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Mount Everest’s dramatic geography is one of the things that Amy finds fascinating. "The Khumbu Icefall is a frozen river that’s gradually moving down the mountain. Seracs are blocks or columns of ice formed by intersecting crevasses on a glacier." Weighing 40,000 kg (40 tons), and roughly the size of a house, seracs can topple at any time. The Western Cwm, also known as the ‘Valley of Silence’, which Meagan encountered, is essentially a large bowl formation on the mountain. No wind reaches climbers who are in it, so there are no external sounds to be heard. The sun reflects on the snow and temperatures can reach 27°C. Sunburns are common here and climbers can even get sunburned nostrils and tongues if they’re not prepared.

“It’s been a bad season for avalanches on Everest. While talking to Meagan on the satellite phone recently she paused and asked if I heard the avalanche in the background!"

Staff Scientist, Amy Henson, with a model of Mount Everest

At Science North’s Base Camp exhibit, visitors can: learn about life at Everest Base Camp (altitude of 5,200 metres or 17,000 feet); see and try out climbing equipment; learn about the geography of Everest with Google Earth™ and our scale model of the mountain; follow Meagan’s travelogue on-line; and leave a question or message for Meagan. When asked what she’s most looking forward to hearing about when Meagan returns from her Everest attempt, Amy says, "I want to hear about the feelings that she had on the mountain, and about her personal successes and failures. She has such enthusiasm for climbing."

You can read about Meagan’s trek to the summit of Everest by visit Meagan’s on-line travelogue at http://sciencenorth.ca/everest. Tickets are going quickly for Meagan’s public presentations at Science North on June 19th and 20th.  We're anticipating full houses. Don't be disappointed, click here to buy on-line.

Science North is proud to be Meagan’s ‘Summit Supporter.

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