Trekkers leave Base Camp just before Avalance

After a bless­ing by a Bud­dhist lama, hik­ing in a light snow, mov­ing above the tree line, and meet­ing expe­di­tion teams in lodges along the way, Moun­tain Mad­ness trekkers suc­cess­ful­ly reach Ever­est Base Camp! One night sleep­ing on the glac­i­er and then we moved down to thick­er air….

Trekkers were all safe and nowhere near the Ice­fall for the recent avalanche. Sher­pa staff on climb­ing expe­di­tions set the high camps for climbers, fer­ry loads of sup­plies up to thin air, and are inte­gral to the suc­cess of every climb­ing team on the moun­tain. We send our con­do­lences to the fam­i­lies and friends of those sher­pas lost in the trag­ic Ice­fall avalanche this week – they are the back­bone of Nepal Ever­est expe­di­tions, and we hon­or their strength and courage in such dan­ger­ous work.

~Deana Zabal­do, Guide