The boys finished setting up the 2 C4 and dropped off oxygen loads last week. Our original plan was to head up to C2 tomorrow, on the tail of the Everest summit fixing team (Lhotse is all set), to start our summit bid. However now timing is a tad uncertain given the winds expected during our summit dates. This could mean waiting a few extra days.
The team have been resting at base camp for the last week (DVDs, internet and Chris baking her traditional desserts in the kitchen), and are now itching to get moving. Given the high prevalence of gastric bugs lurking in the Khumbu this season, we kept the team at base camp for their rest. At this stage of the game, you can’t afford to develop any kind of symptom, not a sniffle, and certainly not loose bowels.
Yesterday we heard unconfirmed bad news that another Sherpa has died. This makes 2 men in a short span of time. The first man a few days ago was a former Tengboche lama and a Phortse local, his death may have been due to natural causes at C3. And now yesterday, a young lad in his late teens. Our guides remember him well as a social happy fellow. Although we have our climbing objectives in mind, moments like these remind us to reflect on our lives, those in it and those who have touched us even if momentarily.