28.4.2007
Waking up to a temperature of -25°C was an early indication that it was not to be an easy climb. Although the sun strained to make it appear warmer, my Tissot watch could not be fooled and categorically insisted that – it was 6am on Tuesday 24.4.2007, we were at an altitude of 6.440m and experiencing extreme cold! Following breakfast, I pulled on an extra layer of clothing and mechanically packed my equipment. The ice-wall up to the North Col was idyllically sunlit but none-the-less did not seem to be very welcoming. Snow cover was making the climb harder and even the rucksack seemed to have become heavier! After 3 hours the wind started to blow and, as a result, we began to progress more slowly. The whirling snow bit my cheeks and I couldn’t feel the fingers on my hands. Throughout there was only one idea exercising my mind – that I wished we were already up on the Col! I was just so looking forward to a hot ginger tea (with milk!) and the comfort of a warm sleeping bag.
The next day we took a well-deserved rest. At an altitude of seven thousand metres, even the short walk we embarked upon after lunch was enough for us to get out of breath and I focused my efforts on preserving my energy for Thursday’s climb to Camp 2 (7.800m). The cook rustled up a nourishing desert of fresh yogurt with fruit and I can honestly say, I have never eaten anything better! Our appetites sated, we all retired to bed early.
On Thursday morning we were faced with a repeat of Tuesday’s weather conditions – blue sky and a chilling cold, coupled with an unpleasant wind. We set out earlier than usual (at seven), in anticipation of, what we were convinced would be, another hard day. The trek to Camp 2 proved to be grueling and, with the wind making breathing considerably more difficult, even the sherpas were feeling the effects. We successfully completed the climb, but it was a trial for all of us. Changing our clothes at Camp 1, we continued back to Advance Base Camp (ABC), after which I slept like a baby!
I’m licking my wounds (or rather, frostbitten cheeks!) and finally getting to feel my fingers again. The weather has improved considerably and it is now a bracing -13°C outside, with no wind and no cloud in the sky! Tashi is directing me to eat more, saying that my legs are too thin and that it is essential to put on more weight. As a result, the cook has been serving up one delicacy after another and it is perhaps in large part due to him that I am so full of energy and zest today (Saturday, 28.4.2007)! At 9am sherpa Nim and I set off for the third time to the North Col, this time without any loading, and we managed it in just 3 hours! As Tashi predicted, I have finally become a “Ninja lady” and was agilely fleeting past the 60 other climbers dangling from ropes. And the descent was even better - I felt as exhilarated as a monkey instinctively swinging through the lianas of the forest! We returned to ABC for a celebratory lunch to mark the completion of the acclimatization phase of the expedition. Bread pancakes and spaghetti were washed down with boiled Bernard beer and, to complete the celebration, songs by Neil Young!
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