Everest 2008 Bob Lowry

Thanks!

2008-06-01T23:09:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone.. Just wanted to say thanks for "listening" these past few months! I've had a good time keeping everyone up to date on Bob's adventure, even with some of the communication challenges!

The next update will probably be coming from Bob directly... Can't wait to see some of those amazing pictures!

Take care!

-Rob

Update from Bob

2008-05-26T09:09:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone – I just got an email update directly from Bob about an hour ago. He’s back at Kathmandu… Way to go Bob! Everyone here can't wait to hear the details about the amazing journey. Glad to hear your are back down in the "thick" air and doing well.

-Rob

From: Robert Lowry
Sent: Monday, May 26, 2008 7:27 AM
Subject: Update

Well I have made it back to Kathmandu.
The first hike out was 7 hours and a decrease of 2000 feet. The second day
was a 13 hour journey, 11 hours of hiking and a decrease of 9000 feet. much up
and down, my legs were just swinging forward hoping to land
safely.

The brief summary of the climb is this, I needed another
rotation to have the strength to summit. What I did not explain due to
political reasons was part of the issue. The Chinese "asked" Nepal to
close the mountain as you probably already know. The compromise was that
the Nepal Army would be stationed at base camp to ensure nobody goes beyond camp
2 until May 10th. The did that be having weapons at camp 2.
Typically by May 10th teams would have been done with their acclimatization
hikes. What I have always known about myself is that I need one additional
acclimatization hike above everyone else, that is just the way it has always
been. Since the Army did not allow us that opportunity, I had to settle
for one less. If I had the chance to come back down from Camp 3 and rest
for 4 days, I might have been strong enough to summit. Instead I made the
difficult choice to abort my summit attempt because my legs were like
jelly.

When I approached Camp 3, I felt like crawling in. It
took me 7 hours. Another team took 8 hours, and one of their teammates had
to turn around the next day due to exhaustion. I was concurred that I
would run out of steam and be above the yellow band in The Death Zone, which
means I could end up being someone to rescue. Everyone was supportive yet
sad for me about my decision.

When I reflect back I
can say now that where I sit today, it was a good decision. There was
one confirmed death, a few near HACE incidents, snow blindness, and frostbite
cases. These are people that took the chance that I did not. Many on
the mountain were seen crawling, and being helped down, according to those that
summit ted on our team. These are people that probably had less
experience, or had summit fever.

As for our group about 50% summit
ted. I was glad I was here, in reality the summit is only 4 days, this
journey is 2 months of hard work.

Some of my best learning is about
myself. To live is such a remote area for as many days teaches you what is
really important in life. I can truly say, taking care of your person and
the closeness of Friends and family is what is most important to me. On
these trips, the true person comes out.

My hair is longer now, I
lost 20 pounds and I am pretty tired, but other than that all is well.
Currently I am trying to move my flights, but I am finding that a little
challenging today.

Thanks everyone for your support, when I get
home I will detail the expedition and attach some photo's so maybe you can get a
better feel for the trip.

Talk to you soon

IMG Dispatch # 39-46

2008-05-26T09:08:00.000-04:00

Updates on IMG team progress...

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #46
May 25, 2008

IMG
Leader Mark Tucker reports that Dave and Nicky headed out for a short while, but
returned to C4. Apparently they were in the middle of a big damp cloud
enveloping the upper mountain and they were getting quite rimed up with
ice. After consultations with our weather forecaster back in the USA they
decided it was better to wait another day with the hope the conditions will
improve. SO--that is the plan, they are taking a rest and will hope to go
for the top tomorrow.

Eric Simonson

IMG
Everest Expedition
Dispatch #45
May 25, 2008

IMG Leader
Ang Jangbu reports that Dave and Nicky made it up to C4 at South Col in good
time. Dave said it is a bit windy now, but they are hoping that the wind will
drop later tonight -- they plan to leave between 10 & 11. We have
Samduk Dorje and Phinjo Dorje climbing with Dave and Nicky and Nima Karma is
staying on the Col in support. The Sherpas brought down extra gear from C3
today, and tomorrow we have 9 sherpas going from C2 to the Col bring start
bringing gear down at C4 and to provide support for Dave and Nicky if
necessary.

Eric Simonson

IMG
Everest Expedition
Dispatch #44
May 24, 2008

IMG Leader
Mark Tucker reports that everything is going smoothly on Everest.
Yesterdays climbers Justin, Jaro, Dean made it down to Camp 2 along with Ryan
and Serge. Todays summiters Val, Tim, and Mike are spending the night on
the Col and will be coming down in the morning. Dave and Nicky made it up
to C3 and are doing well.

Eric
Simonson

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #43
May
23, 2008

IMG Leader Mark Tucker reports at 8:30am Nepal time that
the IMG team are all making good time on the descent. Val has now reached
the Col and Tim and Mike are below the Balcony. Justin, Dean, Jaro, Ryan,
and Serge have all left the Col and are below the Geneva Spur on their way down
the Lhotse Face to C2.

Eric
Simonson

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #42
May
23, 2008

IMG Leader Mark Tucker reports that the IMG team reached
the summit at sunrise and have now all started their descent. Congrats to
Val and Phunuru, Tim and Phinjo, Mike and Dasona, and one more sherpa (I need to
verify name). Ryan and Serge turned back from near the South Summit and
they are they now back to the Col.

Eric
Simonson

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #41
May
23, 2008

IMG Leader Mark Tucker just got off the radio with the
climbers, who report that they are climbing past the Balcony (about 1am Nepal
time). The weather is good and everyone seems to be moving along
OK.

Eric Simonson

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #40
May 23, 2008

IMG Leader Mark Tucker just got
off the radio with the climbers, who report that Val and Phunuru, Tim and
Phinjo, Hamill and Dasona, Ryan and Passang, and Serge and Panuru left the Col
at 8:16pm. They left early to get ahead of the bulk of the climbers--there
are only a few ahead of them. Weather is good. Remaining in
support on South Col are Ang Karma, Datenji and Tshewang Lendu.
We'll keep you posted on their progress!

Eric
Simonson

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #39
May 23, 2008
IMG Leader Ang Jangbu reports that Justin, Dean,and
Jaroslaw made it back to the Col about noon (Nepal time). Tim, Val,
Hamill, Ryan, and Serge made it up from C3 and are also at the Col now.
Adam and Kurt are on their way down to C2. Nicky and Dave
are taking another rest day at C2. Chip, Vance , Joe, and Rohan will
be back to Base Camp soon.

Eric Simonson

IMG Dispatch # 36, 37, 38

2008-05-22T23:15:00.002-04:00

Several more members of the IMG team have made the summit and are heading back down... I heard from Eric that Bob is back at BC. As soon as I get an update I will let you know.

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #38
May 22, 2008

IMG
Leader Ang Jangbu reports that our IMG climbers reached the summit of Mt Everest
at 6:55am. Congratulations to Justin (#2), Dean, Jaroslaw, Mingma Tenzing
(#4), Tsewang Lendu (#2), and Passang Nuru. The weather is holding
and they are starting their descent now.

Eric
Simonson

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch
#37
May 22, 2008

IMG Leader Mark Tucker reports on the sat
phone that Justin, Dean, Jaroslaw, and the Sherpas have just called down on the
radio and they are on the South Summit (about 5:30am Nepal time). The
weather is clear and a little breezy. They are all together and will be
starting the traverse to the Hillary Step soon.

Eric
Simonson

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #36
May
22, 2008

IMG Leader Mark Tucker reports on the sat phone that
Justin, Dean, and Jaroslaw left the Col at 9:18pm. Climbing with them are
Mingma Tenzing, Tshewang Lhendu, and Pasang Nuru. It sounds like there was
some snowfall this afternoon, but now the clouds have dropped, and the wind is
calm. Sounds like a nice night to go climbing!! We'll keep our
fingers crossed and not expect to hear from them until they get up by the
Balcony.

Eric Simonson

IMG Dispatch # 35

2008-05-22T09:41:00.002-04:00

Okay, IMG has confirmed Bob is now back at BC. Will post an update as soon as I have more.

