IC - ABC - Not easier, just faster...

I set out this morning at 8:30am in an attempt to be at ABC by about 2pm – early enough for the sun to still be on my tent so that I could enjoy a warm nap and a cup of noodle soup before the boys arrived from their 1-day-er. I still can’t comprehend the advantages to doing the BC – ABC trek in one day – 21kms, 1000m ascent, on scree...! Splitting it into two days with a relaxing stay at Interim Camp is much more civilised!

I spent the greater part of the morning playing ‘turtle and hare’ with Jamie McGuiness, a well known Kiwi climber and leader. He is aware of my rib ‘issue’ and overheard me coughing (and found out I had been taking tramadol) so I think he was keeping an eye on me. ..! For some reason I actually enjoyed the walk from IC to ABC today. Whilst it didn’t seem any easier (my heart still feels like it’s pounding out of my chest and each step still requires super human effort), it does seem to go ‘faster’ and sections that used to take an eternity now seem to fly by.

Simon caught up with me at around 1pm – he was making amazing time considering he came up from BC. He knew he was in-range by following the fluorescent orange trail of puke that I’d left behind (and I thought I was being discrete!!). For some reason, my gag-reflex is still super-sensitive and as soon as I eat something that my body even remotely disagrees with (unfortunately it’s craving black forest cake, Kraft dinner and Ben & Jerry’s mint-chocolate chip ice-cream... and doesn’t accept spam alternatives) then out it comes. Ugh.

As I neared ABC I soon saw a dark shadow standing on a pile of rocky moraine, obliterating the sun – it was Big Gav, my 6’8” giant Australian coal-miner friend from Dan Mazur’s Summit Climb team. He was accompanied by Laval (Canadian) and Mark (British). I befriended them several weeks ago back at BC and am greeted by them every morning as I empty my pee bottle – strategically far from my tent but then inevitably close to theirs... How sexy. Having said that, they’re up in the mornings much earlier than me so I dread to think what they’re emptying outside of my tent. Regardless, it was wonderful to see them and even more wonderful to be invited into their Mess Tent to enjoy some tea and soup and their giant stand-up heaters. Of course, this invitation did not come without a price – I received endless banter regarding questions about tactics and strategies on how to pick up girls, whether using a dog as a prop made a difference, beard vs no beard, the logic behind the boys’ "Man Day" (Gav’s convinced they’re all gay) etc. etc.

I would feel flattered by the male attention however 'Big Gav' et al have been limited to minimal female company for the past 2 months - the small number includes myself, 2-3 other females and about 150 yaks..! Regardless, it made a nice change from Summit Day chat!