Pumori Base Camp

Today we climbed up to Pumori Base Camp to acclimatize to 18,600 ft in elevation. Mostly climbing over large rocks and the trail was frozen and muddy that was very slippery. The weather was everything and the kitchen sink - it started out hot 
then turned colder then windy. I was either too hot or too cold all afternoon. When we returned to Everest Base Camp 2.5 hours later, we discovered that of the four miles we covered - 2 miles were leaving and entering the base camp. Everest Base Camp supports 400 - 600 climbers and we calculated a five to one support to climber - so base camp's population is 2500 people. I've developed "Khumbu cough" - it’s normal for many, a dry upper respiratory cough. Tomorrow we trek to Lobuche Village, and then we'll climb to Lobuche High Camp at 18,000 ft. Thanks to Chhiring Sherpa for taking these photos from today.

“The Khumbu cough, also referred to as the high altitude hack, is a cough caused by the low humidity and temperatures associated with high altitudes. The Khumbu cough is named after the valley that leads up to Mount Everest in Nepal, but the cough itself is not specific to the Everest region.” - Source Google

I received the best video today from Hopecam Child Miranda - whom I honored on Stop 2. Thank you Miranda for the video!

Hopecam Child Miranda Video Message to Len

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Everest Base Camp Rest Day 2

The day has been overcast and cloudy and I’ve spent the day in the dome tent working on business items and finishing up some sketches from the trek to the Everest Base Camp. We might be here for a few more days due to the weather. At base camp we see lots of yaks and helicopters and while resting I have been sketching every day, getting to know others in the 14 Peaks team. We have been playing the game “Monopoly deal” after dinner. We should leave Tuesday or Wednesday for Lobuche mountain and summit on Wednesday or Thursday. Lobuche is 20,000 feet tall and has a lot of the same conditions as Mt Everest.

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Khumba Ice Fall

Today Chhiring and I put on our big boy boots, harness, helmet and crampons. Then we took a stroll through the Khumbu ice fall practicing some glacier travel. Last time I passed through a glacier was almost two years ago climbing Mt Denali.

We witnessed the strangest thing coming back - a guy parachuting into camp! The Nepal army arrested him and fined him a large sum of money for Parachuting without a permit.

Parachuter lands at base camp -he didn’t want to waste any time talking to us because he didn’t have a permit and the military was looking for him.

Setting up the prayer flags for the Puja

Later that afternoon there was a very large Puja celebration with a local Lama - everyone in the camp participated. We drank tea and threw a powder called ashkata and asked for the Lama ‘s blessing. When it was over we drank coke and whiskey.

Tomorrow we will stay in camp and practice some rope skills using the jumar and crampons. We will also practice some repelling skills. Looks like we will depart camp on Tuesday to tackle Mt Lobuche.

Perfect Day for a Puja, sun was out!

That’s my helmet in the foreground

Big shout out to Phoenix Tower International and Peppertree Capital for helping us kick start the fundraising effort pledging $100,000 each! Unreal generosity for which we are very grateful.

Thank you Phoenix Towers!

Thank You Peppertree Capital!

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Some of the tents at base camp

Everest Base Camp Rest Day

Today was a day off and our team spent time sleeping and exploring the rest of the camp. 17,400 ft elevation is a lot to acclimatize to, and many have migraines and gastrointestinal issues. I get winded just walking down to the toilet tents only 50 feet below. The scenery continues to get more and more majestic and you can see the route through the icefall very clearly.

Tomorrow is another rest day with a Puja at noon with the local Lama. I met up with friends Mike Hamill (Antarctica & Elbrus) owner of Climbing the Seven Summits and Julie Mckelvey (Elbrus) they have a village camp located about 15 min. Julie arrives to EBC April 10. The 14 Peaks base camp dome tents are still being set up. We have a single space heater in the dining room. During the day it feels like 60 but once the sun goes down the temps plummeted 40 degrees to 20. I can see my breath in the dome tent - not what I was expecting but it’s still mountaineering and I’m not complaining and we have internet !!

There are dogs in the camp that randomly enter our done tent - they are Himalayan mountain dogs - such beautiful and gentle animals. We are almost at 1/3 toward our million goal !

Thanks to all that have helped spread the word and supported us.

Stay tuned for more updates from Len! You can also follow Len on his Garmin to see his location here: Where is Len?