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #35 correction
May 22, 2008

I made an error with what I just sent out. This is
correct:

IMG Leader Mark Tucker reports that Chip, Vance, and Joe
with their Sherpas went all the way down to C2 while Adam and Kurt elected to
remain at the Col and will come down tomorrow. Justin, Dean, and Jaroslaw
are at the Col ready to start their climb this evening. Tim, Ryan and
Serge, Val & Hamill are at C3. Rohan went back to C2. Casey,
Ari, Bob P, Scott, Bob L and Monty are down at base camp. Dave and Nicky
are at C2.

Eric Simonson

IMG Dispatch # 32, 33, 34

2008-05-21T23:53:00.002-04:00

Here is the latest from IMG. Some other members of the team have summited. It appears that Bob L, Scott, and Monty are heading back down to BC from C2. Not sure what the plan is exactly. I have sent a question into IMG - If and when I hear something I will let you know.

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #34
May 21, 2008

IMG
Leader Ang Jangbu reports that Adam and Ang Namgya and Kurt and Kancha Nuru are
now on the summit and will be starting down soon. Chip, Vance, Joe, and
their sherpas are making good time and are now below the Balcony on the way
down. Justin, Dean, and Jaro are in the Yellow Band on their move up
to the Col from C3. Val and Phunuru, Tim and Phinjo, Ryan, Serge, Rohan
and Hamill are moving up to C3. Monty, Scott, and Bob are heading for BC
from C2. Dave and Nicky are in route to C2 from C1.

Eric Simonson

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #33
May 21, 2008

IMG Leader Mark Tucker reports
that Chip with Jamling, Vance with Pemba Dorje and Joe with Mingma Tshering have
reached the summit and are now on their way down. Adam and Ang Namgya and
Kurt are a little below the summit still going up.

Eric
Simonson

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #32
May
21, 2008

IMG Leader Mark Tucker called to say that the summit team
are all above the Balcony now and making good time. Several of them are
getting close to the South Summit.

Eric Simonson

IMG Dispatch # 31

2008-05-21T14:22:00.001-04:00

Next "wave" of climbers is heading up. We should hear an update from IMG in about 5 hours.

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition Dispatch #31
May 21, 2008

IMG Leader
Mark Tucker just called to say that the next wave of climbers at the Col have
now started up a little after 9pm (Nepal time). We should hear
from them again in 5 hours or so when they get to the Balcony. Weather is
looking decent.

Also -- Casey, Ari, Bob, Dawa, Nima
Karma, and Danuru made it all the way down to Camp 2 last evening. Good
job!

We'll keep you posted.

Eric Simonson

IMG Dispatch # 30 +UPDATE

2008-05-21T08:41:00.002-04:00

Update - It was in fact Bob P who made it up to 28,700 yesterday. Bob L and Scott have made it back down to C2 - we're assuming they will be heading back up as part of another summit team. Stay tuned!

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #30 UPDATE
May 20, 2008

My
mistake--I neglected to include Chip and Jamling with the climbers who went from
C3 to C4 today. They are all up at the Col now doing fine. Sorry for
the confusion!

The summary for the team tomorrow should
be:

Also making good time are the IMG climbers moving up to C4
today from C3--they are already there (10:15am). This will give them
plenty of time to rest today before the summit bid tonight. Vance is climbing
with Pemba Dorje, Chip with Jamling, Adam climbing with Ang Namgya, Joe climbing
with Mingma Tshering, Kurt with oxygen carriers Kancha Nuru and Gyalzen Dorje
and we have Datenji and Ang Karma staying on the Col to support them.
Eric
Simonson

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch
#30
May 20, 2008

Ang Jangbu reports that Casey, Ari, Danuru,
and Dawa made good time and are now back to the Col (9:45am). They will
take a rest and then decide about maybe continuing down to C2 later today along
with Bob P. and Nima Karma.

Also making good time are the
IMG climbers moving up to C4 today from C3--they are already there
(10:15am). This will give them plenty of time to rest today before the
summit bid tonight. Vance is climbing with Pemba Dorje, Adam climbing with Ang
Namgya, Joe climbing with Mingma Tshering, Kurt with oxygen carriers Kancha Nuru
and Gyalzen Dorje and we have Datenji and Ang Karma staying on the Col to
support them.

Bob L. and Scott have now made it back down to C2
where Ryan, Rohan, Serge, Monty, Val, Tim, and Mike are waiting.
Justin, Dean, and Jaro are making good time moving up to C3 and.
Dave, Nicky, and Samduk will be spending the night at C1. So far so
good!

Eric Simonson

Summit Bid Update

2008-05-20T22:22:00.003-04:00

Update: Hi again everyone – Well, it’s a little confusing with 2 Bob’s in the IMG group. Casey’s team includes Bob Pospischil, and that was the first team to make their summit bid. SO it’s possible the Bob in the latest IMG update that made it up to 28,700 is referring to Bob P… IF that is the case, then our Bob is still working his way up with Scott and co. Sorry for any confusion.. will keep you posted.

Thanks!
-Rob

Hi Everyone - IMG just reported Bob and Karma made it up the "South Summit" at 28,300 (just shy of the 29,035 summit) and are now headed back down to the South Col 26,300 at camp IV. Way to go Bob! Wish I was there with you!

Still a long way to go to get back down, so let's keep up with our good wishes and support.

-Rob

Here's the latest from IMG:

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #29
May 20, 2008

IMG
Leaders Mark Tucker and Ang Jangbu report that at 6:23am Danuru (#10),
Dawa (#6), Casey (#2), and Ari reached the summit. Congratulations!
They are now on their way back down and have now reached the South Summit.
Bob and Nima Karma turned at the South Summit on the way up and are now back to
the Col. Vance, Chip, Joe, Adam and Kurt are starting up the Yellow
Band right now. Bob and Scott are heading down to C2. Dave and Nicky
are in the ice fall right now on their way up. Justin, Dean, and Jaro are on
their way to camp 3. Ryan, Rohan, Serge, Monty, Val and Tim are at
C2 resting one more day. Hamill is at C2 and may go to 3 later this
morning.

We'll keep you posted!

Eric
Simonson

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #28
May
20, 2008

IMG Leader Mark Tucker reports about 2:45am (Nepal
time) that Casey's team is now above the Balcony and doing well.
Danuru has retreived additional rope for the rope fixing team and has now
carried this on ahead to help with the fixing the route above the South
Summit. Weather is reported to be good.

Eric
Simonson

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch
#27
May 20, 2008

IMG Leader Ang Jangbu reports that Casey's
team left South Col for summit at 9:19 pm. Sherpas with them are: Danuru,
Dawa, Nima Karma, and Jangbu

Eric Simonson

IMG Dispatch # 26

2008-05-20T11:37:00.000-04:00

Getting closer...

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #26
May 20, 2008

IMG
Leader Ang Jangbu reports:

2 of the fixing sherpas (from other
team) continued and summitted at 4 pm this afternoon. Our guys, Danuru and Dawa
as usual led the charge and fixed all the way to lower part of the rocks below
South Summit. They are back down on Col and going back up with Casey's team.
They will be waking up shortly to get ready. They were talking about 9pm
departure. Team will be: Casey, Bob, Ari, Danuru, Dawa, Nima Karma. We have
Datenji the camp 4 cook for Casey's team. Scott, Adam, Bob, Chip, Vance, Joe
& Kurt are at Camp 3. The sick Korean flew out this morning from Base
Camp. Val, Monty, Ryan, Rohan, Serge, Justin, Dean, Jaro, Tim, Mike went
to C2 today.

Eric Simonson

IMG Dispatch # 24 & 25

2008-05-19T17:07:00.002-04:00

Bob is at C3 right now... Latest target for summit bids is the 21st or 22nd. IMG will update with the latest.

