
APRIL 16TH BASECAMP:
ANDRONICOS 50TH BIRTHDAY!!!!
BREAKFAST WAS AT 9.00AM AS WE HAD THE MESS TENT DECORATED WITH STREAMERS,
BALLOONS AND CHAGMA HAD BAKED A HUGE CAKE. WHEN ANDRONICO WALKED IN HE WAS SO
SURPRISED TO SEE THE MESS TENT RE DECORATED! I WAS A LITTLE EMOTIONAL AS
USUAL, ITS REALLY GETTING EMBARRASSING. WE HAD A GREAT BREAKFAST AND ANDRONICO
OPENED ALL HIS PRESENTS FROM US... MINE HAD BEEN SHIPPED FROM HONGKONG, MISSED
ME IN KATMANDU, BEEN FLOWN BY HELICOPTER TO LOBUCHE, THE HELICOPTER HAD
STOPPED IN TENGBOCHE AND MY PRESENT HAD BEEN OFFLOADED ALONG WITH SOME
LIGHTBULBS AND FINALLY PASANG OUR CLIMBING SIRDHAR HAD RUN DOWN TO TENGBOCHE
TO FETCH IT!!!! FOR A WHILE THE VERY MENTION OF THE WORD "PACKAGE FROM HONG
KONG" HAD DRIVEN ME CRAZY!!! ANYWAY THANK GOD IT ARRIVED AND I THINK ANDRONICO
LIKES IT!!!
AT 1.00PM SWEE FROM SINGAPORE
CAME OVER TO OUR CAMP, HE HAS DONE THE SEVEN SUMMITS, BEEN TO THE SOUTH POLE,
CLIMBED A TON OF MOUNTAINS AND IS HERE TO CLIMB EVEREST WITHOUT OXYGEN. THEN
CAME ALL THE DISCOVERY TEAM, DAVE, ANDREW, HECTOR, SHAUNA AND BEN AND THEY
BROUGHT A REALLY DELICIOUS CAKE FOR ANDRONCIO, FOLLOWED BY GUY COTTER AND
HENRY TODD... WE HAD A GREAT LUNCH CRAMMED INTO OUR MESS TENT - WE MADE HUGE
INROADS TO OUR DELICATESSEN ( SALAMIS, PARMA HAM, CHEESES ETC) AND WE ALL HAD
CHAMPAGNE, BEER AND MOUNT EVEREST WHISKY - ALL RATHER CONTROLLED RATIONS YOU
WILL BE PLEASED TO HEAR!
I LOVED HEARING HENRY TODD'S
AND GUY COTTERS STORIES OF PREVIOUS EXPEDITIONS, THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS AS THE
BOOKS TELL THEM!! HECTOR FROM THE DISCOVERY CHANNEL ( HIS GIRLFRIEND IS
ARACELI SEGGURA THE FEMALE STAR OF THE IMAX EVEREST MOVIE) MADE ME CRY WITH
LAUGHTER TELLING ME ABOUT HIS LIAISON OFFICER DURING A CLIMB IN K2. HE HAD TO
THREATEN HIM WITH AN ICE AXE AT ONE POINT AS HE HAD ALL THE CAMELS CROSS THE
RIVER WITH ALL THEIR CLIMBING GEAR BUT THEN TOLD HIM THAT THE CAMELS WOULD NOT
TAKE THE CLIMBERS ACROSS THE RAGING RIVER... WHICH IS WHEN THE ICE AXE
INCIDENT HAPPENED!!
OUR LUNCH ENDED AROUND 4.30PM
AND EVERYONE RETURNED TO THEIR CAMPS LOOKING LIKE HAMSTERS CHEWING ON
ANDRONICOS COCOA LEAVES! I THEN SPOKE TO MY SISTER IN HONG KONG AND MY TWO
BEST GIRLFRIENDS KAT AND TANIA ( I LIKE TO BE KEPT UP TO DATE ON ALL GOSSIP
EVEN AT EVEREST BASE CAMP) I THEN MEANDERED OVER TO DAVID BREASHEARS CAMP (
THEY WERE ALL AT CAMP 2) BUT I CHATTED WITH ELAINE AND DOUG FROM TELLURIDE FOR
AN HOUR OR SO. IT WAS ONE OF THEIR CREW THAT GOT HELICOPTERED OUT WITH A HEAD
AND LUNG INJURY.. LUCKILY SHE IS RECOVERING IN KATMANDU.