Hopecam Child Kayelah

Yesterday after 5 miles we stood at the entrance to EBC. I filmed a dedication to our Hopecam child Kayelah from Miami, FL and is she is in 12th Grade and is treated at Alex's Place Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and uses the Chromebook we sent her to take online cooking classes while she fights cancer. She wants to be a chef and Hopecam helped open that door! The held up a sign in the picture she sent that says "sometimes you forget you are awesome - SO HERE IS YOUR REMINDER”. Wow if that's not a bolt of encouragement I don't know what is!

Len’s Message to Hopecam Child Kayelah

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Everest Base Camp

Our day started in Lobuche at a hotel that was jammed with climbers and trekkers either heading to Everest Base Camp, Lukla or Mt Lobuche for acclimatization. The crammed dining room, dirty tables, lack of the kind of sanitary best practices made me worried. The #1 advice given from friends who have been here is don't get sick! Chirring and I left at 8:00 am and trekked across a mostly flat river bed that sloped gradually toward the upper valley. Choppers ferrying people & provision buzzed overhead every 3-6 minutes. The approach to EBC is amongst the most heavily choreographed airspace I've ever seen. The terrain became steeper as we navigated heavily travelled boulder areas as trekkers descended - headed back after visiting EBC. The trail dust kicked up. After 4 miles we stopped at a small village called Gorekshep, for some coffee and tea and a well earned break. The winds kicked up as a siren approached.

Arriving at EBC

Hopecam Child Kayelah

After 5 miles we stood at the entrance to EBC. I filmed a dedication to our Hopecam child Kayelah from Miami, FL and is she is in 12th Grade and is treated at Alex's Place Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and uses the Chromebook we sent her to take online cooking classes while she fights cancer. She wants to be a chef and Hopecam helped open that door! The held up a sign in the picture she sent that says "sometimes you forget you are awesome - SO HERE IS YOUR REMINDER”. Wow if that's not a bolt of encouragement I don't know what is!

Our camp site in Everest Base Camp was a 30 min uphill walk past hundreds of multicolor tents of every size and color. The most noticeable are the huge dome tents for socialization, meals and training for climbers willing to pay extra for some comfort. Best of all they are heated. We arrived around 1:00 pm and had elevated platform with a thick mattress. It's not "glamping" because the toilet is still a bucket in a tent 20 yards away, but it's private and spacious. A nice lunch followed by moving into my private tent which was 8'x10' and sported a tall ceiling and insulated walls with a vestibule. Not bad. My daily ritual is to get out early - trek or climb early - eat lunch - shower - then nap. The altitude is 17,500 and I can feel it.

Saturday we get a full rest day - get to walk about the camp (there are over 50 expedition companies operating here) and I'll work some more on my journal.

Stay tuned for more updates from Len! You can also follow Len on his Garmin to see his location here: Where is Len?

Len is honoring Hopecam Child KAYELAH today. Read more about KAYELAH here!

Len’s Message to Hopecam Child Kayelah

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Dingboche to Lobuche

Today we trekked from Dingboche to Lobuche, a short 4 miles with mostly gently sloping topography and wind that accelerated as a storm came in with snow and sleet as we arrived at our hotel. The valley views of the mountains was majestic and the Himalayas continue to live up to its reputation as the most beautiful mountains in the world. I feel blessed that I can actually say that, after climbing in the Andes, Alps, Caucaus’s, Rockies, Antarctica and the Alaska range.

I ran into the guy I talked to at the top of yesterdays mountain - he’s from Moscow. I’ve also gotten to know well an Iranian doctor who will be at our camp for the season. The beauty of climbing is that there is no politics, just a shared love of a sport that requires a lot of team work.

Today we climbed for Washington DC native Hopecam Child Miles who is being treated for bone cancer at Children’s National Hospital. We have a shared love of Legos and when I get back I’m going to hand deliver the Everest Nepal t-shirt I bought in Namche. We are at 16,000 feet now and I’m drinking liters of water to hydrate - the best tool to acclimate. Tomorrow should be a relaxing trek of 4 miles to 17,600 feet to Everest Base Camp, which will call home for the next 3-4 weeks. Thanks to Site Link for sponsoring today and your support of our mission and thanks to everyone for sharing our fundraising page with your network and help me get past the half way point before we start the summit assault.

