19 April Rest in BC Hans: I ask the cook to clean our dining tent in order to install our shower bag. The cook uses our dining tent to store the food which is not the primary function. Food supplies are all over the place, even big chunks of yak meat with a bad smell. The cook starts to move the supplies, the yak meat is back to the cook tent. We work on the solar panels and battery chargers. Within a day (of sunshine) we can charge all battery's. If we leave BC we put the equipment away in a case to avoid damage caused by the free running Yaks. The computer in ABC has been infected by a virus. Therefore some of the dispatches have not been send. We have to secure our second computer in BC. We get some digital help from home to solve this. Due to the limited data transfer capacity (Iridium) we cannot surf on the internet to download virus repair software. The download of the small data file takes over 30 minutes! not mentioning the costs involved. We will bring the infected computer down from ABC to repair it in BC where we have sufficient battery power. I hand over the video tapes to the lady who will leave for Kathmandu tomorrow. From Kathmandu the tapes will be shipped to the Netherlands with DHL. We will call the TV host Willebrord Frequin to update him about our progress. The dinner is very good, thanks to the cook who is much better than the one in ABC. After dinner we send e-mails to sponsors and home 

20 April Back to ABC: Wilco: This morning no early rise but I slept until 10 AM to let the sun heat up my tent. Today we want to go to ABC in one day. A hike of more than 10 miles and climb of 4000 feet. And because the route goes up and down you climb almost twice that height. We told the cook yesterday about the plan to go in one day to ABC. He laughed at us. Hans explained he had done this before in 2000. But to be honest I had my doubts also. It is a climb from 17100 feet to 21100 feet and we had not much time to acclimatize. We shall see. But I don't want to go with a light back pack. I want to carry my MD player + many disks, a big book called No Logo, my own laptop computer, two digital Canon camera's + battery's, my heavy Scarpa climbing boots, an extra jacket and over trousers and some sun protection gear.  This makes my pack heavy but I want all those things to have some comfort in ABC. We have to spend some time there. Hans carries a 66% lighter pack, but the plan was to go slow anyway ;-) With beautiful weather we left at 12.30. I felt good thanks to the short period of rest in BC. I had my own large tent and we had a private cook for the two of us. We even installed a hot shower.  But we had to solve the computer virus issue also. After 1.5 hours of hiking we stopped for drinking and eating break. We continued for 4.5 hours to Interim Camp. It was 17.00 and after a short break we went on to ABC.  This part started steep, across a small river and than over a huge moraine ridge for hours. It bends to the right and than back to the left to arrive in ABC at 21100 feet. Halfway the last part to ABC the sun started to set. We had agreed to shoot some video footage here, especially of the beautiful ice stacks. They are about 30 feet tall and there are so many. And the sunlight really completes the picture. With the sun setting it is rapidly becoming cold. And our pace slowed also at this altitude. We had met hardly anyone during the day, most of the climbers prefer to stay in ABC to avoid this exhausting hike, and now we see two Tibetans carrying a heavy gas container and a big sac with rice or wheat. It was getting late so  we had to increase our speed. Every time I hoped to see the camp on each hill we climbed on or after every turn we made. But it was false hope. This experience is common for mountaineers. When the goal is near you should multiply the remaining time, related to the distance, with two or three.  But than, finally, the camp. We are welcomed in ABC but Hans is a little cold and hope to get warm again in his sleeping bag. I talk to the others in the meantime. An hour later we have dinner and Hans is feeling good again. Our international Asian trekking team has been downsized due to illness, acclimatization difficulties and planning issues. Left are the two Germans, the Swiss climber, the Spanish climber and we. [Note this is NOT confirmed, we will check to see what we can find out.]

