Giorgio reaches peak

By Dr. JASON FOUGHT
SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR
Time to go home.
Paul Giorgio finally summitted Mount Everest early Monday, the third time he has scaled earth's highest point in the last four years.
He accomplished this despite a series of delays because of high winds and some mishaps, including falling into crevasses more than once. Now he and four of his climbing Sherpas who summitted this spring as well will go to Katmandu to celebrate. One of the successful Sherpas was Lahkpa Gelu Sherpa, a 35-year-old, who climbed Everest for the 10th time, and also set the record for the fastest climb from Base Camp to the summit.
Joining in the celebration at Katmandu will be Sir Edmund Hillary and hundreds of men and women who have climbed Everest over the years.
Unfortunately, Paul's unlikely to see most of them. At least not clearly.
Problems that can arise
One of the risks of climbing at very high altitudes -- especially without special goggles -- is the risk of burning your corneas. Not being able to see well and feeling a burning sensation in your eyes may be a reasonable response when watching a Pauly Shore movie, but at Camp IV, it can be deadly.
Stumbling down the mountain and falling into yet another crevasse is not appealing to Paul, so for this reason he stayed at Camp IV longer than anticipated, letting his eyes recover. He's now slowly moving to Base Camp.
Another problem seems to be left over from Paul falling into a crevasse last week. Since falling, his shoulder has bothered him, with Tylenol and ibuprofen unable to reduce the pain.
This slowed his normally fast-climbing pace, causing him to take two hours longer to reach the summit than planned. Still, at 7:30 a.m. Monday, he became the eighth American to summit Everest three times or more.
Issue of secrecy
Some may wonder about the excavation of Hillary's last camp, which was one of the goals of the expedition. I'm not sure what's going on myself, as Paul is not mentioning anything over the radio. Secrecy with such an endeavor is vital, because if others on the mountain found the site, it would be scavenged and sold off piecemeal to the highest bidder.
Anything associated with Hillary's expedition can be sold at a premium on Everest, and the climbing Sherpas would love an opportunity to supplement their income.
The summit and excavation are all important, but what's on everyone's mind most right now are showers, good food and beer.
All of this will be found in Katmandu, and this is about the only thing that keeps Paul's spirits up.
The plan is to book rooms at The Hyatt, which is priced well below normal prices because of low occupancy and hope that there is a poolside bar and a lounge chair to fall asleep on.
Sure, to get there, you have to suck down diesel fumes and dodge cars, people and cows and hope not to become a traffic fatality during the cab ride.
But that's OK. Escaping from the mountain is most important. At least it's warm in Katmandu.
It's been great
Not that it hasn't been a fantastic ride. The people and countryside of Nepal have been fantastic, and the people I've spent time with are some of the most fascinating people I've ever met.
I just don't want to see them or this place for a while, and can't wait to rejoin Western civilization and my normal routine.
Two weeks from now, I'll laugh at that statement.
Regardless, it's been fun to write about Nepal and its climbers on this 50th anniversary of Hillary and Norgay's first ascent of Everest.
This will be the last Journal from Everest.
I hope you got a flavor for the experience and feel inspired to travel to Nepal, which is a bargain for tourists once you get there, showing insight into both Buddhist and Hindu culture and some of the best scenery in the world.
If you're interested in joining Paul next year for a trek to Base Camp or beyond, go to www.trekeverest.com.
Not everyone who travels to Base Camp is a world-class mountain climber; some go just for the culture and to photograph some of the world's tallest mountains.
Again, thanks for reading.