To Advanced Base Camp

the two day journey

more sick climbers

24 April - trek to Intermediate Camp 5360m

We awoke to cool clear skies and packed up. Packing is only half the battle though, then all the loads are weighed using a Chinese measuring stick (not easily seen in the photo). In total we had 2344kgs, ie 2.3 tonnes and since our weight allowance was 1360kgs I (Jamie) paid a hefty amount extra. We left around 15 yak loads at BC to come up in a few days. We have a lot of luxuries on this expedition!

The weighing of the loads is a serious business as the local villagers get extra money, the work is divided between villages in a fair system, and also the district council imposes a substantial tax. Note the manual weighing scales.

The weight allowance for each yak is 40 kgs in the Spring; a few years ago it was 60kgs and with our yak allowance of 3 yaks per team member substantially cheaper. Apart from some simple price gouging, in Spring the yaks are not as strong after the cold winter. By Autumn they have fattened up over the summer monsoon and easily carry their 60kgs, and feisty young yaks that need to be tamed are often loaded with closer to 100kgs.

There is also an environmental bond and insurance for the Tibetan staff that work for us, lots of extra costs that many budget expeditions are completely unprepared for.

The team set off before all this was sorted out and with Namgyal leading the way reached intermediate camp at around 12 noon, a walk of 3 hours for the quick, 4 hours for the steadier plodders.

The woman who ran the teahouse at intermediate camp

Jamie, the crew and the yaks arrived mid-afternoon at a similar time to a sick Spanish who had one lung partially filled with fluid, pulmonary oedema. He was coming down, assisted by some Tibetans and a sherpa from Himalayan Experience with a radio, who then radioed BC and requested that a Landcruiser be sent up. The winners that day were the Tibetans who assisted the Spanish man down, who desperate to get down had agreed to $200 each for a days work. They were happy but this sort of thing often leaves a hole in other team's wallets that isn't filled. The Spanish had used the Himalayan Experience's team PAC bag (Portable Altitude chamber) and hadn't yet paid for it (our charge is $50, which the last Italian who used ours had not paid either), and it was only with the HE radios that the jeep had been able to be called (although a runner could have done the same thing).

Some negotiations happening prior to the jeep departing,
there is a simple teahouse in the background, also new for 2004.

There are only a few teams on the mountain who can handle even a simple 'rescue' like this without extra help. Obviously Thamserku can't.

Incidentally the road up to Intermediate Camp is new, still being built but the concrete pillars and bridges were in place. Several of the yaks refused to walk over the army-green Bailey bridges.

25 April

Despite the tinkling of yak bells all around most of our team slept well. Georgia narrowly avoided a horn in the butt as the yaks ran around trying to avoid getting loaded up. The walk up to ABC took most of us around 4 hours, several barrels rolled down a hillside and 3 of our 13 plastic garden chairs also lost battles with boulders. Although it was lightly snowing we established camp with a fair bit of heavy breathing, even getting the dining tent up without mistakes. We are here!

26 April - ABC

We woke to sunshine at exactly 7:03am on the dining tent and amazingly enough everyone had slept well. Patrick still has a cold and the melting snow exposed a very smelly turd and necessitated the cleaning and moving of his tent.

The Sherpas also built our toilet tents, one for peeing and one with a barrel for pooing. Together with Himalayan Experience we are the only teams that are obeying the new environmental laws of the Chomolungma Nature Preserve, requiring the removal of all waste from ABC.

Yet another Spanish climber and the cook of the German DAV Summit club headed down sick to BC. The attrition rate has been rather high so far, although thankfully none of us are sick.

This afternoon it began snowing, only lightly but it has been steady and we have been clearing the snow off the tent.

© Jamie McGuinness - Project-Himalaya.com -  2004