be getting word from them by that point. 

A party of three on the trek team had a helicopter evacuation this morning out of Namche Bazaar.  Mario Trinchero from the USA had been bitten by an insect in Kathmandu that turned into a staff infection. He has been on antibiotics and bed rest but it is not healing. He needs hospital care. His father Roger returned with him and friend Paul Krsek who has been doing a dynamite job taking care of the them with the help of Lhakpa Sherpa and coordinating logistics. All three are returning to Kathmandu. Roger and Mario went by helicopter and Paul will walk out to Lukla and fly by fixed wing from there to meet up with them in Kathmandu.  Mario will likely go on intravenous to combat the infection. 

Wishing them all safe travels and Mario a speedy recovery! They are missed very much by the rest of the team. - Becky

May 6, 2008- To worry about what you don't have, is to waste what you do have!

Blog # 4- by Scott Mortensen

Do you ever wonder why someone would want to climb the world’s tallest mountain?  Me too.  Usually, I prefer adventures that are a little more off the beaten path, like taking a couple of mountain bikes across the United States (hi Matt!) or surfing some secret big wave spot (Derrick, get the jet ski ready;)  No cameras, permits, hype, or fuss.  Despite, my low-pro preferences, this year on EVEREST is proving to be quite a unique adventure.  Other adjectives I would throw in are: frustrating, scary, scandalous, painful, harmonious, and successful.

Fellow climber, Nabil Lodey’s quote still rings true (he’s from UK ), “I’m trying to reduce the variables on a trip where there seems to be no constants.”  Since, only my family knew about my plans to go to Everest—and that was only two days before my flight left for Kathmandu—I would like to inform all my other loved ones of my intentions….For those of you who don’t know, my quest atop the world’s highest mountain is a goal that includes finishing an independent film, completing a book, and helping to shoot “Climb for America’s Missing Children.”

So far it’s going great.  Great that is, until I decided to escape the BASE CAMP theatrics for some R&R down the valley.  On the walk to Namche Bazar, I tweaked my knee in a downhill, Sherpa-led sprint.  (“Don’t compete with the Sherpas,”…Gold Team Leader is often quoted as saying, and once again he is right.) Additionally, in the last 800 meters of the 26-mile trek I sprained my ankle in foggy, white-out conditions.  I was trying to film scenery while passing some Euro-dudes, chain smoking cigarettes…What can I say, I’ve never been good at multi-tasking, so maybe “don’t compete with trail-blazing Euro-dudes sucking on coffin nails” is another motto I should add to the cache.  I doubt either injury--the knee, nor the ankle, is serious.  I just find it ironic that I thrashed myself in pursuit of rest and relaxation.  Some Advil and ice and I’ll be fine….I think.  I have a terrible innate ability to judge the severity of my pain.  Years back, I missed a landing at Mammoth Mountain ’s Snowboard Super-park and broke my neck.  I didn’t go to the doctor’s office until four months later because it was the middle of track season.  I was trying to break the four minute mile…not my neck.  By the time I got the MRI, the bone (C-7) had already healed.  On the flipside of my pain-threshold meter, sometimes a hangnail keeps me hurting for days.  Or, I worry that the brown mole on my forearm has turned into a cancerous melanoma and I’ve only got weeks to live…Humans, we’re neurotic to the bone aren’t we?  Hello?  Anyone?  It’s not just me is it?:)

Anyway, I only bring all this up because our friend Mustafa is attempting Everest for the third time.  Sponsored by the KING of JORDAN, he has battled chest infection, ulcers, and now a vicious toothache in his pursuit for 8850 meters.  This year is his third attempt.  He too traveled to Namche Bazar, though his mission was a bit more crucial than mine.  In his previous two attempts injury caused him to turn around very close to the summit, and this time he was taking no chances with the toothache.  At altitude, a caving cavity, crown, or canal can wreak havoc.  Fortunately, a brilliant Sherpa dentist, Nawang Doka Sherpa has a dental practice in Namche.  Unfortunately, she left for a week one day prior to Mustafa’s arrival.   Without an expert opinion, he was looking at another risky summit attempt.

Enter Team Peak Freaks. Nabs, Larry, Faruq, Dom and I were sharing pepper steaks at our favorite Namche spot, the illustrious Zamling Hotel, when we overheard the table near us talking about dentistry.  Sure enough, there was a dentist in the house.  Also, an assistant or two.  And for no extra charge all three of them, Rebecca, Kelley, and Amy also happened to be beautiful.  The Charlie’s Angels of Dentistry if you will.  Now all we had to do was find Mustafa.

