Home Team Bio Medical Research Route Everest Training Previous Experience News Slideshow Our Sponsors School Outreach Contact Us :: Christian Otto :: Eric Otto :: Craig Hare :: Stephen Masselink :: ICP at High Altitude :: Heart and Lungs at Altitude :: Remote Ultrasound :: Medical Care :: Operational Space Medicine :: Climbing Route :: Ice Climbing :: Mountain Skiing :: Ski Competitions :: Explorers Club :: Great Lakes Yachting :: Hauscaran :: Magnetic North Pole :: Mt. McKinley :: Labuje Expedition :: Paddling the Nahanni :: South Pole Station :: Mt. Logan :: Cho Oyu :: Alpamayo :: Satellite Communications Testing :: High Altitude Test Chamber :: Dispatch #1 - Beating the odds :: Dispatch #2 - First day in Nepal :: Dispatch #3 - Day 1 of the Trek into Base Camp :: Dispatch #4 - Day 6 Enroute from Pangboche to Pheriche :: Dispatch #5 - Day 7 Continuing the Trek into Base Camp :: Dispatch #6 - Day 9 Arrival at Base Camp :: Dispatch #7 - Day 10 Puja Ceremony at Everest Base Camp :: Dispatch #8 - Day 11 Third Day at Everest Base Camp :: Dispatch #9 - Day 12 FedEx delivers to Everest Base Camp :: Dispatch #10 - Day 14 Team Enters Khumbu Icefall :: Dispatch #11 - Day 15 Remote Ultrasound Scanning :: Dispatch #12 - Day 16 Climb to Pumori Base Camp :: Dispatch #13 - Day 17 Medical Emergency :: Dispatch #14 - Day 18 Continued Illness and Birthday Wishes :: Dispatch #15 - Day 21 Camp I and Climbing Permit :: Dispatch #16 - Day 23 Mountain Surgery! :: Dispatch #17 - Day 25 Life in Base Camp :: Dispatch #18 - Day 26 Climbing Back to Camp I :: Dispatch #19 - Day 27 Climbing to Camp II, 6325m :: Dispatch #20 - Day 28 and 29 Hanging out at Camp II, 6325m :: Dispatch #21 - Day 30 Back Down to Base Camp :: Dispatch #22 - Day 31 Massive Avalanche, Climbers Nearly Killed. :: Dispatch #23 - Day 31 Everest ER. :: Dispatch #24 - Day 35 Descent to Dingboche. :: Dispatch #25 - Day 35 A Tribute to Pearl Hall Elementary. :: Dispatch #26 - Day 38 Return to Base Camp from Dingboche. :: Dispatch #27 - Day 38 Chinese Summit. Time to Climb! :: Dispatch #28 - Day 40 Program crash fixed. Back online. :: Dispatch #29 - Day 40 Operational Space Medicine. :: Dispatch #30 - Day 40 Everest Link with Canadian Space Agency. :: Dispatch #31 - Day 41 Third acclimatization push. :: Dispatch #32 - Day 42 Preparing for Camp III. :: Dispatch #33 - Day 43 Ascent to Camp III. :: Dispatch #34 - Day 44 Descent from Camp III. :: Dispatch #35 - Day 45 No rest for the wicked! :: Dispatch #36 - Day 46 What Base Camp is Really Like. :: Dispatch #37 - Day 47 Second Everest Ultrasound Guidance Session :: Dispatch #38 - Day 48 Doctor almost killed when rock falls on tent...really! :: Dispatch #39 - Day 30 Live Everest Link with Ottawa Hospital Dept. of Emergency Medicine :: Dispatch #40 - Day 36 High Level Government Meeting held at Everest Base Camp :: Dispatch #41 - Day 49 Climb to the Summit of Everest Begins :: Dispatch #42 - Day 50 Audio Dispatch from Camp II :: Dispatch #43 - Day 51 Audio Dispatch from Camp III :: Dispatch #44 - Day 52 Audio Dispatch from Camp IV :: Dispatch #45 - Day 53 Audio Dispatch after successful summit! :: Dispatch #46 - Day 49 and 50 Climb to Camp II and Rest Day :: Dispatch #47 - Day 51 Climb to Camp III :: Dispatch #48 - Day 52 Climb to the South Col :: Dispatch #49 - Day 52 Climb to the Summit :: Dispatch #50 - Day 47 Everest Team Presents at International Space Medicine Summit :: Dispatch #51 - Day 54 Descending to Camp II :: Dispatch #52 - Day 55 Descending to Base Camp :: Dispatch #53 - Day 57 CSA-Everest Operational Space Medicine Project :: Pearl Hall Elementary :: Pearl Hall Elementary Artwork Slideshow :: Contact Expedition Team :: Contact Website Team

