My Everest Attempt is Over

Sorry for not posting anything for the last couple of days but the last couple of days have been very busy, sad and disappointing for me as I'm on my way home.

So what happened?

On the way to camp 2, for the second time, just as I was getting to the top of the step bit on the ice fall and before camp 1, I started with a migraine. This I didn't think too much of but within about 10-20 minutes I started to struggle to speak.  Everything else was normal but speaking wasn't easy.  I was walking with Jen and she noticed straight away that all wasn't right with me.  We stopped at camp 1 for a brew before carrying on to camp 2. I was able to function as normal except for the speaking.  Jen kept calling Tim on the radio to keep him up-to-date with how I was doing.  Shortly before camp 2, one of the climbing Sherpas came down with a drink and insisted on carrying my rucksack even though I could manage it myself.  

At camp 2 I took some paracetamol and ibuprofen to help with a bit of a headache, but the speak problem (dysphasia) was still evident.  I was really by now struggling to say more than errr or no.  But everything else seemed normal.  I could understand things and do things, I just couldn't speak.  Anyway, I was put on oxygen and some other drugs and in the morning I felt like normal again.

However, the Team doctor wanted me to descend back to base camp.  So the following day around lunch time, I descended with various people around me, Tim down to camp 1 and then Gnesh and Padour through the ice field.  I met Abi (our doctor) at base camp around 15:00 and she gave me a check up.  She had done some research with the Himalayan Research Association (HRA) doctors and all their advice was to go to Kathmandu for a scan.

So the day after I was in a helicopter being flown to Kathmandu where I had an MRI scan of the brain and a checkup with a doctor at the CIWEC clinic.  They couldn't find anything wrong with me but wouldn't recommend that I go back to base camp and try again.  This is the same opinion as our team doctor and the HRA doctors. 

 So ...  here I am on my way home!! 

The doctors think it was more than just a migraine, they think it was a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA).  Not sure where that leaves me for the future going to altitude.  I've been higher a few times than I was when I started to experience the speech problems.  So I don't understand it really.  There are quite a few cases of people with migraines having similar problems so I think it's linked but who knows?

Anyway, embarrassed, annoyed and very disappointed to be coming home without at least giving it a good try......

I start heading home tomorrow.

Chris

Rest and revision at Base Camp

The team is at base camp again today, looking at the drugs needed to treat high altitude problems and also looking at the oxygen system and mask which they'll be using higher up.

The plan seems to be to stay there again tomorrow, perhaps with a little leg stretch up to Camp 1, depending on the weather. Today started out with blue skies and sunshine but has now clouded over and is snowing once again.

More news as it comes in...

Tough few days, then return to Base Camp and hot showers!

The team are back at Base Camp for a rest after a gruelling couple of days. Two nights at Camp 1,  followed by a 5.00am wake-up call for the trek up to Camp 2 (at 6400 metres). Overnight stop at Camp 2, then all the way back down to Base for food, rest and hot showers. I understand there was a four-day storm forecast, so they will rest and see what weather the next few days bring.

These few pix give a flavour of the terrain en route to Camp 2.

Camp 1 when the team arrived in the snow

 

 Setting off from Camp 1 yesterday, with the entire Western Cwm visible 

and the Lhotse face and south col at the far end

 

 Typical upper ice fall terrain

 Giles crossing a four-ladder span crevasse on the way to Camp 1

Chris's tent at Camp 2 with the Lhotse face visible behind 

and the south col just out of site to the left

Arrived Camp 1

Team has arrived at Camp 1 after a tough day. Time to rehydrate and decide what to do next.

Foray to the Ice Fall

Short foray into the Ice Fall today – first quarter of the route up to Camp One – before we venture up there tomorrow. We only encountered one small ladder today but expect we'll encounter many more, and much larger ones, as we progress up the ice.

Might be off the air for a few days now – so here's a few more pix!

 

 Base camp from the ice fall.  It's huge!!

