GPS Tracks: Everest Base Camp to Camp 1

I have to say that it felt pretty incredible to be able to watch the expedition's GPS progress through the Khumbu Icefall yesterday. Knowing that for sure that this specific event will be a significant memory for Peter forever, I was grateful to be able to share it even in a small way. 

I can't wait to hear the actual stories! But the GPS tracks on their own already show so much.

The topo map

Aerial overlay on the same map:

This is zoomed in on the most interesting part to me. If you aren't familiar with topo maps, the stripes represent a change in elevation. When the stripes are closer together that means the section is very steep. The darker brown stripes represent a change of 100ft in elevation. This section of the map shows an elevation change from about 18,700 feet to about 19,700 feet. Distance-wise, as the crow flies (kind of a useless measure in the mountains, but still I find it gives scale) this section is roughly about a mile. It took them about 6 hours in this section. 

That zig-zag section at about 19,600 feet is crazy! Given that most of the turns happen within only 100ft of elevation change, I'm guessing that this is a series of ladders. It took them one hour to get through that part. If you have any other guesses at what was happening here, let me know! Can't wait to hear the story. Peter said that they knew the route through the Icefall this year was more circuitous than usual.

Here's the summary of the day. The time is my time (Pacific), not theirs. Keep in mind that they started at roughly 1 a.m. and would have done about half the route before the sun even came up, and likely finished the route before the sun got to them.