Greetings to all!

I left Portland on March 29th around 5:15 pm and arrived in Kathmandu on Monday, March 31st around 12:30 pm (local time approximately 12 hours ahead of PT).  The flight went fairly well until I went to claim my bags. Naturally, my gear bags did not come in on the plane but arrived late the next day - whew! I was picked up at the airport by Dave Morton and went directly to our hotel. Later that day, we got our permits from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism but with various stipulations.

1. Our team is not allowed to proceed past Camp II of Mt. Everest, Nuptse and Lhotse's summit route before May 10th, 2008.

2. We usually will have been to Camp III and back down to Base Camp by this time. The Chinese Amabassador  has been pressuring the Nepal Government to the extent that the Chinese are at the Ministry in Nepal to watch over the permit process. The Nepal military will be stationed at Base Camp and at Advance Base Camp (Camp II). This has not been typical in past years. As stated on the permit, any team shall be punished if found violating these directions. We are not allowed to use our sat phones, computers, videos, cameras, etc. at or above Base Camp before May 10th, 2008.

4/1/08 Tuesday morning we ascended the 365 steps to the top of the famous Monkey Temple that looks down on the city and is home to over 900 monkeys. Later we visited the famous Hindu temple located on the banks of the holy Bagmati River where Sadhus (holy men) and pilgrims bathe and funeral cremations take place - the ritual of human ashes being thrown into the river. Tuesday night Kent, Chuck and I went down to the Everest Steak House for dinner - we all ordered the steak. All of a sudden, Kent starts coughing, stops breathing and could not maneuver a piece of steak stuck in his throat. I asked him if he needed the Heimlick maneuver and he shook his head yes. I told him to move out from the table and turn around. I put my arms around him and thrust upward forcefully. The piece of steak shot out of his mouth like a missile and landed on the table - it was about the size of half a snicker bar. Nobody really noticed the incident so we sat down and completed our meal. What really impressed me was that Kent even ate the piece of meat that almost killed him.

4/2/08 Wednesday, we flew in the early morning from Kathmandu to Lukla (elev. 9,275 ft). The flight is spectacular and the landing is always exciting with its short 7% grade runway. The flight only takes about 40 minutes compared to a 4-week trip by foot. The airstrip was built by Sir Edmund Hillary and the Sherpas in the mid-sixties. Later that day, we trekked up the Dudh Koshi river valley to the main trail to Namche. We passed through the small village of Ghat and crossed over the river to our camp in Phakding. 

4/3/08 Thursday, we trekked to Namche Bazaar, the Sherpa capital located at about 11,000 ft in the Khumbu valley. It sits in a horseshoe valley with beautiful mountains all around. We ascended three thousand feet over a distance of five miles and crossed numerous bridges over the Dudh Koshi river. We will stay here two nights acclimating before ascending higher.                                      Over and out for now - regards, Mark

4/11/08 We are expected to be in Everest Base Camp tomorrow evening - everyone is doing well. I will send an updated report ASAP. The challenges will be keeping the electronic devices charged and the "watchful eyes" from the stationed military. 

4/12/08 Arrived at Everest Base Camp - again, everyone is doing well. We are currently acclimating, setting up camp and getting our breathing adjusted at 17,600 ft. We will have to be discretionary using our electronic devices. However, the Nepal military have yet to arrive. Once we are settled and have everything up and running, I will be sending a more detailed report over the past days.

4/13/08 Our sherpa team has set up a premo campsite - each of us has our own tent along with a cook tent, dining hall and communications tent. We set up our solar power system and lights for the main hall. Everyone is doing well as we are adjusting to the altitude. I am calling in this report to Valerie and hoping it will not be the last commmunication until May 10th at the earliest. The military have arrived and will be meeting to decide if they will confiscate all electronic devices. If so, there may not be much of an update for some time. Please keep checking and keep me in your thoughts and prayers - Mark 

4/14/08 Team report from Alpine Ascents office - members are sleeping well. They have been practicing walking across ladders one rung at a time, then two rungs - forward, backwards and even blind folded (should be easy for Mark). Then with climbing boots and crampons attached - as well as reviewing knot and glacier travel rigging - all this preparation for the Khumbu icefall.