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #25
May 19, 2008

IMG
Leader Mark Tucker reports:

Three of our Sherpa are now in the
lower icefall helping get some Korean down
with some sort of
sickness. Dawa and Danuru worked their tails off at the
Col
-- everything is set for 4 am start to fixing. Val, Monty, Ryan, Rohan,
Serge, Team Merle went to C2 today. Casey, Bob, Ari at C3, tough climb due
to wind. Chip, Vance, Scott, Adam, Bob, Joe, Kurt C3 in the morning. Mike, Tim
go BC to C2 in the morning. Team Hahn one more rest day

Eric
Simonson

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #24
May 17, 2008

Ang Jangbu reports that Dave and Nicky are back
down to BC now, after spending the night at C3 and then climbing a short way
above. Also yesterday, 5 sherpas carried to South Col and now that
camp is fully stocked and ready for the summit bids!! Eben and the
trekkers had a nice visit to BC, including hiking up to the base of the Icefall
yesterday, and today they are headed back down to Lukla, with several of them
planning to climb Lobuche Peak on the way.

We have IMG Sherpas
Danuru and Dawa heading tomorrow to C2 and to the South Col the next day as
members of the joint expedition Sherpa fixing team doing the rope fixing to the
Balcony and above. The plan is to get the rope fixed on the 20th, with the
first summit bids on the 21st. This morning (18th Nepal time) Scott,
Adam & Bob Lowry with their personal sherpas and Casey and his team
(Bob and Ari) headed up for their summit bids. They all went to C1
with the exception of Scott and Kami who went on to C2. They are scheduled
to go for the summit on 21st or 22nd. IMG climbers Joe, Kurt, Chip, and
Vance and their sherpas are planning to head up tomorrow, with Justin, Dean,
Jaroslaw, Ryan, Rohan, Serge, Tim, Val, Monty and their sherpas heading up the
next day. We'll let you know more as everyone's final timetables becomes
clear. So far so good!

Eric Simonson

Message from Bob - Summit Plans

2008-05-16T00:12:00.004-04:00

Hi Everyone – Well, the time is finally here... Bob called and said he’ll be “off the grid” for the next 5 or 6 days while the teams start to make their way up to the higher camps and hopefully take a shot at the summit. The latest estimate for summit day is the 20th through the 22nd depending on weather and other factors.

Let’s all keep our fingers crossed and hope everyone does well and gets down safely.

Keep an eye out for updates from IMG as the teams push higher..

Take care,
Rob

IMG Dispatch # 22 & 23

2008-05-16T00:07:00.003-04:00

The latest from IMG...

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition Dispatch #23
May 15, 2008

IMG Leader Ang Jangbu reports: Dave and Nicky are
up at C3 tonight. They plan to go little higher tomorrow morning
before come back down to C2. The Sherpas carried to the Col and C3 as
planned yesterday. Eben and trekkers arrived base camp on schedule and
they are all doing well.Casey and his team came back from Pheriche. Tim
went down the valley with Phinjo for couple nights. We had
a big sirdar meeting at AAI camp this afternoon. We now have 11 sherpas in
the fixing team including 2 from us (I am thinking of sending Danuru
and Dawa but this might change). We also have 22 bottles of oxygen
contribution from other teams and 2200 meters of rope on the Col. Our
plan is to send the fixing team on the Col on 19th and fix above on 20th.
There are several groups shooting for the summit on 21st --includes Kari
Kobler's team, Willie's team, Kenton maybe and some other teams.
Some of our team members might decide to shoot for the 21st as well. We will
have better idea tomorrow. We have 5 sherpas carrying to
the Col tomorrow and rest are coming down to BC from
2.

Eric Simonson
eric@mountainguides.com

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #22
May 14, 2008

IMG
Leaders Tucker and Jangbu report that the big build-up at the South Col
continues, with 19 Sherpas successfully making the Big Carry today. There
is getting to be a good supply of oxygen and gear up there now, with more on the
way! Over the next few days we hope to complete the stocking of Camp 3 and
Camp 4 in preparation of the summit bids. For tomorrow, we have 14 Sherpas
heading back to the Col and 9 going to Camp 3. Hahn and Nicky are now at
C2, heading for C3 tomorrow. All the IMG climbers are now back to BC, with
the exception of Casey and crew, who will be back tomorrow from their trip down
valley. We'll keep you posted!

Eric Simonson
eric@mountainguides.com

IMG Dispatch #21

2008-05-13T13:27:00.000-04:00

Here's the latest from IMG...

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #21
May 13, 2008

IMG
Leader Mark Tucker reports that after some snowstorm last night, which made
things questionable this past morning, the Sherpas at C2 decided to pull the
trigger on the Col carry. They left at 5am from C2 and nine of them
climbed to the Col today -- we now have 29 cylinders of O2 up there.
Chip/Jamling, Vance/Pemba Dorje are back to C2 from their overnight at C3.
Justin, Dean, Jaroslaw, Val, and Hamill went to C3 today and are back to
C2. Tomorrow we have 22 sherpas climbing from C2 to the Col.
All the team members currently at C2 will be coming back to BC tomorrow.
Dave and Nicky are now at C1, going to C2 tomorrow. Casey and crew are
still R and R down in Pheriche. Eben and the trekkers are at Gorak
Shep. The forecast from our custom forecaster Michael Fagin
(www.everestweather.com ) suggests that we will continue to see some moisture
coming up from Bay of Bengal, so there will be intermittent snowfall, but the
jet stream is out of the region with no signs of it being over Everest for the
next 7 to 10 days.

Eric Simonson

Audio Field Update #3 from Bob

2008-05-13T09:05:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone – Just received a new message from Bob last night and posted it to the site. He is back at Base Camp for a few days of R&R before they head back up. He spent a few days at Camp II at 21,200ft but didn’t get a chance to push up to Camp III. In about 5 or 6 days they’ll be making their way up to III, and then IV for a few hours before going for the summit.

-Rob

IMG Dispatch #20

2008-05-11T15:16:00.001-04:00

Bob is currently at Camp 2...

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #20
May 11, 2008

IMG
Leaders Ang Jangbu and Mark Tucker report: today was a Big Day --
the route the the South Col (Camp 4) is now in and IMG sherpas Phunuru, Mingma
Tenzing and Nima Karma have already put some loads up there!! If the
weather is good we have 8 sherpas carrying to the Col tomorrow: Gyalzen Dorje,
Dawa Nuru, Arita, Kancha Nuru, Ang Nima, Phinjo, Panuru and Mingma
Tshering. Tomorrow we have 17 more IMG Sherpas moving up to C2 from BC for
a few days of Big Carries to the Col. These guys will each make several
round trips to the Col from C2, with the fastest ones able to carry two O2
cylinders from C2 to the Col and return to C2 in 7 hours.
Incredible! Some of sherpas may do more -- they make a lot of bonus money
doing these C4 carries, so this is where the strongest ones really rack up the
cash. We will not actually establish Camp 4 until it is time to occupy the
camp, since the wind will trash the tents.

Camp 3 is now
established at 24,000 feet on the Lhotse Face and Chip/Jamling & Vance/Pemba
Dorje are sleeping there tonight. Scott, Adam and Joe climbed to C3 today
and came down to C2. Weather permiting, Justin and crew and maybe Val and
Monty are planning to go for C3 in the morning, with Chip and Vance back down to
C2. Hamill, Tim, Bob, Ryan and crew are at C2. Suk Bahadur is carrying
some gear to C3 for those who are moving to 3 tomorrow.

Other members are at BC. Casey and crew are heading to
Pheriche in the morning for a few days rest before summit push. The second
EBC trek group is now at Dingboche. IMG guide Eben Reckord is with them
and they were able to talk to Base Camp today on the radio. Everything is
going well for them and they are planning to go to Lobuje tomorrow and Gorakshep
the next day.

