1Day 1. Arrived at Lukla airport - on schedule I might add.
2Day 1. Lukla airport's very short and somewhat steep airstrip.
3Day 1. Leaving Lukla.
4Day 1. Lukla to Monjo. My guide Aman and I.
5Day 1. My porters Rahm and Kamal. Yes, I had 2 bags: lots of warm gear for my anticipated stay at Everest Basecamp.
6Day 2. Monjo to Namche Bazar.
7Day 2. Namche Bazar. View from Moonlight Lodge.
8Day 3. Namche Bazar to Deboche.
9Day 3. Namche Bazar to Deboche.
10Day 3. You can see the trail starting on the left. We followed it to the village in the distance; went down to the river and then back up the other side.
11Day 3. Just when I was getting very tired I ran into Kathy. She was a member of Stephen's expedition (on her way back due to injury). She told us that Stephen and team were in Deboche and that gave me my second wind! Stephen and Kathy had climbed together 3 times before.
12Day 3. Some of the rhododendrons were still blooming a little here.
13Day 3. Early reunion in Deboche! Stephen and team were in the valley to get strong again before attempting the summit push.
14Day 4. Deboche. We woke up to snow, which was rather unusal at this time of year.
15Day 4. Deboche.
16Day 4. Visit to Tenboche. From 2nd on the left: Kay, Frank H., Frank S., Chris, Tom, Adam and Matt.
17Day 4. In front of the Tengboche Buddhist Monastery.
18Day 5. Deboche to Pheriche.
19Day 5. Deboche to Pheriche.
20Day 5. Approaching Pheriche.
21Day 5.
22Day 6. Day hike from Pheriche to Denboche and back. Aman and I.
23Day 6. Looking down on Pheriche.
24Day 7. Pheriche to Lobuche.
25Day 7. Pheriche to Lobuche. Memorial Hill: Stone monuments for the fallen mountaineers.
26Day 8. Lobuche. I scrambled up and down a rocky slope to see this - with the help of Aman and Kamal: they both held my hand and were not going to let me slip!.
27Day 9. Lobuche to EBC. This is already the Khumbu Glacier on the right.
28Day 9. Gorak shep to EBC.
29Day 9. Gorak Shep to EBC.
30Day 9. Gorak Shep to EBC.
31Day 9. Gorak Shep to EBC.
32Day 9. First glimpse of Everest Basecamp, which is built on the glacier.
33Day 9. Naturally the Alpine Ascents Camp is at the very far end.
34Day 9. Ice Pinnacles close to EBC.
35Day 9. Walking into EBC.
36Day 10. Just before 10pm on May 18: Stephen all geared up and ready to start the summit attempt.
37Day 10. May 18th, 10pm: All ready to go!!
38Day 11. The orange tent was my home for 9 days.
39Day 11. Beautiful day at EBC. View from AAI Camp.
40Day 11. Glacier above the Khumbu Icefall.
41Day 11. AAI Camp. The blue tents on the left are the communications (front) and dining tent (back). The grey tents are the 2 cook tents.
44Day 14. May 22, 8am. The day can start off with blue skies...
45Day 14. Ellie (AAI's Basecamp Manager) keeping communications with the outside world up to speed.
46Day 14. While the team was doing their summit bid I usually had the dining tent to myself.
47Day 14. May 22, 10:30am. The weather can chance quickly...
48Day 14. Posting to our blog.
49Day 14. May 22. Team Blue (Stephen's team) leaves Camp 4 for the final summit push.
50Day 15. May 23, 7am. The sherpas in camp kept the juniper burning all night.
51Day 15. May 23, 8:20am. In the comms tent: Lakpa radios through that Stephen made it to the summit of Mt Everest!! (Check out the video!!!! Desktop or iphone version)
52Day 16. Now we just wait for the climbers, guides and sherpas to get back to Camp.
53Day 16. My shower being prepared.
54Day 16. May 24. AAI Camp.
55Day 16. May 24. This was the last of the good weather. Later that day it started snowing and it didn't stop until some days after we marched out of there on the 26th.
56Day 17. May 25. Getting the dining tent ready for the troops to arrive between 10am and noon.
57Day 17. May 25, 10am. Snow was slowly but surely accumulating.
58Day 17. May 25, 12pm. Stephen walks back into EBC; he's the middle one of those 3. (The shaking is me trying to keep the snow off the camera; when I refer to 'orange' I mean the darker orange windsuit). (Check out the video!!! Desktop or iphone version)
59Day 17. May 25th, 12pm. Stephen is back safe and sound!!!! (Check out the video!!! Desktop or iphone version)
60Day 17.
61Day 17. from front left: Stephen, Frank H, Phil, Tom, Kay, Frank S, Adam, Mike M,Matt, Vern, Mike H, Lori.
62Day 17.
63Day 17. The bottle of Veuve (given to us on Stephen's Everest party by Audrey and Larry) survived and was much appreciated - despite one of us being tired to exhaustion.
64Day 17. Phil managed to make the most delicious chocolate mousse!!!!
65Day 19. The whole previous day we had marched in snow conditions to Pheriche. On the 27th we woke up to blue skies and we started hoping that the helicopters were actually going to make it...
66Day 19. May 27. Pheriche. Waiting for the helicopters. From left: Matt, Phil, Stephen, Frank S, Chris and Frank H.
67Day 19. We could all jump for joy at this sight.. but let's wait until we are actually in Kathmandu..
68Day 19. 'Stopover' at Lukla airport. No planes were flying that day.
69Day 19. Taking off from Lukla to Kathmandu.
70Day 19. Frank S, Stephen, Mike M. On our way to Kathmandu!!!
71Day 19. Landed at Kathmandu airport at 10:12am: Mike M, Caroline, Stephen and Frank S.
72Après EBC. May 27 - KTM. In the Yak and Yeti Hotel. Reunion with Alison.
73Après EBC. May 28 - KTM: Alison and Stephen in the 'Fire and Ice' Pizzeria in Thamel.
74Après EBC. May 29 - KTM. I caught up with Nirma, who was my guide in Sep/Oct 2007 on the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek.
75Après EBC. May 29 - KTM. Caroline, Alison and Stephen.
76Après EBC. May 29 - KTM. Stephen and Vern.
77Après EBC. May 29 - KTM. Alison and Stephen at the Rumdoodle Restaurant.
78Après EBC. May 29 - KTM. At the Rumdoodle Everest Summiteers get to sign the book....
79Après EBC. ... and the board. Everest Summiteers only.
80Après EBC. A famous Everest Summiteer.
81Après EBC. May 30 - KTM. Mike M, Kay, Stephen and J.J.