Here is an idea of the “planned” itinerary for the Everest climb. I am sure this will change based on weather conditions and other factors.
- Day 1: Sunday (3/29) – Depart San Francisco.
- Day 2: Monday (3/30) – Arrive in Bangkok.
- Day 3: Tuesday (3/31) – Arrive in Kathmandu – Meet the guides and team.
- Day 4: Wednesday (4/1) – Rest and touring Kathmandu.
- Day 5: Thursday (4/2) – Fly to Syangboche and then onto Namche (via Helicopter).
Trek to Everest Base Camp.
During the entire trek to Base Camp, our goal is to stay healthy and make sure all climbers are acclimatizing well. We are on no set schedule and will take extra days anywhere along the trek to further acclimatize if necessary. It is extremely important that when we reach BC we are feeling good and are comfortable with the thin air at 17,200 feet.
After spending several days in BC acclimatizing, moving into our new home and practicing ladder walking, we will head up to Camp I (19,500ft). We spend a rest day there and then climb up to Camp II (21,000ft). We will then spend 2 – 3 nights at Camp II and return to BC.
Camp II serves as our advanced base camp and consists of large tents for cooking and dinning and several smaller tents for sleeping.
Another rest period is taken in BC and when all are ready we head back to Camp I and the following day up to Camp II. A rest day is taken here and if the weather the following day is good we climb up to Camp III (24,000ft) and spend the night. The following day we return to Camp II for a night and then back to BC.
After this process we will head down valley for a rest period to breathe thick air and enjoy the sunshine and warm weather for several days. This has proven to be extremely beneficial in preparing climbers for the summit attempt. We then head back up to BC and prepare for a summit attempt.
When the weather reports give us a good forecast we will head up to Camp I and the following day move to Camp II. The next day is usually a rest day. If the weather is still holding the next day we will climb up to Camp III. It is in this camp that we start breathing bottled oxygen. Our night there will be spent sleeping on oxygen and we will remain on oxygen for the rest of the summit climb.
** Caroline is planning to arrive at BC on Sunday, May 17th.
The following day we climb up to high camp at the south Col (26,000ft) and rest on oxygen for that night and all the next day. This rest day has proven to be a great asset in letting us rest and recuperate for the summit attempt that starts that night. Around 9 PM we will be woken up and begin getting ready for summit attempt. We will leave between 11PM and midnight and head for the Summit. The next day we will descend to Camp II and the following day to Base Camp.
The following is approximate:
- Day 57: Monday (5/25) – Pheriche
- Day 58: Tuesday (5/26) – Namche
- Day 59: Wednesday (5/27) – Namche
- Day 60: Thursday (5/28) – Lukla
- Day 61: Friday (5/29) – Fly to Kathmandu
- Day 62: Saturday (5/30) – Fly to Bangkok
- Day 63: Sunday (5/31) – Arrive back in San Francisco
Camps shown on a map of Mt Everest courtesy of Alpine Ascents
I like this:
“The following day we climb up to high camp at the south Col (26,000ft) and rest on oxygen for that night and all the next day.”
From what I’ve read of other expeditions, there was no rest day on the South Col. Seems like a good idea to me.