ABC

I’m about 120% positive that my least favorite part of the trip up to ABC is the section of the Moraine Superhighway after Interim camp. Interim Camp is situated at the top of a steep section of moraine which then falls away into a serac-filled jungle and a fast flowing stream and then a steep uphill climb onto a long, undulating lateral moraine which lies adjacent to Everest. These are the first three obstacles that one faces first thing in the morning after leaving camp (all that without the benefit of a Starbucks latte!!).

I’m generally a positive person, but I can’t bear the walk between IC and ABC – it drags on and on and on and on and on and on and on…. By about 11am I was so bored bumbling along the scree that I begin to video-tape my feet walking ’fast’ and then ’walking slow’ (note: there is no difference!!)… and the a few hours later decided to start writing messages in the snow with my trekking pole for Chris, Stephen and Salam (who were coming up from BC). These included – “Canada Rocks” as well as “Go Team Scotland!” and “Yaaa Bangladesh!”. I nearly killed myself falling into a snow-covered crevasse writing, “Almost There!” accompanied by a giant smiley face….

Geordie provided some entertainment at noon during the regular radio call. It’s difficult to learn to resist the temptation when utterly bored and starved of conversation to engage in an irrelevant full-fledged conversation on a radio that is to be use for check-ins only!

I was incredibly relieved when at 2:30pm one of the Sherpas from ABC came down to meet me with a drink of hot tea and some moral support. Then the final painfully frustrating hour passed when you constantly think you’re close to camp or you think, “it’s just over the next moraine” only to be disappointed time and time again by a frustratingly endless series of hills and fruitless climbs. I was incredibly relieved to see ABC and dive into the comfort of the warm and entertaining mess tent where I could unleash my frustrations about the giant toilet that is Interim Camp and attempt to rehydrate. 5 minutes later after a bowl of noodle soup, all was forgotten and I could smile and laugh once again. It was now time to prepare for the new challenges ahead! North Col ascent in 2 days!