Yesterday I did a carry to Camp 1 through the famous Khumbu Icefall. But since I haven’t been able to post many updates, let’s back up a bit.
The trek in was the easiest trek I’ve done in Nepal. This is because we fly in to 3400m, and thus avoid the steep gorges of the middle hills. The days were generally short (2-4 hours walking) and for the first time I stayed in teahouses. These are just a combo motel and restaurant. The rooms are unheated so you stay in the dining room, which is heated in the afternoon and evening. Lower down they burn wood and above treeline they burn yak dung. The food was pretty good–we ate decent pizza, chicken, and more typical dishes (fried rice, spaghetti).
Base Camp has been great. We have a nice, isolated position very close to the icefall. Some teams have to walk 30-60 minutes to get to our camp. I’m using Phil Crampton’s Altitude Junkies base camp facilities. Phil (who reminds me of either Hugh Grant or Austin Powers) likes good food and drink. We often have a glass (or two) of wine with dinner. Sarki, our cook, is quite good and does a lot of baking.
With our puja complete, we could finally set food on the mountain. The puja is a ceremony conducted by the Sherpa to ensure their safety (and ours) on the mountain. It’s part religious and part party.
So on the 14th I did my first carry up the mountain. Since I’m not using sherpa support, I have to do a lot more up and down than the clients. Phil’s group was going up on the 14th as well, so I tagged along as I didn’t know the route. I carried up two tents, a thermorest pad, stove, pots, and a few other things. Probably 12-15kg (25-30 lbs) altogether.
The Khumbu Icefall was first seen in the 1920s by George Mallory. It’s just a glacier that is falling over a cliff, so it fractures into many blocks, big and small, that fall over on occasion. It was considered impenetrable until the Swiss forced a route through in 1952. It has a reputation for danger, but these days the route is maintained by a special group of sherpas known as the Icefall Doctors. We each pay about $500 each for this service.
So it’s a lot of work to wind in and out and up and down. You have a rope to attach to the whole time, so unless something falls on you (which is very unlikely) it’s pretty safe. We left at 4:50am and I felt I was moving pretty good–“I’ll be there in 4 hours,” I thought. Well, I reached C1 in 5:15. The last hour was blazing hot, and I pulled my usual trick of not drinking enough.
After a quick potty stop, I cached my gear and headed down. Usually going down is much faster than going up, but with all of the up and down, it still took 3:10 to get down. I was thrashed, mainly due to dehydration. I couldn’t seem to get any liquid out of my water bladder and hose thingy. I found out why when I reached BC, when I pulled on the hose and it came out of the pack sans bladder. So my pack and clothes and camera case were soaked with lemon drink. Oh well.
I went to bed early and slept 10 hours. After four eggs, toast, and a bunch of bacon, I feel normal again.
Oh, and I had a nice conversation with Ed Viesturs yesterday (Ed’s the best known high-altitude climber in the US and was in the Imax Everest film). Here’s our conversation:
“Do you want to clip in before I go by?”
“No, that’s OK.”
Good stuff, huh?
Since my plans seems to change by the hour, I’ll refrain from projecting a schedule. But I’ll be carrying loads to C1 over the next few days, then I’ll move to C1 and hump gear to C2 (which is MUCH easier). I’ll post again before I move up to C1.
Before I go, here are the addresses for two other blogs originating from our Base Camp:
Ian Rogers is a client of Phil’s: www.ClimbForLife.co.uk
Phil’s team blog: www.AltitudeJunkies.com
The Khumbu Icefall. The route generally goes up the left side, midway between the center and the left wall.
Ian Rogers in the Khumbu Icefall. The crevasse is very deep!