Rest Day at Camp II, Weather Rolls In…

Day 48/May 8, 2009 (Friday)

Clear skies greeted us in the morning, warmth hitting our tents around 08:30. Lots of Sherpa tea and time to pack for the summit: my oxygen mask, goggles and summit mittens would be carried for me to Camp III, while a small bag of food would head to Camp IV the following day. As the exhaustion from the day before began to wash away, my strength and focus for the upcoming 3 days to the summit solidified.
Day 48/May 8, 2009 (Friday)

Clear skies greeted us in the morning, warmth hitting our tents around 08:30. Lots of Sherpa tea and time to pack for the summit: my oxygen mask, goggles and summit mittens would be carried for me to Camp III, while a small bag of food would head to Camp IV the following day. As the exhaustion from the day before began to wash away, my strength and focus for the upcoming 3 days to the summit solidified.

And then it started… snow, and wind. Lots of it. Moist air had not been forecast, but it was here without a doubt. Our summit bid was in jeopardy, as pulling up fixed lines and kicking in new steps on a summit day could be beyond exhausting. A call down to IMG Base and an updated forecast from Seattle suggested that our summit “window” was much narrower than previously hoped. Eric suggested we all descend in the next day or two, as heavy snows and winds in the coming days would prevent a safe ascent at this time. Long range forecasts now suggest sometime after May 18th would be the time to try again.

Not all is lost: this third time up the Khumbu Icefall was a useful acclimatization rotation. To say that I’m disappointed would be a vast understatement, though!

Namaste,
Scott