Waiting for the Chinese

Hi Folks

(Monday 5^th May) There is not a lot going on right now on Everest south side. Everyone is waiting, waiting, waiting for the Chinese to summit on the North side with the Olympic torch.

Until such time, restrictions have been enforced on the South side by the Nepalese army present here at BC and up at Camp II. Officially at least, only persons registered on climbing permits are permitted to stay at BC, and all visitors, trekkers, spouses, support doctors and team leaders are supposed to leave base camp.

Furthermore, all teams are forbidden from being above base camp at all on the 1st & 2nd May anticipating the Chinese would summit by then. That has not happened.

From what we understand, the Chinese team is at Advanced BC on the North side (6,400m) and waiting for a good weather window. The last few days there has been heavy cloud coverage, snowfall and high winds preventing the Chinese from reaching the summit. There is rumor they will summit now around 6th~8th May. No one can make such a predication. It will happen when it happens!

This is a little frustrating for all of us here at BC as by having to stay at lower altitude, we lose valuable acclimatization already gained by having been up to Camp I & II. Furthermore for every day the Chinese torch team do not summit, all teams are getting pushed into a smaller summit/weather window later in the month potentially creating greater congestion on the mountain.

All we can do right now is hope for good weather, and the Chinese to gain favorable conditions to summit asap so all teams can recommence their push up the mountain.

At the moment none of the route above Camp II is fixed. Apparently it will be fixed by a Sherpa team on the 8th and 9th May in readiness for teams to progress to higher camps and towards the summit.

Andy and I arrived back at BC today (Monday May 5) after spending a few nights down the valley in Dingboche at lower altitude. We feel a lot stronger for it and charged with a new energy arriving back at BC.

So, from a quite and idle Everest BC.....bye for now, David.

All bright and cheery......

Wednesday 7th May, 3am

Andy writes:

Dave has just raised me from my sleeping bag at an ungodly hour. He has
decided (and we seem to have acquiesced) that we (Andy, James, Raphael,
Anselm and David) are going to tackle the icefall this morning, and that we
are going to do so early! The conditions look good for an acclimatization
push, but the route above C2 has not yet been fixed, and therefore it is
likely to be a two day dash to C2, and then back to base for tea and medals!

In the dining room, Dave has refused to light the fire and so it remains
cold. James is wondering how to put his harness on, and I am generally
complaining that it is cold and early.

Wish us luck...

Camp II 6,500m / Back at BC

Hi Folks Well you might be wondering why no updates over the past week or so?

Two reasons mainly - firstly, all teams have been under communication restrictions (with a presence of Military at BC, and Camp II) in the lead up to the Olympic torch being carried to the summit of Everest, and secondly, all our team has been up on the 2nd push up the route to Camp II.

I spent a few days at Camp I, feeling a lot better for it, and returning up the ice fall with the Sherpas leaving 330am and arriving Camp I at 8am - a lot faster than the first time up the ice fall which was a good sign of moving more efficiently at the higher altitudes.

At Camp I, I joined Jamie, Andy, Marty, and Tim, and the following day (~26th April) we all made a leisurely 4 hour hike further up into the Western Cwm to Camp II, taking in the spectacular views.

An oversight made by myself was in stopping and balancing halfway across a crevasse crossing to take a photo, only to have a Sherpa point out that I failed to attach the safety line. One week prior, Zangbu Sherpa from our team was crossing one of the crevasses without a safety line (as the young confident Sherpas often do), and he lost his balance, the ladder toppled to one side, but he was most fortunate to be able to wrap his arm quickly around the fixed safety line to prevent a sure fatal fall. Both these incidents were a good reminder of safety as a priority at all sections along the route, no matter how exposed or exposed they may seem.

Camp II is located on rocky terrain on the edge of the glacier and sits at the foot of Everest 2,200m south west face. From Camp II the summit itself is now clearly visible, looming high above us, but at least now it seemed within striking distance.

Getting this far has been both physically and mentally draining, but with each descent and re-ascent we feel stronger in both capacities for the hard effort required in the final summit push.

About a further 2 hours on from Camp II at the end of the Western Cwm the Lhotse face is also clearly visible. The Lhotse face looks most intimidating - a 400m ascent in hard ice of 50-60 degrees. It is part way up the Lhotse face at 7,300m above the yellow rock band that Camp III will be precariously perched.

At Camp II conditions are marginally better than at Camp I. We have a basic kitchen set up, with food typically consisting of chapatis, cereals, eggs, and lots of noodle soups and pasta.

After spending 3-5 nights at Camp II we all returned to BC on Wed 30 April, again to rest, and recover before pushing back up the route again.