Team Peak Freaks- Nabs, Larry, Farouq, Dom, Sultan, Scott- Not shown: Tim, George and Saad.

In a simple twist of fate that often accompanies adventurers (and ankles for that matter) we happened to find Mustafa in the town square the very next day.  Too bad for him, the Charlie’s Angels of Dentistry had already left for Khunde, as scheduled…or so we thought.  We found Rebecca, Kelley, and Amy conveniently postponed in a bakery around the corner.  Now all we had to do was break into the vacant dentist’s office and Mustafa’s summit hopes would be restored.  No problem.  This is team Peak Freaks remember?  In honesty, we didn’t do anything except film the whole ordeal.  Within the hour, the proper phone calls were made, permission was granted, and Mustafa was getting molar #31 yanked right out of the socket.  It was gruesome!!!!  I got it all on film.  Can’t wait to edit it together, add some music, and post it on YOUTUBE.

So the molar of the story, (sorry, had to be done) is that for those who believe it all works out in the end.  At least that’s my motto.  On the bright side, my knee and ankle do not hurt at all when climbing, only descending...so who knows, maybe I’ll bring my snowboard to the summit and try to land that rodeo flip somewhere over the ice fall.

In all seriousness, I am very thankful that Rebecca, Kelley, and Amy could be of assistance for our friend.  Their group is doing great non-profit work with children in the area.  Mustafa, though down a tooth, is all smiles and I feel very confident that he is going to make it to the summit this year—and more importantly, back down again all in one piece.

For those who want to know what’s going on at base camp, trust me, you don’t.  It’s like a town of circus freaks without the carnival up there.  They shut down the mountain!  I didn’t even know you could do that.  I mean, it’s not Disneyland .  But on the bright side, we all made it to Camp II before we got booted out of there.  Our team spent a couple of restful nights at the equivalent altitude of Denali …and felt great.  So, keep the faith…I am sure it is going to work out for us just like it did for Mustafa.  And in keeping with the Olympic spirit let’s all cheer on the Chinese climbers.  May 2008 forever be known as the year Mt. Everest got torched.  Our summit aspirations rests on their early success and resultant permission to climb on…so from the bottom of my heart…GO China !!!

In a closing serendipity, the Peak Freak trekkers just entered the Zamling hotel.  Our numbers are growing—from 9 to 25.  Also increasing is the positive energy that abounds when adventurers of like mind assemble together for a unified goal.  You’ve heard about the high altitude horror stories in years past—thieves, cons, and careless crusaders… I’m happy to report that among our group, there is none of that.  It seems that the more adversity that is dumped on our heads, the more our team rises to the occasion.  So thanks to Tim and Becky for assembling an amazing crew…Next year, you might want to think about adding the Charlie’s Angels of Dentistry--Rebecca, Kelley, and Amy.  Oh, and if the King of Jordan happens to read this, a small donation to Nawang Doka Sherpa’s dentist office in Namche might be in order.;)

So many stories, so little time,

M. Scott Mortensen

Trek team now have their own blog page: SUPPORT TEAM

Saad Naseer- RAPID ASCENT UPDATE: Saad has received special permission from the authorities allowing him and Pasang Sherpa to go up to Camp 1 for acclimatization. 

May 5, 2008- Meet the teams MVP.  If you have been reading Scott's blogs you will know why. Here is an example of what one of Scott's friends has to say.

"Just checked in and found out that my friend Scott is on your Peak Freaks expedition this year to Mt. Everest.  I just spent the last 30 minutes reading through the amazing blogs.  I came away utterly hyped by the entire teams endeavors!  I was struck by how often in Scott's blogs he praises his team members, which tells me (as he does not praise lightly) that they really are brilliant.  It is typical of Scott's style however to place others on top. (in spite of his competitive nature).  Scott truly is humble. In his service to others he continually puts their needs above his own.  Regardless of a deadline he may have looming - if you have a need; a project, an orphanage, a film to edit, a film to shoot, a charity that he believes in , you come first.  Always.
 
He has written about those on the team but who will write about him?  He, amongst his friends is a powerful magnet.  They flock to him (like birds migrating North) as if to receive by osmosis, a part of the energy and life spirit that emanates from him.  He motivates and inspires everyone around him. Even from a distance - his feats, his projects, his undying desire to serve makes a person feel ashamed if they live anything less than, the talents God has blessed each with.
 
I just wanted to let you know that while he writes of the greatness of those he climbs with, they too are in the presence of greatness by having him as part of their team.
 
God speed to each of the members and it's my prayer that each succeeds safely in his personal journey!"

