In order to acclimatize to the higher elevations, our team departed from Everest Base Camp last week to Camp I and then to Camp II. After gaining more than 3,500 vertical feet, we had to rest a few days before we could climb up the steep Lhotse Face and “touch” Camp III. Touching a camp means climbing to it, resting for a bit, and then climbing back down to the previous camp. This technique makes sense for climbers using supplemental oxygen from Camp III onwards. However, those climbers attempting to reach the summit without oxygen cylinders will eventually have to sleep at Camp III before “touching” Camp IV. Of course, ours is exactly such an expedition and we were quite surprised when reaching Camp III proved impossible -at least on this acclimatization climb. Anita, who is generally acknowledged to be the second-strongest climber of our team besides Kenton Cool, came down with a severe case of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS).

On the third day at Camp II Anita began to suffer pounding headaches, nausea, and lack of appetite. AMS can affect the most experienced climbers, and even people who have previously felt well at higher altitudes can suddenly develop the painful symptoms on their next climb. After a sleepless night, our expedition doctors, Robert Casserly -the world-renowned high-altitude medical specialist- and Richard (USN Res.) ordered an evacuation to lower altitude. Climbing from Camp II through the Khumbu ice fall to Base Camp is no easy feat, especially not without any sleep. Our friend, Ang Namgel Sherpa, assisted us down the mountain, where we were surprised to discover that another rescue was on its way.

A climber had received injuries after an avalanche hit the ice fall and was air lifted to Kathmandu. Just as we made it to Base Camp we watched as the helicopter attempted to lift off, narrowly missing several ice walls in the process. The thin air makes helicopter rescues at Base Camp a very dangerous undertaking. We were glad that Anita didn’t need to be air lifted but instead had enough strength to walk down the valley to a village more than 3,300 feet lower than Base Camp. There, she should be able to recuperate for a few days before ascending back to Base Camp.

Unfortunately, the weather forecast predicts heavy snow for the coming three or four days, so that we are stuck at Base Camp until further notice. This season being an extremely dry one, high up on the mountain, we are facing a number of additional challenges. According to our Sherpas, the route from Camp IV, on the South Col, to the summit will include several patches of rock. Walking on rock while wearing crampons is not only uncomfortable, but can also be unsafe, especially for those climbers who are not used to negotiating this kind of terrain in crampons. For this reason, we intend to practice walking around Base Camp and below while wearing these metal spikes beneath our boots.

We are hopeful that this will be an early season, meaning that we’ll be able to make an attempt for the summit in the first or second week of May. Of course, we can never be certain of this and while we were predicting an equally early season last year, the weather didn’t turn out to be as good as we had hoped until much later in the season. While boredom is one problem with long expeditions, losing weight and strength is a concern unique to Himalayan expeditions. Since we are living at such high altitudes, typically above 17,500 feet, our bodies deteriorate day by day. Above Base Camp, our muscles begin to slowly shrink permanently and our appetite is diminished. Once we reach Camp III, eating is almost impossible and sleep is elusive. Dark thoughts enter the mind and it is hard to stay focused and to think clearly. We therefore hope for an early window of opportunity to reach the summit. Of course, if AMS strikes again, the expedition may be over before we even get a chance at reaching the summit.

Sherpas, climbers and one yak look on at Everest Base Camp as a rescue helicopter takes off and narrowly misses ice bergs in the Khumbu glacier.