We have arrived safely at Chinese base camp. Leaving Baibi early this morning we retraced our steps to Tingri and then took the road to Chinese base camp. With the track deteriorating with every mile that passed we were treated with a view of Cho Oyu in the distance. Huge and pristine white it dominates the Gyrabrag valley. We arrived at base camp around lunchtime to be met by our team of sherpas. They had a wonderful surprise for us - we have individual temts and won't share just yet. Everyone is in good form and the camp is comfortable. This afternoon a number of us took a walk further along the valley. The camp is at 4,900m but we wanted to reach 5000m, which we did after 40 minutes walking or so. It feels great to at last see Cho Oyu and to be really on our way. I may not be able to send another message until we reach mountain base camp, or advance base camp (ABC) as it is called.
From the time I read Sir Edmund Hillary’s account of his Everest ascent in his book ‘Nothing Ventured, Nothing Win’, a book given to me by my Grandfather when I was about 9, I have dreamed of climbing a big Himalayan mountain.
My book, "The Turquoise Goddess: not just about the Summit!" tells the story of my attempt on Cho Oyo in 2013. It is available in Kindle format at the Amazon bookstore, and book, pdf or ebook (iBooks for iPad) formats here at the Blurb bookstore. Clicking on the red text will take you to each bookstore