Challenge 8000

Thursday, Oct 1. I was on the edge the moment I woke up this morning waiting for news about R's flight back to London - is he flying out or is he stuck in Kathmandu for a few days, will he be home tomorrow... all these questions chasing around my head from the moment I opened my eyes and I could barely think about anything else. I think I drove R nuts too and he probably wished that I would stop asking him questions that he had no answers to at that point in time!

Rob & co have made it off the mountain and onto the mainroad today and he is back in civilisation (well, semi civilised because he is finally contactable on his mobile!)

Just heard that they are still stuck in China because of a landslide which closed a road heading back to Kathmandu. Fingers crossed some gnomes will clear the roads by tomorrow when they wake up and they can be on their way to Kathmandu and then its another step closer to coming home! I am keeping my fingers crossed that Rob will be back before the 3rd of October, in time for my mid autumn festival party in our house.

It’s 11pm on Tuesday night in Malta. I’ve been to the movies and had a few glasses of wine with friends. This morning I had breakfast, went about my errands, did some work, fed and walked the dogs.  I’ve checked my emails, played a few rounds of Scrabble on facebook and am now getting ready for bed.  Quite a mundane day on the whole. Nothing extraordinary about it except that throughout it all my mind’s been trying to picture Marco slogging through the ice and snow, one heavy step after the other, often in pitch dark, very very slowly making his way to the top with the rest of the team.  

They set off for the summit last night. They stopped at Camp 1 to get what rest they could and in half an hour they’ll be setting off again in pitch dark towards Camp 2. 

How is it that I can feel excited and yet anxious and worried at the same time?
... Excited because R and co are doing the summit push on Tuesday - its been a long journey with sacrifices physically, mentally, emotionally, financially for them to get to this stage and the peak is just before them! Almost there!

... Worried and anxious because there are just so many unknowns, the effects of altitude on their bodies, the snow, the draining physical demands being that high up and exerting themselves climbing to the top.

Himalayan mountaineering expeditions bring together groups of very special and remarkable individuals. Eccentric at times, hard headed at best. Mountaineers are however a very rare breed, we share an unstrained and effortless love for the mountains. The passion which feeds our determination few can comprehend. We experience and relish a world which most will never even see.

Robert has always been a favourite with girls. Girls flock to him like bees to honey and he basks in all the attention that he gets.

I was thinking that he would be feeling a bit deprived of female attention when he in the 'wilderness' and being one with the elements... but I guessed wrong. Apparently he had a group of them fawning over him, and waiting eagerly for him to emerge from his tents today. His groupies are in his own words, very 'sweet' and I think he is falling for them a bit too... hmpt!

My phone knew that the 'man of the house' is away and decided that it would be the perfect time to act up last night. It kicked such a big fuss that there was nothing I could do to bring it back to life, not even restoring from a backup. It now has a new personality - took me a full 24 hours (and lots of swearing) to get it back to a usable state, full functioning texts and email and phone calls. What hurts me are the items I couldn't recover - my text messages - there were some priceless gems from R that keeps me going during the lonely nights but its all gone up into smoke *pftt* :(

(Thursday, September 3 – 4.40 p.m.)

Just washed some clothes at the second day at the Everest Snow Leopard Guest House in Tingri – our last day under a roof and with access to a bathroom. It's been more than a week now that we left Malta and the mountain is getting closer.

We had the first glimpse of (the north face) of Everest yesterday but Cho Oyu (the closer of the two) was covered by clouds. Shishapangma – the 14th highest mountain could be seen to the west.

Sept 5th: More than a week has passed since we left home. We are presently in Tingri at an altitude of approximately 4,350 metres.

The drive from Kathmandu to Tingri was literally a stroll down memory lane. The bumpy ride away from the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu, the winding road along the banks of the Bote Kosi river, during which we needed to change buses several times due to mud slides blocking our progress and last but not least the suspension bridge at the 'Last Resort' where three years ago I got hooked on Bungee Jumping. Finally we got to Kodari, the Nepalese border town where we spent the night. We crossed into Tibet in the morning and spend most of the day in Znagmu. For old times sake I got a hair cut but avoided ice cream – a practice which resulted in me contacting giardia during a previous trip consequently losing all gastrointestinal restrains all the way to Lhasa. After two night in Nyalam we finally got to Tingri, our last stop before embarking on our final approach to Cho Oyu.

I'm a 28 year old climber. I have been to the mountains many times in the past however I am more into trekking. I have roamed the Tibetan plateau as far as Samye valley close to Lhasa and crossed the Nangpa La Pass many times and been up to Everest base camp a couple of times.  I'm in optimal physical condition and can walk for hours on end hauling heavy loads.  My dream is to climb an 8000 meter mountain, looking down on the multitude and conquer my fears.