Day 30 - Back to BC

It is pretty chilly in the morning despite the fact that as we are up high we do get direct sunlight early on. Packet breakfasts are as bad as I remember them - think cheap, sugary, ready brek derivative breakfasts from the 80s / 90s. After packing I have a quick call with ABC at 8am to confirm that all is ok and that I am heading down shortly for the group return to BC.

The descent is an absolute joy with the 4 hour real trudge up the face turning into a 30 min hop, skip and a jump (so to speak) down the face with the only issues being the necessity to come off the ropes to get round people coming up. I started off being conservative and waiting at anchors to move past people but soon got bored of this and just moved past them (safelyish) wherever I came across them. Then back across the lower glacier and the moraine for an hour back to camp.

When back at ABC I had a bit of reorganising (as always) to do before heading on down after the rest of the group who had set off earlier. This trek back to BC as on the way up was a real schlep and exacerbated by my lack of sleep and the occasional snow shower. I ended up taking almost 6 hours and was the last person coming down the mountain - slightly nerve racking whilst on some of the slippier areas!

Passing through interim camp on the way back to BC

This got me back just in time for some excellent hot soup and dinner and a chance to meet the Lhapka Rhi team who have just arrived at base camp - Lhapka Rhi is the summit just to the side of ABC and about the same height as the North Col. This group will be doing both of these before heading back to Kathmandu and it is good for morale to have another group of people out here.

We pretty much all head to bed early after supper - it's been a long day!