| UC |  |
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photo/courtesy
of Jean Ellis
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1.
Endurance is the key. Climbing
an 8,000-meter peak is a 100-day trip. So you have to pace yourself, and
you also have to have a little luck. But this is definitely an endurance
test.
2. Plan
on weight loss. Usually I gain a little weight before
a trip. My regular weight is 145. I put on 10 pounds and dropped from
155 to 117 (38 pounds) on one expedition.
3.
Stay healthy. The body doesn't heal as well at 20,000-plus
feet.
4. Expect a tremendous psychological effect.
Certain days you are as high as a kite. But other days you are depressed
and fighting back tears. You have mail call just like in the military.
If your buddies all get mail and you don't, that can be tough.
5. Down is king.
Down bags. One-piece down suits. You can cut corners on the undergarments
and the polypropylene, but don't cut corners on your outergear. Bags and
boots, too; go for the quality. There is nothing worse than being out
in the middle of nowhere and freezing.
UC alum Jean Ellis, 55, qualified as a marathoner
for the 1980 Olympic trials, but was crushed when the U.S. boycotted the
Moscow games. He followed the call of a medical journal ad to trek in
the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal. Twice he attempted Everest and was turned
back with frostbitten hands. The emergency medical physician still goes
on a "major climb" every year and became the first African American
to summit an 8,000-meter peak in 1996 when he climbed to the top of Cho
Oyu (above), the world's sixth highest mountain.
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