Eric Simonson

IMG Dispatch #19

2008-05-09T11:52:00.001-04:00

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #19
May 9, 2008

IMG
Leader Mark Tucker reports lots of climbers moving up and down on the mountain,
now that all restrictions have been lifted. The Army team has now
left BC and only the Liaison Officers remain. There are thirteen of the
IMG climbers up at Camp 2 tonight, with two at Camp 1. Tomorrow, four of
the climbers at C2 will be coming down to BC and the C1 climbers will go up to
C2 tomorrow. Also, tomorrow, three more climbers will leave BC and go to C1 and
two more will go direct from BC to C2. Higher up, the Sherpas
have been busy, with the route to C3 fixed today. Tomorrow work begins on
fixing the upper Lhotse Face, with several IMG Sherpas working with an 8 person
multi-team crew to get the Yellow Band fixed, with another 8 sherpas slated to
fix into the Col the following day. So far so good!!

Eric
Simonson

China reaches the summit!

2008-05-07T22:52:00.001-04:00

Good news! About an hour ago (9:15 p.m. ET Wednesday), CNN and China TV reported the China Olympic climbing team reached the summit.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/05/07/oly.everest/index.html

http://www.cctv.com/english/index.shtml

IMG has said that once China reached the summit, they hope that things can get back to “normal” on the mountain. I’ll keep you posted if I hear anything from Bob.

-Rob

IMG Dispatch 17 & 18

2008-05-07T22:40:00.001-04:00

China is getting close to summit!

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #18
May 8 (Everest time), 2008

Dear Friends,

If you have cable TV and can get CCTC
(the Chinese TV station), turn it on RIGHT NOW and you will see the Chinese
reach the summit of Everest with the Torch. They are currently just above
the triangular face (above the 3rd step) just below the summit
ridge.

Eric Simonson

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #17
May 7, 2008

Eric here, with an update on our
IMG expedition team. First off, I have to say something about the tropical
cyclone Nargis -- we were concerned last week that some of this storm in the Bay
of Bengal might hit Everest (see dispatch #15). As I am sure you have
heard by now, this storm moved east and made a direct hit on Yangon, Myanmar,
and there are now tens of thousands of people killed or missing there. Our hopes
and prayers go out to all those people in Myanmar, whose options are so limited
by their government. Personally speaking, it really puts a lot of things
in perspective for me. On Everest, IMG Leader Mark Tucker reports that the
IMG climbers have chosen several different strategies this past week. Many
of the non-guided team members have been resting at Base Camp, after their
earlier sorties to Camp 2, and are now getting ready to go back to Camp 2
tomorrow for another acclimatization rotation. Others, including the guided
teams with Hahn and Grom, moved back up to Camp 2 several days ago, while
Campbell's guided team went down to Pheriche for R and R. These climbers
are all expected back to BC in the next couple days. Our Camp 3 sherpas
are still waiting for the green light to move up--we have a big strong Sherpa
team and we can move fast to establish Camp 3 and Camp 4 once we get the chance,
but we remain on "hold" until the Chinese climbers make the summit.

Eric Simonson

Just got off the phone with Bob at Base Camp

2008-04-30T22:50:00.003-04:00

Hi everyone,

I just spoke to Bob for a few minutes from Base Camp. He sounded strong and ready to go! Here’s the update…

Bob just got back to Base Camp for a 4 day “rest” after his second rotation that had them up at Camp 2. The next rotation is planned to have them “touch” Camp 3 when they get the green light to head up. Once up there he said he will make a determination to spend the night depending on how he feels. Basically a night up at 3 could help him acclimate sooner and potentially have to use less oxygen during next rotation night up at Camp 3.

Bob described the recent climbs through the Icefall as pretty wild – sometimes looking back and just not wanting to be there at that particular moment. The ice reminded him of “VW Beetles and parking lot trams” to give you a sense of the size of ice he’s climbing through. Apparently the Sherpas “pray” through most of the climb through the Icefall, which makes creaking a groaning sounds throughout the day as well.

He said there are lots of “straight ups” in the ice to keep things interesting. Some of the down climbing is done by rappelling with a top anchor. He said since he’s a big guy he gets down pretty quick. That must be fun! Each rotation takes you though the Icefall – up AND back down. So by the time you are up to the summit and back, you could have been through the Ice 10 times!

When they came back down today, the ice had shifted which is fairly common. Bob said it twisted the ladders and changed the path they had taken up but all did well today.

That was all he could get in on the call. He thanked everyone for support back home, and will update us all soon. I wished him good luck, told him to be safe and said we’re all pulling for him. Last thing he mentioned was “dinner is almost ready so it’s time to go!”

-Rob

IMG Dispatch #14 & 15

2008-04-30T22:47:00.002-04:00

Here's the latest from IMG. Back down from Camp 2 and waiting for the green light to head up to Camp 3.

-Rob

A Break After the Camp 2 Rotations
April 30, 2008

IMG
Leader Mark Tucker reports that most of the IMG climbers have now returned today
(Nepal time) to Base Camp after the acclimatization rotation to Camp 2. Justin
Merle and his guided team remain at C2 and will be down tomorrow. After that, we
are anticipating that Everest will be "shut down" for the next few days while
the Chinese make their climb. Our Camp 2 sherpa staff has been permitted to stay
at C2 to maintain this camp, but everyone else is supposed to be off the
mountain.

Tucker reports that some of the IMG Sherpa team has now
been released to make their well deserved run down the valley to their home
villages — they will be back in a few days (this is an annual event which they
look forward to). Meanwhile, a number of the sherpas have been held back at Base
Camp to be ready to start working on the route to Camp 3 as soon as we get the
green light.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

All Well at
Camp 2 and Promising Weather
April 29, 2008

IMG Leaders Mark
Tucker and Ang Jangbu report that everything is going well on the mountain. Most
of the IMG climbers are still up at Camp 2 doing their acclimatization rotation
up there. Our custom weather forecaster Michael Fagin in Seattle
(www.everestweather.com) tells us that the tropical cyclone Nargis in the Bay of
Bengal is now trending away from Everest (we had been watching that with some
concern). This is good news — hopefully, with improving weather, the Chinese
will make the summit soon, and everything will revert to
normal!

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

Audio Field Update #2 from Bob

2008-04-24T10:38:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone - Just got a message from Bob! He sounds good and is continuing to make progress up the mountain. They spent 2 days at camp 1 (20,000ft) and are back at Base Camp for a couple of rest days before they make their way back up to camp 1 for the next rotation.

Take care,
Rob

IMG Dispatch #13

2008-04-22T10:23:00.000-04:00

Acclimatization rotations still going strong..

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #13
April 22, 2008

IMG Leaders Mark Tucker and Ang Jangbu report most of
the IMG members who went up to Camp 1 for acclimatization overnights have now
returned to Base Camp for a couple well deserved days of R and R. Their
timing is excellent, since when they are ready to go back up, Camp 2 should be
ready to use for the next acclimatization rotation. Today, 25 IMG Sherpas
carried to Camp 2 and another big group will go up tomorrow, so the camp will be
ready to use soon. We have several big double wall "Weatherport" type
tents that take quite a lot of work to get set up, but once the Sherpas have
them ready to go, they make great kitchen/dining facilites at the cold and windy
Camp 2 (about 21,000'). The IMG Gokyo trekkers were visiters to Base Camp
the last couple days, and they have now departed, heading for Lobuche.
We'll keep you posted!

Eric Simonson

IMG Dispatch #12

2008-04-20T10:54:00.002-04:00

IMG Reports most of the team has been up to Camp 1 above the Icefall - and the Sherpas are on their way up to establish Camp 2.

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition Dispatch #12
April 20,
2008

IMG Leaders Mark Tucker and Ang Jangbu report that the
IMG team has had several successful days of movement on the mountain.
After all the uncertainty of the last weeks, it is great to finally strap on the
crampons and climb! IMG sherpas have established Camp 1 (about 19,000 feet
above the top of the Icefall) and 14 team members have now moved up to Camp
1 to acclimatize for a few days. IMG sherpas have also been to Camp 2
(21,000 feet) to claim a site there, and we expect work to begin in ernest on
this camp in the next couple days.

Eric Simonson

IMG Dispatch #11

2008-04-16T17:10:00.002-04:00

For those not on the IMG notification list.. Here's the latest from IMG HQ.

