We rose with the sun and after a quick breakfast of porridge and
'boil in the bag' beans and sausage (to make life easier for our
cook) we hastily distributed loads for our trip up the hill to
establish C2. The team members and Sherpas carried all the equipment
required for life support for 8 people for two days (plus climbing
equipment and fixed ropes) so progress was slow. This was compounded
by the relatively complex nature of the glacier with some cathedral
size crevasses to circumnavigate. The intended site for C2 was
to be on a col at about 6500m but due to the prevailing high winds
the decision was made to site the camp a little lower at 6350m.
Whilst this will afford a little more protection to the camp it
will also mean more work to do on summit day! After pitching one
tent to warehouse the equipment in we descended back to C1 in
a weary state. That said there was still enough energy to build
as rather superior 'ig-loo' with awesome views down the Barun
Glacier.
Tomorrow it is intended to have a 'rest day' although our altitude
precludes this to some extent. Many of the team are suffering
from debilitating coughs and sore throats which are a common feature
of high altitude mountaineering. The dusty nature of the approach
march though the Hongu Valley undoubtedly exacerbated this. At
the moment Katie Young remains in our Base Camp because of this,
but this evening's radio schedule confirms that she plans to rejoin
us tomorrow.