Stay tuned for more updates from Len! You can also follow Len on his Garmin to see his location here: Where is Len?

Len is honoring Hopecam Child MILEs today. Read more about MIles here!

Len’s Message to Hopecam Child Miles

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSOR!

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Len’s Thank you to Site Link

Acclimatization Day at Dingboche

Today was a rest day at Dingboche. At 7:45 am Chhiring and I climbed to the summit of Nangkartshang at an elevation of 16,800 feet - about 2600 uphill to acclimate to our next destination called Lobuche. Lobuche is at an elevation of 17,600 feet about 3,400 higher than where we are now. The views this morning were spectacular and leaving early means there’s significant less wind on the way up.

View From Summit

Despite being a rest day, the climb was a real challenge as we slowly work our way up the Khumbu valley.

At the top of the mountain we were greeted by the largest hawk I’ve ever seen - must have had a 7-8 ft wingspan catching the thermal updraft from the mountain. The views become more breathtaking each day.

The wing span of this hawk must have been 7 ft tip to tip.

After descending from the climb, we walked through the Dingboche village. Farmers were seeding the fields with barley as yaks pulled iron plows. Women washed clothes in steel buckets and hung them to dry. Despite the primitive way of life here, everyone in the village has a smartphone and WiFi is available everywhere.

There is one hotel that sports a fully heated villa with modern amenities. Only $500 per night - or you can pitch a tent for $5 per night.

Soon we will leave the comforts of the few remaining nights in village hotels as we get closer to base camp.

Thanks to Evolve IP Net for sponsoring today and your support of our mission.

Stay tuned for more updates from Len! You can also follow Len on his Garmin to see his location here: Where is Len?

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSOR!

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Len’s Thank you to Evolve IP

Trek Pangboche to Dingboche

We started today checking out of our hotel in Pangboche by paying a visit to the monastery and asking the Lama to perform a Puja - a special prayer for each climber asking the gods to give us safe passage.

Puja Ceremony at the Pangboche Monastery

We departed at 10:00 for Dingboche where we will spend two nights at 14,000 feet above sea level before departing Thursday for Lobuche. The trek took about four hours and we covered 6 miles with a stop for coffee along the route in the town of Samso Ogma. We can now clearly see Lhotse, Everest and Ama Dablam as we get closer to base camp.

The weather was clear and eventually became more overcast as the day wore on. The last 2 miles the wind kicked up and it became very dusty as we approached the town. Our hotel is located near the town entrance. None of the hotels we have stayed in have heat, and the temps are plunging below zero at night at we ascend. The rooms have beds and bathrooms but not showers. The owners charge $7.00 for a shower and a towel, an easy decision. We had noodles with chicken and potstickers for lunch. The food has been very good and filling but you have to be careful with eating certain types of meat. The most common thing that affects climbers is gastrointestinal sickness.

In the “small world” category, I learned that Ben, who is climbing with our expedition team was actually at the summit of Denali at about the same time as my team on June 20, 2021.

*Dingboche 27°53′N 86°49′E is a Sherpa village in the Khumbu region of north eastern Nepal in the Chukhung Valley. Its population was estimated at approximately 200 in 2011. It is situated at an altitude of 4,410 metres. - Source Wikipedia

Today we climbed for Lizzie from Fort Worth, TX who is battling cancer at St. Jude Children’s Research Hopsital. Her mom says she loves the outdoors and hiking when she is strong. Thanks to Evolve IP Net for sponsoring today’s trek!"

Stay tuned for more updates from Len! You can also follow Len on his Garmin to see his location here: Where is Len?

Len is honoring Hopecam Child Lizzie today. Read more about Lizzie here!

Len’s Message to Hopecam Child Lizzie

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSOR FOR LEN’S trek to dingboche !

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This is the Imja Khola River

Trek Namche to Pangboche

Today was day three of our trek to Everest Base Camp known as “EBC” we are traveling with the group 14 Peaks Expeditions who handle all of our logistics such as flights, gear bag transport, hotel/tents, meals, etc as we move up the Khumbu valley toward EBC. It takes about 8-10 days to make the journey and there are hotels and restaurants all along the route which we share with mules, yaks and many tourist trekkers who’s final destination it the camp. They then turn around and go back to Lukla - and our group goes to the top.