4/15/08 We moved out onto the glacier today and set up ropes, made an obstacle course to practice repelling, standing and walking on ice, ice axe technique and using correct harness and rope travel - all this review will pay off in the days to come.

4/16/08 More intensive and "taxing" (April 15th pun) technique review - we are in the ropes again - going up, down and sideways on ice. We are looking forward to travel up the icefall when the day comes.

4/17/08 Team report from Alpine Ascents office - the team is doing well and resting at Base Camp. The "icefall doctors" have completed fixing the icefall and our Sherpa team is scheduled to start up to Camp I tomorrow to prepare Camp I tents.

4/18/08 This report is via Bill Burke currently awaiting his departure in Kathmandu to return to his home in California which confirms my last conversation with Mark on Monday evening when he told me they (liaison officers) were holding a meeting to make a final decision on electronic devices. "All satellite telephones and other communication equipment have been confiscated until the Chinese have taken the torch to the summit on the North side. Who knows when that will occur? This means that all those folks parked at Base Camp have no way to communicate home. I understand that the teams are only allowed to use walkie-talkie radios to communicate with each other at Base Camp. They are required to give their radio frequencies to the liaison officers so their chatter can be monitored. They are absolutely forbidden to mention "Tibet," "Free Tibet" or to say anything derogatory about the Chinese. If anyone wants to send a message to the outside world, they must send a sherpa down the mountain below Gorak Shep. I have been told that all bags going up to Base Camp from Gorak Shep are being searched for sat phones and other communication equipment."  
 

Additional report posted on Everest News as follows: 

* Radios are allowed, but we have to give them one so they can listen in on our conversations.

* No Sat-phones or Rbgan until 10th of May. They want us to hand them over.

* No camera's or video until the 10th of May.

* We can't climb above camp 2 until the 10th of May, but Sherpa's are allowed to fix ropes up to   the South Col between 06:00 a.m. and 18:00 p.m.

* Everybody will get a liaison officer but they are delayed in arriving in basecamp because of the elections. They will inspect our camp for sat phones, Rbgans, etc., but they will respect the privacy of our member's tents.

* There will be a check post at Gorak Shep and all trekkers will be checked and are not allowed to bring their camera's to basecamp.

* If the Chinese torch team summits early then we can just go ahead before the 10th of May. Right now the Chinese are planning to summit on 28 April.

I will continue to keep you posted as I receive information while awaiting direct contact from Mark. In the meantime, thank you for keeping him in your thoughts and prayers. Valerie 

4/22/08 This report comes from Alpine Ascents office; The team has made it to Camp I at about 19,600 ft and are ready to spend their first night there. They left base camp at 5:00 am and took a little over 8.5 hours to climb up through the Khumbu Icefall to the camp. Everyone did really well with the move to the higher elevation. Tomorrow the team will take an acclimatization hike and then spend another night at Camp I.

4/23/08 A note from the office: The Everest Team is doing well at Camp I. After a good breakfast the team spent the day exploring in the Western Cwm. It was warm and sunny day and after few hours on the trail the team got some excellent views of upper Chomolungma (Everest). On the way back to Camp I they took a shortcut to avoid traffic and it took about 1/6 of the time that it took to go up, to go down. A rather handy shortcut, they will try to use it again tomorrow when they head up to Camp II at approximately 21,000 ft. 

4/24/08 A note from the office: After an early rise and a big breakfast the team took the shortcut through the Western Cwm and knocked off about two hours from the time that it usually takes them to get up to Camp II. This shortened route was a good thing considering what a hot day it was up there. They are now at about 21,000 feet at the base of the southwest face of Everest. They are feeling the altitude a little bit now but are happy to be at Camp II. 

4/25/08  Note from the Alpine Ascents office: Yesterday after breakfast at Camp II the team went on an acclimatization hike on the southwest flanks of Everest and gained around 400 feet of elevation. After the hike they returned back to camp and took an afternoon siesta. Today the team descended down to base camp and the highlights of the trip included; the Jose Luis shortcut before Camp I, a couple of vertical repels at the top of the icefall and a small collapse in the popcorn area without consequence. Once returning to base camp the team enjoyed good food prepared by Gopal their cook, took some showers and relaxed. 