 

Giles on the only ladder we found in the first quarter of the route up to Camp 1. There will be many more ladders in the upper, more complicated part of the ice fall and much bigger ones at that.

Our team at the start of the ice fall.

Carry on up the Khumbu...

From Tim's Twitter feed... Just had a foray in to The Khumbu Icefall - what an amazingly AWESOME place. Off to Camp 1 tomorrow for 2 or 3 nights.

Unpacking boxes and a few snaps

Spent the day at Base Camp opening all the boxes and reacquainting ourselves with all the stuff we freighted over all those weeks ago. Off to look at the Khumbu Ice Fall tomorrow (news on the grapevine is it's in great condition - more detail about that on Tim's blog), then it's working our way up to the higher camps.

Here's a few piccies to be going on with!

 

Base Camp with comms tent centre – my tent is the one in the distance to the left of the comms tent

 

Kitchen tent with the Khumbu Ice Fall and Everest in the background

 Me on top of Pokalde

 

Our mess tent at Base Camp

Me on top of the Kongma La

Arrived at Basecamp

The Big E trippers have arrived at Base Camp, having spent the night camping at Loboche (not Gorak Shep as last reported). It was snowing when news came through. Hoping for some pix when Chris gets the chance.

Up to Gorak Shep soon!

Just down from Pokalde – nice morning out though clouding over again now. Heading up to Gorak Shep tomorrow. All well.

If you take a look at Jen's blog, good group shot from yesterday at Kongma La.

Leaving Dingboche... and itching to go

If you're not already following the Big E blog, Tim's latest post focuses on oxygen levels and itching to hit the trail to Base Camp – oh, and not a single tea house for five or six weeks!  Let's hope they've packed some chocolate doughnuts!

His final paragraph makes it all sound so simple:

'All we need to do now is get acclimatised to above 6,500m, spend many uncomfortable nights in various tents on the hill in desperately cold conditions with frost coating the inside of the tents, keep fit and healthy, stay hydrated, get all our kit and equipment to the right places on the hill, stay safe and wait for the weather window. Easy as pie!'

So off they set from Dingboche...

Two passes down and one to go, on route to Base Camp. And pictures at last!

Arrived in Dingboche yesterday and having a rest day here today.  After a lovely start to the day, the cloud came in, the wind picked up and it started hailing too.  There was even the odd rumble of thunder.  Anyway, tomorrow we start to head for Base Camp via the Kongma La pass and hopefully taking in the peak, Pokalde.  We’ve already crossed two passes, the Renjo La and Cho la and should be at BC in around 5 days time.  Really enjoying the trekking, but the real hard work has yet to start.

Picture above - On top of Renjo La
Pictue below - On top of the Cho La

Arrived in Dingboche for a couple of days' well earned rest

The team have arrived in Dingboche now. Good to hear the first stop was the bakery, and plans are in hand for tomorrow's trip to stock up on chocolate doughnuts and coffee (food featuring once more in the updates!)

Tim reports that all are acclimatising well – last night sleeping at 5,050 metres and not a headache in sight. After Dingboche they'll be making a couple of high camps at the Renjo La (circa 5,200m) and 'a pootle up Pokalde (just a tad over 5,800m).' After that they're heading for Base Camp, from where they'll start getting to know the route through the Khumbu Icefall and start spending nights at Camp 1 (6,000m) and Camp 2 (6,400m).

Another blog added to the link list...

Now that comms has been restored, I've also caught up with Partha Dey on Twitter.

Partha is hoping to carry out climate change research whilst climbing the Big E and his friend Amandeep is keeping up the blog on his behalf – very detailed and interesting it is too.

And his last post even has a piccie of our own intrepid explorer!

Comms at last!!

Finally have comms now we've set up the Began (satellite internet communications). So... since I was last in touch, to recap:

Spent a couple of days at Thame. At Thame we went to a monastery behind the village for a Puja, then on to DinJung for a night before arriving at Arya where we spent two nights. We then started the camping phase of the trek and camped before the Renjo Pass by Renjo Lake at around 4850 metres. Played boules on the beach by the lake.

