Name: Jackson Barnes
Age: 19
Home town: Montclair, NJ
Area of Study: Health and Exercise Science
Year in School: Junior
- I joined the Everest Base Camp Expedition because… I told my parents I wanted to climb Mount Everest when I first learned of its existence in the 3rd grade. I’ve always wanted to travel and experience living situations that make me think differently about the world. For me traveling is usually about the destination, not the journey, so the hiking on this trip will be a twist for me. The focus of this trek is the journey, and I want to step out of my comfort zone.
- I’m involved with the SU research studies by… taking part in daily baseline measures, cognitive function tests, and saliva/blood samples that help our researchers get the information they need.
- I’m most looking forward to…reaching out to a working climbing guide and learning what Everest means to them; I hope it will help me better understand what the mountain means to me.
- My favorite part of the trip so far has been… cheap, good buffalo dumplings and banana smoothies.
- The worst part of the trip so far… losing my $8 watch in the hotel Bathroom.
- A few things I’ve thought were interesting… Pricking a finger to get blood sometimes takes a few stabs and contrary to popular belief, the amount of oxygen in the air is always the same, it’s the pressure that changes and effects you as you gain elevation.
Daily Recap
Today was the most productive day I have experienced in a few years. First we woke up at 6am to do series of measurements for the researchers. They measured my weight, blood pressure, heart rate, ventilation, respiration rate, and hemoglobin concentration. After the initial testing I was told I have “good brain blood flow” (I bet they say that to all their guinea pigs) and then they strapped me into headgear and made me do an extremely frustrating cognitive test. But it’s ok, anything for science!
After a hearty breakfast with an Iron Chef making omelettes, we went to our first lecture. It was essentially an introduction to the science behind altitude sickness. We learned about how oxygen pressure changes as altitude increases, why humans get acute mountain sickness and oxygen delivery to muscles. We also learned about why yaks function well at high altitude.
Afterwards, Dr. Trevor Day showed us the route that we will be taking on the trek. I was a little sad to be exposed to the views because now I know what to expect. To my surprise, the hike will also include cappuccinos, snickers bars and an Irish Pub on the descent.
The day concluded with an early night and preparing to get on a tiny plane to fly up to our next destination and first obstacle, Lukla.
(All photos by Andrew Burton, © 2018)