Former Staten Islander Rob Phraner poses at the Mount Everest Base Camp. (Courtesy Rob Phraner)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Former Staten Islander Rob Phraner, 49, always dreamed of climbing Mount Everest.
Last month, he finally checked it off his bucket list.
"It's something I've thought about over the years, but never thought I would have the time or opportunity to make the trip or the climb," said Phraner, a financial adviser and father of three adult boys. "My sons were excited for me, but my mother and sister watched the movies 'Everest' and 'Into Thin Air' and were nervous I was going to freeze to death."
But he didn't. The Athens, Ala., resident is back safe and sound, and eager to share the nuances of his fantastic experience.
Scroll down for more on Phraner's epic trip.
A view taken en route to Mount Everest by former Staten Islander Rob Phraner, shown here, second from left, with five other climbers. (Courtesy Rob Phraner)
Phraner is proud to report he made the climb to Everest Base Camp with five others and the journey was amazing, an opportunity that arose upon discussing it with a friend from graduate school, Jason Loper, who owns an architectural firm in Khatmandu, Nepal.
"Jason talked about me visiting for a long time and I decided this year to finally make the trip," said Phraner. "He had made the climb to Everest Base Camp before since it is a short plane ride from Khatmandu to the Himalayan Mountains."
A view taken en route to Mount Everest by former Staten Islander Rob Phraner. (Courtesy Rob Phraner)
A graduate of St. Sylvester School, Monsignor Farrell High School and the University of Valley Forge (Pa.), Phraner also earned a master's degree from Evangel University in Springfield, Mo.
And although he is in good physical shape, exercising regularly and eating healthily, he had to make sure to be in tip-top shape to conquer Mount Everest.
"I prepared for the climb by running 3 to 4 miles and doing steps at the Athens High School football stadium, which is one of the largest high school football stadiums in Alabama," Phraner said.
"I also used an oxygen mask, which limits your oxygen intake, in the gym going a quarter mile on the treadmill at 7 mph, lifting weights, getting back on the treadmill and repeated that until I was in a full sweat and elevated my heart rate."
A view taken en route to Mount Everest by former Staten Islander Rob Phraner. (Courtesy Rob Phraner)
The ascent to base camp took nine days.
"We had to acclimatize two days of the climb along the way. The people of Nepal are wonderful, incredible people," said Phraner. "The Sherpas that we traveled with are super-human; they can carry so much weight and go right past you."
Note: A Sherpa is a member of a Himalayan people living on the borders of Nepal and Tibet, renowned for their skill in mountaineering.
A view taken en route to Mount Everest by former Staten Islander Rob Phraner. (Courtesy Rob Phraner)
Phraner thought he was in "pretty decent shape," but the thin air of Everest was something he couldn't really prepare for.
"I was told by an expert climber and an Air Force pilot that the high altitudes can lead to significant illnesses and also that the thin air can diminish your cognitive abilities.
"The pilot mentioned how in the pressurized chambers used for training, that above 14,000 feet some pilots cannot put kindergarten puzzles back together, like putting a square peg into a round hole. Our group of six noticed that at around 14,000 feet was when we started to get headaches and nausea."
A view taken en route to Mount Everest by former Staten Islander Rob Phraner. (Courtesy Rob Phraner)
After climbing seven hours on Day 2 to Namche Bazaar, Phraner had the privilege of meeting and speaking with Kancha Sherpa, the last known living member of the original 1953 expedition, serving as one of the 20 guides -- which were comprised of 15 New Zealanders and 5 Nepali -- to Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzig Norgay, Hillary's main Nepali guide.
"He explained how they used 400 porters to carry everything from kerosene to clothing to supplies. Fifteen porters alone were used to carry the silver used to pay everyone," said Phraner. "Kancha Sherpa is now 86 years young and he recalled stories with precise detail. Meeting him was a tremendous honor and one of the highlights of the trip."
A view taken en route to Mount Everest by former Staten Islander Rob Phraner. (Courtesy Rob Phraner)
Two of the six of men got very ill as they approached base camp and, again, a day later on the descent.
"It was physically difficult as we ascended every few hundred feet," he said. "At 16,000 [feet], it was hard to breathe and the headaches were severe. I also had ear aches, especially as we slept in single digit to negative degree weather, and at 17,000 feet, I had a terrible nosebleed. I hadn't had one in years."
The next day, Day 8 of the climb, Phraner developed a 103-105 degree fever, only a day away from base camp. "It was both physically and mentally challenging to finish the climb."
A view taken en route to Mount Everest by former Staten Islander Rob Phraner. (Courtesy Rob Phraner)
Surprisingly, the most frightening part of climbing Mount Everest was not the actual climb.
"I was definitely a little apprehensive about the flight from Khatmandu to Lukla Airport," Phraner said.
"Lukla is the gateway to the Himalayan mountains. That flight is considered by many as the most dangerous flight in the world. The pilots fly by sight, not by navigation, making any sudden cloud formations extremely dangerous.
"The runway is short and narrow and not flat; it is uphill. There is no room for error on either side and if you go too far, you run right into the mountain. I watched some clips from YouTube and, yes, it looked pretty scary! It was actually an amazing hour and half flight. I loved it."
A view taken en route to Mount Everest by former Staten Islander Rob Phraner. (Courtesy Rob Phraner)
What the worst part of the trip?
Not sleeping for two days at the beginning of his trip en route to Lukla.
"I drove four hours from my home to Atlanta then waited for the 15-hour flight into Qatar, then waited a few hours for the five-hour flight into Khatmandu," Phraner said.
"I then flew into Lukla without any sleep for two days. The first day we hiked four hours and after the first hour a very rare rainstorm blew in and it rained on us for three hours."
That, combined with no sleep and the jagged and slippery rocks, made the first day difficult for Phraner.
After getting very sick the last day of the trip, finally making it to the base camp was a welcome and amazing accomplishment. It was a mental and physical breakthrough for him.
A view taken en route to Mount Everest by former Staten Islander Rob Phraner. (Courtesy Rob Phraner)
"The air at 18,000 feet was exactly half what the oxygen level is at sea level and is not enough to sustain life of any kind," he said. "Large pine trees at the beginning of the climb got smaller and smaller and then became shrubs and then moss. There is no life at base camp -- no birds, no animals, nothing. Your mind and body let you know you can't stay up here for long."
But as they ascended, the mountains and sky grew more and more beautiful.
"The sky actually was a deeper blue than I've ever seen," he said.
A view taken en route to Mount Everest by former Staten Islander Rob Phraner. (Courtesy Rob Phraner)
As if his climb weren't harrowing enough, Phraner heard and saw an avalanche very close by on the last day as they approached Everest Base Camp upon crossing the Khumbu Glacier.
But they were not in harms way.
"It was amazing to witness, though," he said.
A view taken en route to Mount Everest by former Staten Islander Rob Phraner, pictured here with some of his travel buddies. (Courtesy Rob Phraner)
"The climb was an excellent time to focus on the goal ... and definitely clears your mind," said Phraner. "It was very remote and rugged and beautiful. I lost 11 pounds in those nine days -- and have happily gained seven of them back."
A view taken en route to Mount Everest by former Staten Islander Rob Phraner. (Courtesy Rob Phraner)
"Sir Edmund Hillary, who was the first to reach the summit of Everest in 1953, famously said, 'It is not the mountains we conquer but ourselves,'" said Phraner.
"This proved to be true from the moment we began to ascend and throughout the trek. To conquer your climb, you have to conquer yourself."
Courtesy Rob Phraner
A view taken en route to Mount Everest by former Staten Islander Rob Phraner. (Courtesy Rob Phraner)
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