The following day we went over the Renjo pass at around 5300m and dropped down to Gokyo.  A lovely but tough walk due to the fact we are still acclimatising. On 13 April we left Gokyo with the intension of camping by the 5th lake but the weather closed in and so after getting to the top of a small peak at 5475m we returned to Gokyo.

On the 14th we walked down the glacier to Dragnag and today we’ve walked up to just under the Cho La pass and are currently camping at around 5050m. Tomorrow we hope to go over the pass and drop down to spend the night at Dzonglha.

All going well so far, but the weather could have been a little bit better.

Apart from the blogs, you can also follow our progress at www.thebige2011.co.uk. When you are there, if you subscribe you'll automatically get updates – hot off the press!!

5,500 metres and climbing...

Latest from Tim via Twitter – about 2.15pm Brit time – and strangely, no mention of food!!:

'A longish day up to Nobby's View – about 5,500m. Unfortunately, there wasn't a view to be had so we're asking for a partial refund.'

More walking, more eating: Tim's latest update via Facebook

Hopefully, full comms will resume soon with Chris but, in the meantime, another update from Tim on the intrepid trippers. Sounds as though it's going well...

'A superb day over the Renjo La, then prawn crackers and soup for lunch in Gokyo. It's time for a pits and bits wash. All fit and well.'

Playing boules and going well... today's update from Tim.

'Played boules last night by the Renjo Lake – a great setting. Everyone in fine fettle and ready for the Renjo La and down to Gokyo.'

Update via Twitter from Tim

'It's a glorious sunny day and we're heading to the lakes below the Renjo La. Only seen two westerners in the last 4 days. Awesome.'

Update on 'puja'

Thanks to Chris's fellow Everest tripper Jen (link to both Jen and Tim's blogs now added above the pic right!) I have an update on what is a puja...

'This morning we walked up to the monastery above Thame where we’d arranged to have an expedition puja ceremony (blessing) by the local monks. The room in which it took place was a riot of colour; painted ceiling, painted walls, hangings, effigies of buddha, photographs of important monks, flowers, candles... The whole of the wall behind the monks was made up of little painted boxes, each containing an incantation.

'Presumably the appropriate one was chosen for our trip, and as we sat round on the floor, four monks in their burgundy robes, one topped off by a matching puffa jacket, began to chant. After a while of this chanting, one of those wonderfully evocative horns was blown, and the instruments were introduced; a pair of carved cymbals with semi-hemispherical middle sections, played horizontally, and a large, brightly-painted circular double-skinned drum that hung from the cieling producing a deep, beautifal cadenced sound. The results were amazing; kind of tuneful, yet atonal, slightly soporific rhythmic and soothing all in one.

'This continued for about half an hour, so I guess we got well and truly blessed, then the head monk (who looked well-hard, a bit like Bullet Proof Monk in th movie), blessed the kharta (scarves) we’d previously been given...'

Second night in Thame

About to send the second night here in Thame – lovely place – and the good news is the Nepalese SIM cards we bought on arrival finally appear to be working!

Went for puja (more about this when I get the chance - my 'ghost writer' not quite certain what to post! As far as she can make out it's a ceremony where offerings are made to various deities - as thanks for food, safe transit etc or at the start of a new venture).

Moving further up the Bhote Koshi valley tomorrow to Dinjung. Back here soon, SIM cards, mobile networks and internet connections permitting! Nameste.

Might be out of contact for a few days...

Heading up the Bhote Kosi valley over the next few days so not sure what the comms will be like, much less internet access.

Great day on the hill today followed by a second night at Ama Dablam View Lodge. Weather has improved a bit.

