In May of 1999, I trekked out to Everest Base Camp. It was to prove to be a life changing experience for me.

 

Originally, the plan was to simply go on what sounded like a great adventure. I had followed the 1996 Everest tragedy minute-by-minute as it was cybercast on Outside Online. I had also read Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and The Climb by Anatoly Boukreev.  I was also pretty burnt out at work, and a 24-day trek out to Everest seemed like the best way to unplug for awhile.

 

I joined Alpine Ascents' to trek out to Everest base camp. One of the unique things about their trip is that it was lead by Todd Burleson, a 2-time Everest summiter, and winner of the Sowles award in 1996 for his rescue efforts that year on Everest. In addition to seeing Everest base camp, I was really interested to hear his side of the '96 Everest tragedy.

The trek was fabulous. It really seemed to have two parts to it. The first half was mainly cultural, with visits in Katmandu and out in the Khumbu to the wonderful Buddhist monasteries. The second half was all about the mountains and climbing stories with Ama Dablam, Lotse, Nuptse and Everest as the backdrop. I also made some good friends--particularly with Kim and Saxon, who I would later team up with many more times for some incredible mountain adventures around the world.

When we reached base camp, I new right then that simply trekking out to these mountains was not enough. I wanted to challenge myself to see if I could climb them and see the views from the summit.  So the following spring, I took Alpine Ascents' 6-day mountaineering course at the base of Denali in Alaska with my sister Jamie, Kim and Saxon. This ingrained into us the basic skills we needed for doing some safe climbing of our own. 5 years later we are still going strong...

  See the pictures of this trip

  See recommended reading for this trip

  See a gear list for this trip