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #11
April 16, 2008

IMG Leaders Mark Tucker and Ang Jangbu report that the
Icefall route is now open. Tomorrow morning 28 IMG sherpas will carry to
Camp 1 and Camp 2. The IMG climbers will start up the following morning,
the idea being to give the sherpas a chance to get the camps established
first. With our big strong sherpa team, we expect to have Camp 1 and 2
established in only a few days.

Eric Simonson

IMG Dispatch #10

2008-04-16T08:43:00.002-04:00

The team is getting more practice while the higher camps are being set up... Everyone is doing well.

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition Dispatch #10
April 15, 2008

IMG leaders Tucker and Jangbu report that the Icefall doctors
were back to work in the Icefall yesterday, but took a rest day today, and hope
to finish the route to Camp 1 tomorrow. We now have the green
light from the Nepal Army to start building Camps 1 and 2. The last
few days have been good practice for the team memebers to hone their skills with
the oxygen systems, icefall techniques, ladder crossings, fixed ropes, use of
the stoves, etc. All good stuff to master prior to going up
high. So far everything is going fine with the
team.

Eric Simonson

Audio Field Update #1 from Bob

2008-04-13T17:06:00.003-04:00

Hey everyone, great news... Just got an audio update from Bob today at Base Camp. The team is continuing their acclimatization climbs to build strength and doing well.

Sorry it took a little while to get the audio cleaned up and the technical details worked out. I think it should sound pretty good now. If you have any trouble viewing/listening, let me know and I will try to help.

-Rob

IMG Dispatch #9

2008-04-11T14:02:00.002-04:00

Everyone is at base camp and ready to go...

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #9
April 11, 2008

IMG leaders Tucker and Jangbu report that the team is
doing well at Khumbu Base Camp. Yesterday the climbers and Sherpas worked
on building the BC helicopter landing pad, in case of the need for emergency
evacuation arises. Since the glacier is constantly moving, this needs to
be rebuilt each year. Landing a helicopter at 17,000 feet is always
tricky, and having a good flat heli pad, up on top of a small hill (not too
close to the camp!) can make all the difference. The Lobuche Peak team has
now descended down to Lobuche. The Icefall route is almost completed to
Camp 1 now. We'll keep you posted!

Eric Simonson

IMG Dispatch #8

2008-04-09T12:35:00.001-04:00

The entire team in now at base camp. They had their puja today and have a few days before they start climbing. So far so good...

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition Dispatch #8
April 9, 2008

IMG
Leader Mark Tucker reports that all is well at Base Camp, and that the entire
team is now there. The members had their puja today and after that, the
EBC Trekkers started back down the valley, planning on taking four days to hike
to Lukla. The Icefall sherpas have been making good progress and we expect
the Icefall route to be finished in the next few days. The team members
are spending the next couple days making preparations to begin climbing.
This is a great chance for everyone to do some further acclimatization,
before starting to climb the Icefall on the first C1/C2
acclimatization rotations. We'll keep you posted!

Eric
Simonson

IMG Dispatch #7

2008-04-07T13:00:00.001-04:00

Base Camp trekkers are joining the rest of the teams for the final push into BC.

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition Dispatch #7
April 7, 2008

IMG
Leader Mark Tucker reports that the EBC Trekkers, led by IMG guide Eben Reckord,
ascended Kala Patar for nice early morning Everest views, before joining
the climbers for the final trek into Base Camp. Later in the
day, the Sherpas had their puja, the traditional beginning of the
expedition. The members will have a second puja in two days, when everyone
in the later group arrives. So far everything is going well and by all
reports the IMG Base Camp looks great, after several weeks of work by the
Sherpas to get it well established.

Eric Simonson

Latest from IMG

2008-04-07T09:42:00.002-04:00

First teams planning to reach Base Camp today...

-Rob

Gorak Shep — Last Stop Before Base Camp
April 6, 2008

IMG Leader Mark Tucker reports that the first group has reached Gorak
Shep (about 17,000') and the other teams are now in Lobuche. Gorak Shep is not a
village, just a couple of small lodges on the edge of the Khumbu Glacier
moraine, below the popular viewpoint of Kala Patar (about 1000' higher). A short
distance above Gorak Shep the route drops down onto glacier, and ascends through
the rocks and that cover the ice to the site of Base Camp. So far everything is
going well, and the climbers and trekkers are all on schedule, with the first
team planning to go to Base Camp tomorrow.

—Eric Simonson, IMG Director

IMG Update #5

2008-04-04T11:56:00.002-04:00

Here's the latest from IMG...

-Rob

IMG Everest Expedition Dispatch #5
April 4, 2008

After two nights in Deboche (about 12,000'), two nights in Dingboche (about
14,000'), the group has now arrived in Lobuche (about 16,000') where
they will also take two nights. These are important camps, with good
opportunity for taking some nice acclimatization hikes during
the free days. We want everyone to get to Base Camp feeling
good! Yesterday the last 40 loads were flown from Kathmandu to Shyangboche
by helicopter and are now on the way to Base Camp by
yaks. The HRA medical clinic is now established at Base Camp and
the Icefall doctors (sherpas) have now set the first 9 ladders on the route to
Camp 1. This is good news, it sounds like the route work in the
Icefall is now moving forward.

We'll keep you
posted!

Eric Simonson

Latest update from Bob

2008-04-02T08:53:00.003-04:00

Here's the lastest from Bob - getting closer to Base Camp (BC)!

-Rob

Sent: Wednesday, April 02, 2008 6:00 AM

We just made it to Dingboche at 14,000 feet, just think not even half way
up. We have 6 more days, 4 more walking days until Base Camp where my
other duffel bag awaits my arrival. It has my heavy gear and some
additional snacks. My bag that stays with me has my trekking gear, snacks,
books, and some additional clothes.

The last 3 days I have had the
stomach bug, nothing a few Imodium could not handle. All is good now and I
feel totally in shape, my legs are not tired, my lungs feel strong, and the team
is really shaping up well.

We will be here another day to rest,
which means a day hike maybe up to 16,000 or so. It is amazing there are
some internet places along the way, run by solar panels, car batteries and
random generators.

Yesterday we had a real treat in Tengboche, the
Ringpoche blessed us with putting a scarf over us, with a few rupees wrapped up
in it of course. We also saw a Monk Prayer session, with them chanting, a
real expereince.

Feelin great, and thanks again for all of your
support. The next town we will be at will be Lobuche in 2
days.

Best wishes from the other side of the
world.

Namaste
Bob

IMG Updates 3 & 4

2008-04-02T08:49:00.003-04:00

Here are updates #3 and #4 from IMG.

-Rob

IMG Link: http://www.mountainguides.com/everest-south08.shtml

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #4
April 1, 2008

Good news from Kathamndu. Yesterday afternoon we had our briefing at the
Ministry and received our permits. This morning (Tuesday) Dave Hahn and
Justin Merle flew to Lukla by the fixed wing airplane, then to Shyangboche by
helicopter, where they were met by Ang Passang. This afternoon they will
do the briefing at the SPCC office in Namche and will pay for our Icefall
permits and garbage deposits. Tomorrow they will hike to Dingboche where
they will catch up with the expedition team. The team spent last night in
Deboche and today they are visiting Thangboche for an acclimatization day.
SO--tomorrow they will all be together. So far it sounds like everything
is going well with the group and aside from a few sniffles, everyone seems to be
acclimatizing normally.

Eric Simonson

IMG Link: http://www.mountainguides.com/everest-south08.shtml

IMG Everest Expedition
Dispatch #3
March 30, 2008

I am now back in Kathmandu after trekking up to Namche with the climbers and
trekkers. All team members have now reached Namche and everyone is doing
fine. The first group is getting ready to head to Thangboche today, after
a couple days of acclimatization in Namche and exploring the nearby villages of
Khunde and Khumjung. It was great to see our sirdar (Sherpa leader) Ang
Passang and some of his Sherpa team again. Right now we have about 20
Sherpas up at Base Camp working on building the camp. The SPCC (Icefall
doctors) are now at BC too, and may start work on the Icefall as early as
today. I flew back on the helicopter that we had chartered to fly in our
fourth load of supplies to Shyangboche. Ang Passang was arranging for this
load of food, duffle bags, equipment and oxygen to be loaded on yaks for the
trip to BC. We also sent some additional gear in yesterday by the Lukla
flights and it will be portered to BC. After moving over 30,000
pounds of gear we now have only about 2500 pounds of remaining gear to move, and
this should go in the next day or two.

