ABC 18th - 20th May 2005.
Hi all, Im afraid the agonizing over the weather continues. Yesterday, the 18th was easily my "worst" day so far. I suffered from a painful combination of homesickness, boredom, and fear. The first two are self-explanatory, but the third related to the still miserable weather conditions. We were under the impression that we had a decent weather-window to look forward to somewhere around the 28th. Yesterday afternoon the whole group squeezed into a mess-tent to receive an update or clarification. It was mixed news. On the one hand the window was there,[and maybe even closer] but on the other hand, the conditions accompanying it are anything but ideal. Last years summit-window was: almost zero wind and an ambient temperature of -10 ish - relatively balmy Im told. This forthcoming window suggests a decline in the current windspeed to about 20kph, but the ambient temperature staying at an unpleasant -30 degrees. This is clearly frostbite country, and relatively dangerous. The wind-chill is the scary thing. However, its a shot and better than nothing - at least as far as Im concerned. Others here have different opinions about the feasibility of this opening. One thing is true if the forecast conditions prove to be accurate - the attrition rate will be very high. The slower you are the colder you are likely to get, and the more threatened you become. So far Ive been one of the faster - I hope this can be continued. This afternoon we are having our first oxygen briefing, which suggests that we are getting closer to our day. This will entail sorting face-masks, regulators and actual O2 bottles, and making sure the other equipment ie.goggles and balaclavas fit comfortably. We will also have to practice changing bottles wearing the precise gloves we plan to use on the hill, so as to minimize the time spent not wearing them. Im hoping that my next dispatch will have some concrete departure dates for our 4/5 day summit attempts. Obviously, I will be unable to post updates during the climbing period as I will only be carrying the sat-phone [ I hope to call Vanessa from the summit if Im lucky]. All being well I plan the update the site once Im down and hopefully successful. Anyway, more soon. DT Ps.vv - Deal?
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