For the most part, all team members have adjusted well to the altitude and are in good spirit. Numerous team members (including myself) have developed a constant coughing known as the "Khumbu Cough" which results from breathing cold, dry air and the agitation this puts on the throat. The next few days will be critical for overcoming this ailment as best as possible.

As at today, 1st May, the outlook is as follows:

2-3rd May : there is a small weather window in which the Chinese may summit Everest with the Olympic torch. Everyone is hoping this will happen. (The past couple of days which we suspect is the Chinese)

5-6th May - a tropical cyclone is coming up from Bay of Bengal and expected to bring snowfall and high winds until about the 9th May

After 9th May weather forecast suggests near windless conditions for a number of days - creating, what looks at this time, to be favorable summit conditions

Tomorrow (2nd May) - Andy, and myself will descend on an 5 hour hike down to Dingboche (4,410m) for a couple of nights to recharge ourselves on the lower altitude, and also rebuild our energy reserves with a good food intake, and for myself to try and shake the Khumbu cough. We will then return to BC to rejoin the team (James, Anselm, Gina, Raphael and Jamie) and then make the ascent back up to Camp I & Camp II for what could well be either a slow, final summit push around 9th May, or a push up to touch Camp III, descend back to BC for rest and recovery an then make a final summit push later in May. It all really depends now on how quickly the Chinese summit, and how the weather situation unfolds.

Today (Thursday) is a rest day for everyone and a good chance to catch up on laundry (although after one month now, clothes still rinse dirty), play a few (more) games of cards, or perhaps to even indulge in a shower which has just been set up. Raphael was the first to use the shower yesterday and he reported at breakfast this morning he was not feeling so good/had a bad night sleep. We all agreed it was a likely allergic reaction to having a shower and being so clean!

Bye for now....David

Camp I at 6,050m

Sunday 20th April - climbing team and Sherpa team members held traditional Pujah ceremony which all teams conducted prior to stepping foot on the mountain. All ice axes, crampons and climbing harness placed at the bottom of the stupa and on each piece of equipment a dob of butter placed for good luck & safe travel. Numerous prayers recited from Bhuddist scriptures, and the ceremony finished with throwing both rice and dhampa flour into the air, then generous shots of whisky to all members. With this ceremony behind us, everyone feeling energized that the real climbing can now begin.

Monday 21st April - 5am start, James, Ansolm, Namgal Sherpa and myself set out for Camp 1 up through the ice fall. Under a near full moon, mild temperatures and no wind, conditions were perfect. The route weaved it's way for hours up through a field of fallen ice, and crevasses. Crossing the crevasses on ladders required a good degree of balance and one had to be careful of accurate foot between the ladder rungs, not catching a crampon. For most of the route, we moved along on fixed lines for safety. In numerous places there were vertical sections with some 5-6 ladders roped together. The up and down climbing over the ice in the ice fall just seemed relentless and was physically exhausting - we were not mentally prepared. What we anticipated would be a 4 hour climb ended up taking us 9 hours arriving at Camp 1 at 2pm. We discussed the appeal of beach holidays on numerous occasions along the way. We eventually fell into the tents at Camp I, pleased to have arrived but would now have to deal with the soaring heat of camp (with sun glare off the snow) and throbbing headaches for the large jump in altitude from 5,364m to 6,050m. From Camp I we had a good view of the route up the Western Cwm and could see the Lhotse Face and the ridge of Everest up close for the first time.

Tuesday 22nd April - feel like crap from the altitude. Throbbing headache, hydrating difficult, and absolutely no appetite. Stayed in tent the whole day, hoping things would get better. James & Ansolm doing ok. Camp II at 6,400m expected to be set up tomorrow. Definitely had better days.

Wednesday 23rd April - the headache and loss of appetite persists despite being hungry. Drinking is difficult. I know I am not ready to advance to Camp II. James & Ansolm will go up tomorrow. Staying here at Camp I only makes me weak so I decided to return to Base Camp to rest, eat and recover for a few days. I followed the Sherpas down through the ice fall leaving Camp I at 2pm and arrived at BC by 5pm to meet up with other team mates - Andy, Raphael, Gina and Jamie who will all head up to Camp I for the first time tomorrow. It is amazing just how much better you feel for dropping 600m in altitude, the headache has started to dissipate already and a bowl of corn flakes never tasted so good. I will spend the next few days hanging out at base camp and hopefully catching up with some climbing buddy's from Cho Oyu back in 2006. As soon as I am feeling stronger will head back up to Camp I & II for further acclimatization. This acclimatization process for each member is the most critical to the future summit attempt and may require going up and down to Camp I & II some 2-3 times before the summit (the fewer times the better though).

