We are just wrapping up our post-rotation rest period in CBC. Things are going well. All of us are itching to do something other than lounging, eating, and sleeping. So, what's in store for us? Tomorrow, we head up to IBC. That trip is about a 10km walk up from CBC. IBC is a yak poop infested area barely suitable for humans....but perfectly suitable for us climbers. On the bright side, we get to rest before heading up to ABC - another 10km hike. These hikes can be really tiresome but they are necessary steps to reach most high mountains; Everest is no exception. Once at ABC, we rest for a full day before we head up the mountain. Our destination is the North Col once again but this time we will sleep one night there at 7000m. Now, when I say sleep, I don't mean a restful night. We will get what sleep we can manage and then the following morning we will climb toward camp 2, turn around and head all the way to ABC in one push. Sound exhausting? Yep, it is.
You might wonder how tired I was after round 1.... well, let me tell you. I got back to our dining tent at about 7pm - roughly 9 hours after setting off in the morning. The climb simply exhausted me to the point where I could barely raise a 12 ounce Coke can. Yep, I was spent. Mountaineering has a way of exhausting most of us.
So tomorrow begins our second and final acclimatization round. I look forward to exhausting myself again and getting even closer to Everest's summit.
Thanks for following. I will post more when we return in about a week.
