Weds 25^th April 2012 Everest Base Camp 5300m

I would have married 14 years today if I hadn’t been divorced earlier this month!

After breakfast we are given a briefing and the groups are confirmed.

Basically the groups are to stay the same, although our group will begin to climb after the other group.

There are some concerns over the state of the icefall but we are all aware that this part of the climb can never be guaranteed as completely safe but we will start through it at 1am so as to go at the safest time.

We are now scheduled to leave here at 1am on Sat 28^th April; the other group will leave at 1am on Fri 27^th April (i.e. tonight).

We will aim to reach Camp 2 which is at 6,400m, so the climb is a similar vertical height to the Base Camp to Lobuche summit but the terrain is more technical, we are at a much greater altitude and the linear distance is far greater. We have to pass Camp 1 at the top of the Icefall by 7am otherwise we may not be allowed to progress to Camp 2. This is because beyond the Icefall is the Western Cym where the geography dictates that this amazing natural spectacle often becomes an airless suntrap with temperatures reaching up to 40 deg C. Slowing progress of even the most hardened athlete to almost a halt.

We then aim to spend 4 nights at Camp 2 before climbing to Camp 3, halfway up the steep Lhotse Face at some 7,300m (over 24,000ft) and attempting to spend the night there, perched on a hewn out ledge, over a 3,000ft drop before descending to Camp 2 the following morning.

One more night at Camp 2 then a descent back to Base Camp. We should return on the morning of Fri 4^th May!

I go to lunch, feeling hungry and it’s Pacific Salmon with salad and a pasta salad. I am a bit late but devour loads when I then find out we are scheduled to take a 3 hour trip into the lower reaches of the Icefall.

I then have to hurry my lunch, hurry to get rigged and am in the appointed time, properly togged up to have to wait for someone else who also did not get the brief.

Consequently we set off at quite a lick to cover a 30 min hike to the start of the ice in 20 min. My stomach is not happy; usually this would pass so I soldier on. We get to the Icefall, don crampons and start clambering up, down and around ice formations. I now have a painful stitch, I drop back a little, the stitch becomes a stomach cramp, which then becomes a retch...... I am forced to a halt. Another retch and a partial vomit... I try to go on but it’s no use.

Now what would my Mum say..... Excessive physical exertion immediately after a big meal? For the first time in 50 years and some 33 years after I left home...Mum ...you were right.

I turn around and slowly, feeling like something out of Napoleons Army on the retreat from the failed campaign on Moscow, I retrace our steps slowly.

I am feeling absolutely awful. Stopping every 100m to bend over and try and ease the pain. All energy escapes me and a return trip which should take me some 45 mins takes almost an hour and a half.

Everyone passes me.

I collapse into my tent at about 4pm and don’t emerge until breakfast the following day.

Children.....listen to your Mums!!!!! 

PS We had our first retiree depart this morning, Chimu who I shared with a room with early on in the trek in. A really, really nice guy who has quite a large property rental business in Texas, five children and has set up a charity helping Peruvian homeless. He is travelling with his family in Europe in June / July and I hope he will pop by on his travels. He did the first half of the trip, but found it a bit taxing, acquired a knee injury but just decided he didn’t want or need it enough so called in a chopper. He also donated an additional $10,000, half to a Sherpa Charity and half to be shared between the Sherpas. A lovely guy who was big enough and courageous enough to make the call to quit when his heart was no longer in it.