Number 3 for Kurt - huge congratulations! I bet there's an IPA or two awaiting him in Bishop when he returns.

IPA, Dinner, Hugs, Tears, and very, very proud smiles.

Congratulations doesn't seem to be a big enough word. Come on home safe, now, K-dub. We miss you!

-L

You can add Tamae Watanabe from Japan as another one who reached the summit of Everest on Saturday the 19th. If the name is familiar, Watanabe set a Women's age record for climbing Everest 10 years ago when she was 63. Now 73 she broke her record by 10 years. Climbed from Tibetan North Col approach.

On the SMI website tater reports that Kurt Fred And Kancha Nauru Sherpa are all at the Col sleeping now and will descend further in the morning.

CONGRATULATIONS GUYS...AND THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR MT. EVEREST SUMMIT WITH ALL. OF US ON THE WHITNEY ZONE!!!

Congrats and thanks for letting us follow your adventure! Sierra Nevada representin' in the Khumbu!

Kurt Fred and Kancha Nauru Sherpa are at Camp 2 now and may still be descending further according to Alan Arnettes website...thankfully they are all safe and well.

According to Alan Arnette's website The SMI team is safely back at Everest Base Camp.

According to 'tater' on the SMI blog site, Kurt and Fred have descended further to where they can sleep in a bed and have access to the internet. I think it's called...CIVILIZATION! ha, ha, they deserve it....I bet it feels great to them to sleep in a real bed after two plus months sleeping on the cold ground in a sleeping bag and tent.

Wow, they will be back in L.A. in two days! ...After being on the summit of Everest three days ago.

Here's their picture: (Who ARE those guys? They look like goblins.   )

Kurt and Fred have posted a WRAP-UP of their Mt. Everest Summit.

CHECK IT OUT!



http://sierramountaineering.com/blog/

Wow, what a fun thread to come home to and read! Thanks for everybody's comments and for following along. It was fun to be able to share it on our blog. Last year a 3G cell tower was erected at the last town below Everest Base Camp called Gorak Shep. That tower was strategically positioned to reach EBC. I had an iPad rigged with a local SIM card and that gave me the ability to send out all those blog posts with pictures.

Speaking of pictures, I've uploaded everything to the SMI photo gallery. For your viewing pleasure are 2900+ photos. If you're interested here's a link: http://www.kurtwedbergphotography.com/In...23167265_3Zt2mR

Congratulations, Kurt and Fred!! It was very exciting to follow your blog and live a dream vicariously through you guys!

Congratulations Kurt and Fred...watching and waiting for news of your Everest summit was both exciting and nerve wracking for me.

Thanking you for sharing your adventure with us in such detail.

Best wishes for more adventures and please share them with all of us on the Whitney Zone.

Lynn

Hey Zoners,

If you haven't checked out Kurt's approximately 3,000 photos you really should take a moment to look at them. For me, these photos are the closest I'll ever get to Kathmandu. Beautiful photos, I had no idea what Kathmandu looked like.

Kurt, did Fred buy a rug while he was over there?

I have only seen a small percentage of all the photos, can't wait to look at the rest. Thanks again for sharing your photos.

For those of us time-challenged individuals, I wish there were a place we could view the "100 best shots" out of the 3000.

Anyone with $65,000 can climb/be pulled up Everest. Unless you are a guide and get paid to do it.

I would love to go as far as Everest Base Camp. I have become so interested in all things Everest after following Kurt's trip reports. The trek from Lukla through all the small villages was such a beautiful trek...I liked seeing how the people worked the land to plant crops and I learned things such as a Sherpa is a special group of people who live in an area of Nepal at a high altitude so they are more adept at performing well at high altitude and they have a culture of their own. Before reading Kurt's journal I had always thought a Sherpa was a word to describe someone who is a porter. I have learnedl that Sherpas become ......over time with experience.... skilled mountaineers and guides in their own right.

I see that Kurt Wedburg / SMI is headed for MT. KILIMAJARO & MT. ELBUS....I wonder what the chances are that they will log a journal like they did on MT. EVEREST.....since the chances of me ever getting to these remote destinations is slim it's nice to read and see what it would be like to actually be there.

Hey Moose Tracks...what do you think the chances are we'll see a trip journal from MT. K. & MT. E ?