For anybody interested, there are just two short windows a year when the jet stream moves off Everest and climbers can reach the top. NOW is one of those times. There are bunches of people leaving camp 4 as I type for the final push. There should be 40/50 people a day attempting to summit over the weekend. These peepus are nutz. Here are a coupla good links to live updates of the progress being made by the different teams: http://www.mounteverest.net/ http://www.everestnews.com/ I hiked up Guadalupe Peak in west Texas last fall - a 3200 foot climb over 4 miles. Took all day and boy my dogs were barking by the time I got back down to the parking lot. Highly recommended day hike for anybody looking for an adventurous long weekend. It's the highest point in Texas. If I can make it up there, anybody can. Makes you really appreciate what these climbers on Everest are currently going thru.
My uncle climbed Everest up as far as base camp. He trained for over a year before making the trip. His group never attempted the summit, though, nor did they plan to. He gave me a couple of rocks from Everest for Christmas a few years ago, which was pretty cool.
The trek from civilization to Everest base camp and back is equivalent to hiking up and down Guadalupe Peak every day for 2 weeks - except the air is much thinner due to the elevations ranging from 9K to 18K feet. A pretty tough go. Getting in shape first would certainly improve the enjoyment factor. Trekking thru the Everest region is a growing interest. Adventure-based vacationing is a boon to the poor economy in the region. There are US based outfitters who organize these guided Treks for about 3 grand a person. If I was younger I would consider it. What an experience. Here's a link to a journal a guy kept on one of these treks to Everest base camp - just keep hitting 'next' for the next page: http://www.richspeaking.com/everest/trek.htm