May 4, 2008- Climbers in Namche Bazaar:  Now resting in Namche Bazaar is Dom, Farouq, Nabs, Scott and Larry.  Dom was there since yesterday, Farouq, Scott and Larry left early in the morning from BC and Nabs left later. Apparently there was quite the snow storm and Nabs reports in from Namche before the others who left in the morning. I have since received more news from Farouq and photos so we can rest assured they are enjoying some yak steaks and apple pie and may be taking in a few beers at the local pub downtown Namche. Good times!  While Sultan, Tim, George and Saad are holding out at base camp having their own good times. 

Where are the Chinese? no one seems to know and there is much confusion at base camp in Nepal. One day you can make a sat phone call, the next you can't but someone else can. Yes you can send out messages, no wait a minute- now you can't. Organization of the rules at base camp seem to be playing out the same way. Everyone off the mountain- wait.... no... okay maybe you can take some rope to Camp 3. Everyone not on the permit must leave at once.... wait...well okay you can stay.  What a season on Everest this has been. It has been hard to get organized when everything keeps changing.  No matter, so far everyone is making the most of it and doing well and spirits are still high, all of which is most important at the end of the day.    

ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST!   Helicopter crash Makalu Base Camp: Many expeditions that were scheduled to climb Everest from the north side in Tibet and were cancelled without prior notice opted to go climb Mt. Makalu Elevation (feet): 27765. Elevation (meters): 8462 in Nepal. Check this video out of an unfortunate landing. All seven survived!

May 2, 2008-Base Camp Support trek team have all arrived in Kathmandu. Between power outages due conservation practices and natural ones caused by recent thunderstorms they have managed to get a team photo dispatched from our Kathmandu base camp hotel.  Right now they are all sleeping peacefully after a long day of touring the city and visiting the Hopeful Home orphanage children and delivering clothing and educational supplies. Good job on Vanessa's part getting everyone organized in their team shirts for the photo op!  Not an easy task when everyone is tired from their long flights. They look pretty darn good.  What a team!

CLIMBER UPDATE

As for the climbers, most of them other than Tim, Sultan, George and now Saad,  have decided to go all the way down to Namche Bazaar instead of Dingboche. It is quite possible they will meet up with  the support trekkers while there. The trekkers are scheduled to depart tomorrow morning to Lukla. Day 1 of the trek. They will walk to the village of Phakding situated along side the Dudh Kosi river that comes out of the Khumbu Glacier. The climbers were reporting earlier that Everest is really dry this year. However things could change at anytime as mid to late May is the onset of the rainy (monsoon) season. They don't need any snow loads on the icy face leading up to Camp 3 at this stage of the game. They were expecting some yesterday but it is hopeful it will melt because the days are starting to get very warm. 

THE SILENT CHINESE SUMMIT ATTEMPT AND TORCH? Seems everyone is scrambling around to see what their next move might be. You can be sure that with what little information is getting out, and what is really happening, will be two different stories for security purposes on both sides of Everest.  What we do know is the weather is favorable right now for a summit bid and with winds picking up again slightly May 7 onwards. This is what I see on the weather graphs but as weather goes in the mountains there is much more to consider. Everest can create  its own weather at these altitudes. 

May 1, 2008 (Nepal time)-- Khumbu Chronicle urgent update-  Apparently the agreement that the expeditions signed as a condition to climb this year isn't worth the paper it was written on. The mysterious Chinese visitor that arrived at BC by helicopter a couple days ago was a Chinese official who came to insist the Nepalese military completely close the mountain down from May 1 to May 10, contrary to what the expedition leaders signed as a condition of being granted and paying for a permit.  A couple of hours of negotiations with the Nepalese military Major (who went to bat for the climbers) reached an agreement before the Chinese official started to get dizzy from the altitude and had to leave. Sigh.

The new verbal agreement will now allow 2 sherpas per team to stay at Camp 2 but they have to rotate every two days. All persons at base camp that are not on the climbing permit have to leave base camp from now till May 3 or thereabouts??? whatever that means. This includes many expedition leaders who don't take out a spot on a permit since they don't actually climb on Everest. Crazy!  Also any base camp managers and support people must leave and no trekkers are allowed in during this time. Everyone's permits were checked one by one so there are a lot of people packing right now.

Yesterday- April 30-  there was a plane doing circuits around Everest  passing from the north side to the south side dipping down to film the north face of Everest.  Word from official Nepalese sources "in the know" in BC said the Chinese were filming. They also said the Chinese may have summited but apparently they couldn't keep the torch lit so they are going to try again.  This is likely why the closure is still in affect and security is being beefed up.

