Arrival in the base camp. First troubles....
Arrival in base camp.
Yesterday, April, 8 the main group (14 person + Lyudmila Korobeshko) has arrived to the Base Camp at height 5200 m. We were met by Sergey Kofanov, Alexander Bichenko, Andrey Selivanov, which here already about one week here. They had time to prepare all camp with the maximal comfort for our arrival. Here was also Alexander Abramov, he has arrived in BC day prior to us that to be convinced of readiness of camp.
In the evening we have sat behind dinner in honour of the official beginning of a sports stage of expedition. Before it we had time to put a special tent ("sports hall") with a tennis table inside and even have carried out some matches.
The first night on 5200 m was disturbing. The guide Sergey Kofanov unexpectedly fall severely ill. Early in the morning, doctor Andrey Selivanov has gone together with Sergey on a jeep in Xegatse, to the regional hospital. There is a suspicion on appendicitis though it is possible, that this simply strong food poisoning. His friend Armen Rshtuni accompany them. If it will be necessary he will stay with Sergey, and doctor Andrey Selivanov should return in BC. Today in the morning April, 9 Armenak Tigranian has left our expedition. To regret, he has fallen a victim to mountain illness. Anything dangerous. Soon he should arrive to Moscow healthy, though tired.
Other members of expedition feel like more or less normally: today since morning we have taken a walk down to Old Rongbuk. The day after tomorrow we leave up to 5800 m - Intermediate Camp - and there we spend a night. Then we shall go downwards and after rest we shall go on 6400 m – to ÀÂÑ.
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From Bruce (www.7summits.com)
…We arrived at Base Camp yesterday at around lunch time...lunch consisted of mushroom soup, grilled chicken and cold slaw and fruit salad. There are always cases of Coke, Sprite and Beer available as well as pringle chips, biscuits fruit juices and naan bread. Supper was much the same in that it was a three course meal. Most members of the expedition who have done other climbs are amazed at the fare and accommodation etc. Unfortunately, our pool tabe met it`s demise on one of the passes and is now shattered. However, the ping pong table is set up in its own tent next to the entertainment tent which has two tv`s, games, dart board etc!
Base Camp has been described by some as bleak...and then by those returning to recover from higher, as paradise! The camp is situated at the end of the Central Rongbuk glacier and runs North from that point. Everest is behind you and the camp slopes downhill. As it is a morain, it is like being on a large dried river bed with mostly stones and sand and very few big rocks. If you can visualize standing up at 7Summits-Club camp, up against the high end of a rocky glacier, the base camp runs down the west boundary for approx 1/3 kilometers and narrows a bit at the bottom. The North boundary and South boundary are roughly 500 meters each and the east boundary about 1 kilometer. It is large abd there are presently 13 different expeditions. I walked the boundary yesterday and that was 3 kilometers and took an hour...this indicates how slowly one needs to move her to adapt….
From Bill (www.7summits.com)
Me and a guy named Arman climbed up the back side of the monastery up to about 4100m for good excercise. But I was glad to move on from there yesterday to here. the hotel was the same as I remember. Cold at night. On the way Alex bought a pool table for basecamp, A POOL TABLE!! I think that is a first for Everest But it broke on the trip. But good try. The road took us over a 5200m pass, where we stopped for a few minutes and took in the sights. We did get to see Everest off in the distance at a point on the road, and she was looking formidable.
Tomorrow we head up to base camp, to settle in and start the actual expedition. this year there are over 30 teams on the north side alone, including a huge Chinese team of 120 summit permits. We all are worried that we will get trapped behind some of these other expeditions and have to turn back because they are too slow. But only time will tell.