21,000 feet on the North Side of Mount Everest: Advanced Base Camp

After a light breakfast on the morning of May 4, our trekking group left Intermediate Base Camp (IBC) a bit before 10 a.m. on a sunny day. Our destination was six miles away and just over 2,000 feet higher up the East Rongbuk Valley: Advanced Base Camp (ABC) on the north side of Mount Everest.

I started off strong in the thin air, and while the weather made for some great pictures, the sun was an added complexity. The air temperature was a comfortable 50 degree F or so, but the intense sun made it feel like it was in the 90's.

We enjoyed the scenery and slowly made our way higher before stopping after a couple of hours for lunch. Jagged ice called penitentes rose over us along the trail and kept us company. By this time (and for the last couple of days), one side effect of the altitude was that I had no appetite. I made myself drink some water and I nibbled on some beef jerky and part of an energy bar. We then continued on and navigated two long up-and-down stretches of the rocky trail that left me gasping for oxygen. With my pace slowing down, I pulled out my iPod with the hope that some music would help distract me.

The optimum pace is one that you make some ground, but also don't have to make frequent stops to catch your breath. I tried adjusting my pace and just couldn't find anything that I would call optimum. Often I stopped and leaned over my trekking poles, panting to catch my breath. The thin air and bright, intense sun were a 1-2 combination that pounded on me. My legs felt a bit tired, but okay, so I continued to make slow progress up the valley towards ABC. It was getting later in the afternoon as we walked past a ridge and saw our first glimpse of Mount Everest in several days. Since we were now on its flanks, and at an angle to its peak, the mountain looked very different than it had way back at Chinese Base Camp about a week ago.

Finally, I caught a glimpse of more people and several colorful prayer flags fluttering in the high altitude breezes. It was still a beautiful day as I half-walked, half-stumbled through the ABC area. One more small ridge later and a colorful landscape of tents, yaks prayer flags and snow and ice appeared. After a couple of hours of rest and hot drinks in the dining tent, I ate a small dinner and then wrestled my gear into a tent. The ground was rocky, but I was exhausted and quickly fell asleep.

I was warm in my sleeping bag, but woke up several times. The air was very dry and simply turning over caused me to wake up breathing hard. At about 8:30 a.m., I got dressed and walked the short distance to the dining tent. After a poor attempt at eating breakfast, I spent most of the day in the dining tent trying to get rehydrated and rest up for the return trip the next day. Instead of simply going back down the IBC, the plan was for us to return the full 12 or so miles down to Chinese Base Camp. Although it was 4,000 feet lower in altitude, it still promised to be a very long, challenging day.

I did walk around ABC a bit in the afternoon to loosen up my legs and take some pictures. It was another beautiful sunny day with views without compare. I've read a lot about Mount Everest, in particular the early British expeditions of the 1920's, and it was almost unreal to stand on the same ground and see the mountain and surrounding terrain as they saw it. The peak of Mount Everest looked odd, as it was about 1.5 miles to the west and still another 8,000 feet higher than ABC. I walked slowly and tried to breath easy - at 21,000 feet, there is only 50 percent of the oxygen available at sea level.

After a light dinner, I called my family on a sat phone to let them know that I had made it, missed them, and would see them in about a week. I then crawled into my sleeping bag about 8:30 p.m., and after lying there for about an hour waiting to warm up (another side effect of the thin air), I finally fell asleep.

Up next: The tough trek down the valley to Chinese Base Camp.

Download the movie