(Written a while ago, and only just got internet back in namche)
We’ve had a few nights at basecamp now, settling into a routine and getting prepared for our first acclimatisation journey onto the mountain.
Yesterday we walked about four hours up to an Advanced Basecamp (ABC) to drop some gear off and more importantly get acclimatised to that altitude (5450m). It’s very straightforward walking but at that height it is quite hard work, especially with a rucksack on. Having dropped our stash of food and boots it was a quick hour and a half back down to base and a late lunch.
Today we are waiting for our Puja ceremony where a local Lama walks up from the village to bless our expedition and wish us a safe passage on the mountain. It’s an important occasion for our Sherpa’s as well as us and a great deal of preparation goes into the event.
Tomorrow we will head up to ABC to spend the night before climbing up to camp 1 where we will spend two nights and climb almost to Camp 2 before coming back down to base camp. This will complete our acclimatisation and the next time we head up it will be our summit attempt.
Finally, the team are enjoying themselves and loving the good basecamp food prepared by our cook Pasang, and we’ve had a couple of cinema nights on my laptop, which provide some welcome entertainment and a break from thinking about the mountain.
