The day has finally come to leave behind the comforts of base camp and move to the higher camps. After breakfast we packed up the kit that we needed for the seven days up the mountain. Porters had been arranged to help carry our load and make it easier to acclimatize to the high altitude. Each porter can carry up to 20kg so we agreed to share a porter between two team members. So we could each give the porter 7kg of our personal kit and food as the two man tent was 6kg. The weather was ideal when we started off at 10am but about half way up it changed and began to snow. We were worried about getting wet so we kept going as long as possible without stopping. The strategy paid off and we got into Camp 1 more than an hour quicker than two days back. Also now we knew how to tackle those tricky scree slopes. Arriving in Camp 1 we were delighted to see that the porters had already help set up most of the tents. This was a huge bonus as it was now snowing heavily and all I wanted to do was lie down and rest for a bit.
It took about an hour or two to find all our kit and move it into our tent. Some of the food supplied that we had cached two days back had got wet and crushed so this had to be resorted too.
All the expedition food consists of dehydrated meals, which were surprisingly tasty, although you need to overlook the texture and appearance. Preparation couldn't be easier, just add boiling water and within 10 minutes you have Roast chicken and vegetables or various other flavours. Although ideal for the mountain, I wouldn't rush out to buy one of these meals back home.
After our instant dinner meal Jayson and I stayed in the tent as the conditions outside were cold and wet. Sibu and Phokwane arrived in the camp several hours later so they would have had to endure that cold weather.
In the night I had a disturbed sleep as the breathing is laboured at this altitude and I kept thinking that I must be CRAZY doing this stuff!!! I refocused. My mind on the dream and the goal of the summit and what it would mean to me and also how many people it may inspire if I could reach this goal. Yes there was no good reason to turn back. I would tackle it in the same way as I had done in hospital by taking one day at a time and dealing with the things that were in my control and staying positive about the things that were not in my control (such as the weather). Let's wait and see what tomorrow brings.
It took about an hour or two to find all our kit and move it into our tent. Some of the food supplied that we had cached two days back had got wet and crushed so this had to be resorted too.
All the expedition food consists of dehydrated meals, which were surprisingly tasty, although you need to overlook the texture and appearance. Preparation couldn't be easier, just add boiling water and within 10 minutes you have Roast chicken and vegetables or various other flavours. Although ideal for the mountain, I wouldn't rush out to buy one of these meals back home.
After our instant dinner meal Jayson and I stayed in the tent as the conditions outside were cold and wet. Sibu and Phokwane arrived in the camp several hours later so they would have had to endure that cold weather.
In the night I had a disturbed sleep as the breathing is laboured at this altitude and I kept thinking that I must be CRAZY doing this stuff!!! I refocused. My mind on the dream and the goal of the summit and what it would mean to me and also how many people it may inspire if I could reach this goal. Yes there was no good reason to turn back. I would tackle it in the same way as I had done in hospital by taking one day at a time and dealing with the things that were in my control and staying positive about the things that were not in my control (such as the weather). Let's wait and see what tomorrow brings.
No comments:
Post a Comment