Mt. Everest 2005: Valencia: Back in base camp

Update: Has it ever happened to you?  You are in bed, and you wake up little by little, because your sleep ran out, you stretch, open one eye and... where am I?  This is not my home, not even base camp... ok!  I am in a Lodge in Lobuche.

I have stretched a little more and jumped to get out of bed, looked at the time, it is 9 in the morning.  What a joy, I have slept in a kind of bed!  After the obligatory scratching of my balls, a piss and a look outside the window, it looks like everything is fine, I go out to have breakfast.  At 4,900m, in a Lodge, one feels like at home.

The day is splendid, it may be a sign, I don't know but I think it means something.  We pick up everything quick and we leave to BC.  First we pass close to the pyramid that seems closer, it shows that we are better acclimatized.  In 2 hours we are in Gorak Shep.  When we get there we catch a blizzard and it starts snowing so with the excuse to get some shelter we stopped to eat in a Lodge.  We found 3 very nice kids from Granada, well, one of them was British but he was already accepted in the group.  They are trekking and tomorrow they will come to have lunch with us at BC.

After lunch we left Gorak Shep and in 2 hours we were in BC.  It is incredible, what we did before in 2 days, now we did in 4 hours.  During the way the weather was bearable, but it changed suddenly, but luckily we were already in shelter. 

When we got to BC, we saw that everybody is happy with the perspective of the weather forecasts.  We consulted the forecasts of the Brazilians, the Argentineans, the one from Leon and it looks like it would be good weather from the 22nd.

The commercial and non commercial expeditions start to get ready and put on the long crampons just thinking that it 2 or 3 day we have to start the summit attack.

We are so happy that... we are already making future plans, a sign that this is really going on.

We are going to have dinner and a very good dessert.  Until tomorrow.

Translated from Spanish by Jorge Rivera

Millet One Sport Everest Boot  has made some minor changes by adding more Kevlar. USES Expeditions / High altitude / Mountaineering in extremely cold conditions / Isothermal to -75°F Gore-Tex® Top dry / Evazote Reinforcements with aramid threads. Avg. Weight: 5 lbs 13 oz Sizes: 5 - 14 DESCRIPTION Boot with semi-rigid shell and built-in Gore-Tex® gaiter reinforced by aramid threads, and removable inner slipper Automatic crampon attachment Non-compressive fastening Double zip, so easier to put on Microcellular midsole to increase insulation Removable inner slipper in aluminized alveolate Fiberglass and carbon footbed Cordura + Evazote upper Elasticated collar. Expedition footwear for mountaineering in conditions of extreme cold.  NOTE US SIZES LISTED. See more here.

A cold weather, high altitude double boot for extreme conditions The Olympus Mons is the perfect choice for 8000-meter peaks. This super lightweight double boot has a PE thermal insulating inner boot that is coupled with a thermo-reflective outer boot with an integrated gaiter. We used a super insulating lightweight PE outsole to keep the weight down and the TPU midsole is excellent for crampon compatibility and stability on steep terrain. WEIGHT: 39.86 oz • 1130 g LAST: Olympus Mons CONSTRUCTION: Inner: Slip lasted Outer: Board Lasted OUTER BOOT: Cordura® upper lined with dual-density PE micro-cellular thermal insulating closed cell foam and thermo-reflective aluminium facing/ Insulated removable footbed/ Vibram® rubber rand See more here.

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