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May
12 - 13
Hi Kids,
Our trip to Dingboche was unexpectedly cut short yesterday.
Pat got a weather forecast text message sent to his
phone
and it looks like the weather high on the mountain is going
to be good for climbing in the next few days. He decided
it would be best if we headed back to Base Camp, where we
could get more information and at the same time be ready
to move up the mountain if that was what worked out best.
We were up at 6.30am and started out walking by 8am. It took
us about 6-7 hours to get back to Base Camp and I was pretty
tired and hungry
by that time. Everyone was surprised to
see us back early and
wondered at first if there was something
wrong!
I sat down to drink tea and biscuits and Pat went to check
the weather forecasts with Adrian and some of the other teams.
Everyone seemed to agree that the best dates would be May
16th or 18th.
It felt strange getting back from a rest and trying to organise
things to head back up the mountain immediately. I spent
the afternoon today packing my bag, making sure that I didn't forget
anything; things are much too serious at this stage to forget
anything. I took my carefully folded Irish flag
out of my suitcase and packed it in the bottom of my rucksack;
as I did so, I was thinking of what it will be like when
we reach the summit and how proud I will be to wave the tricolour
and claim to be the first Irish bear to reach the summit
of Mount Everest!
Well, kids, I'm just about to eat my final decent meal before
we head up the mountain. We leave Base Camp at 4.30 am in
the morning and head from there to Camp 2, Camp 3, Camp 4
and then the summit. I'm going to be out of touch for the
next few days, as we won't have any way of contacting our
friends until we get off the mountain. I'll be thinking of
you and hopefully you will all be following our news. Keep
your fingers and paws crossed for me and I'll talk
to you very soon.
Freddy
Freddy helps Adrian out on the radio
Freddy packing for his summit bid
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May
08 - 11
Hi kids,
What excitement, off on my holidays! We had just one day
to organise things when we came down from the mountain and
then it was straight down to Dingboche.
We left Base Camp at 11am and walked for about 3 hours
before reaching Lobuche, where we had lunch. It was a real
treat
to be able to pick and choose what you want to eat from
a menu - the only thing is, the food that Dawa cooks is
better
than most tea houses!
I hadn't been to Dingboche before and as I walked down the
valley with Pat, Clare and one of the porters (called Pinghu)
it reminded me of Ireland and of Connemara! It was great
to be in the countryside - it's strange to imagine that for
the past 40 days I haven't seen any green grass, trees or
plants - all I've been looking at is snow and moraine! It
was great to see trees and grass again and to breathe in
the oxygen - rich air. I felt as if I was floating as we
headed down the valley; it was
like we were on invisible
skate boards tearing downhill!
We reached the teahouse by 4.30pm and spent the evening relaxing.
The three of us were tired as we had partied late in to the
night for Lhakpa's birthday the night before!
The next few days we will spend eating, sleeping and relaxing.
Our bodies need a proper rest after all the effort of climbing
in the past few weeks.
One day I went for a walk up the village with Pat and Clare.
I met this little boy and his brother and gave them a present
of one of my books - they were delighted!
Freddy with his new friend in Dingboche
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May
07
Hi kids,
I woke up with a song in my head. The sun was shining outside
and I was looking forward to getting on the move.
The plan was to head back to Base Camp today and then on
to Dingboche for our rest. 'Yes!' We left Camp 2 around 9am
and took our time going down, taking plenty photos on the
way. Within 3-4 hours we had arrived back at Base Camp, back
to Dawa's cooking and fried eggs and chips! What a relief
to be able to eat and drink again. We sat outside, relaxing
and enjoying the sunshine.
Before long, the Greek team called to visit. They listened
in awe to some of my stories and then I had my picture taken
with Spiros, their leader. During the afternoon, I took a
much-needed shower and then grabbed a nap. We would have
a day to organise ourselves before heading to Dingboche.
I could hardly wait.
Freddy with the Greek climbing team
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May 06
Hi kids,
It was a restless night. Pat and Pemba both muttered in their
sleep and
I tossed and turned, trying to find a comfortable
spot. I hardly slept a wink. As I lay there, eyes wide open,
I wished morning would come. It was great to have made it
to Camp 3, but now I just wanted to get out of there. I could
see Pat's watch on his hand; it read 4.40am. I must have
dozed a little, but at least every hour I checked the time.
It was a long night. Eventually, it was 7am, the others began
to stir. Thankfully the night was over.
After a light breakfast of tea and jellies (!) we were ready
to leave Camp 3. The sun was out, there was no wind and it
was incredibly hot. In our warm mountain gear, we were baking
and were soon drained of every
last bit of energy.
