I know. That’s a horrible thing to say and I am expecting nastygrams from the AARP. But before you get all undone about how politically incorrect this blog title is, let me say this: Sometimes 65 is the new 45. Just not in the case of one of our teammates that left the expedition early and is now headed home. She was 65 years old and a veteran of multiple Himalayan climbs, but unfortunately her past experience did not help her on this expedition because it seemed she had forgotten many of the rules about climbing big mountains and everyone was worried about her safety and well-being. What a bummer as we all would have liked to have seen attempt the summit. But it was too risky for her and for the rest of the team, because in this sport one team-member’s actions affect everyone else’s safety. I will also add that I have climbed with plenty of people in their 60s and they are some of the strongest, fastest most talented people I have had the privilege of climbing with and most of them can smoke me on the trails. I love to learn from climbers who have been around a lot longer than I have and who have more experience than I do in the mountains and in life. But in the case of our eldest team member, her prior experience just did not seem to help her climb safely and efficiently on Everest. That’s the tricky thing about these big mountains – sometimes it doesn’t matter what you did last year or last month – it’s all about how you are performing RIGHT NOW. We have all seen those disclaimers about how past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results when it comes to the markets, that’s true on Everest too. There are many, MANY unpredictable factors that affect outcomes. That’s what makes it challenging, and interesting.

The crazy thing is that this 65 year-old woman was a strong climber much of the time, but the problem was that she was not a safe and responsible climber, and that meant she was a danger to herself and also to the team. It was so bizarre, but she somehow always forgot important pieces of gear and equipment that were absolutely essential to safe and successful climbing, and this worried everyone on the team (not to mention her guide who had worked tirelessly with her from day 1). The stuff she would forget on a routine basis was VERY BASIC. Think of Tom Brady showing up for a game without his helmet. Or Oscar De La Hoya stepping into the ring without his gloves. Or Elin Woods showing up at the dinner table without her golf clubs. We are talking equipment that you would never think of being without. I’m still puzzled on how she could always forget this stuff – especially after multiple reminders to make sure she had it. Maybe it was partially a language barrier thing given she was from Australia ???? While we were all sad to see her go because we admired her spirit, we are relieved to know she will be safe now that she is off the mountain. Pretty rough for her emotionally to have to call it quits, which was hard for us too. But hopes are dashed and dreams are crushed on this mountain every day. There isn’t a lot of room for error on an expedition like this, and team safety trumps ALL.

So, now 5 of us are in the village of Deboche breathing the thick air at 12,700’. Part of our climbing strategy was to descend to a lower elevation than BC in order to regain some strength. So far it seems to be working. Our coughs are subsiding, cuts are healing, appetites are returning, and sleep is happening. We have a great view of the top of Everest from here and at the moment the jetstream looks pretty scary – winds over 100mph. The weather forecasts call for the jetstream to move out around May 23rd, so hopefully we can position ourselves for a summit bid when the time is right. As far as our other 3 team mates who chose to helicopter from BC all the way back down to Kathmandu (btw, taking a helicopter to/from BC is never a good idea unless there is a medical emergency because helicopters often crash due to the thin air and high winds, and there are remnants of past crashes scattered all over camp as a reminder of this), we will see them in 2 days in the village of Lobouche when we pass through there on our trek back to BC. They will helicopter right to Lobouche so we will see how they do with the altitude jump from 6000’ to 16,000’ after 5 days in Kathmandu (OUCH). Most altitude experts believe it is a mistake to go all the way down to Kathmandu, but only time will tell whether our strategy or their strategy was best as far as preparing for a summit push.

I am excited for our team to be reunited. I miss 2 of the 3 climbers who split from the group. The 3rd guy needs to be voted off the island. I am not sure what is bigger – his ego or this mountain. He is rude, crude, inconsiderate and arrogant. The other day we heard him making a business call on his satellite phone (because he was in the main dining tent when he made the call), and he was screaming at whoever was on the other end and he actually said (wait for it…), “If you don’t fix this situation I am going to come to where you live and I am going to f—- your dog and then I am going to burn down your house.” Classy. You know, it’s been a while since I’ve skimmed through Covey’s 7 Habits, but I’m pretty sure that stuff is NOT in there (also, for my Godkids or the Lonergan kids or anyone else under 18 who might be reading this, the “f—-“ term used above in conjunction with the statement about the dog was “FEED”. He was going to go FEED the guy’s dog and then burn down his house). I want this guy to quit the team. Now. And, I am making a donation to the SPCA in his honor.

But the rest of the team is considerate, fun and intelligent. We are never lacking for heady dinner conversation and I am continually pleased to discover so much common ground amongst us. The other night Victor was praising Warren Buffet during a discussion about the markets and the economy – and I was delighted to announce that I had seen him in concert 6 times and never ever get sick of Margaritaville. Last night Jack brought up Sir Isaac Newton and where we would be without his work, and I couldn’t help but smile as I thought about how much I love those little fig cookies. Vern, an artist/performer mentioned the talents of John Denver and I assured him there was no bigger Gilligan fan out there than yours truly.

I hear Greece is still on the verge of collapse. Buy feta.

PS – Sorry I don’t have any pretty photos for you guys this time. But I bet some of you have read entire books that don’t have any pictures.

PPS – GOOD LUCK TO MATTHEW SCHLENKER who has the lead in his school play next weekend. You are going to be an AWESOME Oliver and I can’t wait to see the video when I get home kiddo.