RETURN TO BASECAMP

After an exhausting few days up the mountain we are now back and resting at basecamp before commencing our next sequence of acclimatisation.

We left basecamp on Monday morning to climb yet again through the icefall, this time going all the way to camp 1. However, the difference from previous forays was that this time we were carrying big packs filled with our high altitude gear, which made the climb much tougher, and we arrived at C1 quite tired. Also, the basecamp comforts were left far behind and we were each given a two man tent to share, a stove, a bag of snow to melt and a bag of rations, and left to get on with it!

Still, I survived the night 'sleeping' at 6,100m (a new record for me), and the next morning we left at 6.00am to climb to C2. The journey up to C2 is through the Western Cwm, which is reputedly some of the most spectacular scenary in the world, but I must confess that I spent the whole trip just staring at the boots of the person ahead of me! After a quick drink and bite to eat at C2, we returned to C1 for the night. The journey back was a little easier, and I did get a chance to look around me, and it was the most sensational scenery, with the Nuptse Ridge on one side and the Everest West Wall on the other, both towering 2km above us. We also got out first close up look at the Lhotse Face, which s the next phase of the climb - gulp!!!

Next day we again rose early to climb to C2, this time to stay the night. C2 is a little more hospitable than C1, and it has a cook tent and a mess tent which means you don't have to spend all your time cramped in your owned shared personal tent.

After a very rough night at another new personal altitude sleeping record of 6,400m, we returned yesterday all the way to basecamp.

We now have a couple of rest days untilwe find out what the next acclimatisation phase will comprise, bt it will probably be at least 6 nights at C2 or above including a night at C3 (7,200m).

Healthwise, I picked up a dreadful cough up the hill, and yesterday I went to see the basecamp medics, who have given me a Salbutamol inhaler which seems to have done the trick.

So now it's 2 or more days of rehydrating and packing in the calories before out next jaunt.

Bye for now.