Darby Allin’s Mount Everest expedition leader: ‘Darby is doing great!’

Darby Allin’s climb of Mount Everest has begun.

Allin is making the ascent with Adventure Consultants, a New Zealand-based expedition company known for guiding clients on Everest and other high-altitude peaks.

Allin’s brother Zach and mother Michelle joined him for the trekking stage of the expedition, which involved hiking to Everest Base Camp and helping the body acclimatize to the higher altitudes. They began this stage on April 7 in Kathmandu.

Ang Dorjee Sherpa (with ‘Sherpa’ commonly used as a surname by members of the Sherpa ethnic group) has been documenting Allin’s journey on the Adventure Consultants website.

The team posted a photo from Namche on Friday, April 11, along with Dorjee Sherpa writing: “Darby is having an amazing time hiking with his mother and brother, sharing the journey with them along the way to Everest Base Camp.”

On April 12, during what was described as an “active rest day,” Allin and others in the group took a seven-hour hike to a spot above the town of Khunde known for its scenic views.

“Darby really enjoyed hiking with main team. On the way down we visited sir Edmond Hillary museum and school. The team really enjoyed watching short videos about how much Sir Edmund Hillary helped the people of the Khumbu valley. Then we can back Namche we had late lunch and then we rested until dinner. Everyone enjoyed our active rest day. Tomorrow we are going to Phortse which is 3,950m,” Dorjee Sherpa wrote.

On another active rest day, April 15, the group hiked five hours to Nakarsthang Ri, located at 16,665 feet.

“Yesterday we received blessing from Lama Ngawang Plajor. Lama gave us Rhunga which is a holy Buddhist necklace for good luck. After our blessing we had lunch in Pangboche and started our trek to Pheriche with the snow and wind hitting on our goretex jackets,” Dorjee Sherpa wrote.

The climb of Mount Everest officially began yesterday, as the Adventure Consultants group said goodbye to those — such as Allin’s brother and mother — who were only joining for the trekking stage. The team then hiked from Pheriche to Chhukhung.

“Darby is doing great! It took three and half hours. It was nice and clear day with great views. Tomorrow we are going to continue our acclimatisation with a hike Chhukhung Ri, a nerby hill which is at 5540m,” Dorjee Sherpa wrote.

Adventure Consultants are documenting Allin’s climb on their official website.