Everest Update: High Winds – But Scott Parazynski Presses on for the Summit
18 May 7:00 am EDT update: Scott has reached Camp III which is located on a small ledge at an elevation of 7,470 meters (24,500 ft). He will rest and then push on to Camp IV (South Col) at an elevation of 7,920 meters (26,000 ft).
We all awoke this morning to some rather stiff winds here at Everest Base Camp. Add in a few avalanches overnight and it was a rough and tumble night for sleeping. While our tents (large and small) are well-secured, one still gets the regular impression that the wind is about to rip them free of their anchors.
Up on the mountain, it is also windy, but things are expected to get better as the day progresses and all summit plans (including Scott’s) continue as planned. Scott’s summit window still focuses on a 7-8 pm 19 May / 5-6 am Local time 20 May summit.
I just did a Skype update with Miles O’Brien about the wind, Scott’s progress, and altitude acclimatization and plan to do another later today – live – with Miles at the Challenger Learning Center in Manhattan, NYC.
Scott is using his SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker to check in. You can follow his progress all the way to the summit by checking his personal tracking page . Select “terrain” to see how close he is getting to the summit of Mt. Everest.
You can follow Scott’s progress on Twitter at SPOTscott as well as my comments and Miles O’Brien’s.
Photos below show the “Comms” tent where I spend a lot of my time and the interesting terrain it resides upon.
Image: My work space inside the Comms tent. Behind my Macbook is our Hughes 9201 BGAN unit – what a rugged and useful device!.
Image: The IMG Comms tent at Everest Base Camp. I share this tent with the guys who work for Tigress Productions – they are shooting the third season of “Everest beyond the Limit” for Discovery Channel.
Image: Large hole in the glacier we live upon. This pond is where we get our drinking and cooking water. The IMG Comms tent is on the rim of this hole. Rocks and ice fall in regularly. This tends to keep us alert!
Image: Boulder on an ice pedestal next to the IMG Comms tent at Everest Base Camp.
Image: One of the three solar panels that powers the IMG Comms tent at Everest Base Camp.
Namaste
Keith
Astrobiology
