Up, Up, and Away
    
2 May 2005

Up, Up, and Away

Well howdy there! Sorry we have been away from the daily updates of our groups? ascent up to Camp 3?we have been suffering from a little bit of a power shortage. It seems to want to snow here every day by about noon leaving us with little solar power so we use what we can get in the mornings for critical things like charging the batteries for our walkie-talkies.

So, without further delay I?m happy to report that the team had successfully made it to Camp 3 yesterday evening and left today to return back down to Camp 2 where they are happily enjoying hydrating beverages, dinner, and no doubt, gulps and gulps of ambient air. Yes folks, if you want to know what it?s like to try to sleep at around 23,000 feet, just lay down in the snow and try to go to sleep sucking air through a cocktail straw. OK, with the way people take advice these days, I?ll follow that statement by saying, DO NOT TRY THAT AT HOME OK? Believe me, it?s no fun. So, I?m sure they spent a lot of time counting those little squares that make up the rip-stop fabric on their tent ceilings. They will sleep like happy little lambs tonight.

On the upside, I have promised them Spaghetti and meatballs tomorrow night upon their return?OK, so the meat is Yak, and yes, we can make all the jokes we want about Yak balls. Hey, don?t knock it until you try it?I know I?m going to get in trouble for this paragraph?but admit it?you?re laughing too.

It has been pretty windy up there so the Sherpa crews have been limited in their ability to fix lines up to the South Col. They will try again tomorrow. When our climbers return tomorrow, they will wait and rest for possibly quite a long time until we are sure that the weather is perfect for their summit bid. They can read, hike down valley to get out of Base Camp, Jedi Yak Master can practice his Yak herding techniques, MC can master every aspect of Nintendo and have time to think about some new game where the climber reaches new camps instead of game levels?hey, I like that?when you do well you get more oxygen!

As for me, I went for a walk here in camp today with our trusted assistant Jetta. He took me from camp to camp, visiting all of the Sherpa kitchens, we drank tea at every one?it was lovely?.no wait, actually it was a bad idea, you see, it?s best just to stick to the tea in your own camp as I found myself quickly running down into a shallow crevasse as fast as I could, hopping from rock to rock while being laughed at by a group of climbers from Spain, oh and another group from Italy, Brazil, and Iran, I had to get behind that really big boulder in the center as fast as I could. Yup, just a little embarrassing. Need I say more?

I?ve had a lot of time to think about the fact that I desperately need a hair appointment?in fact, every one of us can put on our own version of the stage play ?Hair?. Help me Mimi! And on top of that, Micro-dermabrasion is starting to sound like a really good idea. Yea, I?m a girl, sue me.

Until tomorrow, sleep well, have lovely dreams, and await the next report as the group tells us how they enjoyed their spaghetti and Yak balls. Trixie (of course)

P.S. The sunset tonight is breathtaking; I wish you could see it.