APRIL 19TH: BREAKFAST AS USUAL AT 8.30AM AND THEN I HEADED OVER TO CHECK OUT THE NEW HELIPAD THAT HAS BEEN RECENTLY CONSTRUCTED HERE. TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, I COULDN'T ACTUALLY FIND IT, BUT I HEARD THAT IT WAS ADJACENT TO THE CRASHED RUSSIAN WRECKAGE - A NICE CHEERFUL REMINDER!

THE ICEFALL IS OPERATIONAL AND OUR SHERPAS MADE IT TO CAMP 2 AND BACK FERRYING SOME MORE LOADS. ANDREW LOCK FROM DISCOVERY CAME OVER AND WE BOTH HAD A LONG CHAT. I LOVE GETTING HIS ADVICE AND I THINK HE IS A GREAT PERSON TO HAVE CLIMBING WITH YOU, NOT TO MENTION WHAT AN UNASSUMING AND TALENTED CLIMBER HE IS WITH 10 OF THE 8,000 ERS COMPLETED WITHOUT OXYGEN. HE IS GOING TO FILM ME GOING TO CAMP 3 (HELP) I HEAR IT IS REALLY ICY, HAVING CONFRONTED A SHERPA IN THE ICEFALL TODAY. I HEARD THAT DAVID BREASHEARS AND CO ARE AT CAMP 3 ALREADY.

LOU ANNE THE DOCTOR CAME OVER TO OUR CAMP AFTER LUNCH AND DISCUSSED THE MERITS OF TAKING VIAGRA AT ALTITUDE. BEING IN THE FEMALE MINORITY HERE, I DREAD TO THINK WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ALL THE MEN AT BASECAMP!! ON A SERIOUS NOTE, THERE ARE RESEARCHERS HERE FROM CANADA AND THEY DO THINK VIAGRA IS INSTRUMENTAL IN CURING HAPE AND CEREBRAL EDEMA, SO I WON'T LAUGH TOO MUCH AS IT HELPS GIRLS TOO!!

I THEN WENT AND WATCHED NOTTINGHILL( I FINALLY GOT MY HANDS ON A CHICK FLICK, HAVING BORROWED FROM ELAINE AND DOUG AT DAVID BREASHEARS CAMP) ELAINE AND DOUG CAME OVER TO OUR CAMP FOR DINNER AND THE BOYS RUSTLED UP SOME VERY GOOD ENGLISH TO IMPRESS ELAINE!!!

I'VE GOT A SLIGHT CRISIS GOING ON, IN THAT MY MILLET HIGH ALTITUDE BOOTS WHICH I NEED FOR MY SUMMIT ATTEMPT AND FOR CAMP 2 TO CAMP 3, ARE WAY TOO BIG AS DEMONSTRATED IN THE ICEFALL YESTERDAY AS I REPEATEDLY KEPT ALMOST STEPPING RIGHT OUT OF MY BOOTS WHILST ASCENDING ( I CAN'T HAVE THIS HAPPEN ON THE LHOTSE FACE) I'VE BEEN FRANTICALLY TRYING TO ARRANGE FOR A PAIR TO BE SENT HERE AND THE EXPERT IN THIS MATTER IS ANDRONICO WHO SHOWED UP TO BASECAMP WITH 2 RIGHT FOOTED BOOTS.. SO HE KNOWS THE WHOLE DRILL FOR GETTING MILLET BOOTS TO BASECAMP. IT INVOLVES HIS POOR SON LUCO, IN BOSTON PICKING THEM UP FROM A MOUNTAINEERING SHOP AND FEDEXING THEM TO KATMANDU!! FINGERS CROSSED WE CAN GET THIS SORTED..

TOMORROW WE ARE BACK IN THE ICEFALL FILMING AGAIN AND THE PLAN IS THAT WE MOVE UP TO CAMP 2 ON 22ND FOR A FEW DAYS..

ITS FREEZING AGAIN AND I'M NOW IN MY TENT, AT NIGHT WE HEAR CONSTANT AVALANCHES FROM THE SURROUNDING MOUNTAINS NOT TO MENTION THE ICE MOVING UNDER OUR TENTS AS THE GLACIER MOVES.. WE HAVE A CREVASSE ON OUR CAMPSITE, WELL, EN ROUTE TO THE LOO IS A HUGE HOLE IN THE ICE WITH NO APPARENT BOTTOM - YOU EVEN HAVE TO BE VIGILANT WHILST MAKING YOUR WAY TO THE LOO AROUND HERE!!!

