4/17/06

Matt Tredway Reporting From Base Camp

Hello, this is Matt Tredway, reporting live from Everest Base Camp. I would like to give a general update and send special greetings to my school in Steam Boat Spring, Colorado. I would particularly like to say hello to all of my students and let you know that you are all in my thoughts. Currently, we are camped at 17,500 feet. To put this in perspective for my class back home, this is almost exactly two miles above Steam Boat Springs. We are camped right at the foot of the Khumbu Ice Fall. There are constant sounds of the jet stream which sound like a train. There is a great deal of rock and ice fall, however, we are safely tucked away from any danger.

If I could describe what I am experiencing in a few words, I would have to say it's just massive and absolutely incredible. The peaks that surround base camp are breathtaking and overwhelming. We have a great few of Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and of course, the incredible Mount Everest. 

Our Trek into base camp took nearly ten days. Due to the paramount risks of altitude sickness, we took our time on the trek in to allow ourselves time to adjust to the altitude. We gained about 10,000 feet on our trek into base camp. We will continue to focus on becoming acclimatized as we move up to higher camps later in the week. The team and myself are all feeling well, however, some of us are experiencing mild altitude related symptoms. We are enjoying a great diet mainly consisting of starches, yak meat, and eggs. In addition, we are enjoying some of the world's finest teas in great abundance! 

This morning, our team participated in a Buddhist ceremony conducted by a Lama. A Lama is a spiritual teacher or spiritual guide. In Tibetan Buddhism, the most prominent lama is the Dalai Lama. The Lama blessed our team during the puja ceremony, the Sherpa team, our climb, and our ice axes. This was a very special and unique feeling and added a flavor of excitement and energy to our day. The Buddhist tradition is very alive at Mount Everest as prayer flags surround base camp. 

 

As Doug reported previously, Everest base camp is a city of tents and very busy. There is a constant influx of Yaks and porters - carrying in supplies and expedition equipment. The international scene here is incredible. There are people from all over the world. Base camp is a melting pot of phenomenal and determined people from all over the world.

Yesterday the team went to the notorious Khumbu Ice Fall. A team of Sherpas, called the "ice doctors" - fixed ladders over the crevasses. I am thankful for my climbing team who joined me in giving the ladders a few practice runs. We look forward to updating you again soon as our team continues in our journey! 

Matt crossing the Ice Fall