Altitude: 5300m
Atmospheric Pressure: 560mbar
Trek: 0kms
Good night sleep, it’s good to be back in base camp….. for
now.
I’ve been doing some thinking, helped by Sergey, about ways
to perhaps to still make it to the summit.
We’re fit, in Base Camp, and acclimatise….. so close!!
Very professionally, Russell is sitting down with every
expedition members to get their opinions and how quickly they would like to get
out.
Some are happy to walk back down casually, the Walking With
The Wounded need to stay a further week as they have a group of trekkers coming
up to base camp for the charity. They are also those who prefer to catch the
helicopter to Lukla tomorrow, hence saving them 3 days of walking.
After having had a couple of discussions with Adrian and
Russell, a first it look like there might be a couple of options to push for
the summit with another expedition, and Russell was very supportive in helping
us with that, using his contact around base camp.
However, by the end of the afternoon, it was clear that none
of the other expeditions had spare sherpa for the summit push, and although we
Sergey and I were described as “strong” clients, we’re certainly no match for
sherpa power on summit day, to carry oxygen or if something was to go wrong. Adrian
was also willing to go up with us, which would have been awesome, but the lack
of available sherpa close the deal for us……….. we’re going home!!!
To take our mind of things, Sergey convinced me to make the
trek back to Lukla in 2 days rather than 3 like the rest of the group. Yet
again a logistical challenge for Russell, but he never says no to those!!
So we’re off to Namche first thing in the morning, with a
daypack, with 45kms to carry up and down the hills at the altitude of
Mont-Blanc!! Should be a good laugh, and it should help us sleep at night!!
Off packing now, keeping in mind that the kit we’ve left in
Camp 2 will be coming down tomorrow morning and will need to be added to our
bags (for the porters to carry down to Namche)!.
This is now a reality, we’re going home!! 6 days of climbing
left after 35 days of expedition but
this was not to be!
I still respect Russell decision for pulling the plug, even
(and let’s hope) if there is no accident after we’ve gone, the risks are too
high for such a big group and our sherpa.
Unfinished business!!
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