Summit success!

We summitted in tough conditions

Jamie has to admit that only one team member out of nine made it though

14 May - summit success!

With boots for a pillow and sleeping in a down suit, Jamie had a restless night. Moe was also restless and just didn't seem well enough to make a safe and credible summit attempt.

Jamie woke at 12 midnight but there was still a bit of wind, and more importantly had the huge foreboding clouds disappeared? Jamie couldn't tell, so we went back to sleep until 2am, the wind was still gusting although not strongly. Eventually Jamie's 5am check looked good, and the wind had not strengthened so with a call of "Action time" we were ready at 6:30am.

It always feels like everything is in slow motion and that there is no progress but Jamie put oxygen on Catherine 10 minutes out of C3, just 1 litre a minute, but she moved more easily. Thomas seemed to be moving well and climbed the steep section of the rock band calmly. Despite this a little way after the rock band Thomas didn't feel comfortable with the length of the climb ahead, had cold toes and although he tried oxygen to warm them, physically felt suffocated by the mask and so turned back. This was a real shame as Thomas was probably the strongest team member throughout the expedition, and everyone "knew" that he would summit. If there was no wind it is very likely he would have summitted.

Above the rock band there was a trail climbing diagonally right, then left, a good route choice that led up to the snow patch where everyone below at ABC could clearly see us. Although the steepness of the snow made Catherine nervous with a little assistance from Namgyal, she plodded on. At the last rock band Dawa caught us up, having watched Thomas abseil the rock band. Here we changed Catherine's oxygen bottle to a 3 litre Poisk and Jamie turned up the flow to 3 litres a minute. Moe talked with Jamie by radio, and this slight delay meant Jamie literally couldn't catch Catherine to turn down the flow!

There was a cold wind blowing but the sky had been perfectly clear until the summit where there was rotor cloud spilling over mostly blocking our view of Everest. It was definitely a Down Suit day, although Namgyal and Dawa survived with rather less fancy gear.

Congratulations!

Jamie, in the black face mask, shakes hands with Dawa, Namgyal behind holding a t-shirt with all the team member's names on it.

Dawa and Catherine (Australia) with Warwick's Australian flag, which we left on the summit tied to prayer flags for Warwick's father, who although we didn't know, died the day before

Everest and Lhotse from the summit of Cho Oyu

We summitted around 12:15 Nepali Time (14:30 Chinese time) and we radioed ABC around 12:30. Although it was windy we stayed on the summit for at least half an hour and then headed down. Catherine, still on oxygen, flew down and we were back at Camp 3 by 15:10. There is a lot of safety in speed!

Catherine watched by Namgyal abseils down the "yellow band" rock step,
with Camp 3 tents below; ABC is on the moraine on the curve, mid-upper left,
although the tents are not visible

15 May - ABC!

Did anyone sleep at Camp 3? Jamie didn't, not having learnt from the previous night found an oxygen bottle an equally uncomfortable pillow, even with a few clothes over it.

The wind still buffeted the tents and it was a slow journey down the mountain, although everyone did make it back to ABC that day.

Namgyal, Dawa and Temba loaded up clearing Camp 3, Camp 2 and Camp 1.5 in one hit.

16 May - ABC

Recovery! Some people call it oxygen-rich here at 5700m - it is compared with 7500m, but at 50% of the oxygen at sea level, it is only relative.

Jamie felt better with repeated nasal irrigation. Moe has had some sort of diarrhoea since Kathmandu and despite having two doctors, doses of Cipro and Flagyl, is still unwell, even if in good spirits. Jamie's guess is Crypto Sporidium (Cyclospora?), we are still undecided whether Moe should take the drugs. Catherine's suggestion for Moe was high velocity lead therapy, just kidding.

Mary sometimes feels great, sometimes not. Thomas still has his cough; Clive is OK. So that is the health count, far more of an issue on this expedition than it should be.

Jamie's feeling is that we have encountered an unfamiliar bug that has left many team members weaker than they should otherwise be. This problem needs solving.