4/27/08 Note from the Alpine Ascents office: Yesterday was a full day of relaxation for the team, there was a little bit of hiking but mostly reading books and relaxing. Today the team returned to Camp I and they were able to cut two hours in moving up to 20,000 feet, about the same height as Mt. McKinley and the team members are feeling good. This evening they enjoyed a good dinner of vegetables and tortellini with Guinea Pig Sauce prepared Jose Luis. They are going to bed early tonight and will be getting up tomorrow morning to head further up the mountain. 

4/28/08 Note from the Alpine Ascents office: The team headed back up to Camp II from Camp I today and it took them a little over five hours to make the move. It was a beautiful day on the mountain although a bit windy at times. Everyone is doing well and send their best. 

4/29/08 A note from the office: The Team is at Camp II at about 21,000 feet in the upper Western Cwm. The weather has been good but a little bit windy. They spent the day acclimatizing at Camp II and kept themselves busy by meeting their neighbors, reading, watching movies and chatting. Thanks for following along. 

5/2/08 A note from the office: The Everest Team has dropped back down to base camp. They are enjoying the oxygen and the showers. They are all doing well and looking forward to a good night sleep. 

5/4/08  A note from the office: Hey there friends, family and loved ones this is the Everest Team checking in from base camp, it has been wonderful enjoying all the oxygen down here. We are starting to get some weather unfortunately after a long streak of sunny skies we are now getting snow daily. The snow has been keeping us somewhat tent bound however we have still been able make an acclimatization walk or two down to the bakery at the other end of camp and enjoy the apple pie. The team members are doing well and are getting over the coughs that have been nagging us since the beginning of the trip. Hopefully we will be able to go back up in a couple of days not only to Camp II but hopefully on to Camp III as well. Please stay tuned and come join us for Cinco de Mayo. Ciao for now. 

5/5/08  A note from the office: Hey there friends, family and loved ones, Team Everest reporting in from base camp. Another fabulous day resting and recuperating, building lots of red blood cells, the team is in great spirits. We are getting over our coughs and hoping to return to high on the mountain very soon. We celebrated Cinco de Mayo today, with a candy filled piñata, our very own Jose Luis was the one who broke the piñata and the candy fell to the ground and we all celebrated. Another thing to mention is that we celebrated John’s birthday a couple of days ago so we are in a real celebratory mood here on the glacier. We are hoping that the weather soon improves so that we can head up higher on the mountain. Keep your fingers crossed for good weather. Stay tuned and ciao for now. 

5/6/08 A note from the office: Hi everyone, hope that all is well. The team has had a few days to rest and recover at base camp. We are ready and eager to go back to high altitude for our last acclimatization trip before our summit attempt. All the team members are doing well and in good spirits. The weather has also improved today so we are optimistic about the conditions that we will find on the mountain. Tomorrow we will have an early breakfast and will start moving to the icefall by 4:30 am. More news tomorrow from Camp I.

All the best - Jose Luis and Team. 

5/7/08  A note from the office: Hello friends, family and loved ones this is Team Everest reporting in from high on the flanks of Everest in the Western Cwm. We moved up to camp one today, we started very early, we woke up at 3:00 and got out by 4:30 am. We were able to cut down our time and our exposure to the hot sun light by going early and that enabled us to move more quickly. We actually were able to trim our time down from nine hours on our first trip to about seven hours this time and that is a good thing, it is showing that everyone is acclimatizing. Everyone is doing well and all are in good spirits. Camp is definitely getting old; the tents are melting in after the couple of weeks that they have been sitting here. This will be our last time to use Camp I the next time we will go all the way to Camp II from base camp. We are thinking of you and we are happy that you are tuning in to read these cybercasts. Please join us tomorrow as we head up the hill doing the mountaineer thing, moving to Camp II. Ciao for now from what would be the top of Denali if we were in North America but it is just Camp I here on Everest – Vern Tejas. 

