END OF THE ADVENTURE

I am very sorry to say that this is going to be my last blog as I will be leaving the expedition before the summit push.

As you know, we recently spent some time down the valley in Pheriche, but unfortunately it has not had the desired effect for me as I have not managed to regain the strength I lost on the mountain and I just have to recognise that in my current state of health I am just not strong enough to climb the mountain. The walk back up to BC only confirmed this, as it actually took me longer than when we first trekked in a month ago. I could maybe struggle up as far as C2, but from my previous experiences up there the prognosis for summit would not be good.

Also, another factor has now come in to play in that the stakes in the icefall have been raised by the death of a sherpa in an avalanche, and speed through there is now even more essential. I would not be able to move at the required speed and to go in there would be endangering not only myself, but also those with me.

I wouldn't say that the last 6 weeks or so have been the most enjoyable of my life, but I am certainly glad for what has been a truly amazing experience - it was worth it just to walk in the Western Cwm. I guess whatever the 'it' is that it takes to climb Everest, I just haven't got it, but at least I have given it a go and I won't spend the rest of my life wondering 'what if'.

I will set off back to Kathmandu in the next couple of days, and then it will just be a question of when I can get a flight back to the UK.

Before I sign off, I'd like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has followed my progress, and especially to those who have posted comments or sent emails. You can't begin to imagine the boost that these have given me when things have been tough. I'm just sorry I couldn't give you a summit to celebrate.

Thanks again, and I'll see you all soon.

Pete

OFF TO PHERICHE - AT LAST!!

We're finally off to Pheriche today after a few delays!

I'm feeling a lot better for my few days at BC and looking forward to a few days of relative comfort and warmth down the valley.

I've spoken with Adele about future plans and she agrees that going up again for another acclimatisation trip would probably be counter-productive, so we're going to go with what we have got. It's been agreed that I will be given a time limit for reaching each camp, and if I don't make it within the limit then I will not go any higher.

I'm not sure about internet access at Pheriche so I'll probably catch up with you after the weekend.

FEELING BETTER!!

My last message was a bit downbeat, so I thought I would just let you know that I am now feeling a lot better, I've got my appetite back and I'm packing in the calories.

I'm still at BC, mainly because the chef from the Summit hotel in Kathmandu is also here and cooking for us and the food is fantastic!! The rest of the team will be back at BC tomorrow, so we will probably all head down to Pheriche the day after - and Graham the chef will be accompanying us!

I'm still not sure about the future plans for me, as Adele the leader is still up the hill, but as far as I am concerned I have now finished my acclimatisation and I just now want to go for the summit push. There are two main reasons for this: firstly, if I was to go on another acclimatisation cycle, this would not only put me way behind the other members in terms of timescales, but the same problems may occur as I would have to spend at least 4 days at C2. However the other reason is that I don't think I am mentally prepared to make an extra trip through the icefall. At first the icefall was a bit of an adventure playground, with the ladders and everything, but I now know that it is an unpredictable and dangerous place which will catch out the unwary and the weary.

So, it's now just a question (subject to agreement!!) of resting and waiting for the off for the summit push. At the moment, the best estimate is that we will leave for the summit push on 12th May, with summit day itself pencilled in as 16th May. As for my incomplete acclimatisation, I'll just keep going until I can't go any further or someone tells me it's time to turn around.

I'll give you an update from Pheriche in a couple of days.

A SETBACK

Unfortunately I have had to return early to base camp from the latest acclimatisation trip. Basically my body did not adapt well to living continuously at 6,400m and I was suffering from lack of sleep, nausea and loss of appetite. It came to a head when we attempted to reach C3 up the Lhotse Face, and it became apparent before we had even reached half way that I was suffering and that the only option was for me to turn back.

The basic problem is that I could not take in enough food to convert to energy and I was literally 'running on empty'. The problem was not going to solve itself while I stayed at C2, as all that was happening was that my body was deteriorating more all the time I stayed up there. The decision was taken therefore for me to get back to Base camp asap and start trying to put some calories back into my body - it is working so far because I have already demolished a big plate of chips single-handed!

The question remains about where do we go from here. In the short term, I will head down to Pheriche and wait there for the rest of the team to arrive, all the time trying to eat as much as possible. I will then discuss the future plans with the expedition leaders, although it is difficult to see how we can overcome the problems I experienced at C2 if these are physiological. However, I am determined that this is only a temporary setback and I will be back up that hill as soon as possible.