Day 13 - Waiting AD BC

Off the back off a few 'tough' days we are having a rest day at AD BC - this was in the original itinerary but it looks as though we will be having a few more given the problems with the conditions. 

The cook crew had been keen to bring us some 'tent tea' so we all just lie in bed reading and dozing expecting to be roused at 07:30 but nothing happens and a few of us lose track of time making us late for the 8am breakfast - not a big issue but amusing. In fact I have been awake since about 5 am - not a great night's sleep but tomorrow should be better. 

Our Sherpas have been talking to their friends and it is still the case that no one has yet been above camp 2 but a group is heading up today to have a look so we will hopefully find out soon what conditions are like and then will start the horse trading to try and 'book' some space at camp 2 (which is a very small ledge on the ridge) later in the week. There are no rules for this and we are one of the most recent arrivals, however we are also partially acclimatised so should be able to move quicker through the lower camps. However as more time passes, more of the other groups are acclimatising on this mountain so it is likely that as soon as conditions clear, there will be a bit of a bun fight. We have a bit of spare time so probably won't be one of the first groups to go up but Paddy knows quite a few people here and has been involved on a few of these before so we should get a reasonable spot in the queue but that is likely to be after a few more days at least at BC. When things become a bit clearer we will probably head up the mountain to help acclimatise, drop off some equipment and not the least actually do something rather than sitting around waiting.

There are quite a few yaks wandering about camp as groups come and go

 

and some have taken a worrying liking to our drinking water supply

The weather here is quite frustrating. For 10 mins there isn't a cloud in the sky so you overheat and worry about burning then some low cloud and wind arrive and the temperature drops about 30c almost immediately. The morning is pretty lazy, hanging round camp and doing a few chores

but after a lunch of frankfurters with cabbage and beans (better than it sounds) we head off to a nearby rock to do some  more rock and ropes practice to prepare ourselves for the upcoming two towers - these are the large towers on the ridge that are both technically difficult and have about 1,000 mtr drop which makes tackling them pretty challenging. The skills are the ones that I have been using on some of my trips and it is pleasing to see that I still remember them and more so that I am becoming increasingly comfortable with them - although this is when the drop is 15m rather than the 1,000 mtrs when I will be doing this in anger slightly later.

View of Base Camp from our climbing rock

 

After a bit a really cold fog comes in and anyone not wearing a down jacket gets chilly pretty quickly if they are not climbing and so we start to head back to the tents to warm up and get ready for supper. As I walk over to supper the mist has really come in (photo)

 and both temperature and visibility have dropped even further. Paddy has been trying to make a call  a bit down the valley and commented on entering the mess tent how disorientating it is once you get any distance away from BC.

Supper starts with a rather large quantity of veggie pasta and once we have made quite a dent in that some dumplings arrive. There is not that much enthusiasm initially as we are all quite full but then it turns out that they are meat dumplings and perfectly good meat at that so we start to tuck in but struggle to so much justice to them. A couple of the chaps then decide to try and phone home so head out down the valley to try and find some signal. After about an hour someone jokes that they are lost but the prior conversation soon resumes. Another hour later a similar joke is made as they still have not returned and given the mist and the cold the possibility is taken quite a bit more seriously. We discuss what normally happens in such circumstances and the range of possibilities of what might have happened and it soon becomes clear that they have probably got lost and we need to do something. Paddy, being the guide and also next to the door and being dressed for the outside (having just come from there), ducks out to have a quick look for them. Time goes by and we start discussing what the next steps should be if they don't return soon. We think it unlikely that Paddy had got lost but if he is long either he has got lost as well or the situation is serious and needs help. We decide that in 10 mins we will go and get properly dressed so that if we need to do anything we will be ready to do it and start discussing what action we should then take - given conflicting issues such as the need for safety but speed, numbers but both language barriers and the fact that most people have gone to bed. However, with a few minutes to spare, Paddy and the others walk in; everyone has rosy cheeks but luckily the temperature has risen so in fact there is nothing that a good cup of tea won't fix. All in all, quite an exciting an amusing evening - especially for those of us who didn't quite need to leave the heated mess tent!