Journaling through life and hopefully lots of adventures

Hi! I’m Ellie, and I’m brand new to blogging. I am going to try it out as a way to document our travels and adventures. The picture above was taken early this morning of me and my husband, Tom at our home in Memphis, TN. We are now en route to Quito, Ecuador. We are going there to attempt to climb three volcanos. Illiniza Sur, Cayambe, and Chimborazo. This trip and these climbs will be our big final training push in preparation for a bigger climbing trip this spring. We will be heading to Nepal, and Tom is going to attempt to climb Everest while I am going to trek to base camp with him and support him while he is climbing.

We have been training for these trips consistently over the past year and are feeling anxious and ready to see how the climbing feels after all of our preparation. Tom in particular has trained diligently! I don’t think he has missed any training sessions, and he has been very strict with his diet over the past few months. He is as fit as I have seen him and really seems to be ready for whatever comes his way.

I’m a little nervous. I have had issues with my back and shoulders in the past. I have worked to get stronger in an attempt to avoid these issues that I seem to be prone to when carrying a heavy pack. I have also been prone to blisters on my feet when going uphill in either mountain or ski boots. I have tried hard to figure out what boots will work best for me and to learn from past mistakes. I mainly want to be a good team member and do not want to slow down the process for anyone involved.

I plan on updating this blog regularly on this trip, during the time leading up to leaving for Nepal, and while we are in Nepal. I am doing this as a way to journal through our experiences and to have these memories. We have a lot of friends and family that have asked to send updates, pics, etc, so I thought that this would be a good way to do that as well! Thanks to everyone who are sending prayers and good vibes our way!

Ellie