Today is a very special day indeed - our first full day at ABC. While the journey to ABC has been immensely fun traveling through Kathmandu, crossing the Friendship Bridge into Tibet, and then seeing life in Nyalam, Tingri and Xegar, it is here that the real adventure begins. Perhaps this would be a good time to set the scene.
Our leader is Tim Calder. Ex-officer in the Gurkhas, fluent in Nepalese and a highly experienced leader in these mountains including previous successful summits of Cho Oyu. His team of climbing Sherpas and support staff look after all the logistics on the mountain including transport, food, water, and tentage to name but a few. They also place and maintain the fixed ropes which will be critical to our safety through the steepest sections of the climb, and most importantly of all they will accompany us to the summit and will assist the regulation of our oxygen. This incredible team is led by their Sirdar, Passang Tenzing Sherpa. Passang Tenzing Sherpa is just 28 yrs old but has achieved 8 summits of Mt Everest and innumerable summits of Cho Oyu and is also a qualified Mountain Guide in Europe. His team of climbing Sherpas are similarly experienced, although not in Europe. Be assured we are in exceptionally good hands! So who are 'we'. We are Mary, Paul, Mike, Ron, Robert, Chris, and I. All from different walks of life (although amazingly Mike and I work less that 100 yards apart in Aldgate - in the new blue building opposite Beaufort House for those who know what I'm talking about), all with previous experience of high altitude mountaineering, and all with the same goal - to climb Cho Oyu. We're getting on fine and spirits are very high. Tim has said too many times for us not to believe it, that at this stage of the expedition we are the strongest team he has led on this mountain. Well so far so good eh?
After the snow of yesterday evening and overnight today dawned clear and unspeakably beautiful. We are encamped on rock and this and everything around us save for the steepest rock buttresses was covered in pristine white snow. Above this was the purest azure sky punctured only by towering white mountains, one of which is Cho Oyu. We look across the Nangpa La, an ancient trade route between Nepal and Tibet now closely monitored by the Chinese. We can see one or two other camps occupied by other climbing teams but we still feel alone, not least as contact between camps is frowned upon to avoid the spread of disease.
After a breakfast of muesli, cornflakes, Tibetan bread, omelette and mixed vegetables we relaxed to allow the acclimatisation process to continue. It would appear that any niggles from yesterday have been dealt with by a good night's sleep and there were only smiles and lighthearted chat and banter around the breakfast table .... and then the chanting began. I should have mentioned that the 'No. 2 cookboy', Ishi, is a fully trained Tibetan monk or Llama, currently doing work within the community. While we were eating breakfast the Sherpas were preparing a rock alter, think 'cairn', and adorning this with food, drink and other offerings to Cho Oyu. At the appointed hour, about 10 o'clock, we were asked to go outside and sit on the ground by the altar (naturally the Sherpas being attentive to our delicate European posteriors had provided foam mats). The Llama continued to chant the Puja - a request for the mountain to bless our expedition and more importantly to forgive our desecration of its soil with our unclean footwear and other mountaineering equipment. To that end we were instructed to place our crampons and ice axes against the altar. During the Puja, we were offered symbolic food and drink, including Tibetan snacks and western snacks, brandy, Tibetan beer and soft drinks. Apparently it would have been rude and disrespectful to refuse alcohol although one wouldn't normally drink alcohol at this altitude. There was a ceremonial tossing of rice towards the mountain and other religious elements too deep for me to comprehend, and 3 lines of green, red, yellow, blue, and while prayer flags were staked out from a flagpole embedded in the altar - this so that the wind may carry our prayers to the summit. Once the Puja was over there was a great deal of socializing between climbers and Sherpas during which some people bought locally produced jewellery and watched the first movement of climbers from other teams heading up Cho Oyu from Camp 1 to Camp 2 lookin
g for all the world like ants, impossibly small against the vastness of the mountain. Gradually, as lunchtime approached, people drifted away and the Llama, Ishi, pronounced the Puja a success and that we may proceed on our adventure. Shortly afterwards he served us lunch. This is truly an amazing place and I am so glad to be here.