Incidentally, if you haven't seen it already, Tim (who's leading this 'Big E' expedition) is also blogging about the trip, so follow him too for news of where we are and what we're up to. You can find Tim's blog  at http://keswick-bed-and-breakfast.blogspot.com/

Update when I can!

Just Reached Namche Bazaar

Yesterday we flew to Lukla.  This is an amazing flight and an even more amazing landing!  It was an early start but we were eating breakfast in Lukla by 09:00.  After breakfast we trekked to Monjo stopping for lunch on the way.  It’s a tough life this trekking lark.  The weather yesterday started off sunny and warm, but by lunch time it had clouded over and  by the time we reached Monju, it was spotting with rain.

Last night it rained very heavily and there were quite a few rumbles of thunder.  Not quite the seasonal settled weather we were hoping for.  We’re in Namche Bazaar for lunch today and it’s snowing.  Not really a problem, but not what we were expecting either.  Heading just out of Namche to a tea house to stay tonight.  We have a couple of nights there to allow us to acclimatise.  All going well so far, except the weather.

Why Everest?

I’ve been looking for a ‘big’ trip to go on for a few years now.  Lately it’s been more and more difficult to find friends able to go on extended excursions and when Tim Mosedale said he was looking to organise an expedition to the south side of Everest, I was very keen. I did however realise that it would need a long spell away from work, would cost a lot of money and would potentially upset my parents. With time and effort, I managed to resolve the first two obstacles but dealing with the third is still ongoing.

Getting to the top and back down safely is the objective but there are many more obstacles to overcome in order to do that and a lot of luck required too, particularly with regards to the weather.  People have been to try to Climb Everest year after year, before conditions permitted them to try for the summit.  Just getting high on the mountain to visit some of the places I’ve read about over the years will be a fantastic opportunity with getting to the top and back down safely the icing on the cake so to speak.

The outline plan is to trek for a few weeks to acclimatise as much as possible before getting to Base Camp which we hope to reach towards the end of April.  We’ll then have time acclimatising on Everest before hopefully being in a position to make a summit attempt in the second half of May, weather and jet stream permitting.

Arrived Safe and Well in Kathmandu

The journey to Kathmandu all went well.  Four of us got upgraded to business class on the flight from Bahrain to Kathmandu.  Very pleasant.  I could get used to that level of service.

Just relaxing this morning; to be followed this afternoon by some essential shopping tasks, then an early night as we fly out to Lukla early tomorrow morning all being well.

Still lots and lots to do

Managed to get out climbing for a short while last night, a couple of routes on Shepherds crag, what a lovely evening.  I probably shouldn’t have, as I seem to have so many little jobs to do and oh, very possibly not enough time to do them all in! 

I spent the rest of the evening and what seems like a large part of the night working out how my solar panel and battery worked.  I’d ordered this a few weeks ago from a company in the US but FedEx had lost it somewhere between Glasgow and Kendal and the replacement only arrived yesterday.  I’ve now worked out I need another cable for my camera battery charger so placed a quick order on the internet with next day delivery in the hope I get something that works.  More testing tonight too, using other devices I’m taking, laptop, phone, iPod and head cam.

Hoping to get the packing up out of the way tonight as well, so that I can get to a Mountain Rescue training session tomorrow evening after work.  I should then be able to relax, perhaps even get a lie in on Thursday morning before setting off to Heathrow.

It's getting awfully close to departure day

In my ideal world, I would have set this blog up weeks again, but ....

Over recent days as the time to departure arrives with alarming and what seems like exponential speed, a number of friends, family and work colleagues have asked how they can keep up to date with what I'm up to.

Back in my ideal world, when posed with this question, the url for my blog would have just rolled off my tongue and life would be a lot simpler than it's going to be now!  Anyway back to the real world, thanks to those friends, family and colleagues' suggestions, at least now if anybody asks me that question, I can tell them about the blog.  I just need to try and remember all the people that have asked me so far and somehow let them know. Oh and update the blog as regularly as I can so there is something there for people to read!