THE TWO GREEKS SHOWED UP FOR
DINNER (ANDRONICOS FRIEND FROM ANTARCTICA) AND WE HEARD THAT THE INDIAN GIRL
CLIMBER IN THEIR TEAM WHOM WE HAD SEEN AT CAMP 1, WAS A LITTLE SCARED TO COME
BACK DOWN THROUGH THE ICEFALL ( WHO CAN BLAME HER) AND HAD BEEN UP AT CAMP 2
NOW FOR 4 NIGHTS... IT TOOK HER 11 HOURS TO GET THROUGH THE ICEFALL WHICH
GIVES U AN INDICATOR OF HER ENDURANCE AN HOW HARD THIS ICEFALL CAN BE!!
IT WAS A GREAT DAY AND A LATE
NIGHT FOR ALL OF US 11.00PM!!! RODRIGO AND I ARE OFF TO SEE GUY COTTER
TOMORROW AT HIS CAMP..AND OTHER THAN SWITCHING BACK TO ANOTHER HARNESS (ITS
THE 3RD SWITCH IVE MADE AND IM DRIVING EVERYONE MAD!!) NOT MUCH ELSE TO DO
TOMORROW!!
APRIL 17TH BASECAMP:
THE LATEST GOSSIP IS THAT DUE
TO AN AVALANCHE DURING THE NIGHT, THE ICEFALL HAS BEEN BLOCKED. OUR SHERPAS
HAD TO TURN BACK THIS MORNING AND EVERYONE WHO IS AT CAMP 1 AND ABOVE HAS TO
STAY THERE!!! THERE ARE 3 ICEFALL DOCTORS WHO WERE IMMEDIATELY DISPATCHED TO
SORT OUT THE ROUTE... IT SHOULD BE FIXED BY THIS AFTERNOON.
AFTER BREAKFAST RODRIGO AND I
WENT OVER TO ADVENTURE CONSULTANTS TO SPEAK WITH GUY COTTER ABOUT AN UPCOMING
PROJECT THAT WE WANT TO DO.. HIS MESS TENT I THINK TAKES THE PRIZE FOR BEING
THE NICEST IN BASECAMP. ITS GOT LOVELY CUSHIONED CHAIRS, FLOWERS AND IS A
LIGHT AIRY COTTON TENT.. RATHER LIKE AN ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSE IN THE
SUMMER...I WAS VERY IMPRESSED! HAD 2 GREAT CUPS OF COFFEE AND WOLFED DOWN 2
CHEESE SCONES FRESHLY BAKED...HIS CLIENTS WERE SHOWING UP FROM GORAK SHEP, HE
HAS SEVEN PEOPLE ARRIVING. I AM THE ONLY PERSON WHO HAS GAINED WEIGHT HERE, I
DON'T KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON BUT I HAVE SOME APPETITITE ON ME!! A VERY LAZY DAY
TODAY..
TOMORROW WE ARE GOING INTO
THE ICEFALL TO THE FIRST LADDERS SO PHILLIPE CAN DO SOME FILMING AND THEN WE
ARE PLANNING TO HEAD UP TO CAMP 2 ON AROUND 21ST SO A FEW MORE DAYS OF REST..
THE KEY TO BEING HERE IS PATIENCE, WE ARE NOT ANTICIPATING OUR SUMMIT WEATHER
WINDOW UNTIL SOMETIME AROUND 10TH MAY ONWARDS AND THEN ALL THE POLITICS OF
FIXING LINES AND WHICH EXPEDITIONS WILL ATTEMPT TO SUMMIT WHEN WILL OCCUR..
APPARENTLY OUR SHERPAS ARE GOING TO BE FIXING THE MOST TECHNICAL PART OF THE
ROUTE FROM CAMP 3 TO THE YELLOW BAND.. IT WILL BE PROPER CLIMBING ROPE AND NOT
KOREAN PLASTIC ROPE THAT WE ARE CLIPPED INTO IN THE ICEFALL!!! NOT MUCH ELSE
FROM HERE - OUR FIRST DELIVERY FROM THE KHUMJUNG BAKERY HAS ARRIVED!! A HUGE
APPLE PIE!