On the permit front, after
all the anxiety of the last few weeks, we now have good news. Our agents
in KTM had another meeting yesterday with the Ministry and the Army chief who
will supervise the liaison officers and it sounds like everything is moving
forward. The Ministry has now accepted our permit payment this morning and
the formal briefing will be this afternoon. IMG guides Dave Hahn and
Justin Merle have stayed back for the briefing and when this is finished, they
will immediately fly to Lukla and head on up to join the climbers en route to
base camp.

So far so good--we'll keep you
posted!!

Eric Simonson

Update from Bob

2008-03-29T08:51:00.002-04:00

Here's the latest from Bob - Looks like they are making good progress!
So far so good...

Sent: Saturday, March 29, 2008 12:31 AM

I am in Namche right now at 11,230 feet. The information we now have
is that we will not be allowed any outside communication until after May
10th. IMG can send some things out once they are approved by the
representative and military on the mountain.

the mini update is
that we are here for 3 days and have about 5 more days until we make it to base
camp.

feeling good, no problems, met my sherpa Karmarita (Karma)
today, climbing for 7 years 4 summits.
outahere

Hi everyone!

2008-03-26T13:28:00.003-04:00

Rob & Kerry here - Just wanted to say a quick hello to everyone here back home. Kerry and I may have met some of you at Bob's going away party in DC - If not, nice to meet you! Kerry and I are new to walking up hill for fun, and climbed Kilimanjaro with Bob in 2006. Kerry will tell you Bob was a big help in getting us to the top! We've told him he would make a great guide!

We'll be keeping everyone up to date as best we can here with the "official" IMG updates. We'll post them here as soon as they come in. You can also sign up directly for them and follow the action over at the IMG site: http://www.mountainguides.com/everest-south08.shtml#team

If you can't get over to that site, no worries - I'll post all the updates here and send out an email when something new comes in. As Bob mentioned, if he is able to get a Sat call in I will post the updates here as well - and maybe some audio if we can get that to work too.

Take care everyone!
Good luck Bob!

Here are the first updates from IMG:

Team in Kathmandu and Heading for Lukla
March 25,
2008
I arrived yesterday in Kathmandu and am happy to report that
most of the team is now here too. The plan is for the first group to fly to
Lukla tomorrow (the 27th) and begin the trek to Base Camp. The guided teams led
by Kurt Wedberg, Ryan Campbell, Mike Hamill, and Casey Grom will start a day or
two later.
Ang Jangbu reports that the "Icefall Doctors" are now at
Base Camp getting ready to start work on the Khumbu Icefall Route. IMG now has
ten sherpas at BC working on our camp and all our gear is now moving to BC. We
still do not have the permit. Latest news is that the Ministry has forward their
recommendation to the Cabinet for final approval, which we hope to finally
receive in another couple days. In the meantime, we are full steam ahead to
start moving towards the mountain and acclimatizing.
—Eric Simonson, IMG
Director

The IMG Everest 2008 Expedition Begins
March 21,
2008
I have said before that every year is different when it comes
to Everest, and 2008 is shaping up to be no exception! Just when we were
celebrating the end of the civil war in Nepal and the prospects of nationwide
elections this spring, it seems that world events again conspire to make the
Everest season unpredictable. The recent instability in Tibet and the diplomatic
pressure that the Chinese have put on Nepal to close the south side of Everest
makes us remember that it is not just the weather, avalanches, and ice that we
struggle with, but also governments and politics. Knock on wood, it now looks
like we will get our Everest permits, with some conditions — we will likely have
to come down while the Chinese are summiting with the Olympic Torch from the
North side. The exact details will be forthcoming, and we will keep everyone
updated on this.
We have now sent three MI-17 helicopter charters to
Shyangboche and over 22,000 pounds of food, fuel, and supplies has been
transported to Pangboche and Gorak Shep, where it awaits deployment to BC. Ang
Jangbu Sherpa reports from Kathmandu that the oxygen shipment has arrived and
will be repacked for transport by helicopter and yaks to Khumbu Base Camp. Our
Sherpa team is ready to go to Base Camp and finish construction as soon as we
get the green light from the Ministry.
The IMG team travels to Base Camp
in several waves this year, with the main group flying to Lukla on March 27 with
the Expedition Leaders Mark Tucker and Ang Jangbu Sherpa. We expect that they
will arrive at Base Camp about April 7.
We'll look forward to sharing
our 2008 IMG Everest expedition experience with you!
—Eric Simonson, IMG
Director

Getting ready to go

2008-03-25T20:26:00.002-04:00

We had a meeting with the whole group yesterday and talked about some details. Here are some of the basics.

Yesterday the Government approved the permits and now the Ambassadors need to do the final sign off and the meeting is supposed to happen today. Feeling pretty good since the decision was made to leave tomorrow at 5:15 am for the airport. We will be flying out in little planes for about an hour to land near Namche, our next stop. There we will connect with the Sherpa's.

14 Sherpa's have started going to base camp to begin the set up work. Many will go into the ice fall to set ladders and ropes. As it looks we are hopeful that we will be able to make what we call a circuit to camp 3 before our restrictions apply, which we still do not know all the restrictions that might apply. What a rotation means is simply that we will do acclimatization hikes to camp 3 in order to make ourselves stronger. If we cannot get to camp 3, that could potentially make our summit bid harder.

The best thing to do is hope for the best and rely on my training to get me up there, thanks again to Ai and her super workouts, it just might be the best combination.

The trek from Namche to base camp should take about 10-12 days, of which I will probably have no contact with the outside world since even sat phones barely get a signal there, as I am told. I am not carrying any communication personally, I will rely on the team sat phone where I can buy minutes as long as it is charged and gets a signal.

I will try to update, but no news is not bad news.

Thanks again for all of your support, hopefully I can do some update, but at least check the International Mountain Guides web site for their updates if Rob did not get the chance to post them.

All the best
Bob

Tourist Bob

2008-03-25T01:54:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I visited the heart of Kathmandu at Durba Square where the Kathmandu Temple was made from one Teak tree. The city's name was taken from the name of the temple. Many people visit Durba Square, where the rulers used to live. The temples were built in the 16th and 17th century. Here is an adult fact, the Karma Sudra temple and god's were created because the current ruler (forgot his name) was concerned with all of the Buddhist activity. All the Buddhist activity slowed or almost halted new birthing activity. As my guide so pleasantly put it "the gods were created to give a guide or incentive for those to practice their family development, in fact, it has worked so well there are 3Million people in Kathmandu", now you know.

Today I visited the Monkey Temple on the hill where many of the monks live and practice. I lit some candles and spun some prayer wheels.

This afternoon the rest of the climbers arrive and we might get closer to knowing if we will get our permits, lets still keep those fingers crossed and send that good karma. All the sales people out there could take some lessons from these people, I have learned to take only the money I wish to lose.

Had some good grub up there, 3000 meters, MoMo and Banana Lasse, basically vegetable dumplings and a banana shake.

Thanks for reading, talk to you soon.

Namaste

Updates on the Updates

2008-03-24T00:05:00.002-04:00

I made it to Kathmandu yesterday afternoon after about 2 days of travelling and many hours of sleeping and eating. Kathmandu is really active. Cars, motorcycles and bikes riddle the street with some semblance of order. Horns blow about every other second to let you know that they are nearby.

It is 80 degrees here and sunny, I am staying at Hotel Nepal, tucked away off the main drag called Lazimpat.

