Sunday 15 April 2012

Sunday 15th

Ah well this is round two at today's post! I've just lost nearly two hours of single finger typing on this damn phone! I was about to bore you with the longest post yet (so perhaps there is a God up there). Anyway here we go again. It's going to be a very long night for me.

I'm lying awake in my sleeping bag and my watch says 3.20am, another 40 minutes until the alarm goes off. Nervous anticipation prevents me from dropping back off to sleep. Four o'clock arrives and I give myself just another couple of minutes to enjoy the warmth of my sleeping bag that has cocooned me for the last six hours. Right, it's got to be done and in one long sweeping movement I undo the zip on my bag and within a millionth of a second all that warm air has been replaced by what feels like a blast of freezing Siberian air.

The race is on! I slip on a pair of lightweight gloves to prevent my fingers from going numb. First it's my thick socks, then my walking trousers, straight over my thermals (must keep moving to try and stay warm), another thermal top quickly followed by two more jackets. Almost there, just my double boots to go - too late I've lost the race my fingers are numb. Despite having added pull tags to my boots my hands are little more than clubs as I struggle to pull them tight. Lesson learnt: thicker gloves next time!

(Well its now 21.45 Nepalese time, we've had dinner and watched a film called ' Dejavu'. Quite apt bearing in mind what's happened. Oh and it's -11.8 in the tent. The things I do for you guys!)

I pick up my pack and stumble into the mess tent. Most of the team are already there. No one is talking and everybody looks chilly. I force down some porridge not because I want to but because it's fuel for what lies ahead. Then a porter brings in a large frying pan of plain omelettes. Who ordered these we ask? With a broad grin the porter replies 'good food, make strong for mountain'. So I force one down more out of graditude than desire. Much like after imbibing too many lime cordials on a Saturday night, come Sunday morning you know you should eat something. (especially adapted for the Duchy and St Catherine's schools- see I am trying!).

I've blown the budget and included a photo of a ladder crossing to whet your appetite.

We left the mess tent in silence so as not to disturb other people as we picked our way through the morraine and the other camps to the bottom of the icefall. This was rather futile as every time we walked over some frozen water it would crack and shatter. Alternatively your boots would slide from underneath you as the thin covering of rocks gave way to reveal the ice below. I'd curse at the wasted energy.
Once at 'crampon point' we would don our harnesses and crampons and make our way onto the sea of ice. Initially the wave of ice are quite gentle much like the tide coming in at a wide sandy bay but soon these ripples grow into huge waves that tower 60 feet above you.

The icefall extends over 700 m in altitude and probably a mile and half in distance. A crack team of Sherpas dubbed the 'ice doctors' have the unenviable task of not only setting a route through this maze of ice and snow but also maintaining the numerous ladders that have been installed to cross the crevaces. They will also re route the trail through the ice as it shifts over the coming weeks and as avalanches block the route. This is without doubt one of the most dangerous points on the route and why most people choose to travel through it at night when the temperatures are lowest. The ' ice doctors' are funded by most of the large teams including Jagged Globe.

As we travelled up through it a number of the team had their first experience of crossing ladders. Now a single ladder placed across a crevace is fairly simple to cross when horizontal. Add an angle whether up or down and it becomes more tricky as you try gage where your crampon teeth will best fit on or between the rungs. Things get even more interesting when two or three ladders are strapped together!

I turned around to see base camp still in shadow yet beyond was the backdrop of Pumori with the sun reflecting off its snowy flanks bathed in a clear blue sky. What could be more stunning? Suddenly there is the typical 'whoomf' sound of an avalanche that we have become accustomed to hearing over the last week. But this time it's close, very close! A quick glance up reveals nothing. I look around for a place of refuge. The noise, it's getting louder but from which direction? Then off to our right approximately 150m away we see a plume of snow and ice cascading down below. Thankfully the ' ice doctors' had chosen the right route - this time.

Being at BC you get to hear of and sometimes meet some very famous names in climbing: yesterday it was Victor Saunders, before that it was Russell Brice. We also understand that Uli Steck (of two and a half hours up the north face of the Eiger fame) is also coming to BC.

Well today whilst climbing through an area of the ice fall known as the 'pop corn' because that is what the ice looks like I was caught up by a gentleman who I recognised. Now this will make Henrietta my youngest daughter very jealous, but it was none other than Kenton Kool who is hoping to make his tenth summit this season. We exchanged pleasantries and shook hands (I didn't think it was the place to ask for his autograph H!).

We continued climbing up until about 8.00am and I felt alive. The climbing was steep, every foot placement into the snow and ice had to be right. My breathing was under control - fast but not laboured. The adrenaline was flowing through me and for the first time on the trip I knew I had done the right thing by coming back for a second attempt. Perhaps I could finally put the demons that have played on my mind since my last attempt two years ago finally to rest. If only I can stay fit and healthy.

We turned around having covered about 30% of the ice fall and were back in camp for 9.30 am. Our next foray should take us to nearer 60% before we travel all the way through to sleep at camp one.

The rest of the day was spent showering and doing some washing.

1 comment:

  1. Great post Ian, I am really enjoying following your blog and I hope to be following in your footsteps next year! All the best for a safe and successful expedition. Viki

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