Adventure Peaks Mt Everest 2004 Expedition

Report No 9 - Monday 10th May: Well, we've been sitting out strong winds for the past week down at BC. The last couple of days, however, the winds have dropped and we've been able to relax in the sun on our makeshift 'patio' outside the mess tent, renamed the Buena Vista Social Club.

A typical day has consisted of: breakfast at 8am for 8.30am, we then linger until 10.30am when we adjourn lingering for morning 'real' coffee and biscuits. More lingering occurs until lunch at 12.30pm. After lunch we socialize or take part in an afternoon activity until 4o'clock club where we drink more coffee and consume more biscuits. Dinner is at 7pm when the temperature drops dramatically and bedtime promptly follows at 8.30pm to 9pm.

There has been various added excitement throughout the week. The strong winds have kept us busy. In one strong gust, during a magnificent lunch, the side of the mess tent collapsed requiring Herculean effort to repair and reinforce. Two toilet tents took a flying tour of the moraine. This has required the services of the Rongbuk Bog Builders to construct a stone toilet and a second roofless squarehouse out of the remains of its predecessor. The BBC office tent didn't quite make it either, receiving swift attention from the dismantling crew.

A fully reinforced camp has allowed us to focus our efforts, not on the wind, but on more relaxing activities. We have received free golfing lessons from our resident Golf Pro, Iain. Some of us need more help than others. Interestingly, a golf ball at 5200m travels half as far again as it would at sea level due to the lack of air resistance - science at our fingertips! I have been flying the 3.0m kite I brought, taking advantage of the sunny days and brisk winds. Ben, Tom and Ray have been busy cultivating their beards (there may be an element of competition!). There has been plenty of sponsorship photos being taken. This group of hardened mountaineers are now the new faces of Branston Pickle, the ever increasingly popular Nestle Condensed Milk, P20 sun protection and Buff.

We are all waiting in eager anticipation of our summit bid and it's that thought that's keeping us going through this long period of waiting. It's getting closer! Rick

Dispatches

 

Altitech2: Digital Altimeter, Barometer, Compass and Thermometer. Time/Date/Alarms. Chronograph with 24 hour working range. Timer with stop, repeat and up function. Rotating Bezel. Leveling bubble. Carabiner latch. E.L. 3 second backlight. Water resistant. 4" x 2-1/4" x 3/4" 2 oz. Requires 1 CR2032 battery. See more here.

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