Closing Thoughts

As the oxygen seeps back into my brain and as I mull over the events of the past 2 months I find myself reflecting on my ‘Everest Experience’.

Kathmandu - Reintegration

As the bus pulled into the ‘quiet oasis of tranquillity’ that is the Hotel Malla I breathed a huge sigh of relief – we MADE IT!! 16 team members, digits all intact and everyone in fine form, good spirits, very much looking forward to a pizza and a beer with an alcohol content higher than 3%.

Summit Day - 8848m

This is an account of Summit Day, a day that I will remember for the rest of my life.

North Col - 7800m

Email update to Dave Pritt, Adventure Peaks, http://www.adventurepeaks.com/

ABC - Heading up the North Col

Email update to Dave Pritt at Adventure Peaks, http://www.adventurepeaks.com/

ABC - The most difficult decision I've ever made

I am awake at 1:30am listening to a hefty-wind blowing at my tent and I can’t get back to sleep as I know that I now need to come to terms with something I’ve known for the past 24 hours – in spite of my determination, there is no way that I will be able to go higher up the mountain due to the problems with my ribs and my current health.

ABC - Cyclone Laila

Our Summit Day has now been bumped forward a day to avoid Cyclone Laila which has reared her ugly head in the Bay of Bengal. This makes our new Summit Day the early morning of Sunday, May 23rd. There have been some rumours about Laila in the weather forecasts of the past few days but todays report was a bit too clear to ignore... I’ve included some relevant sections in the end section of this entry. Combined with the wind tearing away at my tent, the gargantuan of spin-drift blowing off of Everests' summit, and the unexpected layer of snow that fell again last night, the report makes for some nail-biting reading..

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!

BC - IC - Team Montenegro

I set off this morning for Interim Camp at 11:30 sharp – about 30 minutes behind schedule but the sky seemed clear and the wind had not started to pick up so I felt quietly confident that I’d be able to make it up to IC relatively unscathed. The boys seem to have recovered from Man Day as breakfast passed fairly “quietly” with only a few chest-beating incidents to speak of. The mood was jovial yet somewhat more subdued as the Summit Day has now been confirmed for the 23rd or 24th. Summit Day is on everyones mind and preparations are well and truly underway with final packing in progress, emails and phone calls home scheduled, the final opportunity to bathe in the potato pan secured.... You can definately sense that everyone is getting more and more focused on the tremendous challenge ahead.

BC - Man Day

I was welcomed to the mess tent this morning by an entourage of chest beating, ape-like armpit scratching and the distinct scent of testosterone…. As soon as the boys entered the mess tent they were asked whether they liked ‘cats or dogs’ and whether they preferred ‘Forrest Gump’ to ‘Spartacus’…. depending on their answers some were relegated to the adjacent tent. I prepared for the worst as I poured myself an extra-strong cup of coffee. I was informed by my 16 testosterone fuelled team mates that today is ‘Man Day’, a day dedicated to all things ‘Man’.