Day 5 - Move to 1st Camp

Today we are walking up to the campsite and spending the night there - sleeping at altitude is very important for acclimatisation and we are trying to get as much done as possible before we get to the mountain itself. The plan was to have slightly lighter packs today but somehow the food, tents and other bits a pieces manage to replace the space created by the equipment we left behind yesterday.
We have a much smoother passage through the checkpoint today - apparently it is pretty random here despite the fact that our guide Vladimir comes through most weeks.

Our approach today is to walk in two groups given the varying speeds that people are comfortable walking at which makes the ascent more comfortable and enjoyable for most people. When we get to the top we set up the camp and then set out lunch when the other group nears the summit - Vladimir rather than the hotel is providing food for the next couple of days so we have fresh bread, cheese and local sausage; a real treat!
The tents can't really be considered in the same light. They are very small and when I lie down I can touch all four sides of the tent without even straightening my arms. There are going to be three large chaps in here tonight which will be enjoyable! The afternoon is a leisurely one - a little bit of pottering about and relaxing in the afternoon sun before the inevitable arrival of bad weather.

 

 

After a hurried supper of bread, cheese, sausage an instant noodles we prepare for an early bed with Vladimir casually mentioning that we shouldn't have anything metal (poles, ice axes etc) near the tent or even get up during the night as this exposed area is prone to lightning storms! We are in the process of laughing this off when I come across an umbrella skeleton which has clearly been fried in a previous storm!

Shortly after, the storm hits and for most of the night we are bombarded with rain, thunder and lightning. This combined with the cramped conditions in the tent mean that we get little sleep but at least I get chance to catch up on my blog. I am keeping notes in my iPhone but for some reason they keep getting deleted which is very frustrating..