Facts
Thinking of climbing Everest? Here are some things you may want to know first. Mt. Everest is the highest mountain in the world. It has been a challenge to reach the top for centuries. Approximately 70 people die a year. About 170 have died all together. The summit is approximately 29,035 feet (8,848 meters) high.
Climbers will usually begin to feel the effects of air pressure at 9,800 feet above sea level. Headaches are the most common symptom of mountain sickness. At high altitudes, small hemorrhages can occur in the eyes. This may happen when the capillaries in the eyes become enlarged to allow increased blood flow. Other symptoms of altitude sickness are: nausea, irregular breathing, loss of coordination, and dehydration. Hypoxia can also trigger swelling in the eyes, face, hands, ankles, or feet. As altitude increases, the body's ability to regulate levels of potassium decreases. This upsets the tissue water balance and results in swelling. Fluid balancein the body changes dramatically. This air does not contain much relative humidity, and when combined with climbing dehydration can lead to rapid fluid loss. Climbers can lose up to two liters of water daily.
Clothing
When climbing the mountain the proper clothing must be worn. There are six layers that should be worn. The first layer is long underwear and socks. The second layer, and base camp clothing, is pants, hiking boots, and a pile jacket. The third layer is a down jacket, light hat, and light gloves. The fourth layer is wind pants, double boots, a wool hat (over the light one), and gloves(second pair), a harness, crampons(iron spike on a shoe), gators, glacier glasses, and a storm jacket. The fifth layer is a down suit, glacier glasses, heavy gloves, face mask, an oxygen bottle, a mask and regulator, and a radio. The sixth layer is a mask, mittens, black overboots, ice axe, ski goggles, radio, oxygen canister and regulator in backpack.
Food
Our diet will consist of beans, rice and noodle soup cooked over dried yak dung.
Route
This is the route we will be taking. Hopefully we will reach the summit. We will start at base camp (at 17, 500 ft.), then climb to the Khumbu Ice Fall. Next we will climb to Camp I. It is at 19, 500 ft. We will climb 1.500 more feet to Camp II. Next we will reach Camp III. It is located at 23,500 ft. The last camp is Camp IV. It is at 26,300 ft. Then we will reach the South summit, and finally our destination, the summit at 29, 028 ft.
Survival
Approximately 170 people have been killed attempting to climb Mt. Everest, and one out of every five who reach the summit die on the way down. Keep in mind that the majority of these people are very experienced climbers, and are in shape.
Cost
It will cost around $65,000.00 for the pleasure of climbing this beautiful mountain.
Bibliography
1.) Mt. Everest, http://www.rolandm.com/everest.htm, author unknown, Friday, May 11, 2001
2.) SEAN’S MT EVEREST PAGE, http://www.pscs.org/~syaap/everest.html, Sean G., Wednesday, May 16, 2001
3.) Mount Everest, http://www.mnteverest.net/, Auther unknown, Tuesday, May 15, 2001
4) Finns’s Dispatch. Greg Henderson, http://www.discovery.com/exp/mteverest/flash.html, © 2000 by: Communication Inc.
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