Everest 2003: Charlie Wittmack
Dispatch 25

(Transcribed from a satellite phone voice message received Wednesday, April 30, 2003, 5:26AM)  Camp Two 21,300 feet Our trip through the Icefall this morning was as shocking as usual. One benefit of the constant change is that we never tire of the terrain. Crossing the bergschrund now involves around 15 ladders, the longest crossing composed of six sections lashed together. It is invigorating!

It has snowed the last two days and Chris and I had the opportunity to break the path through the Icefall. We followed a group of Sherpas for the first hour, then took the lead. … [unintelligible] at me, and the trail and the fixed lines were completely buried. Finding the way was challenging as the terrain changed so completely, but I can honestly report, it was one of the most fun leads that I have had.

The work was tiring and as I was carrying a sizable pack, I was relieved to be over taken by another Sherpa. As he led, I followed closely behind, digging out the fixed lines. After another hour of this, we stopped for a break and the Sherpa introduced himself. It was Ang Tshering, the Sirdar for Adventure Consultant...  It was a real honor to be breaking trail with such an incredible man.

In order to save us more misery, he called to Camp Two and requested that another team of Sherpas head down to break trail down from Camp Two to Camp One.  As we popped out of the Icefall it was splendid to see that it was only 8:30 in the morning. Breaking trail, with a pack, with a [unintelligible] path in only two and a half hours! I was very pleased!

After a long breakfast, Chris and I continued up to Camp Two. The climb was a complete white-out and we were unable to tell the difference between the sky and the ground. Occasionally I would spot a red climbing suit that appeared to be floating in the sky.  It made for a very odd day.

The complete trip from the Base Camp to Camp Two took just under seven hours. My heart rate averaged around 170 for those hours which is physiologically similar to running a marathon. The trick is to learn how to recover from that stress as quickly as possible. That is what make Sherpas so effective; when they stop, their heart stops too.

When I arrive camp I eat a small meal, change clothes, and take a quick nap. Even after the nap my heart rate is usually still above 100. I take a sport shake at 4:00 and continue eating while writing, reading, and listening to music. Our ability to relax and recover is paramount to our success to reach the summit. At these heights it can be difficult or impossible to eat or sleep making it very difficult to keep running these marathons day after day.

Tomorrow we are hoping for good weather so we can make the climb to Camp Three. We will carry up the equipment that we plan to use on the summit attempt. The severity of the Lhotse Face, the extreme altitude and the weight of these packs will make this a very difficult day. Think of Chris Sharma who executed the hardest rock climb in the world, with his mother sitting and meditating at the base, sending him positive energy to him above. It may be trickier a half a world away, but it you have any energy to spare, we promise to make good use of it tomorrow!

Dispatches