Our team is heading down to Dingboche right now to do some communicating with loved ones, if the line up isn't too long. Gee, I wonder how much per minute calls are going to be at Gorak Shep and Dingboche today? Tim is holding at base camp to greet Saad who will be arriving tomorrow and get the oxygen supplements sorted for carriage to Camp 4 whenever things settle down and life on Everest returns to normal.

Stay tuned as nothing seems to be written in stone.

April 30, 2008- Khumbu Chronicles update- Our team should now be sleeping at base camp as the mountain is closed starting tomorrow. Originally climbers were allowed to climb as high as Camp 2. Now it appears they have to vacate the mountain completely. They are now only allowed to have 2 sherpas per team at Camp 2 due to Olympic torch relay security.  During this time our climbers were planning on retreating down the valley  to Dingboche or Pheriche  to rest in the richer air. We may even get another dispatch from Scott while down there. 

As for the Chinese, the torch is rumored to be at  Base Camp on the north side in Tibet but there is little news coming out of there because journalist are falling ill due to altitude sickness. They weren't given much time to prepare by doing the  normal acclimatization layover schedule before arriving at BC because of confusion on who was going to be allowed if anyone at all.  No one has seen the torch and probably never will because journalist aren't allowed to go past base camp. 

There was a worrisome cyclone in the sea of Bengal headed in the direction of the Himalayas but it looks like it will miss the region, thankfully. Calming wind trends are in the forecast starting May 2 to 6 so it is possible for the Chinese to summit with the torch and get out of there so teams on the south side can have a crack at it.  There is still much work to do before this can happen. Our team needs to stock camp 3 and 4 and undertake one more acclimatization climb to Camp 3 in order to be ready for a summit bid if another window of good weather opens like the one forecasted for May 2 to 6.  "IF" is the part we are worried about. If a second window doesn't open we are in a bad position competing with the Chinese for the" next window" once again.  If it does open this week, but happens to be the only one, we are also in a bad position.  Talk about being between a rock and hard spot. 

THE PERFECT SCENARIO: The Chinese summit May 2 or 3.  The weather holds all of May, no winds and no snow. Wouldn't that be grand? but not realistic. There is a storm coming in the next day or two bringing snow to the lower elevations. 

Let the show begin!

April 29, 2008- Peak Freaks Khumbu Chronicles- Our team should be sleeping at Camp 2 still. They have been up there for a few days now getting the most out of their acclimatization opportunity before they are shut down. 

Because no one is allowed into Tibet to give a report we have no confirmation on what the Chinese are actually doing. Rumors are that the torch is at Everest base camp on the Tibetan side of Everest and because they have asked that the Nepal side of Everest be closed May 1 to May 3 and the weather forecast is showing a couple days of calm, it is thought that they are planning on going to the summit during this time. It is odd that such a large international event would be kept so secret.   

• Everest south had a  brief helicopter visit with Chinese officials who took a walk about Everest base camp on the Nepal side. No one knows what they were doing there. 
• The teams at Camp 2 are coming down reporting a sign being placed there saying  "Dear climbers, do not go past this point." There is also military police on duty at Camp 2. 
• Saad Naseer checked in.  He went from Lukla to Namche in just under six hours. He is now sleeping in Pangboche.. 

Last team member arrives in Luka this morning.  Allow me to introduce Saad Naseer from Chicago. This is one climber that hasn't been affected by the Chinese closure of upper Everest.  Saad's plan was to arrive in Kathmandu April 27and attempt a

Saad's 21- day ascent from Kathmandu to the summit and back if successful, will be done in one third to one half the time of a normal mountaineer- without the standard four to six weeks of acclimatization and pre-summit bid. " I have nothing to justify my desire OR guarantee my success but I have the heart and the experience to give it my best shot" says Saad.

After talking to Saad it quickly came to our realization that if anyone could do it,  he could.  He has several factors and some preparations that will all be working on his side. He has spent the past five weeks sleeping in a High Altitude sleeping chamber designed by a Canadian company based out Ontario called - ALTITUDE TECH. They claim that sleeping in the tent will change Saad's oxygen saturation slowly in his blood stream helping him to acclimatize well before he even arrives at the mountain. If this proves to be true, it may be that climbers in the future won't need to take so much time away from work and family to attain the acclimatization needed to climb Everest.

Saad has demonstrated an ability to acclimatize faster than normal, an ability that he attributes at least in part to genetics. Saad has not only proven to climb with above average speed but his choice of mountains and summit record is extremely impressive.

