, 38, will attempt to set a speed record on without oxygen.*
Kellogg will spend five to six weeks preparing, learning the route, and establishing camps. For the journey, he plans to start going up through the Khumbu Icefall to get to Advanced Base Camp, climb up the Lhotse face, reach Camp 3, go up to South Col, then cross into the Death Zone. The goal is to make the entire trip in 30-something hours. The possibility of an accident occurring is three times more likely without oxygen, and Kellogg is aware that he has to go smoothly and slowly for safety, especially the closer he gets to the summit.
His wife, Lara-Karena Kellogg, who was killed in a climbing accident on Mt. Wake in Alaska, will be on his mind as he climbs. “After Lara's death, I had two choices: to quit or to find the aspect that drives you and keep going for it,” he said. “Now is all you have. You have to make the most of it.”
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–Aileen Torres
*This post has been changed from its original format.