Back at Base Camp

The Ama Dablam team is back at base camp after successfully completing their first acclimatization rotation. With the comforts of base camp, including Internet, everyone has been busy with the important work of updating their Instagram accounts with amazing photos – check out @garrettmadison1, @moealthani, @boldbravebeautifullife, @chase.merriam, @tedhesser, and @eliasaikaly.

Today, team member Ted Hesser provides a detailed recap of the rotation:

This is Ted Hesser calling in from the Ama Dablam team. We are back, safe and sound, at Base Camp after an eventful couple of days up at Camp 1 and Camp 2 on our first acclimitization rotation.

We hiked up a few days ago with heavy packs and burning lungs and got to a beautiful Camp 1 in time for sunset – beautiful clouds and golden rays and Himalayan peaks surrounding in all directions. We ran out of breath, just like I’m running out of breath right now trying to read this to you [laugh], but we woke up the next day and continued onwards to Camp 2 where we tested ourselves against the first technical cruxes of the route and I believe the actual crux of the route on The Yellow Tower – which is, about, an 80 foot, maybe a full rope pitch, of technical climbing at about 19,000 – 20,000 feet.

So very difficult on the body and on the lungs – very cold. But the whole team successfully made it up there. We were greeted with more beautiful views and a view of the rest of the route, which looks daunting, to say the least. A fair amount of elevation and technical terrian awaits us after Camp 2. But we turned around, came back to Camp 1, spent the night, rested up, and then came on back down to base camp today.

We’re all feeling pretty pooped, pretty tired. We are going to try to treat ourselves to alot of rest and food and hydration in the next few days and hope for good weather and a successful climb a few days from now!

Alright, ending the dispatch…

Oh(!) and Garrett says that we had the famous Chicken Sizzler dish tonight, which I almost forgot about [laugh]. But it was really good, it was on fire, the tent may have almost burned down [laugh], no I’m just joking – the tent’s fine. But dinner was great, there was hot showers when we got back down, which was really lovely, and warm tea and all the accoutrements of base camp!

Okay, over and out! Bye!