Our climbers have been working hard on a training route established in the icefall. We have been crossing ladders, ascending ropes and abseiling (rappelling)— practicing for our travels up the mountain. It was hard work but the skills learned and practiced here will make our time on the mountain safer and more efficient. While we were training, the Sherpas made their second trip to camp 2 bringing another load of supplies up to 21,300 feet to establish a comfortable perch partway up Mount Everest.
The mood around Everest basecamp is somber with the news of another Sherpa’s death. Apparantly, an experienced Sherpa fell to his death in a large crevasse on his way to camp 2. We can’t forget that we are poised on the flanks of a serious mountain and we will continue to do everything we can to make our own time on the mountain safer.