Our Sponsors   All Updates   Tuesday May 27, 2008 Day 57 CSA-Everest Operational Space Medicine Project (Dispatch) Sunday May 25, 2008 Day 55 Descending to Base Camp (Dispatch) Saturday May 24, 2008 Day 54 Descending to Camp II (Dispatch) Saturday May 17, 2008 Day 47 Everest Team Presents at International Space Medicine Summit (Delayed Dispatch) Wednesday May 21, 2008 Day 52 Climb to the Summit! (Delayed Dispatch) Wednesday May 21, 2008 Day 52 Climb to the South Col. (Delayed Dispatch) Wednesday May 21, 2008 Day 51, Climb to Camp III (Delayed Dispatch) Monday May 19 and Tuesday May 20, 2008 Day 49 and 50, Climb to Camp II and Rest Day (Delayed Dispatch) Friday May 23, 2008 Day 53, Audio Dispatch after successful summit! (Audio Dispatch) Thursday May 22, 2008 Day 52, Audio Dispatch from Camp IV (Audio Dispatch) Thursday May 22, 2008 Canadian Everest Medical Expedition Slideshow (Pictures) Wednesday May 21, 2008 Day 51, Audio Dispatch from Camp III (Audio Dispatch) Tuesday May 20, 2008 Day 50, Audio Dispatch from Camp II (Audio Dispatch) Monday May 19, 2008 Day 49, Climb to the Summit of Everest Begins (Dispatch) Sunday May 18, 2008 Day 36, High Level Government Meeting held at Everest Base Camp (Dispatch) Sunday May 18, 2008 Day 30, Live Everest Link with Ottawa Hospital Dept. of Emergency Medicine (Dispatch) Sunday May 18, 2008 Day 48, Doctor almost killed when rock falls on tent…really! (Dispatch) Saturday May 17, 2008 Day 47, Second Everest Ultrasound Guidance Session (Dispatch) Friday May 16, 2008 Day 46, What Base Camp is Really Like. (Dispatch) Thursday May 15, 2008 Day 45, No rest for the wicked! (Dispatch) Wednesday May 14, 2008 Day 44, Descent from Camp III (Dispatch) Tuesday May 13, 2008 Day 43, Ascent to Camp III (Dispatch) Monday May 12, 2008 Day 42, Preparing for Camp III (Dispatch) Sunday May 11, 2008 Day 41, Third acclimatization push. (Dispatch) Saturday May 10, 2008 Day 40, Everest Link with Canadian Space Agency. (Dispatch) Saturday May 10, 2008 Day 40, Operational Space Medicine. (Dispatch) Saturday May 10, 2008 Day 40, Program crash fixed, back online. (Dispatch) Thursday May 8, 2008 Day 38, Return to Base Camp from Dingboche (Dispatch) Monday May 5, 2008 Day 35, A Tribute to Pearl Hall Elementary (Dispatch) Monday May 5, 2008 Day 35, Descent to Dingboche (Dispatch) Thursday May 1, 2008 Day 31, Everest ER (Dispatch) Thursday May 1, 2008 Day 31, Special Dispatch - Massive Avalanche (Dispatch) Wednesday April 30, 2008 Day 30, Back Down to Base Camp (Dispatch) April 28 and 29, 2008 Day 28 and 29, Hanging out at Camp II - 6325m (Dispatch) Sunday April 27, 2008 Day 27, Climbing to Camp II (Dispatch) Saturday April 26, 2008 Day 26, Climbing Back to Camp I (Dispatch) Friday April 25, 2008 Day 25, Life in Base Camp (Dispatch) Wednesday April 23, 2008 Day 23, Mountain Surgery! (Dispatch) Monday April 21, 2008 Day 21, Camp I and Climbing Permit (Dispatch) Friday April 18, 2008 Day 18, Continued Illness and Birthday Wishes (Dispatch) Thursday April 17, 2008 Day 17, Medical Emergency (Dispatch) Wednesday April 16, 2008 Day 16, Climb to Pumori Base Camp (Dispatch) Tuesday April 15, 2008 Day 15, Remote Ultrasound Scanning (Dispatch) Monday April 14, 2008 Day 14, Team Enters Khumbu Icefall (Dispatch) Saturday April 12, 2008 Day 12, FedEx Delivers to Everest Base Camp (Dispatch) Friday April 11, 2008 Day 11, Third Day at Everest Base Camp (Dispatch) Thursday April 10, 2008 Day 10, Puja Ceremony at Everest Base Camp (Dispatch) Wednesday April 9, 2008 Day 9, Team Arrives at Everest Base Camp (Dispatch) Monday April 7, 2008 Day 7, Continuing the Trek into Base Camp (Dispatch) Sunday April 6, 2008 Day 6, Enroute from Pangboche to Periche (Dispatch) Tuesday April 1, 2008 Day 1, Trek into Base Camp (Dispatch) Saturday March 29, 2008 First full day in Nepal (Dispatch) Friday March 28, 2008 Team Arrives in Kathmandu (Dispatch) Latest Updates Wednesday May 14, 2008 - Dispatch #34 Day 44, Descent from Camp III. Hello Friends, Family and Colleagues, Today, after a surprising night of sleep despite life-incompatible oxygen saturations, Eric and I woke at 4am to get down to base camp, a drop of almost 2000m in altitude. We boiled some water and had muesli with powdered milk and we added a chocolate bar to the mix and sugar. We didn’t mention yesterday, but they miscalculated the food here at Camp III, so all we had