Expedition Diary #10
May 11, 2002

Base Camp, Mount Everest

Well, the moment of truth is upon me - I will leave for the summit early on May 12th. My plan is to go to Camp II (21,500') and spend 2-nights. On the 14th I will ascend to Camp III (23,800'), then using supplemental oxygen onto Camp IV (26,000') on the 15th. After 6-hours of rest and hydration, I will leave for the summit at 9:00 PM on the evening of the 15th. If all goes well, I should summit (29,030') about 8:00 AM on the morning of the May 16th and return to Camp IV about 1:00 PM that afternoon. I plan to use (2) 4-litter and (1) 3-litter bottles of oxygen above Camp IV which gives about 22-hours of supplemental oxygen at a 2-litter per minute flow rate. This provides a good margin in case things don't go as planned - i.e., traffic at the Hillary Step, deep snow, slower progress, etc. My turn around time is Noon, providing me with ample time to descend (i.e., adequate daylight & oxygen). I will be climbing to the summit with Ang Tshiring Sherpa. I climbed Island Peak with him in April on the way to Base Camp and can assure you he is very strong. He has also summited Everest twice before and I have confidence in his abilities. As mentioned in the last update, I am acclimatized, rested and ready to go.

Note that do to the time difference - my summit time is 7:15 PM on Wednesday, May 15th California time. I would appreciate your prayers for good weather and a safe and successful summit bid. The critical window is leaving and returning to Camp II (Note that most accidents occur on the descent). This critical window for prayer will be from 4:15 PM, Monday, May 13th through 11:15 PM Thursday, May 16th California time. Thanks in advance for your prayers.

Keep in mind that things change (i.e., weather, my health, etc.) and these dates could also change. If this happens, I'll try to let you know as soon as possible. If indeed things go as planned, I'll try to provide an e-mail update just as soon as I return to Base Camp from the summit attempt. If I am unsuccessful in my attempt, I have enough time and support to try a second attempt later in the month. I sure hope this first attempt goes well as I am anxious to return home to my family and friends just as soon as possible.

My fingers continue to heal from the frostbite I received on April 26th. Once frostbite has occurred, the tissue is more susceptible to re-freezing. This is a major concern since if they re-freeze I will be in serious trouble. I have made gear modifications and will use different gloves for the summit bid.

Don't forget that I am not able to receive any e-mail here at base camp. So please do not try to respond to this e-mail.

Until then, my best regards, Randy