Sat 5th May 2012 Everest Base Camp

After breakfast we are told there will be a briefing at 10am.

Some people haven’t even surfaced this morning after the indulgences of the previous night. For special note seem to be Dan and Martin from WWTW. Martin slept the night in the White Pod and Dan suffered, not quite in silence, for many hours after the end of the party.

Once gathered in the White Pod, the smell of alcohol still in the ascendance, the mood was one of puzzlement. Did we misbehave that badly that we were all in for a group reprimand?

Then to add to the strange situation about 9 Sherpas, including the Head Sirdar, (Head Sherpa) Perbar Tashi joined us, sitting on the floor in front of Russ.

Russ then started off, hoping we had a good party. Seems like we are not in for a reprimand.

You could detect the emotion and sadness in his voice as he started off.

The Sherpa who suffered a stroke on the Icefall had deteriorated, was on life support and was almost certainly going to die. Russ said they were going to set up a Trust Fund for his dependents.

He then went on to say that he, the Sherpas and the Guides had never seen both the Icefall and the Lhotse Face in such a dangerous state. They still had some 120 loads to take through the Icefall between about 25 Sherpas which would mean additional 20 trips through the Icefall for each Sherpa. There was also no real chance that the Lhotse Face would be safe enough to climb this season.

As a result, having consulted extensively amongst the Ice Doctors (who maintain the Icefall), other expedition leaders, the Sherpas and Guides he had decided, with a very heavy heart and with great reluctance to cease the expedition with immediate effect.

You could cut the tension with a knife. There were tears in Russ’s eyes. It was difficult to believe.

He went on to say that the dangers to everyone were just too great to justify. They said that they expected a major disaster if everyone kept climbing this year although he hoped they were wrong.

Then Perba Tashi spoke, reiterating Russ’s words but then the emotion got to the better of him. This revered man who has been to the summit of Everest no less than 19 times left the room to hide his tears.

Another Sherpa spoke and then some members. We were all quite shocked but felt that this was why we were signed up to the best team in the valley. They had the courage to tell a lot of people who had paid a lot of money that it was too dangerous to proceed.

There were a lot of emotional scenes as the meeting broke up. I immediately followed Russ out to his office asked for his Trust Fund donation page. He hadn’t made one yet but he created one in his notebook. I made my donation. I was planning on taking a helicopter back to Kathmandu in order to be reunited with the one luxury I longed for more than anything else.....a bath and get home quicker. Now I would have to walk, the bath and my homecoming would have to wait!

Back at the White Pod everyone was consoling each other. Life dreams had been shattered. Sacrifices in terms of money and time had been in vain.

For some this was a one shot chance for others they were already planning to come back.

For me, I had already realised how many more things were more important than the summit of this mountain. Before I went up through the Icefall for the first time I really did stp and think about what my priorities were..

I enjoyed the physical challenge and enjoyed the journey, especially the trek into Base Camp, but I did not really enjoy the down time and the length of the whole process.

It has been a fantastic experience and given the chance I felt I would have stood on the summit. It would have hurt but I would have got there.

Do I feel an urge to come back and try again? No I don’t. It’s a huge commitment. It felt like such a long time away from family, friends, and work and there are so many other things to do, places to visit.

It’s off the ‘Bucket List’. Over a small Scotch one of the other climbers, Hector from Mexico said something very poignant.

He said ‘You have reached your Everest, you have got divorced, you have kept your house, your children are happy, your business is recovering and you are in love with your girlfriend. You want to go home, so go home’.

I realised he was completely right, the room went misty, I turned away to compose myself but it was no good. I wrapped my arms around him....... ‘You are bloody right... you wise old fart you are bloody right!’

I am coming home. If you want to see one of the most beautiful parts of the world you can just trek up here. If you want to stand on top of the world you have to like tents and spending a lot of time doing very little. If you want to enjoy the experience via a book or a television that’s cool too.

If it’s in you to do something then ‘just do it’. You will not know what you will discover out there or inside yourself until you do.

I wanted to do it, I did it. There is plenty more to do, something else has just replaced it on the Bucket List......it always does.

Good luck and happy travels.

Mark