In the summer of 2004 I wrote down an ambitious list of objectives for my year away from the corporate world. The list included some work related items, but in reality it centered on endurance events around the globe such as triathlons and mountaineering. The plan, on paper at least, was to climax the year with an attempt on Everest. After leading a successful expedition to Mt. McKinley (20,320 feet) in May 2004, I felt that I could mount a credible effort with ten months to train, prepare and gain additional experience. I shared my plan with some close friends and their response was muted; they thought I was mad. Privately, I was also apprehensive regarding the dangers and difficulties of the path I chose.
My confidence increased as I completed milestones such as Ama Dablam, the aptly named Epic Camp Australia (a triathlon training camp), and the Ironman Canada and New Zealand triathlons. In a sense I had trained for Everest ever since I started hiking with my parents at age five and rock climbing at age thirteen. The idea of attempting Everest gradually changed from a far fetched dream into a reasonable proposition. I knew I needed a strong partner to have a chance to summit, and sharing the adventure with a friend would make it much more enjoyable.
Daniel Protz was my college crew teammate, a world champion rower, investment colleague, and regular climbing partner. He was the ideal mate for the ten week journey and not just because he was my only friend with the inclination, time and resources to commit to the venture. We had climbed Mt. Elbrus (18,510 feet) and Mt. McKinley together, and we were equally stubborn and aggressive. Most importantly, we were both fully committed, willing to do and endure anything required for success, while climbing safely. We share a passion for tackling athletic challenges, and in March we completed the New Zealand Ironman triathlon and climbed in the Southern Alps. These were our final mental and physical preparations for our Everest expedition. It is critical to have a compatible team as nothing torpedoes an expedition faster than personality conflicts.
In January of 2005 we wired the deposit to Asian Trekking and ordered oxygen bottles from Russia. Asian Trekking was our Nepal based expedition support agent. With their help we acquired government permits, purchased food, and hired two cooks and two high altitude climbing Sherpas. The staff, equipment and support provided were excellent and essential to our success. Despite the hardships of living in Tibet and Nepal, the Sherpas have a positive attitude, are sharp and possess an immense work ethic. We called ourselves The Big Green Everest Expedition after the mascot of our alma mater, Dartmouth College.
Climbing Everest was an unforgettable athletic, spiritual, cultural and learning experience. It was a much broader adventure than I expected. On June second, after a ten hour climb from high camp, I stood on the summit with Dan and our two indefatigable Sherpas, Ang Mingma and Mingma Dorjee. I felt joy and satisfaction, but these were tempered by my fatigue, cold feet and awareness of the precarious nature of our position. At the summit the oxygen in the air was a third of that at sea level, and we had a long, complicated descent ahead of us.
Climbing at extreme high altitudes, even with the aid of supplementary oxygen, is demanding and the margin for error is razor thin. A climber can feel strong one minute and suddenly, fall apart the next, struggling to survive. The four bodies we passed on summit day were a grim reminder of this. One was of a Slovenian climber who had run out of oxygen on his return from the summit. He sat down, too exhausted to continue and died. When we passed by two weeks later, he was still attached to the fixed rope on the summit pyramid, his anguished face and clawed fingers were a terrible sight. Thankfully, we had strength and good health, spare oxygen bottles in our backpacks, and great support from our Sherpas. Nevertheless, I have never felt as tired in my life as I did on summit day, especially in the last hours of the down climb to high camp.
While we had been remarkably healthy throughout the expedition, Everest would not let us part unscathed. On summit day I suffered minor frostbite to my toes. Dan developed a serious chest infection a few hours after we dragged ourselves into advanced base camp, shattered from our summit push. His lungs filled with fluid, nearly drowning him. I scrambled through the cold night to find a doctor. At 2 am Dan received an IV of antibiotics and oxygen. He was weak, but able to hike to base camp the next day.
We were lucky on our climb of Everest. Any number of variables such as high winds, a faulty oxygen regulator, or a slip at an inopportune moment could have derailed our summit bid or worse. I shudder to think of what could have happened if Dan’s debilitating infection had struck a day or even a few hours earlier. There is virtually no chance of rescue from high on the mountain. Our margin of luck was just enough for us to summit and return safely.
I hope the following photo-essay gives a feel for our experiences. You can find more photos and information about the expedition at
www.biggreeneverest.com. The website will soon incorporate our foundation to aid Sherpa education. Tourism to the Himalaya brings money and awareness of the region. High altitude climbing Sherpas, who would otherwise be sustenance farmers, can make a better living by working on expeditions. However, many Sherpas would prefer their children didn’t have to work in such a hazardous occupation. The foundation will provide aid for the higher education of Sherpa children.
