New Tingri, Tibet (via satellite phone)
Elevation: 4350m/14,268ft
Clear Skies
7:45am Tibetan time

Eric Brown, Last Day Traveling to Basecamp

Hello! This is Eric Brown for Patagonia Mountain Agency, Everest North Ridge Expedition reporting from New Tingri, Tibet. It is currently April 13, 1999. Time is about 7:45 in the morning. Altitude is 4,350 meters which comes out to 14,268 feet and it's clear and the sun is just about to rise.

In about 30 minutes we leave for base camp. Last night Kalu, our cook, arrived along with Pema and Pasang, Sherpas with our gear, so we are ready to roll. Our other two clients finally made it to Kathmandu last night and are leaving today and should get to base camp by April 15 or April 16.

New Tingri is a real small village and our hotel, Qomolungma, which is the Tibetan word for Mt. Everest, is about 10 washboard miles away from the actual town where we are. Our hotel is on the main highway--no showers, no hot water, no heat--but the food has been good.

Yesterday, we spent the morning climbing to the top of Crystal Fort, a crumbling and rambling series of walls and buildings hanging on the side of a mountain. Omar and Jacek agree on a 5.3 scramble rating. At the top, we had a cool view of Mt. Everest and the sky was incredibly blue. We spent yesterday afternoon lounging in the sun, washing clothes, visiting, reading, listening to Voice of America and BBC World Service and general resting and acclimating. Acclimation is going well. Other than the occasional "squirts" (as Ian and Omar like to call it), everyone is in good health and spirits. Speaking of spirits, Pawel, who was recently awarded a master's degree in economics, often buys wine for everyone in the evenings to further his, and our, celebration.

As we prepare to switch gears from road trip to base camp today, the mood among us is excited and curious. The final kilometers, although a short distance, will take about 5 hours as we gain additional altitude and the road conditions worsen, plus most of the way, Mt. Everest will be in view, so I expect we'll stop a number of times to take pictures and just gaze.

Expect the next dispatch in two or three days once we are settled in the base camp. This is Eric Brown...hasta luego!