BC - Par-tay and True Love

Last night provided a welcome break from the usual Base Camp afternoon /evening routine and has since injected some ‘life‘ and ‘energy‘ back into the camp (not that we ever seemed to be lacking any to begin with..!).  We went to a party. Not just any party. An Everest Base Camp 7-Summits Club Party. Russian style.

BC - Broken

I’m not sure if it’s because I’m turning the ripe old age of 34 in 2-days time or whether I am well and truly feeling the stereotypical effects of altitude (up until this point I actually thought I was invincible - ha ha..)…
but this morning, my first morning back at Base Camp since my 4-days at 7200m, I am feeling like an old, dilapidated, broken down car…. an old VW similar to one that my Dad used to have on the farm that was in constant need of repair and just wouldn‘t give up even though pieces kept falling off of it. The car had body-parts from about 7 other old cars duct taped and welded to it... When we misbehaved my Dad used to threaten to drive us to school in it which would definitely have destroyed whatever little street-cred that I had left..!

BC - Food and Eating on Everest

CLANG. CLANG. CLANG….
It’s 14:30 which means that was our lunch-‘bell’ – I use the word ‘bell’ loosely as it’s really one of the Tibetan kitchen boys throwing rocks against the half empty propane tank outside of the kitchen tent….. (is that safe?!)

ABC - Base Camp

TBC - long boring walk back to Basecamp via the Moraine Superhighway

North Col - ABC

TBC - hot day and steep descent of the North Col and walk back to the comforts of ABC.

North Col - The weather comes in

TBC - attempt at trying to get out of the tent but and head up to 7500 but had to turn back on account of weather.

North Col - Sun and Snow

I woke up with the condensation from the inside of the tent dripping on my head. Confused, I checked my watch - 6:30am - and tried to get my bearings. I was inside a tent. In spite of what felt like Chinese water torture, I was warm.

North Col - Up, up, up... Avalanche!

“You’re going a little bit faster” encouraged Sonam over the dull thud of my crampon kicking into the knee deep snow which continued to fall heavily throughout the afternoon. We were back on the North Col - Matt (our guide) as well as Matt, Pete and myself. The ultimate goal of the mission was to spend 2 nights sleeping at the North Col and to make our way up to the 7500m ’marker’ as an additional altitude push and preparation for the tremendous challenges ahead.

ABC

I’m pleased to report that everyone has returned safe and sound and in good spirits from two very difficult nights at the North Col. Max was the first to arrive in camp this morning utterly exhausted, dehydrated looking ‘all the mountain man’ after blazing trail through knee deep snow down the Col and falling into a crevasse as he crossed the Rombok glacier.

ABC - Puja and Building the Throne

I compare the feeling of waiting for news from the North Col team while sat at ABC to waiting for a boy to call… One sits by the phone for hours, waiting for the phone to ring, buzz, beep…. Any sign of life.

So we sat - Pete, Matt and I - at ABC in the “Communications Tent” (now make-shift breakfast tent) waiting to hear news from the team at the North Col. They’d spent their first night at 7000m last night and today were due to make their way up to the next milestone - 7500m. I wondered however, whether the plan was still on schedule given that it was clear from the heavy wind and snow that we were experiencing at ABC that the North Col was experiencing some vicious winds, snow and extremely low temperatures.