to eat was a Raman noodle soup each last night. Fortunately, we had brought a two-man dinner that saved our bacon! Along with a couple of power bars, we didn’t go to bed with growling stomachs. We geared up inside the tent, as one cannot step outside the tent without being clipped into a fixed line, the slope is so steep. Several years ago, a famous Sherpa who had summitted Everest multiple times fell to his death when he stepped out of his tent at this camp in down booties and slipped falling down the face into a crevasse. We left at 5:30am with the sun hitting the peaks in the distance including Mt. Cho Oyu which we summitted last October, the world’s 6th highest mountain. At the time we and had looked longingly over at Everest as we watched the sun rise over the world’s highest mountain. Now the positions were reversed, only we have a little more climbing to go to get to the summit of Everest.   Eric Otto in his 8000m Down suit outside the Camp III tent at 530am. The steep Lhotse face falls away rapidly behind him. Here we started climbing down, I didn’t feel too warm, and I only had my down jacket, preferring to bring my down suit up for the summit push later. My hands were getting cold and were not warming up. I asked Eric to stop so I could get my down mitts on before I got into frostbite territory which can happen quickly. Last year on Cho Oyu, we treated one of our fellow climbers for severe frostbite who ended up losing 8 fingers, I do not want to suffer that same fate, and I would definitely have to find another line of work! The down mitts made all the difference. Eric waiting while I put on down Mitts as we down-climbing the Lhotse face. A lone climber making the trek upwards. Soon we found ourselves at the bottom of the Lhotse face, much faster than the climb up. We had Camp II in sight and planned to stop to eat and drink and stow our high gear before high-tailing it through the Icefall back to base camp. Walking back to Camp II on the right below the West ridge of Everest. By the time we got to the Icefall, the temperatures had soared. It is an absurd cruelty to be close to frostbite several hours ago, and to now be on the verge of heat stroke! We both felt like a panting black Labrador retriever in the hot July sun. We were dog-tired by this time so crossing the ladders required extra concentration. Paying close attention crossing ladders when we are dog-tired! Unfortunately, the Icefall demands the greatest physical effort to climb through, which was the last section before base camp. There are several rappels; sliding down ropes to navigate large serac faces. One must be careful to ensure one’s harness is done-up properly, and the rope is threaded correctly through your belay device as once you go over the edge gravity will be unforgiving of any mistakes. Eric Otto rappelling off of a Khumbu Icefall serac face. We soon made it to one of the worst ladders in the Icefall which has since been fixed by the “Ice Doctors”, Sherpas paid to maintain the route through the Icefall. Before, the three ladders roped together would bow out to the right almost 2 feet and would twist. Whenever you walked across it you thought for sure you had a 50:50 chance of flying overboard. Eric Otto crossing the worst of the Khumbu Icefall ladders, which has since been fixed by the “Icefall Doctors.” We were getting ever closer to base camp, our thirst building by the minute. We were teased by the pools and mini-lakes of melted water that had formed. It was so hot the thought of falling in was appealing. The Khumbu Icefall had become the Khumbu waterfall! Eric Otto Crossing a stream recently covered by ice. The Khumbu Icefall becomes the Khumbu waterfall. At 2pm, we arrived at base camp, and happily removed our crampons for the 15 minute walk across the moraine to our camp. Next time up is for all the marbles! Best wishes, Christian Otto   We arrive at base camp. Eric Otto carrying his crampons for the 15 minute walk to our camp.

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