Shishapangma Base Camp

We arrive at BC and everyone is well

Finally, we have arrived at our new temporary home.

9 Sept Chinese Base Camp ~5000m

Yes, we are here! The seven of us arrived and met Mark Hose, who came direct from Kathmandu with the sherpa crew. So now we are eight, with a crew of five. I will make a team page soon, I promise.

We survived Kathmandu and Tibet without health issues; we are all so healthy I didn't even think to write this previously. Mark is getting over a cold, no problem. As far as altitude goes, with a combination of knowledge and judicious use of Diamox and mild painkillers we haven't had any problems at all.

For me personally it feels really good to be here. Clive, his second time here, is glad to be back and doing nothing except acclimatizing. Last time he was here the team he was on failed to get to the summit due to weather, perhaps arriving at the mountain too early - in hindsight.

Iñaki was here last is Feb-March 2005, alone on the mountain. It was a bit cold, to say the least. He was caught in a small slab avalanche above Camp 1 and decided caution was safer than valour. This is his fourth time - lucky, hopefully.

The weather has been monsoonal, it snowed last night down to around 5200m , so on the hills around us were covered. This is probably from a degenerating cyclone in India. It is too early to tell how the season is shaping up yet.

A yak called Walter

Corinne woke up this morning and told Iñaki "I am so happy you don't snore like Walter."

Clive was lying in bed in the morning thinking "wow, Walter is snoring really badly".

Everyone got up and saw Walter also up; it was a yak, now christened "Walter"!

Clive; self portrait.

10 Sept - base camp

We relaxed around camp. Tomorrow four of us will go trekking and camp out overnight, returning on the 12th. Then on the 13th we head to ABC; it could be a while before our next dispatch.