Saad's climbing bio includes:

• Summited every notable mountain in the continental United States including a solo summit of Mt. Rainer and a solo summit the Grand Teton.
• Summited Mount McKinley twice, once via the west buttress and once via the west rib which he did solo from 16, 000 feet on.
• Summited Aconcagua, the highest mountain outside of the Himalayan and Karakoram ranges over 23,000 feet.
• Summited Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in just three days.
• Summited the Matterhorn, a much coveted cllimb as well as the Eiger, one of the most technical climbs and the Monch and the Jungrau in Switzerland.
• Summited Mount Blanc in France.
• Summited Mount Cook and Mount Aspiring in New Zealand.
• Summited Mount Alpyamay, a very technical climb, Mountain Quitaraju and Mount Huascaran and climbed through the Peruvian Andes.

If successful, the Ministry of Tourism of Nepal is anxious to record his summit in the Nepalese Mountaineering records for a non- national record.

April 26, 2008- Moving up!  According to the plan as passed on by a friend in valley, the team was headed up to Camp 1 yesterday Nepal time and should be sleeping there now. Next they will be going up to Camp 2 to acclimatize then drop down to Camp 1 to sleep. The next day they will climb to Camp 2 and sleep there for about 4 nights before retreating to base camp for a rest. 

A little village will be forming at Camp 2 in the next few days as teams start to stock their camps. They will have like base camp, a dinning facility, cook tent,  toilet tent and their sleeping tents and storage. We will be powered by our trusty solar panels and LED light. Fresh food will be cooked 3 times a day for the climbers and sherpas. In between Base Camp and Camp 2 when there isn't a dinning and kitchen tent set up,  they will enjoy their yummy organic boil in the bags of curries and vegetables and some MRE (military rations) for the meat eaters on the team. 

During the day it will be extremely hot. Temperatures can reach the high +30c's and drop down quickly to -15c to -20c at Camp 2 as soon as the sun goes down. The higher they go the colder it will get. 

April 25, 2008- Plan B in effect.......  Team news- thanks to "Communications Plan B" and Scott.. 

Writer/Filmmaker

April 19th -A large slab of glacier falls off the Col between Lingtren & Pumori and trains wrecks its way down the southeastern face. our team is safe of course, watching the big show from an icy precipice on the other side of the upper Khumbu valley. We are at 5900m, finally through the popcorn patch of the ice fall where sketchy boulders of snow and serac give way to rolling plains of glacier.

"Wow, this one might dust base camp." Tim says over the din of rumble that reverbs off the mountain walls. The rest of us stand drop-jawed, a little less accustomed to gravity's white rampage.

As the avalanche unravels, speeds & spills a fine mist settles over the rocky basin thousands of feet below. Fortunately base camp- nomadic sprawl of multi-colored tents & prayer flags prove to be a safe harbor. A prevailing southerly blows the now impotent cloud back towards Tibet. heart rates return to normal. 

As always, after witnessing one of these natural extremes (I.E. A big wave, a big storm, a big avalanche) I am left awestruck. Only hours before this event, Tim, Dominique, Nabs and I were taking a snack break on a relative flat part of the ice fall known as "The Dam"  I was only one nibble into my cheese and salami cracker when something deep inside the bowels of the glacier dropped - and along with it all of our stomachs. The ensuing echo sounded very much to me like a loud "GULP" was something trying to swallow us? Instead of sticking around to find out, we retreated to higher ground where the glacial anatomy was a bit less ravenous. Sure enough, a passing sherpa informed us that three of his colleagues had perished in this precise location last year.  Words from a 1982 Canadian Everest rattled through my head. "The ice fall is not a proper mountaineering route." no matter, we carefully graciously emerge unscathed to as far as the fixed ropes would take us. At 12:45pm, about an hour away from Camp I, the whole team stopped for lunch. After rest & re-hydration we unloaded the contents of our packs, down-suits, sleeping bags, thermarests, and all the necessary gear we'd need for Camp I. In  two days time, we'd be back.

April 21- Yesterday, Tim, Sultan, Dominique, Larry , Nabs and I made it to Camp 1, not without our share of adversity. Nabs (The guy from the UK :) Valiantly fought his way through injured intercostals cartilage, a bout of Khumbu cough, and black nail on his left foot resulting from a bad case of hammer-toe. "oh yeah, you're going to lose that nail for sure." I calmly reassured him. nonetheless, he dealt with the pain, marched over the final snowy perch & dropped his pack at our camp I tent. Tonight we were going to be roommates. 

As we melted snow for our dinner of curry chick peas, lentil soup and hot tea a cold wind started to roar. The chill slowed our cooking progress so I dug into a half frozen MRE composed of mystery casserole and a crum