Burke's East Buttress a Beast

Saturday morning we set out from ABC to tackle a most formidable challenge - ascending 2,400 vertical feet up the East Buttress. The lower section of the couloir was a collection of loose boulders that was difficult to navigate without inadvertently launching rocks towards climbers below.  

Fortunately we all made it though this shooting gallery unscathed, only to take on the 70 degree snow pitch above. 

After 8 1/2 arduous hours we finally made it to C1 at 20,500' just as it was getting dark and temperatures started plummeting. We were shivering and depleted but thrilled to see the shelter of a tent already set up and waiting for us. 

Without question this has to rank as one of the most difficult things we have ever done. It was hard for Bill too, and there aren't many 73 year-olds in the world who have the physical or mental fortitude to even attempt something like this. Nonetheless with the expert and patient guiding if Garrett, who was with Bill every step of the way, they finally arrived at C1 at 8:30 PM completing a brutal rest of resolve. 

Yesterday was a much needed rest day here at C1 at an altitude that is higher than the summit of Denali, the tallest peak in North America. From here on out the original plan has changed a number of ways and for a number of reasons. It is still fluid but here's what we can tell you now. 

The original climbing route (red line from Oct. 12 blog post) from C1 to C2 had to be modified due to significant crevasse risk. Instead the route now goes significantly to the right up a steep ridgeline with challenging rock climbing. It is a safer route but much more technically difficult. For this reason the Sherpas felt it would be better to skip setting up C2 altogether and go for the summit from here.  This would be a similarly large vertical gain from 20,500' to 22,775' but with even steeper and more technically demanding terrain. In order to give Bill the best chances for success, Garrett decided to move ahead with a plan for setting up a limited C2 just for Bill, therefore shortening his summit day by roughly half. This morning Bill set out from C1 to C2 supported by Sid and Phurba Ridar Bhate aka "Mickey Mouse". The three of them will share one tent at C2. 

The plan for the rest of us: yours truly Paul & Denise and Nick, supported by Garrett and Phurba Sherpa, is to take another rest day here at C1. Then at apprx. 3:00 AM Nepal time tomorrow morning Nov. 10th, we will head up towards C2 (rendezvous with Bill, Sid, and Mickey Mouse) and continue straight on hopefully to the summit!  Once again that's the tentative plan for now, we'll do our best to keep you updated with the monumental challenge ahead!  

Thinking of you all!

Paul & Denise

Two More Helicoptered Out

Update from Advanced Base Camp (ABC): We made it here yesterday as planned but it was not without challenges. We started the day off early and rappelled 500 feet down a steep wall into the heart of the Ngozumba Glacier. Making our way across this mile-wide junk yard like collection of loose boulders stacked on top of moving ice, was an ordeal unlike we have ever encountered in all of our previous mountaineering experiences - and we have been on many glaciers around the world. 

Fortunately we managed to stay sure footed and avoid sliding down with the frequent rock slides triggered by our steps. It required a tremendous amount of concentration and mental energy but at least we were rewarded with stunning scenery of Everest and other giant Himalayan peaks towering above us the entire way. 

We were blazing a trail that few (if any) others besides our advance Sherpa team have ever traveled, and after nine hours we finally arrived at ABC.  The elevation here is 18,100 feet, a bit higher than we previously estimated, and it is cold!  (single digits at nighttime). The shorter days and longer nights definitely make a November climbing attempt more frigid than a typical Spring season expedition, when Everest is usually climbed. Nonetheless we are happy to be here at ABC and have front and center views out of our tent door of Burke Khang and our climbing route to the summit!

Unfortunately the taxing day required to get here took its toll on Kathy. She had been battling respiratory issues and yesterday's physical exhaustion only made it worse. Like Bud and John before her, Kathy made the difficult decision to abort her First Ascent attempt of Burke Khang and she asked Garrett to make a satellite call for a helicopter. Around the same time this morning Da Ongchhu Sherpa (who was our climbing Sirdar on Everest in 2010 and who we made a special request to be on this expedition) received some troubling news. His father was in the hospital in Kathmandu for a ruptured appendix and he was in critical condition. Da Ongchhu decided to join Kathy on the helicopter and we sadly waved goodbye to both as they lifted off en route to see their respective loved ones. 

Losing two more members of our team is difficult for many reasons, but fortunately we still have excellent support for the climb in Garret, Sid, and our remaining climbing Sherpas. 

We are still on the schedule as described in our last post and plan to leave ABC early tomorrow morning Sat. Nov. 7 Nepal time for C1.  This will be an extremely steep and difficult climb ascending the buttress and we will generally be following the red line as originally pictured in our blog post from October 12 entitled Burke Khang - Climbing Route. We may or may not be able to make another post from up high, but if you don't see one, you can always check Bill Burke or Madison Mountaineering's blogs as they may call in from satellite phone in the coming days (links on upper right side of our Summit for CAF blog site).  

Wish us luck!

