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Base Camp for any long expedition becomes home away from home. You
\nestablish walking routes between tents, viewing positions of the high
\nmountain, and meeting spots with other teams. Your tent becomes your
\nprivate re, and the dining tent is the common area.<\/p>\n
We arrived on Saturday and have spent the last couple of days getting
\nsettled. We had our Puja today, September 10, and will go for a short
\nday climb to Camp 1 on the 11th.<\/p>\n
I am quite pleased with our excellent Altitude Junkies Base Camp.
\nSitting on the rock moraine of a receding glacier, we have the usual
\nassortment of tents: sleeping, dining, cooking but there are also two
\ndedicated toilet\/shower tents with on-demand hot water and sit down
\ntoilet. I took a hot shower yesterday, my first since leaving Kathmandu
\nand can report it was excellent.<\/p>\n
I’m currently writing this update in the communication tent complete
\nwith table, chairs, lights, solar and 12 volt battery access for power.
\nPhil provides four laptops. There are multiple Bgans, hi-speed devices
\nthat connect laptops to satellites for internet and email access. Phil
\ncharges us at his cost with no markup. All this works well but is still
\na bit expensive so everyone limits their activity to emails or, for me,
\na dispatch of two :), no surfing the internet. It is the nicest
\ncommunications setup I have had on an expedition.<\/p>\n
We also have a huge tent used to store the group gear, food and our
\nduffle bags so our sleeping tents stay clean and uncluttered. While
\nthose of you not familiar with expedition base camps may laugh at all
\nthis, others will recognize these luxuries as not often seen on
\nHimalayan expeditions. All things considered, it is a very comfortable
\nsetup and allows us to stay focused on the climb through good nutrition,
\nhydration, hygiene and rest.<\/p>\n
We are surrounded by high rock walls some covered in glacial ice. An
\noccasional avalanche creates a loud bang causing everyone to stare in
\nearnest but they are far enough away so as not to present a danger to
\nBase Camp. The view of Manaslu’s iconic east pinnacle dominates the view
\nto the west. The true summit remains hidden away but we can spot our
\nhigh route and where our Camp 4 will be located high on the snow covered
\nridge.<\/p>\n
We are sharing the overall area with many other expeditions including
\nfive from Japan (quite normal for Manaslu), a small two person duo from
\nSlovakia, a British Army team and a rather large group from Russell
\nBrice’s Himalayan Experience. There are fewer teams than in 2012 with
\nmany returning to Cho Oyu as their autumn Himalayan expedition. But Cho
\nOyu remains uncertain each year with the Chinese politics so Manaslu in
\nNepal seems more reliable. Both Manaslu and Cho Oyu are often used by
\naspiring Everest climbers for training and of course they are two of
\nonly 14 8000 meter mountains on the planet.<\/p>\n
As usual with most expeditions, there has been drama. All teams hire
\nlocal porters from Sama Goan to ferry gear to Base Camp. While still a
\nmystery, some of our group gear including a down jacket, oxygen masks
\nand a solar panel went missing on the trip up. Of serious concern, some
\nof the fixed rope just above Base Camp put up by HImex was removed.<\/p>\n
Phil Crampton and Russell Brice went down to Sama from Base Camp to meet
\nwith the village elders. They reported a productive meeting and the
\nelders understood the seriousness of trust and the implication for
\nfuture business. The missing rope was found and the search is on for the
\nother gear. None of the missing items will put our climb at risk and
\nPhil has spares.<\/p>\n
Manaslu is known for bad weather and thus far it is living up to its
\nreputation. Each day at Base Camp we have seen low clouds, mist and
\nheavy downpours. This is expected and should slow around mid month when
\nwe start the serious climbing. I spite of this we are remaining active.
\nYesterday, Paul, Louis and I went for a short walk gaining about 300
\nmeters above base camp. It is what is termed an active rest day designed
\nto keep our red blood cells production on track.<\/p>\n
We had our Puja this morning in a mix of rain and snow. A younger Lama
\nhiked up from Sama Goan to conduct the ceremony. It was quite longer and
\nmore detailed than I have previously experienced. This was on the
\nrequest of the Sherpas after last year’s problems on the mountains.<\/p>\n
If you are not familiar with a Puja, it is a ceremony where the Lama
\nchants from centuries old Tibetan prayer books to the sounds of a drum
\nand cymbals. Everyone gathers around a rock chorten adorned with figures
\nmade from sampa, or wheat powder. There are a series of events when
\neveryone tosses sampa and rice three times into the air towards the
\nmountain. We also brought all our climbing gear to the ceremony:
\ncrampons, ice ax, harness and boots to be blessed. The overall purpose
\nof the ceremony is to ask permission to climb, for forgiveness for
\nharming the mountain with our sharp tools and for overall safety for the
\nteam.<\/p>\n
It is a serious ceremony for the Sherpas and an opportunity for us to
\nrespect their beliefs.<\/p>\n
The word on mountain conditions is favorable. The route seems to be in
\ngood shape. In fact the track used by the spring expeditions is still
\nvisible through a spotting telescope. Many of you know that just last
\nyear at this time eleven people were killed by an avalanche at Camp 3.
\nThe serac that collapsed last year triggering the deadly avalanche
\nappears quiet as seen from Base Camp. Rock is now visible where
\npreviously there was deep snow thus it is believed to no longer present
\na danger.<\/p>\n
There has been little new snow over the monsoon so the lower mountain is
\nquite dry with the multiple crevasses wide open. This is good as it is
\nsafer knowing where they are but the Himex Sherpas have been stalled
\ngetting to Camp 2 having to weave a new route around the open gaps in
\nthe glacier. This is not a serious issue. They will be putting in a few
\nladders for us to use to cross the crevasses.<\/p>\n
We are all quite eager to see the route for ourselves.<\/p>\n
So, all is good thus far. It is good to be back on a Himalayan
\nexpedition. We are all settled into our routines and getting along well.
\nThe view of the mountain is unbelievable standing high above the smaller
\n6,000 and 7,000 meter hills. It is rare to have such a clear,
\nunobstructed few of the objective from base camp. Seeing Manaslu right
\nin front of us is a constant reminder of why we are here. We have
\nenjoyed seeing other teams leave the Base Camp area on an unbelievably
\nslow walk higher knowing our time is next.<\/p>\n
This afternoon we are sorting our gear for our first climb to Camp 1.
\nThere is an air of anticipation in the air. Yet with all this activity
\nand excitement, I miss home and all things there.<\/p>\n
Climb On!
\nAlan
\nMemories are Everything<\/p>\n
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