Walking in the Western CMW to Camp 2 with Lhotse Face and Camp 3 in front.

Heading back up the mountain
    
27 April 2005

Heading back up the mountain.

Yes, we are finally leaving Base Camp to go up the mountain! We can?t even be dissuaded by the 3:30 am wake up call. We get to go play on ladders and with ropes in the Icefall and then chill in Camp I for a night before continuing up to Camp II for two nights. Then the real fun begins as we get our first taste as the Lhotse face as we?ll be spending one night ?sleeping? (I hear it?s more like restlessly laying in your sleeping bag until it gets light) at Camp III before coming back down to Camp II for one additional night on the mountain. If everything goes as planned we?ll be back in, well, you can count, that many days. We?ve heard that there are heavy snows expected so if there are avalanche conditions on the face, or if the heavy snows delay Camp III being established, then we may spend an extra couple of days at Camp II. It?s all up in the air until we?re there and can get a better look at the weather high on the mountain. Regardless, we?re excited to be climbing again and spending a couple of days away from our cushy life in Base Camp.

After dropping about 25 pounds, Jedi Yak Master has stopped boycotting meals and has returned to eating. Was it for his health? No. Was it so that he?d be strong enough to make the summit? No. It was so that he could win a bet that he could out-eat, ?practically anorexic? me at the table each meal. I?m okay with the insults and losing the bet (he eats about twice as much as me now) as long and he?s feeling strong and is ready to climb.

Dispatches for the next week or so will be coming from the iPAQ, so expect short messages, but we?ll do our best. We?ll also be off email for about the same amount of time.

Exploradus ? ?Exploring the World One Adventure at a Time? ? would also like to thank some of the contributors to the Exploradus Everest Expedition 2005 in dispatches to come over the next week: Marmot, NEOS, Camelbak and Seagate.

MC