5/9/08 A note from the office: Hello friends family and loved ones, this is Team Everest calling in. Finally we got above Camp II. Today we crossed the glacier and reached the Bergschrund, the huge crevasse at the base of the Lhotse face. The sun was beating down on us and it made for a fairly short day, but it set us up for the big push tomorrow, up to Camp III, where we are planning to spend the night. So stay tuned for further action form Team Everest. 

5/10/08 A note from the office: Hello friends, family and loved ones this is Team Everest looking out over all of Tibet. We are up at Camp III, higher than Aconcagua at about 23,000 feet or just over about 7,000 meters. We are just getting into bed, making sure that everyone has hot water and drinks, we are nursing headaches and a lot of shortness of breath as you can probably tell. Our pulse oximeter is saying that most of us are below 70 percent blood oxygen saturation with a few actually down in the 50’s but this is a big push to acclimatize so we are going to subject ourselves to low oxygen so that our bodies will build up red blood cells. So thanks for dropping in and join us tomorrow when we go back down to where the oxygen is at Camp II. Ciao for now from Camp III. 

5/14/08 A note from Mark: We are currently at a lower village (Pangboche) below Base Camp - 12,000 ft. We are resting here - taking in oxygen, building red blood cells, refueling for the big push. We will be here a few more days before returning to Base Camp. Our recent descent from Camp III brought us cold and white-out conditions while repelling - but all is well. I am feeling better than last year - keeping food down even though there is a lack of appetite at the higher Camps.

5/18/08 We have returned to Base Camp where we are preparing for the week to come - it will either be yea or nay by the 25th so stay tuned. We will be leaving Base Camp for Camp II in the early morning hours. We will rest there a night before ascending to Camp III, resting a night then Camp IV, doing the dance with the weather and conditions before the final push. I will try to call Valerie by sat phone but I'm having difficulty keeping the batteries charged (solar energy only). Keep me in your thoughts and prayers this week and keep checking my site. Mark 

5/19/08 A note from the office: Hello there friends, family, and loved ones. Team Everest pushed up to Camp 2, so it was a big day today. We got up early and left Base Camp at 4:30am and arrived at Camp 2 a little after 1:00pm. The team is moving well and people are feeling good, and appetites seem to be good. So we're getting in position and waiting for the weather, and when all things are good we're going to give it a shot to try to get to the top of this big mountain. So please stay tuned for our progress tomorrow, which is a designated rest day. Then we should be looking at action soon after that.

5/20/08 Note from the Office: We are still operating under limited communications based on the government restrictions. The weather looks good and the team is taking their scheduled rest day at Camp 2 and will plan to move on up to 3 tomorrow.

5/21/08 Note from the office: Hello friends, family, and loved ones. This is Team Everest calling in from Camp 3, higher than anything out there other than in Asia. We're higher than Aconcagua right now. We've just put down a fairly decent dinner of spanish rice con jamon, and we're just sitting back and enjoying the O's (oxygen). We're going to be sucking down about a half liter of oxygen tonight, and that's going to get us in good shape for going up to Camp 4 tomorrow. So everyone on the team up here is in pretty good shape and doing well.

We had a little excitement a while ago when Jose Luis blew up the kitchen. I just left the tent for a minute and the whole kitchen just went up in flames. It was tremendous. Jose Luis is denying it, of course. It put out all the stoves and blew a cylinder head; it was pretty dramatic. Jose Luis says "It wasn't my fault". But all are ok, other than a couple spilled pots of water. Anyway, stay tuned tomorrow as we continue up the mountain.
Ciao for now, Vern Tejas at Camp 3.

A call from Mark early this morning 6:14 am PDT confirms the team is doing well and are honkered down in tents/bags at Camp III. Temperatures are very cold and he is trying to keep his sat phone battery warm hoping it will hold a charge. The team will push on to Camp IV tomorrow.

5/22/08 Another early morning call from Mark this morning reporting they are at Camp IV and will have a rest day tomorrow. The plan is to rise early morning and attempt the summit the following day. I am hoping for a call from Mark sometime during the night on Friday (PDT) letting me know of their summit success. Stay tuned and pray for good weather and team safety - exciting times ahead! Valerie

5/23/08 Mark called me this morning at 6:43 am reporting the team was heading for the summit in the next hour and a half - he sounded ready to go! He said he would not be carrying his sat phone with him as he had enough to carry as is and the team would be in radio contact with the base manager who would contact the Alpine Ascents office throughout the day as they received any communication from the team.

