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.
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I'm really pleased to hear you're in better spirits and are feeling more upbeat about getting to the top, which is what we are all rooting for. I'm incredibly jealous of the board you're getting, I thought this trip was all about "roughing it" but I clearly got that bit wrong!
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more about the Khumbu Icefall being a dangerous place, you wouldn't catch me within miles of the place - I get scared on the swings at the toddler's playground!!
In the meantime we continue to send you our best wishes, and above all hope you remain safe and well whatever the outcome, which we're still hoping is you at the top! xx