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Googlers conquer Everest Base Camp
November 15, 2011
How do Googlers like to use their hard earned vacation time? Some people like sitting on a warm, sunny beach. Others crave adventures that might include an earthquake, snow storms, flash floods, avalanches and mudslides. This past September, four Googlers took the trip of a lifetime to
Everest Base Camp
. We sat down with technical program managers on the privacy team Dan Fredinburg and Andrew Swerdlow, people programs manager Sara Pelosi, and compensation analyst Sam Gilbert to find out more.
Andrew, Sara, Dan, trekking friend Mike, and Sam at the start of the trek in Lukla
What is the trek like?
Sara Pelosi:
The trek took us 12 days. The highest altitude we went to was over 18,000 feet, higher than anywhere in the contiguous US. We hiked over 70 miles, and it took us over 50 hours. We stayed at
tea houses
the whole time so we had beds to sleep in and indoor toilets.
Why did you go?
Andrew Swerdlow:
I’ve always dreamed of seeing the Himalayas. One night when I was younger I saw a shooting star, and I made a wish that someday I would climb Mt. Everest. Fourteen years later I saw another shooting star that looked very much like the one I saw as a boy. I knew at that moment what I needed to do. I ran back to my hotel and started booking flights to Nepal and assembling a crew of adventurers for an Everest expedition.
Sunrise on Kala Patthar
Sam Gilbert:
This was a trip I had always been dreaming of going on with my dad. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to come with me. I felt like if one of us was able to do it, it was like both of us did. When I finally made it to Base Camp, it was the best feeling in the world. It was an amazing experience.
SP:
I’m a pretty adventurous person. I had thought about doing this trip before but had never had a chance. When Andrew asked me if I wanted to go, I thought it would be a lot of fun, and I jumped on the opportunity.
Dan Fredinburg:
I had never climbed a mountain before so thought the best place to start would be Mount Everest.
What training did you do to prepare?
SP:
We didn’t actually do much training specifically for the trek. Most of us have done some sort of endurance training before. Andrew and I have done triathlons, and Sam has done a marathon. The hiking wasn’t the difficult part. The tougher part was dealing with the altitude.
Writings on the stone monument at Everest Base Camp
What were some of the challenges you faced on your trip?
SP:
The second night of our hike there was a 6.8 earthquake. It was scary when we realized we were in a developing country that doesn’t have the infrastructure or emergency services in place to respond to earthquakes like California does. We were fortunate that there was very little damage where we were.
SG:
I had problems with altitude sickness for most of the trip. Most days I would eat a chocolate bar and that was about it since my stomach was bothering me. It was very unpleasant. Altitude sickness isn’t something that you can prepare for or predict.
What did you learn on your trek?
SG:
The journey was very difficult, but you learn about how far you are willing to push yourself and when you hit that limit, you keep going.
AS:
I felt like I learned a lot about myself on the trip. I learned about how my mind works, how I perceive people around me, and my own personal limits. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s mostly mental and less physical.
DF:
I learned that I really want to climb higher, and so I plan to continue doing that.
A glimpse of the peak of Everest
Do any of you want to go back and summit?
DF:
Yes. I would definitely like to do that. I thought Everest Base Camp was a very fun and liberating experience. I’d like to have more of that and think the right decision is to continue going higher. To train, I’m planning to summit Aconcagua [the highest peak in South America] in December. After that, we can discuss summiting Everest.
AS:
For me, no.
SG:
Given the right circumstances, I would go.
SP:
Maybe someday. Anything is possible!
To read more and see the highlights of our 4,000+ photos,
add Sara to your circles on Google+
!
Posted by Jessica Safir, University Programs
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