Hello Mountainzoners,
Yes, after another false start yesterday the climbing team and the Sherpas are finally headed up the mountain for real today for their acclimation trip to Camps II and III. We'll be hearing of their adventures directly from them, but in the meantime I thought you might like to hear what goes on in Base Camp when the team is away.
Although the team seems to think that we Base Camp folks sleep the time away, I can assure you that that is not the case. Willi thinks he was the first one up this morning, but really it was Ong Chu and the two Lakpas up dark and early at about 2am to begin boiling water and getting breakfast ready for the team. Willi rolled out at about 3am to talk on the radio with Ang Tsering at Camp II (who also had to be awake at that hour to talk on his end). After five straight days of wind and an aborted attempt yesterday everyone wanted confirmation that the wind had indeed stopped blowing up on the mountain. Ang Tsering assured us it was a go, and that he was "ready for the team to visit." So ignoring Willi's cries of "everyone out for volleyball," Ong Chu woke the rest of the team shortly after 3am and I got up as well to join them for toast and dudh chia (milk tea) and to see them off promptly by 4am.
Yes, it's still dark at 4am although you can start to see a faint milky color in the sky through the Lho La. After everyone burned a little juniper and threw blessed rice at the puja altar we base campers watched the headlamps disappear into the dark folds of the Icefall - while stomping our feet and blowing on our hands to keep warm. I don't know how cold it was, but I was wearing my down parka, down pants, and even then my feet were getting cold even in Sorel pack boots. Brrrr! The Sherpas weren't up yet so I dove back into my lofty down sleeping bag until 5:30 when I heard them preparing to leave. By that time it was light enough to see what we were doing as we gave them their send-off at the puja altar with admonitions to "climb safe."
For me today is a "radio day." Everyone is climbing up through the Khumbu Icefall, which means I monitor the Base Camp radio full time until everyone arrives safely at where they are going - in this case Camp II. I settle myself in at the base station at about 6am and soon get word that most of the team is arriving at the top of the "popcorn," a particularly broken section of the icefall. Perhaps I should define "settle in" a little better. Yes, the radio is on, but I'm pacing around trying to keep my feet warm. My hands grip cup after cup of dudh chia for inner and outer warmth. But I'm also enjoying the spectacular morning light on the surrounding mountains and glaciers. This place is truly amazing and beautiful. His chores finished, Ong Chu has gone back to bed and is thoroughly ensconced in his sleeping bag and snoring lightly. Finally around 7:15 the sun hits. Warm relief comes within minutes. I have a bowl of cereal, adjust the solar panels, and settle in at the computer to "send and receive" e-mails. I'm saved! Gordon (Janow, Program Director of Alpine Ascents International) has re-sent all the e-mails that were mysteriously lost yesterday. Now that they will get their mail, my head will remain on my shoulders when the team returns.
Now that it's warm and the business of the day is finished I really do settle in next to the radio. Finally I have a chance to do a little quilting. I don't work on the "mani quilt" in the communications tent because it's too big and would drag on the dirty floor, so I have a back-up project. I'm also piecing "Carolina Lily" blocks for a quilt for our cabin in Alaska that hasn't been built yet. I know, I know, Alaska and Carolina are a long way away from each other, but I like the pattern. It's anyone's guess whether the quilt or the cabin will be finished first.
While I'm sewing I also help keep communications on the mountain going. Willi, Vern, Luis, Lakpa, and Thapkee all carry radios but as they move through the icefall and the Western Cwm they can't always hear each other if they are down in a gully or behind big ice seracs. My base station is stronger than their hand-held radios so I frequently act as an intermediary to make sure everyone knows where the rest of the team is and that everyone hears important communications. Actually, it's kind of nice to be at the "nerve center" and know what's going on up there.
In the meantime Lakpa Ong Chu and Lakpa Tamang are on rock duty. Base Camp is located on the rock and rubble covered ice of the Khumbu Glacier. We have had some days of sunshine, which melts the ice and leaves rocks large and small sitting on pedestals of ice that keep getting smaller and smaller as the melting continues. The small rocks we don't worry about too much, but the large ones can wreak havoc if they tip over into a tent. So one Base Camp chore, as well as entertainment, is tipping the rocks over in a controlled fashion so they don't hurt anything. Usually everyone is involved, but today it is just the two Lakpas.
Speaking of ice melting, the glacier has also been moving. I have been watching one small crack open up in the ice right outside the communications tent and another one getting started next to Matthew's sleeping tent. These aren't big crevasses - just routine cracks that won't hurt anyone - but it is fun to watch the changes. In a way they are actually beneficial as they also act as channels for running melt water. Better to have the water go down the cracks than into someone's tent.
4pm: The final people are arriving at Camp II. I realize they've been climbing for just about 12 hours, almost the same as climbing from the South Col to the summit. It's a good thing they have a rest day tomorrow. In the meantime the clouds have come in and snow is starting to drift down, although they say it is still ok up at Camp II. As they have soup and hot drinks I'm shutting down the radio and preparing to dive into the warmth of my sleeping bag with a hot water bottle. I suspect tonight we will have an early dinner at Base Camp so we can all make up for the lost sleep of two early morning starts in a row.
So even though Ong Chu leaves the sauce off the momos whenever he hears me say it, this is Ellie Henke, Base Camp Manager, signing off for Everest Base Camp.
— Ellie Henke, Alpine Ascents International Guide and MountainZone.com Correspondent