BTW - have recovered from dog bite thankfully! Health doing ok, same for other team members as good as can be expected adjusting to change in diet and environment.

Bye for now...David

Email / Team Updates

Team dispatches of our expedition are now being posted to
www.project-himalaya.com website - look for the dispatches web page.

This is contrary to my earlier advice team dispatches were to be posted to
www.mounteverest.net.

You can also send emails to base camp by sending to our general email
account everest@project-himalaya.com

Arrived at Base Camp 5,360m

Hi folks, well we finally made it to base camp, arriving here on April 16.

The week prior, James and I (very) slowly made our way up from Namche Bazaar
up the valley towards Gokyo. As opposed to the numerous trekkers along the
walking route, late starts and short 2~3hr days were a high priority; as was
making the most most of our apetites along the way. It seemed that most
lodge owners were happy to have us stay longer given the amount of money we
would spend on food. Noodle soup, potatoes, and eggs generally become the
staple dish with the occasional piece of home made apple pie. All the lodges
are small, family run operations, offering extremely basic ammenities. A hot
shower was a luxury usually at about $3 each and was typically a bucket of
luke warm water with holes in it above a small shed located outside the
lodge.

Our longest day was crossing over the Cho La pass which we underestimated to
be an easy 5hr walk. Well as we reached the top of what we thought was the
pass, we were shocked to see in front of us the trail descent down several
hundred meters across and rocky glacier moraine, only then to sharply ascent
up a steep and rocky headwall - the real Cho La pass! We kicked one step at
a time up the loose, slippery scree slope finally reaching the top of the
pass several hours later. On the other side, we were greeted by an equally
steep descent down the other side through snow, and rock. The altitude got
the better of me, with a severe headache from the altitude - something which
one just has to get use to going to alititude. Pretty much like a bad
hangover that never goes away. We reached the valley on the other side of
the pass and now felt a lot close to Everest. We then turned north up the
valley and settled in for the night in the vilalge of Lobuche, feeling
absolutely whipped, some 8.5 hours after starting out that day.

The following day we made our way up to Gorak Shep, and from here we were
now within 3hrs walk of Everest Base Camp; however at this point we Mount
Everest was still out of view.

To see Everest, we climbed in the evening light, to the top of Kalar Patar,
a nearby peak of 5,600m.

From the summit of Kalar Pater there was no mistaking the Everest - it's
prominent pyramid shape towering above the surrounding peaks in all it's
glory in the setting sun. Our objective now after several weeks of making
the approach, now seemed all the more real.

We arrived in base camp the following day, and quickly found our sherpa team
all busy setting up our base camp which is located at the foot of the Khumbu
Ice Fall which rised some 600m above our camp site. Base camp itself it set
in a cirque with a number of peaks rising steeply above us to 7,500m.

All our other team members have also arrived these past 2 days, and everyone
now is resting and eating well. In fact there is not much else to do here.
It is critical for all of us to get well acclimatised before heading further
up the mountain.

Night time temperatures in the tent are -11C however the moment the sun
rises over the surrounding peaks and hits the tents, the temperatures soar
to 30C, and there is no escape from the heat. When clouds pass in front of
the sun the temperature immediately drops and everyone grabs for their down
jackets for the brief time the sun is obstructed. Our camp is set up on the
glacier ice which we can constantly hear cracking and creaking beneath us.
At night time, avalanche activity is at it's peak and often we are awoken by
the sound of snow, ice and rock avalanches on the surrounding peaks.

The sherpas were busy yesterday building a stupa for the "Puja" ceromony
which will be held on Sunday. The Puja is a ceremony that all Nepalese
sherpas and our whole climb team will participate in before stepping foot on
the mountain. As a team we will all congregate around the stupa, laying our
ice axes and crampons at it's base, along with food offering to the mountain
gods, and in Nepalese, prayers will be made offering respect to the
mountain, and requesting safe passage of travel for all climbing members.
Thereafter the real climbing begins.

We had a team meeting today, going over events for the next few weeks. We
anticipate we will all travel 3 times through the ice fall. The sherpas will
begin carrying loads up to camp I and camp II. James and I are somewhat
acclimatised to base camp altitude and we shall accompany the sherpas Monday
morning, climbing through the ice fall aiming to reach camp I. We shall
spend a couple of nights there and then ascend higher to camp II and stay
there for a couple of days, climbing perhaps to ~7300m before returning to
base camp for rest, only to repeat this process again. Fun, fun, fun!

Bye for now...David

Some more pics.....

Here is a map of the Everest region in which we are trekkin gand making the final apporach to Everest base camp. In about 1 hour we are heading off from Namche for Dole, up to Gokyo, over Cho La pass then up to BC taking about 5 days.