We are finally seeing Yaks

Monument on the trail to Pangboche

Chhiring and myself are an independent team, but there are 12 other climbers and 4 guides in the group seeking to do the same. We left Namche at 8:30, and the day was long and grueling climbing about 4,000 feet to an elevation of 13,030 feet in the village of Pangboche. Our journey led us up the IMJA KHOLA river valley, a departure from the route to Namche. Today we had clear blue skies and could see breathtaking views of Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and Taboche peaks.

We stopped for tea and coffee along the way meeting very friendly local villagers and one very precocious young lady 5 years old named “PALDEN” who serves sugar in our coffee and practiced her English skills. She made it a point to inform us that her birthday is June 17th. These kids don’t ask for anything from us - just conversation and well wishes.

My New Friend Palden

Yes that is a Washing Machine he is carrying

The Nepali Sherpa people are very hospitable and kind. I’m continued to be impressed by the strength and endurance of the Sherpa porters carrying items up and down the valley. One porter carried a washing machine on his back over the nine mile trek to our destination.

*Pangboche or Panboche is a village in Khumjung VDC of Solukhumbu District in Province No. 1 of Nepal at an altitude of 13,074 feet. It is located high in the Himalaya in the Imja Khole valley, about 3 kilometres northeast of Tengboche and is a base camp for climbing nearby Ama Dablam and trekking. - Source Wikipedia

Today we climbed for Erick from Rochester, NY who is battling cancer at Golisano Children’s Hospital. Thanks to Elm Street Development for sponsoring today’s trek!

Stay tuned for more updates from Len! You can also follow Len on his Garmin to see his location here: Where is Len?

Len is honoring Hopecam Child erick today. Read more about erick here!

Len’s Message to Hopecam Child Erick.

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSOR FOR LEN’S trek to pangboche !

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Acclimatization Day at Namche

Len with Ama Dablam in the background

“Rest day climb - first real look at Ama Dablam and Mt Everest before returning back to Namche. We had a beautiful morning to trek and visited a museum in the village about Sherpa life and the Sherpa climbing community. After lunch it rained for the first time during the expedition. A good time for a nap. I’m still asleep at about 10:00 pm and up at 2:00 am. Jet lag and nine hour time zone change has my internal clock confused. We are honoring 25 Hopecam children during this expedition and Namche is the last major village we will experience before arriving at Everest base camp, so it was a major shopping day to bring back shirts - patches - hats etc. More weight but I’m very thankful for the porters carrying our excess gear. Today was also laundry day: last day to machine wash our dirty gear from three days trekking. Tomorrow we leave for Pangboche. Thanks to Elm Street Development for sponsoring today!”

At Namche Temple

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THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSOR FOR LEN’S acclimatization day namche!

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Trek Phadking to Namche

“Today I made the trek from Phadking to Namche Bazaar. Trekking 6 miles and ascending 3,300 feet. Views of the mountains unfolded as we climbed through dense pine forests following the Dudh Koshi River in the Sagamartha National Park. We made some new friends along the way and arrived five hours after a lunch break in the village of Jorsale.” The Namche Bazaar viewpoint has one of the best views of Mount Everest, with panoramic views of other peaks such as Kongde Ri at 6,187m (20,299 ft.) and Thamserku at 6,623 meters (21,729 ft.), Nuptse at 7,861m (25790.68 ft.).

Stay tuned for more updates from Len! You can also follow Len on his Garmin to see his location here: Where is Len?

“Unfortunately some terrible news was reported this morning from Mt Everest - an avalanche caused by a falling serac (hunk of ice the size of a building) ripped through the Khumbu ice fall and claimed the lives of three guides. This is the section between Everest base camp and camp 1, and the most dangerous section of the mountain. We are all praying for the families of the Nepali guides.

Today we climbed for Miranda from Brockport, NY who is battling cancer at Golisano Children’s Hospital. Thanks to Securitas Global and to CEO Peter Seneca for their generous support of our mission.”

Len is honoring Hopecam Child Miranda today. Read more about miranda here!

Len’s Message to Hopecam Child Miranda.

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSOR FOR LEN’S JOURNEY FROM phakding TO namche!

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Arriving in the village of Namche Bazaar and the Mani (prayer) wheels spinning in the waterfall as you enter the main square.

