Everest 2012: Back at Base Camp
Posted on April 27th, 2012 by sarah_hassell
Mike and his fellow teammates are back at Base Camp safe and sound this morning. About an hour after returning to BC, this guy came over the Icefall. It is believed to have crowned off Nuptse.
About an hour after returning to Base Camp this morning the Ice Falls once again show its dark side.
While the avalanches are a constant menace, fortunately the they are not completely unpredictable. The team has noted a fairly consistent pattern – they appear roughly around 9:45-10:00 am when the sun hits the Icefall. This means for extra early starts and a quick hustle over the Icefall. IMG uses spotter scopes and radios to monitor progress and to detect potential traffic jams and other problems so the teams are not alone.
Active 24 hours in the Khumbu Ice Falls keeps the teams on their toes.
Mike’s couple of nights at Camp II were successful with some predictable and mitigatable issues – headaches and coughs seem to be prevalant and the teams are working hard to stay healthy. They may be headed down to a lower altitude for some extra thick air and a bit of recovery before getting ready to spend some real time at Camp II and III. Camp III is when the rubber hits the road – time for all those red blood cells which they have been carefully building to show their stuff.
Mike,
The whole family is following your exploits and wishing you the best. Good luck and come home safe.
Bill