Day 14: We had another nice rest day and took a little stroll around part of base camp.

One of our guides, Eric, took us to the edge of the Khumbu Ice Fall. It really is something to see. It’s a crazy maze of ice, crevasses and seracs that we will need to make our way through a total of six times during this expedition. They say the Ice Fall Doctors have done a great job this year of setting the route with minimal ladder crossings. However, the Ice Fall is constantly moving (several feet per day) so adjustments are frequently having to be made.

My favorite place to relax has become the hangout tent. It is toasty warm (when the sun is out) and I can stretch out on one of the mats, listen to music or just work on my blog. The food has continued to be excellent. The chef, Gopal, has over 20 years experience on Everest and Cho Oyu (another 8000m peak). We had sizzling chicken for dinner!

It is a strange phenomenon being at altitude. Even though we have been here for several days, I still get winded just walking to and from the toilet tent.

Day 15: The guides took us on a day hike part way up Pumori – a nearby mountain. It was a very rocky ascent but the view was well worth it. We could finally see Everest and part of the route we will be climbing called the Geneva Spur (yep, no joke). Everest is still mostly hidden by another mountain, but you can see the summit. It felt really good to stretch our legs after several days of rest.

In the afternoon, we started prepping our harnesses for the first rotation with our ascenders, carabiners and belay devices. Our first rotation up the mountain involves climbing up to Camp 1 (above the ice fall) and staying there for two nights. Then we move to Camp 2 where we will stay another two nights before descending back to Base Camp to rest.

Day 16: Today was our first training day. We went near the ice fall where two of our guides, Eric and Jangbu, had set up two training courses with ladders and fixed lines. It was pretty fun practicing walking up and across vertical and horizontal metal ladders with our crampons. This is exactly what we will be doing in the ice fall and above Camp 1 so the guides want to be sure we know how to get through these areas as efficiently as possible. As I mentioned before, the ice fall is constantly moving so you don’t want to waste time getting through it. It is a safety issue. I was able to capture a couple photos of the training, but I’m pretty sure our lead guide, Ben, took several very good action shots he will likely post on the AAI cybercast.

Tomorrow (Monday) we are scheduled to do a little more training in the morning and then on Tuesday we will have our Puja ceremony. This very important ceremony should take a few hours.  I’m looking forward to it.