October 1 - Ski route looks great from Camp 2

Well, it’s October – October 1 to be exact. And I feel like those statements I made yesterday about you approach this mountain and prepare to climb it in September and you climb it in October – maybe there’s great signs that we’re moving in that direction very decidably or very definitely now.

I awoke at 4 am this morning and saw thick clouds. I went over and told Parsang the cook that I did not think we would go. But about 5 or 5:15, Leila nudged me and said, “You should check to see if the weather’s getting better.” I checked and saw that I could see the West Shoulder from my tent and soon after that I was up telling the Sherpas that we should probably go this day.

As it’s turned out, it’s been a beautiful fall day. Clear weather throughout, we can see snow moving off the ridges up very high meaning the winds are here. Cooler temperature, the Icefall was not nearly as hot as it’s been before. And I’m really proud to say that the entire team – David, Garry, Brad, Maegan and myself – are at Camp 2.

Camp 2 is 20, 800 feet about. I know most of the things you see printed always have it at 21,000 and something but I’ve never seen that. I don’t agree that it’s that high. We’re actually on one of the upper areas that can be used for Camp 2 and we’re still a bit under 21,000 feet.

We came a long ways from Base Camp today. All the climbing Sherpas are here as well. This is a great feeling this evening. Probably one of the most powerful moments of the expedition so far.

I was behind the rest of the group. Maegan was on her skis. But we had such clear weather. We rounded above the crevasses above Camp 1 where we’d been a few days ago in a white-out. Before us was the southwest face of Everest and the Lhotse Face. And even though she was ahead of me, I thought a great deal about Maegan because I knew she would be excited.

The Lhotse Face looks way ski-able this season. You can scarcely detect where the Yellow Band is, even on the skier’s left side coming down. So I knew she’d be excited, scoping her lines.

And I’ll close for now. I don’t have the photo of Maegan’s Lhotse Face to send to you right now but I’ll try to get one out for you in a day or so.

It’s great to be high on the mountain and moving now that October is underway for this Berg Adventures climb of Everest.