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We
reached the glacier and put on our crampons. It was
almost another mile of gradual walking across the
east Rongbuk glacier, hopping over several small
crevasses and gaining some ground to the base of the
north col headwall. A col is a low spot of a ridge
similar to a pass, but usually much less accessible.
From here the fun began and we had to gain 1,500
vertical feet of steep, 40 to 65 degree, snow and
ice to the north col and the beginning of the north
ridge. The climbing was exposed to great fall
potential and several large and hidden crevasse;
however, all of it was fixed with rope and
protection that all the climbers can clip into to
prevent either of the above problems.
This
part was beautiful, with awesome views down the
glacier and of ABC, which looked like a spattering
of various colors of paints on the ground from so
far above. After several hours of climbing up and
through the maze of ice we reached the north col.
From here we had a good view of the steep north
ridge and the spots where Camps 2 and 3 will go.
Also, the first and second steps could be seen on
the summit ridge, which seems to be constantly
blasted by the jet stream and has rarely been
without a huge plume of clouds being raked over it.
Adrian
was going very strong and arrived at the north col
an hour and a half before me and an hour ahead of
Scott. He had already made a nice platform. He must
be one of the strongest climbers I have known. We
all have to go at our own pace though. We set up our
tent at Camp 1, 7066 meters [23,182 feet], then
headed down.
Schedule:
Today and tomorrow we are resting and then we are
going back up to Camp 1 to sleep and the next day,
the 27th, make a carry of gear to Camp 2 and set the
tent up, then return to ABC for several days of
rest.
Health:
We are all in good health. I still have a bad cough
and am afraid I will for the duration or at least
until we drop down to a lower elevation to recoup
before our summit push. Scott has a cold.
Weather:
Temps at ABC are nice when the sun is out, but well
below freezing at night.
From
Scott:
Sanitation:
I thought I would add a little detail. As you know,
on the way from Base Camp to the interim camp we
stopped for the night. What has not been described
is the sanitation conditions at that camp. When I
woke up I was handed a cup of hot yak milk tea,
which I love. Yet, after a cup had been drank I
noticed where they had been acquiring the water;
from a quaint little alpine pond, slightly frozen,
and with, what is that I thought; yes, it is
excrement floating on top of the pond. I could not
believe my eyes. This was to be the water that we
were to drink on our way to ABC. The only thing that
would help us acclimatize, this feces water. I write
this to give a little understanding into what it
takes to climb a big mountain. There are always
problems and such. The bathroom is a plastic sheet
with a hole in the front, so everyone can see you as
you do your business.
Scott's
health: Today I made a confirmation that I, in fact,
have come down with a small cold. Our cook seems to
have a cold that he got from another expedition
cook, and he has hence passed it on to me. But I am
dealing with it like everything else, a little bit
at a time. Nothing is to go perfectly up here.
Problem:
The yak have since come and all our remaining gear
is now here, including the fuel canisters, the
oxygen and the masks. One of the masks is broken.
Out of the six masks that are here, one is not
working. Another problem, yet with another solution,
one that must be discovered perhaps, but one that is
there. [For
those who like to track oxygen problem this
expedition is using Asian Trekking for support and
they purchased the oxygen from Asian Trekking which
sells Poisk oxygen.]
Entertainment:
As Jim described in his portion of the update, the
trip to the north Col. was amazing. Much steeper
than I was expecting, but still easy by way of
technical standards. We are indulging in some much
needed rest after such a trip. Tonight we watched
Star Wars on the lap top. Thank you Adrienne for
packing all the movies for me, even though I did not
think that it was going to work, watching DVD's at
ABC or 21,000 feet.
Weather:
To touch very quickly on the conditions around here;
it is like living in a refrigerator and then moving
to the freezer at night. There are moments of warmth
when the sun is shining on us in the middle of the
day, but the day is over at 4:00 p.m. So, the
temperatures here are cold, as Jim stated, below
freezing every night and lately it seems to be
getting colder.
The
Food: The food is just o.k.; at times edible and at
times not. We are lucky that we have lots of snacks,
cured meats and cheeses. The water is retrieved in
large blocks of ice by the cook boy, since
everything is frozen and he brings the ice blocks
down to the cook, who has a cold. He then melts the
ice and pours it out for us.
Altitude
Issues: The altitude is a constant battle,
dehydration sets in so quickly if I do not drink
quite enough water . Then the headaches start;
headaches that have been some of the worst of my
life. So all in all I think that it could be said
that living at 21,000 feet, the equivalent of the
top of North America [actually higher as the summit
of Denali, the highest point in North America is
20,320 feet], is quite difficult. Just even being
here is quite a task and to be going higher and
trying to come back here to recuperate is even
harder, doubly harder. I hope this has somewhat
enlightened you on the conditions that abound at
this most lonely place on the planet.
Thanks
again, as always Bill for helping all this to come
together.
Till next we write,
Scott
 Dispatches
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