Blind Descent by Brian Dickinson
Author:Brian Dickinson
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781414395760
Publisher: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2014-05-01T04:00:00+00:00
April 28, 2011
If someone could please drop ship a carne asada burrito from Roberto’s in San Diego or a Double-Double Animal Style from In-n-Out Burger, I sure would appreciate it![6]
Almost daily I heard the thump of helicopter blades as another person was evacuated from base camp. Some climbers were facing life-threatening high-altitude problems, such as excess fluids in the lungs or cerebral edema. In other cases, clients paid a cool $5,000 to get a quick ride out of a dream that had turned into a nightmare.
Finally, after four days at base camp, it was time to head up to Camp III to finalize our acclimatization process. On April 30, Bill, Veronique, her two Sherpas, Pasang, and I climbed up the Khumbu Icefall to Camp I, where we would spend the night. Our little group spread out as we climbed at our own pace. My pace was getting faster, since the terrain was now a lot more familiar to me. Although the mountain was constantly changing, I knew where certain hazards were and recognized various crevasses. One area had been wiped out by a falling serac, and now instead of having horizontal ladder crossings, there were vertical ladders we used to climb down into the crevasse, hike across the bottom, and then go back up the ladders to get out.
I made my way up through the icefall and turned the corner above the mass of ice sculptures to see a cluster of yellow and orange tents. I’d made it to Camp I. While I waited for the others, I fired up the stoves to melt snow, which we’d use to replenish our water bottles. Then I set up the tent Bill and I would share at the top of Camp I and got to work stowing all my sharp items (crampons, ice axe, poles, and pickets) outside the tent. Once everyone else added their gear to the cache with mine, we’d mark it with a bamboo wand and a flag. That way if a snowfall came overnight and our gear got buried, we’d be able to find it quickly.
I woke up early the next morning, eager to get moving. The rest of the group wasn’t ready yet, and my toes were getting cold, so I set out for Camp II a little earlier than the others. I listened to my headphones and kept my head up, taking in the beautiful 360-degree views. The climb felt smooth, and before I knew it I was at Camp II.
We spent two nights at Camp II, also known as advance base camp (ABC). The setup at Camp II was similar to Everest base camp, with individual tents, a bathroom tent, and a dining tent staffed by our amazing cook, Dawa, who always served us with a smile. He made great fried potatoes and pancakes; plus, he usually had a can of Pringles, which always hit the spot! Like most of the other Sherpas, he had a family back home that worried about his high-altitude job.
“Dawa, you are a very good cook,” I told him.
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