Yesterday I walked down Lizimpat and made a friend along the way called Naila, a guy studying to be a professor. His brother lives in Texas and is also a teacher.

I walked along side the Royal Palace down to the more busy side of town, where you can find many street vendors. I stopped in a sweet shop for the little sugar balls and a coke.

Today was just as uneventful. Walked the other way to a Temple called Rani Ban, where I made another friend called Dhruba, he gave me his email and said I will be his Tibetan friend, did I mention he was a Corporal in the police here, not a bad friend to make. They were training dogs up there for their squad.

Filmed a couple of kids waiting for the school bus, they were having a test today. The books they use were to study English, they showed me their work.

This country is full of happy people and much excitement, looks a little like Quito Ecuador with a little higher buildings in some parts.

Still have 2 more days until the team is assembled and we start finding out the particulars, like if we have our permits. Last I heard it that it will be alright.

No issues here with the Chinese, no protests or nothing in the papers to speak of.

That is all for now, except that you might see an email from Rob and Kerry, they will update my blog from time to time when technology prohibits me. I might even call into them and he might try to post the audio. No promises, it is not all that easy.

Namaste for now

My emotional state

2008-03-21T07:25:00.002-04:00

I had a dream last night that I was hanging out with Bob Hope at an event, telling jokes and he was laughing with me. I guess I am doing well in the head, and ready to go.

Just got up, waiting for my buddy David to pick me up to take me to Dulles. Flight leaves at 11:25 Quatar Air. Want to get there early Dulles is a zoo and I need my exit row, isle seat to ensure I don't cramp up over the 12 hour flight, then another 4 hours.

Thanks again for all of your support, my phone will be suspended for the next 3 months, so see you on email.

Bob

Feelin even better

2008-03-20T15:38:00.001-04:00

Another Update, permits issued is a good thing, just hope my name is on one of them:

Dear Team, Ang Jangbu reports that there was another big meeting in Kathmandu today and our current understanding is that the Ministry will issue the Everest permits, with some conditions (like the May 1-10 moratorium).

Tomorrow (Friday) is a holiday in Nepal (Holi) and Saturday everything is closed in Nepal, so we probably won't hear anything more before departure. If I do, I will send a note. I would suggest bringing some extra money with you, for example another $500. If you don't need it, great, but you don't want to be stuck over there with no money if there is some sort of delay-of-game.

Have a good flight, see you in Nepal!

This might just happen

2008-03-20T08:59:00.001-04:00

Here is the latest:

Team, I know some of you are getting nervous. I don't blame you--hang in there!! Here is the latest: Jangbu says the Ministry has not issued the permits yet for the Everest teams, though they did post this on the NTB website: http://www.welcomenepal.com/brand/mediacenternews.asp

No ban on climbing Himalayas including Everest: MoCTCA The Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation(MoCTCA) issuing a press statement on March 18, 2008 denied the claim that it has suspended the mountaineering expedition to Mt. Everest saying that the dissemination of false information quoting the ministry in this issue has drawn the attention of MoCTCA. MoCTCA in its press statement said that the Ministry has not banned climbing expedition on Mt. Everest and other Himalayan peaks and the policy related to mountaineering expeditions has remained same as previous. Issuing the press statement, Spokesperson of MoCTCA, Joint Secretary Mr. Prem Kumar Rai has requested all media to contact spokesperson of the ministry for the fact before disseminating the information concerning with the Ministry.

It remains our hope/expectation that the permits will be forthcoming. Unfortunately, in Nepal, everything takes a long time! We are proceeding with our plans as if we are going on schedule. We want to be ready to execute the Plan when we get the green light. I will send an update tomorrow, or as soon as we hear something. I know some of you are leaving on Friday. I will keep you posted! Thanks,

Nepal Might Close it's Mountain Access

2008-03-14T20:03:00.001-04:00

Things are getting a little weird, but hopefully they will work out. Below is a true update from the guys on the ground over there. Keep the faith everyone, too much has been done to prepair. Thanks again for your support.

The Chinese originally asked the Nepal Government to completely shut down the south side of Everest until May 10. They are putting a lot of pressure on Nepal to make sure climbers from the south side do not disrupt the Torch climb. In response to this the Trekking Agents Association of Nepal (TAAN), the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), and other organizations have had several meeting with the government ministers and are pushing a compromise proposal. This proposal would allow climbers to go to Base Camp as normal, start to work building camps, making the route, etc, but then will have the climbers pull down May 1-10 while the Torch climbers are making their summit bid.

From our standpoint, this compromise would be OK. We never make our summit bids this early in May, anyway, so we can work around this. We are not expecting to hear anything further until early next week.

We can not make an informed decision about the climb until we hear of the ministers' final determination. I realize you are all very anxious about this (me too!) but we'll just need to wait a few more days before we know for sure. I will let you know as soon as I hear anything.

Closed to Tourists

2008-03-12T06:15:00.005-04:00

There has been some excitement on the North Side of Everest, China has closed the mountain off to all Foreigners. So far our side is still open but Nepal is getting some pressure to close the mountain from China. China does not want any "Free Tibet" protesters on the mountain trying to get in the pictures when the torch comes down the mountain. Keep the faith, can't have this trip bomb, too much invested mentally at this point. Check out the Everest ER link, see what the Doctors do for our team on Everest

Answering some Questions

2008-02-05T22:42:00.000-05:00

This link was very good. It is what many expeditions post their journeys. I attached the link where it says how to survive. Check it out, it answers many of your questions you have been sending.

Some Questions that the team had about gear and such

2008-01-29T22:44:00.001-05:00

I have received some good questions, thanks for sending them. Here are some of my answers that I will share:

Crampons--You do NOT need technical ice climbing type crampons. You need a good general purpose mountaineering crampon that fits your boot well. Dave Hahn notes that he had problems last year with a pair he used: "they had a bunch of serrations on the tines... predictably, they tended to catch and lock one's foot on a rung. I think it is best to go with steel crampons, with straight tines. If one has normal sized boots, then it probably isn't so necessary to bring a backup pair as more crampons can be obtained in Namche... if one has big and hard-to-fit boots, then perhaps a second pair is a smart thing to have. I bring aluminum spikes as my back-up pair." There are several excellent general purpose mountaineering crampons out there, for example the Petzl/Charlet Vasak ( http://en.petzl.com/petzl/SportProduits?Produit=426 ) or the Black Diamond Contact (http://www.bdel.com/gear/contact_strap.php ) which do NOT have the aggressive serrations on the teeth. There are also several crampons (like the Grivel G 12 and Black Diamond Sabertooth) that have been "improved" recently by adding nasty serrations on the teeth. If you have these type, beware, this may increase the likelihood of a ladder rung getting wedged into the crampon. Practice at home with a ladder just a small distance off the ground to make sure that your crampons won't get stuck on the rungs!!

Helmets---Mark Tucker notes that several climbers decided last year that they were not going to wear a helmet, then got up to the Icefall or Lhotse Face and wished they had brought one, and ended up going around Base Camp trying to scrounge up a helmet. Our suggestion is to bring it so you have the option to wear it if you choose to. Passport photos---Ang Jangbu notes that everyone now will need THREE photos. One on arrival at the airport for your visa. One for your trekking registration certificate (this is a new requirement). You will also need one for your summit certificate issued by the Ministry.

Coughs and colds---Mark Tucker wants me to stress the importance of bringing plenty of cough drops, throat lozenges (prescription Tessalon yellow softgel w/ 100 mg of benzonatate are the best), hard candy, cough syrup, cold medication, etc. Plan on getting a cold and/or cough. If you have any history of asthma, the steroid inhalers can be helpful (talk to your doc). The "Khumbu Cough" is an incessant plague for people living at high altitude and it has wrecked a lot of people's expeditions over the years. If you live in a cold climate, get out and train in the cold weather. Get used to breathing hard in the cold dry air!! Bring a buff or bandana for sleeping at night (warms and humidifies the air a bit). Once your throat gets all irritated from coughing, it is tough to get it healed.

