To Camp 1

ABC - Depot Camp - Camp 1

We head up for a long, slow acclimatization trip

16 Sept to Depot Camp ~5860m

Everyone (Clive, Hans, Walter) left in the morning and after the slog up to Depot and made two camping places with Serke's help. Serke is our cook but also wants to get on the mountain so today he helped carry a load. Dawa and Namgyal carried loads to Camp 1 and returned to ABC, to save carrying their personal gear, which is normal. That is a long, tough day for them though.

Jamie left in the afternoon and arrived at Depot just in time to help with the cooking, and rather than putting up another tent, slept outside.

Iñaki, Corinne and Bob also slept at Depot Camp.

17 Sept to Camp 1 6400m

Not everyone slept well at the new altitude, but we still felt good enough to head up to Camp 1. First we had to cross the Penitentes, a maze of spires of ice. There is a trail marked by one of the other teams. With all the minor ups and downs there is some satisfying if simple ice climbing. Everyone was loaded with their personal equipment.

Penitentes is a South American term.

Hans crosses a rivulet in the Penitentes.

Corinne, Bob and Iñaki; Iñaki took a load to C1 but Bob and Corinne weren't feeling as good, they returned to stay at Depot camp.

Our camp, a North Face Himalayan 47 (4 person tent), had been set by Dawa and Namgyal the day before but it had been particularly cold so we made a second tent platform and put up a VE-25, a two-three person tent.