Day 12 – First news after leaving Base Camp
April 14, 2009
9:50am Dubai / 11:35am Nepal: Report from Glyn by Satellite phone:
Last night the team set off from Base Camp at 10am [not 6pm as earlier stated]. They had a fantastic night and day at Base Camp with lots to report.
The night at Base Camp was a unique experience. Gavin’s expedition team have communal dining and cooking tents. The group spent the evening together in the dining tent, which is heated, and then went to bed in smaller sleeping tents. It was an extremely cold night: once in the sleeping tents, the water in their drinking bottles froze within an hour! They ‘endured’ the night and nobody got much sleep but, thankfully, they all survived. Within 15 minutes of sunrise they were sitting outside their tents in T-shirts!
The morning at Base Camp was taken up with a walk to the edge of the Khumbu Icefall. The group viewed the treacherous route across the Khumbu Icefall. They were able to walk a short distance on-to the ice but could not go far as they did not have crampons (spiked footwear).
The Khumbu Icefall is a sheet of ice that climbers must cross to reach the mountain. It is covered with wide, deep cracks, hidden by thin snow. Many climbers have died or been injured by falling into cracks on the Icefall. The only way to cross is to walk or crawl over metal ladders. Sometimes, two ladders have to be joined with ropes and can bend alarmingly in the middle!
A special team of Sherpas, known as the “Ice Doctors”, go out from Base Camp each night to place and adjust the ladders and ropes. They mark the route with red flags, which are visible right the way up the icefall. Their job is vitally important as the route is in constant use.
This year, 38 teams will make many trips back and forth across the icefall. Each will carry tons of equipment and supplies to establish camps further up the mountain. They will use the higher camps to acclimatise, rest and wait for perfect conditions to reach the summit. Gavin’s team consists of himself, two other climbers (Helen and Eddie) and two Sherpas. Together, they will spend the next two weeks travelling between Base Camp and Camps 1 and 2 up the mountain. The time they spend moving the supplies will help them acclimatise for the final push to the summit.
The group took photographs of the team with the UAE flag. They then returned to Base Camp and prepared to leave. They set off from Base Camp at 10am to walk to Periche [not Lobuche as we expected them to do] and arrived safely as the sun was setting at around 6:30pm.
This morning the team left Periche at 8:30am, headed for Namche Bazaar where they will meet up with Dave and stay for the night. We’re sure there will be no shortage of stories at the dinner table!
Check their position on the map
(Posted by Adrian Keech)