5/23/08 7:30 pm Team Everest has been sitting at Camp 4 at the South Col for the last 24 hours resting, eating, drinking, breathing oxygen, and psyching up for their summit attempt. Now we have the word that tonight is the night. All the elements are coming together - the team is acclimatized, they've had a good rest since moving up to Camp 4 yesterday, and the weather looks good - so they will be leaving the South Col at around 9:00 or 9:30pm on their attempt to reach the summit of Everest. Right now they are waking up, having something to eat and drink, and soon will be putting on their warm clothes and getting ready to go. Part of getting ready includes an offering rice and asking permission of Myloangsangma to walk in her realm and allowing them to return safely.

Throughout the night the team will be calling in to base camp and I will be sending in reports of their progress every 2 or 3 hours. Here at base camp we have an all night vigil, taking turns staying awake to monitor the radio, burning juniper and incense, and of
course keeping you informed of the team's progress as they climb toward the summit. Up high the weather is clear, but here at base camp it continues to be cloudy with a little snow, so we will be huddled around a propane heater to keep warm. So follow along as we bring you the news from Alpine Ascents Team Everest. Ellie Henke - Base Camp Manager

5/23/08 9:00 pm We just got the word from the South Col that everyone has their suits and boots on and are ready to start up the mountain. From Camp 4 at 26,100 ft (7,960 meters) their first "obstacle" will be the Triangular Face where the climbers will go above 8,000 meters for the first time. Average nighttime temperatures are expected to be about -13F (-25C) so everyone is bundled up in down suits and well prepared for the cold. Everyone is using oxygen and will have to change to new bottles a couple of times during the climb as they use their supplies. Word from the South Col is that they have excellent conditions, with clear skies and not much wind. So we wish them well as they start out on this final phase of their big adventure. We are listening both at Base Camp and at Camp 2 and will be following their progress along with all you folks out there. Kumar and Padam are getting out the deck of cards and are intending to stay awake for a long time. Ang Nima and Nima (two of our cookboys) just came in with their sleeping bags, so the slumber party is starting. Ellie at Base Camp 

5/23/08  It is now 11:30pm and Team Everest is 2 1/2 hours into their climb. We haven't had a radio call, but this should put them well up on the Triangular Face. Sooner or later the moon should be coming up to give a little assistance to their headlamps. Here at base camp it is still cloudy, (but at least not snowing) so it is a little hard to tell if it is actually up yet or not. After a dark, cold night it is always a blessing when we finally get the first light of dawn around 4:30am. Here at base camp the cook staff brought a blue tarp and a couple of foam mattresses into the communication tent and a card game called "marriage" is in full swing. This is a complicated game that involves three decks of cards all shuffled together and dealing out 21 cards per person - quite a handful. They will listen for the radio for me while I catch a nap for a few hours. And as comfortable as they are I wouldn't be surprised if a few of them are sleeping when I wake up again about 3:00 for the next report. By that time the climbing team should be getting near the Balcony. Good night for now, Ellie

5/24/08 3:00 am Well, we still haven't heard from the climbers. It is about 3:00am, still cold and dark, and we expect they will be calling in soon from the Balcony. We've told them not to risk frostbite by taking mittens off to use the radio if there is no problem. We have talked to Dave at Camp 2 and they are monitoring their radios as well. So no news is good news. It looks like a good night up there. Here at Base Camp we still have clouds, but can see a bit of moonlight through them so I'm sure it is still a clear night up higher. Just after my last report at 11:30 there was a beautiful moonrise over the Khumbu Icefall, and at the same time multiple icefalls coming down off the LhoLa. Here in our communictions tent there is gentle snoring from a couple of the cookboys, and Gopal is here in his sleeping bag helping listen for any radio contact. So we will let you all know as soon as we have any communication from the mountain. Ellie at Base Camp