We rappelled down the Lhotse face and I felt like a circus
performer - it took only a couple of hours to get to the
bottom, funny after all our hard work. People heading up
were tired, sun burnt and drained looking. I was glad we
were on the way down.
When we finally reached Camp 2, Tenzing was out to greet
us with hot lemon. It was a great feeling to be back - it
really felt like we had
crossed one of the major stumbling
blocks before the summit.
Freddy rappelling down from Camp 3
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May 05
Hi kids,
'Hurry up, Freddy, its 6.45am.' I jolted out of my sleep.
'What's up?'
I asked, wondering for a minute where I was.
'The winds have settled a little and we're going to go for
it; we leave in 15 minutes'. I scrambled up, dressed in 3
minutes flat and went to eat some breakfast and drink some
hot tea. Pemba, Pat and Clare were already up. They gave
me a 'hi 5' as I walked into the kitchen. Tenzing passed
me a bowl of warm rice pudding and I hungrily gulped it down.
We started to move at 7.10hrs. It was cold and I hoped and
hoped that the sun would come up soon. We walked for over
2 hours across the glacier and eventually arrived at the
bottom of the Lhotse face.
As I gazed up the steep face, I could see tiny figures
like ants balancing on it. A wave of terror passed over
me. Between
the winds, the cold and the seriousness of the climb,
I wondered if I was really up for this. I stuck close
to Clare and Pat,
hoping that would somehow make me safer. I used my jumar
(ascending device which locks and doesnít slip
downwards) exactly as I had learnt. There were lots of
other climbers,
including sherpas on the Lhotse face and each time we
passed someone, I had to clip safely around them as Pat
had shown
me. I had to think carefully each time; if I slipped
I knew I would fall a long, long way. One climber above
me had already
let his water bottle slip and it had taken off at speed,
hurtling down until it eventually landed in a crevasse
and narrowly missed another climber's head!
About half way up, my legs suddenly gave in. I was utterly
exhausted and there was no where I could stop for a break.
Clare saw I was in trouble and helped me in to the side-pocket
of her bag. 'Hang on tight, Freddy' she panted, struggling
to keep going too.
It was a long 6-7 hours before we reached our tent. Pemba
was inside melting snow. We clambered in, leaving our crampons
and axes outside. I managed to drink a little black tea and
then fell asleep, utterly exhausted.
Freddy jumaring on Lhotse face
Freddy and Pemba at Camp 3
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May 04
Hi kids,
As I lay awake at 4am, waiting for the early morning call
from Dawa, I thought about what lay ahead. All going well,
this would be our last trip through the ice fall. Home seemed
closer now and I was feeling excited.
Just then, my tent shuddered. It was Dawa; time to get up.
I pulled on my climbing gear, grabbed my rucksack and after
a quick breakfast we were on our way.
I felt good starting out; I felt strong and the route through
the ice fall was familiar. On the way, we met lots of sherpas
with whom we had become friendly with. They bounded along
as if they were on Kerry hills (!), while we slogged along
slowly behind.
As we reached the top of the icefall, suddenly t
he winds
picked up.
The force was frightening; it was difficult to
see where we were going because the wind blew fresh snow
over the footsteps of those gone ahead. The snow blowing
in our face was biting and vicious. I held on tightly to
Pat's leg, until eventually he told me it was safer to jump
in his pack. I knew he was right, and did so with no arguing.
We had a rough night at Camp 2 and wondered if we had made
the right decision in coming up. Throughout the night, the
tent flapped madly and
I doubted we would be ready to move
by morning. I curled up in a ball and tried to think about
sunshine and beaches!
Freddy nips out to check the weather
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May 03
Hi kids,
It was great to wake up in Base Camp and hear the sound of
the radio, the laughs of the sherpas and the foreign talk
around the Camp. We
had some breakfast and sat around drinking
tea. Adrian had news for
us; the weather forecasts had changed
and now it looked like there would be little wind on May
05. I nearly choked on my tea! I knew the only way we could
manage to be in Camp 3 on the 5th would be to turn around,
pack up our bags and head back to Camp 2 in the morning.
We would have one night there and then would have to push
straight through to Camp 3 the following morning. The thought
of it sent a shudder down my spine. I knew I had no choice
and as I looked at Pat, Clare and Pemba's faces, I knew they
were thinking the same thing.
Again it was Pemba who spoke first, 'What do you think, Pat?'
'Do you want to go for it?' 'I think we have to, Pemba.'
'Clare, Freddy, are ye up for it?' 'I think we should go.'
said Clare.
So what had been supposed to be a rest day turned into a
mad panic of packing and re-packing. I knew the ice would
be exciting and pictured what it would be like, looking forward
to putting all my practice to use.
Freddy ice climbing on Lhotse face
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