THE POOR INDIAN GIRL I MENTIONED WHO SPENT 11 HOURS GETTING TO CAMP 1 IS VERY SICK WITH EITHER SEVERE EXHAUSTION OR ALTITUDE RELATED PROBLEMS.. OUR DOCTOR WENT OVER TO SEE HER TONIGHT AND WE THINK SHE WILL HAVE TO GO DOWN TO PERICHE TOMORROW. NOTHING ELSE FROM HERE!

 

April 20th, icefall: BREAKFAST AT 7.00AM AND BY 9.00AM WE WERE IN THE ICEFALL FOR SOME FILMING FOR CHILEAN TV. PIPE OUR CAMERAMAN IS SO GREAT, HE IS THE COMEDIAN OF THE GROUP AND HAS PERFORMED AMAZINGLY IN THE ICEFALL, AS I'D PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED HE HAD NEVER USED CRAMPONS BEFORE. WE WENT TO THE FIRST SET OF LADDERS AND FILMED HERE FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS. DESPITE A SCORCHING HOT DAY, I WAS GLAD TO OBSERVE THAT WE SEEM TO HAVE ALL ACCLIMATIZED AND ARE MOVING THROUGH THE ICEFALL MUCH MORE RAPIDLY. AS HENRY TODD TOLD ME WHEN I GET SCARED " TO KEEP BREATHING AND KEEP GOING!" PRETTY GOOD ADVICE!

THE BOYS HAD NO MERCY ON ME TODAY AND I HAVE BEEN MADE TO WALK ACROSS THE LADDER CROSSINGS. PIPE, MISAIL AND KIKO RAPELLED DOWN INTO THE CREVASSE AND FILMED US FROM BELOW AS WE CROSSED THE LADDER. WE MET UP WITH THE ADVENTURE CONSULTANTS CREW ON THE LADDERS, UNDER THE CAPABLE HANDS OF GUIDES LOUIS BENITZ AND MIKE WHO ARE BOTH HIGHLY COMPETENT. ONE GUY, PRESUMABLY HAVING UNDER ANTICIPATED THE STRENGTH OF THE SUN HAD A BOUNTY WRAPPER ATTACHED TO HIS SUNGLASSES TO PROTECT HIS NOSE FROM ITS VICIOUS RAYS. HAVING LOST A FEW PRECIOUS BRAIN CELLS UP HERE, I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE HIS ODD FACE APPAREL UNTIL HE TOLD ME! I GUESS WE ALL LOOK RIDICULOUS TRYING TO SHIELD OURSELVES FROM THE ELEMENTS.. MET A COUPLE OF OTHER CLIMBERS, AN ARGENTINIAN GUIDE CALLED GUSTAVO AND A GUY ON HENRY TODD'S TEAM, CHRIS WARNER WHO IS ATTEMPTING TO CLIMB LHOTSE WITHOUT OXYGEN. TONS OF SHERPA TRAFFIC ON THE ICEFALL TODAY HAVING BEEN FERRYING LOADS TO CAMP 2 AND STARTING ON 3. I SAW ALL OUR BOYS WHOM I EMBARRASS NO END BY GIVING THEM BIG HUGS WHEN I SEE THEM ( THAT IS WHEN I HAVE THE ENERGY - WITH FILMING THERE IS A LOT OF SITTING AROUND SO I HUGGED THEM ALL TODAY!)

CAMP 3 IS ESTABLISHED NOW AND THERE ARE 2 SETS OF FIXED LINES, EITHER TO TRY AND REDUCE THE TRAFFIC ON THE LHOTSE FACE OR ID HEARD THAT THE LINES ON THE LEFT WERE FOR THE FILM MAKERS ONLY - BEING THE MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRES FOR OUR TEAM I THINK WE WILL BE ABLE TO USE THE FILM MAKERS FIXED LINES TOO!!

ONE MORE REST DAY TOMORROW AND IM RUNNING OUT OF DVD'S.. I'VE ASKED MY GIRLFRIEND LISA TO BRING IN A BUNCH WITH HER.. SHE IS DUE TO SPEND A FEW DAYS WITH US ON THE 29TH, I THINK THE BOYS WILL APPROVE OF HER!! IM ABOUT TO WATCH A MOVIE WITH "THE BOOT MAN" ANDRONICO BEFORE DINNER SO ILL SIGN OFF FOR TODAY...