Former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Mark Pattison arrived at South Everest Base Camp on April 12, 2021.
Our last update on Pattison's journey to the summit featured Pattison and his team preparing for the trek at Base Camp and adjusting to the elevation by building more red blood cells at the high elevation. The distance from South Everest Base Camp in Nepal to the Everest summit is roughly 12.5 miles.
On April 19, trouble arose when Pattison and his team were faced with an avalanche before planning to hike up the Khumbu Ice Fall. The Khumbu Ice Fall is located at the head of the Khumbu Glacier and the foot of the Western Cwm (a glacial valley basin), which lies at an altitude of 17,999 feet on the Nepali slopes of Mount Everest, not far above Base Camp and southwest of the summit.
On April 21, Pattison and his team made their way 1,000 feet up into the Khumbu Ice Fall.
"I set out too fast and didn't eat the right meals or properly hydrate myself before making it into the abyss of the Ice Fall," Pattison wrote in his blog. "The result was I bonked and didn't feel optimal. Learned some good lessons for the next time I go up to camp 1 & 2."
On April 30, Pattison shared the obstacles he and his team must overcome in order to make it to Camp 2:
Pattison is attempting to become the first NFL player to climb the Seven Summits of the World plus Lhotse, the world's fourth highest peak, within 24 hours of summiting Mount Everest. Pattison has conquered six of the world's seven summits with only Everest left on the list.
His goal is to attempt to summit Everest roughly May 20, then trek up Lhotse immediately afterward. He will be using oxygen and will be climbing with Sherpas (elite mountaineers and experts in their local area). The group leader for the climb is Garrett Madison, the only American to summit K2 twice (the world's second-highest peak behind Everest).
Fans can follow Pattison's journey here.