5/24/08 3:30 am Of course I just jumped the gun with that last report. No sooner did I get it sent than we got a radio call from Lakpa. He says the team is about an hour above the Balcony and doing well. It is still clear, but there is a bit of a breeze picking up, which is COLD! So they want to keep moving and will call in again when they reach the South Summit. We are about an hour away from the first glimmer of dawn. They will really be looking forward to a little more heat when the sun comes up. So everyone is doing fine and they are making good progress up the mountain. Ellie at Base Camp 

5/24/08 4:30 am We are just starting to get the first light of dawn in the sky, and we also just got a call from Vern. He says the team is below the South Summit and moving well. I'll say! They are smoking up this mountain! I've been snoozing, but it looks like it's time to wake up and pay attention. Time to get a thermos of tea and follow along more closely. We are starting to get broken clouds rather than complete overcast here at base camp, so maybe there's a good chance that the team will get some sun up there in an hour or two to warm them up a bit. I'm sure they'll call in from the South Summit, so I'll let you know when that happens. Ellie at Base Camp

5/24/08 6:00 am  We just got a radio call from Lakpa. He tells us that the team is still a little bit below the South Summit. It has been slow going because, like Dave's group, they are caught in a traffic jam of some people going up the fixed lines and other people who have already summitted coming down. They are still doing well, just dealing with a lot of people up there. So we are still awaiting news of their arrival at the South Summit, and then their traverse across to the true summit. Stay with us. Ellie at Base Camp 

5/24/08 7:00-7:40 am Here's the word you've been waiting for: all members and sherpas of the second contingent of the Alpine Ascents Everest Expedition are ON THE TOP! They got through the traffic jam, across the traverse, and up the Hillary Step to the true summit of the highest mountain on earth. Well done, team!!!! Congratulations go to the guides: Vern Tejas, Lakpa Rita Sherpa, and Jose Luis Peralvo; to the members: Dianette Wells (first on top from our team), Charlie Hyde, Armand Musey, Jim Curtain, John Soebbing, RC Scull, Greg Konrath, and Mark Luscher; and sherpas: Thapkee, Chewang Nima, Dorjee, Ang Passang, Da Nuru, Mingma Tsering, Pa-Rita, and Passand Tsering. Now they have the big job ahead of them of getting down safely. We'll be following them down and letting you all know when they are safe back at the South Col. Yahoooooo from Base Camp! 

5/24/08 9:00 am  Getting to the top is only half way, now the team has to get themselves all the way down again. And they have to do it safely, even though they've been on their feet since last night. We just got a call from Lakpa that they are all on their way down - the first people have crossed the South Summit and the last are just below the Hillary step. They should be back to the South Col by early to mid-afternoon. When they call in their location on the way down I will pass it on to all of you so you can track their progress. They will be clipped into fixed lines for most of the way, now they just have to keep putting one foot in front of the other until they are down. Mingma Rita will be waiting for them at the South Col with food and drinks. Those sleeping bags are going to look awfully good. Ellie at Base Camp

5/24/08 1:00 pm This will be the final message from Everest for today because we just got word that everyone is safe back at the South Col. Mingma Rita had food and hot drinks ready and waiting for them, and now everyone is heading for their sleeping bags. Tomorrow they will leave Camp 4 and descend the Lhotse Face to Camp 2, and the following day they will head on down to Base Camp. A special thanks goes to Vern, Jose Luis, and Lakpa for orchestrating this success, as well as the entire sherpa staff from summit sherpas to cookboys. I would especially like to recognize Mingma Rita, who was the support person at the South Col for about 4 days. Here at base camp we had a whole team of people helping each other out, but Mingma was pretty much on his own taking care of a lot of people up there at the South Col. That was a herculean effort. So thanks to everyone, and from higher and lower on the mountain, goodnight. Ellie at Base Camp

5/24/08 7:45 am (PDT) I just received a call from Mark where he is resting at Camp IV. He sounded relieved, excited and yet tired with anticipation of the work ahead to get back to Base Camp. The team will be at Camp II on the 25th and Base Camp on the 26th. Mark felt he had six days ahead to return to Kathmandu and should be able to make his return flight putting him into Portland and then home on June 2nd. He will try to call me from Camp II, Base Camp and Kathmandu to keep us updated. I am so proud and excited with tears of joy for Mark I can hardly stand it - I'm so lucky to have him in my life! Valerie