Our leader is Tim Calder. Ex-officer in the Gurkhas, fluent in Nepalese and a highly experienced leader in these mountains including previous successful summits of Cho Oyu. His team of climbing Sherpas and support staff look after all the logistics on the mountain including transport, food, water, and tentage to name but a few. They also place and maintain the fixed ropes which will be critical to our safety through the steepest sections of the climb, and most importantly of all they will accompany us to the summit and will assist the regulation of our oxygen. This incredible team is led by their Sirdar, Passang Tenzing Sherpa. Passang Tenzing Sherpa is just 28 yrs old but has achieved 8 summits of Mt Everest and innumerable summits of Cho Oyu and is also a qualified Mountain Guide in Europe. His team of climbing Sherpas are similarly experienced, although not in Europe. Be assured we are in exceptionally good hands! So who are 'we'. We are Mary, Paul, Mike, Ron, Robert, Chris, and I. All from different walks of life (although amazingly Mike and I work less that 100 yards apart in Aldgate - in the new blue building opposite Beaufort House for those who know what I'm talking about), all with previous experience of high altitude mountaineering, and all with the same goal - to climb Cho Oyu. We're getting on fine and spirits are very high. Tim has said too many times for us not to believe it, that at this stage of the expedition we are the strongest team he has led on this mountain. Well so far so good eh?
After the snow of yesterday evening and overnight today dawned clear and unspeakably beautiful. We are encamped on rock and this and everything around us save for the steepest rock buttresses was covered in pristine white snow. Above this was the purest azure sky punctured only by towering white mountains, one of which is Cho Oyu. We look across the Nangpa La, an ancient trade route between Nepal and Tibet now closely monitored by the Chinese. We can see one or two other camps occupied by other climbing teams but we still feel alone, not least as contact between camps is frowned upon to avoid the spread of disease.
After a breakfast of muesli, cornflakes, Tibetan bread, omelette and mixed vegetables we relaxed to allow the acclimatisation process to continue. It would appear that any niggles from yesterday have been dealt with by a good night's sleep and there were only smiles and lighthearted chat and banter around the breakfast table .... and then the chanting began. I should have mentioned that the 'No. 2 cookboy', Ishi, is a fully trained Tibetan monk or Llama, currently doing work within the community. While we were eating breakfast the Sherpas were preparing a rock alter, think 'cairn', and adorning this with food, drink and other offerings to Cho Oyu. At the appointed hour, about 10 o'clock, we were asked to go outside and sit on the ground by the altar (naturally the Sherpas being attentive to our delicate European posteriors had provided foam mats). The Llama continued to chant the Puja - a request for the mountain to bless our expedition and more importantly to forgive our desecration of its soil with our unclean footwear and other mountaineering equipment. To that end we were instructed to place our crampons and ice axes against the altar. During the Puja, we were offered symbolic food and drink, including Tibetan snacks and western snacks, brandy, Tibetan beer and soft drinks. Apparently it would have been rude and disrespectful to refuse alcohol although one wouldn't normally drink alcohol at this altitude. There was a ceremonial tossing of rice towards the mountain and other religious elements too deep for me to comprehend, and 3 lines of green, red, yellow, blue, and while prayer flags were staked out from a flagpole embedded in the altar - this so that the wind may carry our prayers to the summit. Once the Puja was over there was a great deal of socializing between climbers and Sherpas during which some people bought locally produced jewellery and watched the first movement of climbers from other teams heading up Cho Oyu from Camp 1 to Camp 2 lookin
g for all the world like ants, impossibly small against the vastness of the mountain. Gradually, as lunchtime approached, people drifted away and the Llama, Ishi, pronounced the Puja a success and that we may proceed on our adventure. Shortly afterwards he served us lunch. This is truly an amazing place and I am so glad to be here.