I decide to make some progress with my tasks today - washing and trying to find out what is wrong with my mattress. One of our cooks seems happy to do my laundry for a few dollars and I identify the leak in one of the valves of my mattress in about a minute so simply glue the whole thing up. Jobs done in about 15 mins...
We talk a bit about future rotations up the mountain as well as go through the high altitude medication that we need to have with us at all times to prevent death from swellings (edemas) in the lungs or brain.
The Lhapka Ri team are heading up to intermediate camp today and then tomorrow we will all head up to ABC. Moving up for the first time means yaks which means a good couple of hours of haggling over weights, measurement and costs but by 11 they are off.
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| Yak herders having a discussion |
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| Weighing the baggage |
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| More discussions |
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| More discussions |
As we are heading up tomorrow, I have a quick wash and a shave and then head back to the mess tent where there seems an unusual amount of activity. The leader of the Lhapka Ri group (who has recently had two fits and hurt his knee) has had to stop on their way up to intermediate camp and so a few of us set off to go and pick him up as well as his bags which are being taken off the yaks. A few other bits and pieces get taken off the yaks so I make a bit of a sight walking back down the mountain!
When we get him back, we pack up his things as he is being taken back to Kathmandu and then sort ourselves out in preparation for heading up to ABC tomorrow. The weather is middling for the next few days while we are up on the mountain - there shouldn't be too much wind which is important but it does look as though there will be a bit of snow. The danger here is that the headwall up to the North Col could become avalanche prone if there is a lot of snow on it. From this far out and this far away it is not really possible to make a decision so we are just going to head up and take a look.
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