After this, let's call it training, day we consider ourselves top fit. We are positive minded about the next stages. Tomorrow we plan rest day and hopefully we go to North col on Monday. Hans: With a lot of computer and film equipment (read a heavy backpack) we leave for ABC. Wilco decided to go on sneakers and carries his heavy climbing boots in his backpack. it is a long hike of 10 miles and climb of 4000 feet in one day. Descending to BC is much nicer because you get more air with every feet you descend. You even have the energy to enjoy doing it. But ascending is the complete opposite. It is breathtaking, exhausting and requires a lot of concentration for every next step you make. And it goes on for 8 hours. Your body needs more energy but it gets less O2' s with every feet you gain. At 16500 feet the air contains only 50% of the normal level of O2 and on 26500 feet it is only 33%. Within 3.5 hours we are at interim camp and are satisfied about the progress. But from here the route is much harder and air thinner and we have still miles to go. The beautiful afternoon sunlight on the ice stacks along the track makes us feel better. We shoot some nice video footage,. It is two hours to ABC and I am necked when we arrive. I am very cold and even in my sleeping bag can't get myself warm again. This first time to ABC in one day was very heavy but we are happy to be here. 

21 April. Rest in ABC: Hans: After the marathon hike to ABC we rest for one day. We talk al little with the German couple, Jorge and Daniel. The Germans and Jorge have their tents on North Col already. They have Sherpa's to carry the heavy loads. The Sherpa's want to go up as many times as possible because they get paid for every climb. Daniel want to north col also tomorrow, with a Sherpa carrying his tent. Today the weather is bad, very cold with wind and snow showers. Time to have a afternoon nap in the tent. Wilco: Today we sleep a lot. We had more troubles with sleeping last night than in BC. That's also caused  by the exhausting hike of yesterday.  Today we rest and participate with the Puja ceremony. The Sherpa of the Spanish climber will not go higher before the puja ceremony has taken place. The weather deteriorated during the day. After the lunch we had even snow showers  and storm But during the puja ceremony (everybody lined up in front of the "homemade" altar)  we have some sunshine, though it is cold. One of the Sherpa's is also a lama and leads the ceremony. He reads the prayers and throws some rice. We do the same. Treats for the gods, pictures of saints and climbing gear are put on the improvised altar. The prayer flags are hung out to all four wind directions to make the wind carry the prayers everywhere. We drink Tibetan tea and beer, eat snacks and sing and pray. From now on we can really start with the expedition, although the weather gods need to be cheered up. We have snow and it is very cold. We hope the weather improves on Monday, when we want to put our first high camp on the North Col (23,100 feet) 

22 April To North Col: Hans: Today no wind just as our Dutch weather forecast contact had told. Only little snow but we don't care. The German couple descends to BC, we go up. At 10.30 we hike on the last part of the moraines towards the Chang-La face. When we step on the ice of the glacier we put our crampons on. The first 300 feet of the route are a little chaotic but it changes in to a reasonable flat slope with a few open crevasses. At the bottom of the face we stop and see above us a group of Sherpa's already ascending. Ropes have been fixed along the entire route through the face to the North Col. The weather is great, no wind, and to much sunshine. Hours later we felt our sunburned skin. We filmed each other while climbing on the beautiful glacier face with huge crevasses and seracs. After 4.5 hours climbing we reached the campsite. The North Col is the lowest point on the ridge between Everest and Changtse. We dig a platform in the snow for our VE-25 tent. This is our third "home" on the mountain and we feel good about it. On this spot, with panoramic views, you are really in touch with the mountain:  this is where the climb is going to start. the weather gets worse and we descend to ABC. Tired but satisfied we arrive in ABC and Wilco would like to eat pizza. I call home to tell we have reached 23000 feet and they are as happy as we are. Tonight we eat pizza, does the cook really improves his cooking? 

23 April rest in ABC: Hans The weather is really great, no clouds no wind. A day to relax. Wilco is still asleep after a restless night. I select the gear we want to carry to North col tomorrow: food for 8 days, fuel and stoves, the tent for the second high camp at 24500 feet, etc.

After lunch we get some clouds and very little snowfall. We are having a rest day. Climbing Everest is either very hard work or complete lethargic.

The weather models and forecasts by the Dutch meteorological institute are accurate. Hans and Wilco send local weather information on a regular
bases. The computer problems are solved and Hans and Wilco have sent a picture of the Chang-La face.