Small water bottles--a couple small (.5L) water bottles that you can put in your pockets INSIDE your down suit might be handy.

Utensils---you should bring a bowl, insulated mug, and a spoon for above Base Camp. We will have dishes for BC and on the trek.

Lithium batteries---the US government has now made it more difficult to ship lithium AA batteries. We used to ship over a bunch of them, but this is not allowed now. We are attempting to source them via Singapore now. I am not advocating that you break the law, but I suggest bring some extra with you. My understanding is that it is OK to have them in "devices" so I suggest that you fill every possible "device" you have that takes AA batteries with AA lithium batteries! The key is just that they must not possibly come in contact with each other, to prevent accidental discharge. You can also carry a couple extra in your carry on, in the original packaging (again, so they can not touch each other). You should definitely have them for your headlamp on the summit day and I would suggest having an extra 6 AA lithium batteries for your walkie talkie, again for summit day. This is cheap insurance. Lithium batteries are the only ones that work reliably up high in extreme cold.

Cheap down pants--- I came across this site: http://www.justdownpants.com/ which has a basic pair at a good price. These sure would be nice for sitting around Base Camp, maybe with a down jacket, especially if you leave your down suit up at at Camp 2.

Fine tuning the climbing gear--you want to be able to do a basic crevasse extrication using the minimum gear. For example, if somebody topples off a ladder, smacks their head, and is hanging down in a crevasse in the icefall, on the fixed rope, where you have to get them dragged up to the edge. A couple carabiners, a cordalette, a couple prussik slings, etc, would be a big help to do this. You do not need a bunch of gear with you, but the knowledge of how to improvise a quick C pulley system would be excellent. You can review this, and also when you get to BC before you head up.

Some other skills to review before the trip--use of your ascenders on the fixed rope, how you will rappel if you drop your descender, how you would get past a knot in a rappel rope, how to ascend and descend past knots and anchors in the fixed rope using your safety sling, etc. You will have the chance to work with Mark Tucker at Base Camp on this---just make sure you have the gear you will need.

My Sherpa e-mail, here is how it works

2008-01-08T19:09:00.000-05:00

Hello Robert, We have assigned Karma Rita from Phortse to climb with you as your personal sherpa. Attached is the invoice. Please arrange to bring the amount either in cash or travelers checks in US$ to be paid to us upon your arrival. We have arranged Karma to meet you in Namche on 28 March at the Sherpa team meeting. Karma will then travel separately to base camp and join you up there. From the US$ 6000 we collect: · $1000 of this will be for tip. Additional summit bonus/tip is optional. · The sherpa will be paid 50% down payment of their salary and equipment money prior to the expedition and they will execute a contract with Beyul Adventure and International Mountain Guides agreeing to work dutifully and responsibly, with the balance of their money and tip paid upon completion of job.

The sherpa will climb exclusively with you on the schedule you chose, under the auspices of Expedition Leaders Mark Tucker and Ang Jangbu Sherpa. · The sherpa will be available to assist you with carrying some of your personal equipment up and down. · The sherpa will be available to assist with cooking while at Camp 1, Camp 3, Camp 4. You will both eat at the dining tent at Camp 2. · The sherpa will be responsible for making one carry to the Col prior to the summit bids to carry his own oxygen bottles and/or supplies. · The sherpa will get a couple “days off” during the middle of the expedition to run home for a couple days (this is normally done after the second acclimatization lap, but is up to Ang Jangbu to decide what is appropriate). · Of the $1000 IMG collects for tip, $ 500 will be considered earned once the climber makes it to Camp 2. · Of the $1000 IMG collects for tip, the full amount will be considered earned once the climber makes it to Camp 4 (regardless of whether summit is reached). I will look forward to meeting you in March.

Regards,Jangbu

Training on the Steps and Crampons on the Ladder

2007-12-23T16:56:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I got the chance to wear my new Millet Everest Boots. My friend Mark Manetti, my Pittsburgh neighbor's son, brought along his new digital video camera and a stair climbing attitude. It probably was not a good idea to have a few Christmas Ale's at the Sharp Edge the day before climbing 36 flights of stairs, but we did it. With the new boots on it was pretty cool. They weigh a total of 7 lbs, about 2 lbs less than my normal double plastics. The inner lining are silver with aluminum in the material to reflect my body heat back into the boot. As you would guess my feet were pretty hot after even the first 36 flights. My buddy Mike counted the steps one year and I want to say there were 756 total. My altimeter shows about a 375 foot gain. Thanks to the work my personal training has done with me, my hips, quads and lower back handled the weight pretty well. My highest heart rate was 171, and when I stopped it dropped to 138 within about 30 seconds. I feel that was a pretty good recovery but Ai Shoda will tell me otherwise probably. Still some work to do with just under 3 months before I leave. I am going in and out of being nervous, especially when you watch the Everest Beyond the Limit shows.

Mark and I put up the aluminum ladder in Vince Manetti's back yard, my Pittsburgh friend and neighbor. It was pretty weird as expected, walking with metal on metal carrying 45 lbs of gear. Check out the videos for your amusement. I can assume that when I walk over a 150 foot abyss, I am sure my nerves will be tested. I cannot imagine if a strong wind happens by while I have one leg down and one up. Again I cannot stress enough about that Bosu Ball that Ai has me working on just about every other day. I can tell the difference and you can kind of see when I waiver, I catch my balance quickly. When these ladders are across a bigger span with my body weight of 195, and my total gear weight another 65 lbs, I just cannot say how I will feel about that.

Got my new passport and airline ticket, about to send the last $18,750 to IMG, bringing the total currently over $33,000. There is more to be paid, I do not want to do an itemized bill just yet.

Cheers for now, more gear keeps coming to my house for those little kind of concerns, like UV rays.

The posts should show automatically but I did it again

2007-12-04T23:13:00.000-05:00

Dave Panneton said...
You're the man Bob. I wish you the best of luck on your journey and will be looking forward hearing your exciting story over the usual sushi and sake. How long will this adventure take from the minute you leave the states to the time you return?
December 2, 2007 7:25 PM
Bob Lowry's Everest Attempt 2008 said...
I just bought my ticket to Kathmandu leaving March 21st and returning June 19th. This is a 3 month ticket which allows me to come back on any other flight in that time period as long as there is a seat. At the worst I will be guarnteed a seat on the 19th. The plan is to come off the mountain by June 1st. I am going 3 days early so I can get over the jet lag, and see Kathmandu.
December 4, 2007 4:40 PM
Walt said...
Sounds awesome, Bob. So I caught that this is an unguided attempt - this means you go with just a couple of other mountaineers and then your required sherpa contingent, just no "guides" hauling your ass to the top, right?
December 4, 2007 5:51 PM
Unguided Definition said...
The unguided climb is just using a Sherpa and not a Western Guide. Basically saving me anywhere from $25,000 Western Guide or $75,000 Ed Veisters. I will be with 7 other unguided folks so I imagine we will help each other.
December 4, 2007 11:10 PM

Training

2007-12-02T17:16:00.000-05:00

The last few weeks have been pretty good ones. My training has changed thanks to a personal trainer that took the time to research what a climber does. Ai Shoda put together some training seen here on some photo's. It is amazing how hard these things were to do. She added some dumbells and weight bars, almost killing me. Today I just did some core work and might be taking tomorrow off.

Got my new Millet Everest Boots. They weigh 7lbs total, they absolutely rock. I have a few more pieces of gear on the way, but for the most part I think I have everything.

Cash to Khatmandu

2007-11-25T21:35:00.000-05:00

Wednesday was a big day, I wired $10,000 to pay for my climbing permit. Here we go. I was on line yesterday buying some more base layers. As it turns out I had to change the name of the blog because Mike just accepted the job of his dreams and will not be going next year because he wants to get a great start at his new career in alternative fuels. This is very important to him so I am excited and wish him the best. As it stands there are 6 other climbers signed up for the unguided trip, I will be the 7th. I am excited, actually had a short dream that I was standing on top and then signing my name on the wall in the rum doodle. I guess it is important to see it before you do it