Paul & Denise

The Good, The Bad and Looking Up

Hello from Burke Khang Base Camp, reporting first with the only bit of bad news. Unfortunately a second member of our climbing team had to be helicoptered out due to health/medical reasons. This time John Dahlem aka "Coach" was stricken by debilitating back pain that he couldn't manage nor conceive of carrying a heavy pack any higher up. 

In addition to our guides Garrett and Sid and our Sherpa team, we are now down to five climbers: Bill, Nick, Kathy, and yours truly Paul & Denise. 

We just received some very good news from Sid and our Sherpa team via radio from ABC. Conditions are good and they have successfully finished setting 750 meters (apprx. 2,500 feet) of rope up one of the steepest and what we believe will be one of the most difficult sections of the route. The top portion of this buttress is reportedly quite extreme with a 70 degree pitch. Immediately above this section our Sherpas have established Camp 1 and have graciously carried up tents which are awaiting our arrival. 

Meanwhile we have been taking daily acclimatization hikes above Base Camp, the most interesting of which was yesterday's hike to near the border of China. We reached the south side base camp location of Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world. 

We have also been enjoying the use of our very cool Oakley Airwave Snow2 goggles and Recon Jet sunglasses - both of which have cutting edge heads up display screens. The technology enables us to monitor our time and altitude without looking at a watch buried under a down jacket and glove, and it also tracks and records our daily altitude gains. The goggles even connect to our smartphones via Bluetooth so we can view and control music playlists (and even text messages if we were in cell range) without having to take our phones out of our pockets or take off gloves. Any skier or snowboarder can appreciate that convenience nowadays. 

The Recon Jet glasses have a built in camera for taking video and still shots to capture whatever you see at the touch of a button. Thank you Recon Instruments for sponsoring us and being a part of history in the First Ascent of Burke Khang!  

http://reconinstruments.com

As far as Looking Up and ahead, our plan is to leave for ABC early AM Nepal time on Thurs. Nov. 5th. On Nov. 7th after a rest day at ABC (apprx. 17,500') we will head up the steep buttress utilizing the 2,500' of rope fixed by Sid and our Sherpas, and with luck we will reach Camp 1 before dark. Nov. 8th will be our planned move from C1 to C2, and Nov. 9th will hopefully be our summit day! 

This is all subject to the weather, our continued good health, and of course the unknown factors of a route and a mountain that has never been climbed before!  Our team is excited beyond belief!

P.S. Here's a shot of Everest taken from outside our tent at Burke Khang Base Camp in the afternoon. 

Made it to Burke Khang Base Camp!

We made it to Burke Khang Base Camp!  Lots to report on since our last post five days ago, as the snow and heavy cloud cover have made satellite communications difficult.  (We have been out of cell range for six days now.)  We left the village of Gokyo on Friday Oct. 30th and as we made tracks in six inches of fresh snow, we waved goodbye to the last semblance of civilization we would see from here on out. Very few human beings venture beyond Gokyo so every step takes us further into a pristine and untouched frontier.  

Our current Base Camp location at 16,500 feet is remarkably beautiful, overlooking a sea foam green glacial lake to the west, and views of Burke Khang and Mt. Everest to the east. Our tents are situated adjacent to the massive Ngozumba Glacier, the largest in the entire Solu Khumbu Region and far bigger than the Khumbu Glacier that flows down from Everest. Words and even the highest resolution wide angle lens cannot begin to do justice to seeing this awe-inspiring natural wonder in person. This monster size ice flow is more than a mile wide and we will need to cross it in order to reach our Advance Base Camp (ABC) - but more on that later.  

In order to celebrate Halloween and our arrival to Burke Khang Base Camp, we decided to have a costume party in our spacious and well-equipped dining tent.  

Complete with a delicious meal and even red wine, it was a fitting way to end a memorable day that was preceded by a wonderful Puja ceremony.  The Puja is performed by a Buddhist Lama (which we happen to have on staff in the form of one of our climbing Sherpas) and the purpose of this ritual is to ask the Gods for safe passage on the mountain.  

The next morning we said farewell to the members of our trekking team: Rebecca, Daniel, and Martha who are continuing over the Cho La Pass to visit Mt. Everest Base Camp, as we begin the technical portion of our climb of Burke Khang.  It was sad to see them and their positive spirits go, as it was similarly difficult saying goodbye to Jenna in Gokyo along with Bud Allen, one of the members of our climbing team who was airlifted out by helicopter.  Bud had a persistent flu and cough that wasn't going to get better at this altitude, so he made the tough decision to go home.  Bud was extremely disappointed to leave and miss out on this opportunity to make a First Ascent of Burke Khang.  We will do our best to get to the summit and will carry Bud along in our hearts and minds.

