Notes from 2 crackly phone calls, 19th and 20th April.
Sombre mood in Base Camp. We settled in as well as we all could yesterday. We've got the luxury of 2 tents, one for us to sleep in and one for our gear. You can find us by the prayer flags St Paul's Way Trust school gave us. Sadly, we never thought they would be so important. We've been meeting up with climbers from other groups, visiting their camps and exchanging news. All climbing on the mountain has been stopped for a couple of days. It was snowing on and off, and by early evening it was a white out, with the sound of avalanches going off in the distance. The helicopters had been working hard all day and many of the sherpas had left for their villages to regroup and mourn.
Today we decided to head out and hiked away with from Base Camp with Michael and a guide up to 6000m where the sun was shining and the views over the Himalayas were fantastic. We're now back in camp and about to go into a meeting with Dan and the rest of the team to hear what's been decided going forward. A lot depends on what the sherpas with IMG and the other larger groups decide as they will be mending so many of the damaged lines. Everything is up in the air right now.
Sombre mood in Base Camp. We settled in as well as we all could yesterday. We've got the luxury of 2 tents, one for us to sleep in and one for our gear. You can find us by the prayer flags St Paul's Way Trust school gave us. Sadly, we never thought they would be so important. We've been meeting up with climbers from other groups, visiting their camps and exchanging news. All climbing on the mountain has been stopped for a couple of days. It was snowing on and off, and by early evening it was a white out, with the sound of avalanches going off in the distance. The helicopters had been working hard all day and many of the sherpas had left for their villages to regroup and mourn.
Today we decided to head out and hiked away with from Base Camp with Michael and a guide up to 6000m where the sun was shining and the views over the Himalayas were fantastic. We're now back in camp and about to go into a meeting with Dan and the rest of the team to hear what's been decided going forward. A lot depends on what the sherpas with IMG and the other larger groups decide as they will be mending so many of the damaged lines. Everything is up in the air right now.