Lukla and Trek to Phakding

“I had to take care of some last minute prep in Kathmandu starting with the immigration department. Nepal Ambassador Sridhar Khatri provided me a visa but it was limited to 30 days and I needed a few more weeks. I completed last minute shopping and bought a pair of 8000 meter down pants for the summit day. There are likely only 3 places you can actually try on these pants - Seattle - Boulder - Kathmandu - they are essentially like a puffy down jacket (for your legs)- most wear a one piece summit suit but I prefer to have the layers in case I overheat and I can strip off the jacket or pants.”

“We had lunch overlooking the famous Boudhanath Stupa that dates back to 500 AD, then we had dinner with the 14 Peaks expedition group that’s on the same schedule as Len and Chhiring - Climbers from USA, Iran, Equador, Ukraine, Mexico, Uruguay, Kazakhstan, England and Nepal, a fun and lively group of about 20 people and a lot of new friendships in the works.”

“I boarded the helicopter flight into Lukla this morning from Kathmandu with all the gear for the trek to Everest Base Camp. Adventure soon to begin. Swiss helicopter Pilot gave me the front row seat and it did not disappoint. The Lukla runway is short (about 300 meters - steep uphill landing). On a plane it’s a nail biter. The planes that come in are flying supplies into Lukla but no passenger flights. There are no roads past Lukla to get to Everest Base camp. I was happy to be ready to START soon.”

Landing into Lukla

“I arrived in Phakding at 3:00 pm Friday with my guide Chhiring and fellow climbers Jose and Lincoln. We trekked 5 miles and arrived at the hotel and were welcomed with hot tea, hot showers and a hot meal. The porter in the photo below is carrying 150 lbs of supplies on his back! Unreal strength - moving uphill at 8,500 feet above sea level. I am happy to report that we are about 1/3 of the way toward our goal to raise $1 Million for Hopecam! I am so proud of the Hopecam team.

Today we climbed for Owen from San Antonio TX who is battling cancer at Methodist Children’s Hospital. Thanks to Alliance Equities Corp and my good friend Dave Dyer for supporting us today.”

YAK’s called a DZO

Stay tuned for more updates from Len!

Len is honoring Hopecam Child Owen today. Read more about Owen here!


Len’s Message to Hopecam Child Owen.

Thank you to the following Sponsor for Len’s Journey from Lukla to Phakding!

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Len’s daughter Viena has provided him jokes to read along his journey,

My Message to Owen

Kathmandu Nepal Arrival

“I had a quick layover in Delhi - and could not resist dropping by (after a 3.5 hour drive each way) the city of Agra to visit the infamous Taj Mahal. While in customs I discovered that the Indian government bans the use of GPS devices - and confiscated my garmin InReach! I took a picture of the device with the officer in the background and the officer almost arrested me for taking his picture! I explained that I just wanted some evidence in six weeks to show the lost and found when I come back through Delhi that I was with the authorities when it was taken from me.” Thankfully Len did not get arrested and was able to board his flight to Kathmandu (minus one garmin InReach). Never a dull moment.

“I arrived in Kathmandu and was greeted by my guide Chhiring Sherpa with a welcome yellow Khata for a safe journey.” Did you know that Nepali mountaineer Chhiring Sherpa summited Mount K2 (8,611m) in just 12 hours 20 minutes, setting a world record of speed climb of the world’s second highest mountain! Read more about his amazing world record!

Stay tuned for more updates from Len!

Read all about the Hopecam Children that Len is honoring on his Mt. Everest Journey!

Thank you to the following Sponsors for Len’s Journey for his travel to Kathmandu!

View all of Hopecam’s Mt. Everest Sponsors here: Sponsors

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Len is on his way to Mt. Everest!

Len is all packed and is on a plane to Mt. Everest! Len is holding a Hopecam flag for the Mt. Everest Summit honoring the 4,000 children that Hopecam has impacted for over 20 years. Len says “Thanks to all for the good vibes, prayers and donations to reach our $1 million goal. After 16 days,$297,000 has been generously contributed.”

Len’s itinerary is Washington to Newark to Delhi. Layover in Delhi and a trip to the Taj Mahal in Agra, then on to Kathmandu, Nepal Wednesday night.

Stay tuned for more updates from Len!

Read all about the Hopecam Children that Len is honoring on his Mt. Everest Journey!