Our current plan is to acclimate here at BK Base Camp while our Sherpa team and assistant guide Sid Pattison (presently at ABC) attempt to fix ropes up the steep headwall to reach and establish Camp 1.  Depending on their progress the rest of our team lead by Garrett will cross the Ngozumba Glacier and make our way to ABC on or before Nov. 6th.  We will update you again when we can, meanwhile we are well and enjoying the beauty and relative comforts of Burke Khang Base Camp at 16,500 feet! 

Namaste,

Paul & Denise

3,000 Feet Higher & Outside Magazine

Since our last post we have made good progress toward Burke Khang Base Camp stopping in three villages over the last three days and gaining over 3,000 vertical feet along the way. Our first stop was Khumjung where the majority of buildings sustained damage during the earthquake six months ago. We were pleased to see repair and rebuilding of structures was well underway but there is still quite a bit of work to be done before winter arrives.

We also visited the school and hospital that Sir Edmund Hillary built and during our guided tour with Bill's friend, Dr. Mingma, we had the good fortune of saying Namaste to a baby boy who had just been delivered that morning.

The following day we continued upwards and into the Gokyo Valley, stopping overnight in the tiny village of Dole at 13,300 feet. This morning our trek took us up to Machhermo where we are now. At an elevation over 14,500 feet we are currently higher than Mt. Whitney, the highest point in the lower 48 states.

The other noteworthy point since our last post was the publication of an Outside Magazine article about our First Ascent of Burke Khang.  Here is the link:

How to Claim a First Ascent in Nepal

We are doing well and hope you are too!  Until our next post...

Spectacular Sights of the Solu Khumbu

Greetings from the "Gateway to the Himalayas" the Sherpa village of Namche Bazaar, the hub of trading activity in the Solu Khumbu Valley. This is our second day at the Panorama Lodge and here's the picturesque view from our room to show that the place has been appropriately named:

We spent about six hours hiking up here from the village of Phakding yesterday going from approximately 8,700' to 11,300' with colorful scenery every step of the way:

Not only has Daniel brought smiles to countless Sherpa children along the trail thanks to his non-traditional hiking garb, he has kept our entire team laughing hysterically at every meal.  We continue to be impressed and entertained by the TV theme songs he sings with improvised lyrics Daniel has created incorporating the members of our Burke Khang team.  We are all happy and healthy and adjusting fine to the altitude so far.  This morning we took a short hike gaining approx. 1,300 vertical feet above Namche to further acclimate and also get our first views of Mt. Everest.  For the seven members of our group who have stood on her summit, as well as the four who were seeing the majesty of this mountain in person for the first time, the sight is equally spectacular.  

Tomorrow we will continue our upward march to the village of Khumjung, and will keep you posted sometime over the next few days as the Burke Khang First Ascent Expedition continues.  Thanks for following along!  

Namaste,

Paul & Denise

Burke Khang Expedition is Underway!

Namaste from Nepal where the Burke Khang Expedition is officially underway!  We've travelled many miles since finishing the CAF San Diego Triathlon Challenge on Sunday, flying out from LAX on Monday, stopping in Tokyo, then Singapore and finally arriving 32 hours later in Kathmandu yesterday.  It was a treat to walk into the familiar Yak & Yeti Hotel and see the smiling faces of Bill Burke and the rest of our team as they enthusiastically greeted our arrival.  

We were the last two to arrive and fortunately without any glitches with our checked luggage, we were all set to fly out to Lukla early this morning (Thurs. 10/22).  Our crew piled into the twin engine Dornier 228 and the sheer energy of our collective excitement felt more powerful than the horsepower and roar of the engines as we lifted off at 6:40 AM.  Flying into Lukla (rated as THE most extreme airport in the entire world) is always an adventure even though this was our fourth time here.  And the adrenaline-filled experience did not disappoint.  

Because of the heavy cloud cover on the approach, our pilot had to circle around several times while carefully avoiding mountain tops, until he finally found a hole in the clouds.  With the short 1,500 foot long airstrip in his sights, he expertly navigated us through the clouds into clear skies and a safe, albeit "edge of your seat" landing.

Not long after our feet were securely back on the ground we were thrilled to be reunited with DaOngchhu Sherpa.  It has been five years since we have seen DaOngchhu and had the great pleasure of spending two months with him climbing Everest, punctuated by the highlight of standing on top of the world together.  Early in the planning stages of this expedition, we made a special request with Garrett Madison to have DaOngchhu as part of our team and we are grateful to have his vast high-altitude mountaineering experience with us on Burke Khang.  

Before hitting the trail to Phakding (elevation 8,700 feet) where we are spending the night tonight at the Sunrise Lodge by the river, we assembled our entire team for a group photo.  We have a total of seven climbers and four trekkers (who will accompany us to Base Camp) plus our top notch guides Garrett Madison and Sid Pattison along with two of our Sherpas pictured here Ang Phurba (on left) and DaOngchhu.  For detailed bios and photos of our entire team please visit Bill's blog post: http://eightsummits.com/bill-burke-blog/mountaineering/burke-khang-climbing-team/