Tales of rotation April 27 - 29. First & Second things First!

May 1st. Back in Shangri-La base camp after a challenging but successful acclimatization rotation. First and second stop, espresso coffee. Third stop shower. The hot water stings yet feels so good as I shed the last 5 days of sweat and toil.

In the early hours of April 27 Lama Tenjee, Psurwa Sherpa and I climbed into the ice fall, this time focussing on the immediate detail and puffs of breath illuminated by our head torches. Transcending time we pushed upward into the darkness. As the first hues of the day filled the sky we were on the verge of entering the vast crevasse field that separates camp 1 from the ice fall and also provides entry to the Western Cwm. There is no straight path through a crevasse field so a few yellow dots in the distance are still a couple of hours away. By the time we arrived at the yellow dot camp (approx 5900 meters) the morning sun had stretched itself across the Cwm. Reflected from the snow covered walls the temperature instantly increased with no sign of stopping. The afternoon was spent hiding beneath the nylon of our tent hoping to catch any resemblance of a breeze that only came as the sun and temperatures dropped in mirror reverse of the mornings events.

April 28th. Waking to a clear sky and a “short” but undulating walk to camp 2 (approx 6300 meters) we ate a packet of rolled oat biscuits washed down with black tea for breakfast, packed the ice crusted tent, *slip, slop, slapped and set off into the Cwm proper. (*Oz term = Slip on protective clothing, Slop on plenty of sun screen and Slap on a hat). Again avoiding crevasses the undulating route and oppressive heat ensured the walk was an honest effort right into camp 2. I can’t help but smile as I recall the countless pages I have turned describing all that I am experiencing right now. What an environment of extremes. But hey enough of that we are knackered!! (One definitely more than the others) Water, food and sleep are required in that order.

The third day 29th April saw Psurwa Sherpa return to EBC while Lama Tenjee and I walked to the base of the Lhotse face which is a 45-55 degree slope of ice that takes you up to the South Col @ approx 7900 meters via camp 3. In comparison to our other days today is a rest day. We enjoyed a later start but paid for it by walking in the heat for longer. Additional water and a couple of Snickers bars helped compensate for the discomfort. Mental note - in hot environments Snickers and pack lid pockets do not play well together, although 10 minutes buried in snow saves the day nicely. Short days like this allow for resting in the afternoon which helps acclimatization. Thanks for the tunes Catherine they are coming in very handy on days like this.