Mountaineer Martin (aged 64) and Nanatuk Nathan (aged 11) are climbing Mount Everest, 200 stairs per day. It will take them 95 days including 4 Camp rest days.
This is their journal:
Day 88 of 95: Friday, July 10th 2020 (Elevation 28,100 feet: Stairs 16,800: Vertical height climbed 10,625 feet)
Mountaineer Martin:
Last night, I had a call from K2 Kristiana on the satellite phone: “I just wanted to check in and let you know that me and my kids are still climbing towards the summit. After reading your update 2 weeks ago we decided to rework our pace so we could finish on July 17. We will be reaching Camp III today (we are at 11,404 steps). We are enjoying this challenge and although some days we don't climb together, we all have been accountable to each other.
My kids, Twist-Lock Teague (15) and Leavittation Lucia (12), are definitely faster than I am but I am confident that I still have better endurance! My husband used to work at the Calgary Science Center and he hosted a talk by a man who had climbed Everest. Every once in a while my husband will shout out a fact or anecdote he has remembered while we are climbing. Twist- Lock Teague (who is my facts and figures guy) figured out the pace of the man who has the record for fastest Everest climb and we realized that he climbed Everest at a faster pace than we are climbing.” Great job Winter’s family. See you at the top.
Today is the start of the “Killer Kramp” virtual Everest climb. Climbers have been acclimatizing at Base Camp and they left at 8am for the 8 day challenge.
Day 93 of 95: Wednesday, July 15th 2020 (Elevation 28,725 feet: Stairs 17,800: Vertical height climbed 11,250 feet)
Mountaineer Martin:
Over the last few days Nanatuk Nathan, Sherpa Jyamchang and I have received many messages from climbers starting up the mountain on their “Killer Kramps” (8 days) and “Everest Extreme” (4 days) challenges. The last seven days of climbing have been very difficult. We are all under oxygen and are getting very little sleep. Nanatuk Nathan has been wearing his Everest socks, using his hand warms and enjoying a Twinkie each night. We are getting very excited, only 2 days to go before we reach the summit……one step at a time.
Nanatuk Nathan:
For my birthday I got an awesome gift of super warm Everest socks from Nana Sue. They are coming in handy because it is never warm any more. Climbing is getting harder, but I know the harder it gets the closer we are to the end. There are only 2 days left but with little sleep I know it will feel like much longer. I wonder how we're getting home? Hope we don't have to climb back down!"
Day 95 of 95: Summit Everest: Friday July 17th 2020 (Elevation 29,028 feet: Stairs 18,200: Vertical height climbed 11,429 feet)
Mountaineer Martin and Nanatuk Nathan
Sherpa Jyamchang woke us up early and we had breakfast. It was time for the final push. As we started to the top we could see a worm of light slowly moving up a dark wall. It was the headlights of climbers flickering in the dark. It was completely silent. Nobody was talking. We climbed and climbed, waiting the first ray of dawn. It was desperately cold and there were some very icy parts. The ice axe and crampons barely cut into the ice.
We reached the Balcony and Sherpa Jyamchang gave us all new oxygen bottles. Ever upwards, we reached a small plateau of the South Summit and there – just around the corner – was Everest summit itself! Continuing on, as we pushed towards our goal, Sherpa Jyamchang helped us over the final challenge………The Hillary Step. Finally, we reached another white edge, but this time it didn’t continue. Looking over the edge, there was a slope down instead. This was the North side of Everest.
Nanatuk Nathan, Mountaineer Martin and Sherpa Jyamchang had reached the summit.
Funds are being raised to Support the Sherpa's. They have lost their jobs and livelihood with the closing of Everest on March 15th. Donations can be made at https://ca.gofundme.com/f/HighHimalayan
Thank you.
About the Author
Martin Parnell is the Best-Selling author of MARATHON QUEST and RUNNING TO THE EDGE and his final book in the Marathon Trilogy, THE SECRET MARATHON-Empowering women and girls in Afghanistan through sport, was released on October 30th 2018. He speaks on having a “Finish the Race Attitude – Set Goals, Overcome Obstacles and Achieve Outstanding Results” and has written for, or been covered by CNN, BBC, CBC, The Huffington Post, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, Runners World, Men’s Journal, Canadian Business, and Maclean’s.
In a five year period, from 2010 to 2014, Martin completed 10 extreme endurance “Quests” including running 250 marathons in one year and raising $1.3m for the humanitarian organization Right To Play. In 2016 he ran the Marathon of Afghanistan in support of Afghan women and girls running for equality and his film “The Secret Marathon” was released in late 2019. Find out more about Martin at www.martinparnell.com and see what he can do for you in the long run.
