With only about a week left until the scary flight from Kathmandu to Lukla (Google that airport, it’s a bit unnerving to fly in and out of there), the Swiss alps are providing an ideal place to hike up to 4,000 m./13,200 feet and spend some time acclimatizing. The first day was pretty tough and I experienced a fair bit of dizziness and headache. But gradually, I am feeling better. While in Europe for a few days, I am also planning to give a talk about last year’s expedition at my high school, the Frankfurt International School in Germany. Of course, stocking up on German bread rolls and sausage will be a nice way to prepare for what will likely be a meagre few months (aside from the mountain of chocolate the porters and yaks will be hauling up to base camp, of course).

My training with the Navy SEALs ended on a high note - literally. What was supposed to be a routine hike up some marginally difficult terrain ended up being a most torturous and criminally dangerous ordeal. After six-plus hours of hiking from an elevation of about 250 feet to 7,000 feet, we discovered that our trail was blanketed with snow. I became alarmed at the prospect of being lost in the mountains, and was reminded of a prominently-placed sign warning hikers of the inherent dangers of the area - rattle snakes, scorpions and other unkindly creatures abound in the mountains outside Palm Springs. Being lost did not appeal to me. The SEALs, however, like this sort of situation. It appeals to their sense of adventure. Hence, they led me on a most improvised route, up steep ravines, over large boulders, and across steep and treacherous ice fields. Most people wear helmets and crampons while negotiating such terrain. They are also tied together with ropes and carry ice axes. The SEALs assured me that our equipment, which consisted merely of trail-running shoes, was perfectly sufficient. The sun was beginning to set when one of the SEALs gently instructed me to pick up the pace. Shortly before total darkness blanketed the area, and after almost two and a half hours, during which my clothes ended up ripped and covered in blood drawn from various cuts to a number of limbs, we reached safety in the form of a mountain station. I can say with some confidence that I have never felt more scared than during this weekend excursion. The following two days of training on the SEAL base were a breeze by comparison. But despite the ordeal, I felt very heavy-hearted when my new friends and I parted ways after a farewell-luncheon over giant swordfish tacos and lemonade. The expedition is now about to begin in earnest.

The training has intensified considerably and I am now hurling around 55 and 60 lb. kettle bells in an effort to keep up with my amphibious friends in something called cross-fit. It’s pretty tough going. Basically, one has to do four or five rotations of six or so different exercises in rapid succession - no long pauses in between. The no-pause thing is not very much fun, especially not when the California sun is burning bright in the clear sky. Dizzy spells and urges to redistribute whatever food entered my system prior to the training are the common results. This weekend, we’re going to hike up a mountain outside of Palm Springs. Apparently, the trail up the mountain is steep and gains 8-10,000 feet of elevation, depending on the route taken. Aside from training, I had a meeting with the producers of Jimmy Kimmel Live this week about appearing on his show. We now have to align our schedules to determine if I can be on the show. This is very exciting, indeed, because the more people we reach via the media, the more potential donors hear about the expedition

Navy SEALs are apparently trained to motivate people to go beyond their limits because the other day I exceeded those limits by a long shot. While running around the obstacle course on the SEAL base in Coronado, I managed to climb up the entire height of the infamous cargo net before descending on the other side. At one point, I dared to look down and considered, briefly, the outcome if I should fall off the 68+ feet-high obstacle. However, by carefully guiding me over the ledge, my friends were able to literally talk me off the ledge and back down the other side. Just last week, I was not even able to climb more than half way up the net. However, the SEALs are clever and so this time they dangled a proverbial carrot over my head…a chocolate bar. Speaking of which, after a talk with the good people at Hershey Chocolate Co. in Hershey/PA, it now looks like the expedition won’t starve on the mountain. We’re intending to carry 100 lbs. of Hershey’s chocolate, in the form of milk chocolate bars and Reese’s Pieces candy, all the way to Everest base camp and beyond. It’s hard to beat the taste of chocolate in terms of instant gratification after a particularly grueling day of climbing.

Most people intent on scaling Mt. Everest do their winter training in such places as New Hampshire or the Swiss or French alps in order to get some realistic sense of the challenges they will face in the high Himalaya. Others are more fortunate and don’t have to travel far for their winter training. The other night I arrived late at night in my hometown of Pittsburgh and found the temperatures to be around 5 degrees Fahrenheit. The snow was drifting in the streets, wind howling. Perfect weather for a hike around Schenley Park! I had a 10 AM meeting the next day, so I decided to spend two hours in the blistering cold, carrying my 30-lb. rucksack. When I arrived back home, it was 2 AM, way past my bedtime. However, the brisk hike had somehow gotten me so energy-laden that I couldn’t fall asleep. While trying to determine how best to proceed in order to lower my excess energy, I applied logic. Hence, I got out of bed, strapped my rucksack to my back and climbed up and down the stair case in my apartment building. Llistening to my iPod, I didn’t hear the loud noise my boots were making on the way up and down the 9 flights of stairs. A neighbor, who woke up to relay his discontentment with my activity, was more than a little surprised to find me in the stair case carrying a rucksack while wearing flannel pyjamas. A brief exchange clarified the circumstance but did nothing to persuade the neighbor of the necessity of the exercise. It took a while for me to fall asleep that night and I woke up very tired, and ended up being late for my meeting before flying to a warmer climate.

In just a few short days, my training with the Navy SEALs begins on their
base in Coronado. Max Starks and some of the other Pittsburgh Steelers have
offered to be patrons of the expedition, which will go a long way to raise
more money for the NSW Fund. Kenton Cool, the legendary British mountain
climber and the European holding the record for most successful Everest
summits, is now a member of the expedition. Kenton will join us in our
climb up the mountain and help film the expedition’s progress. Tomorrow
evening, I’m off to L.A. via New York City, where I must meet with a couple
of news organizations to help increase the coverage of the expedition.
Stone Cold Steve Austin, the retired WWF wrestler a big supporter of the
Armed Forces, has also come on board to support the expedition and we’re
scheduled to meet up in L.A. to discuss how we can best work together to
raise funds for the NSW.