It’s 3:55AM here at EBC and just a quick note to give you an idea of how things work around here and who sets the schedule… i.e. The mountain does!

So when we last spoke yesterday, our plan was to get up at 2am today and depart at 3 for camp 1. Well, plans change…

I had set my alarm for 1:55 to give me a few extra minutes to get my stuff together and get over to the dining tent by 2:30. Somehow either my alarm didn’t go off or I slept through it – not a great start! That said, was only by 5 mins so I wasn’t late, just more that my planned routine was broken.

I quickly jumped out of bed and finished packing, made it over to the dining tent for breakfast. My stomach doing a little better for sure but still a bit all over the place more from nervous energy and being up at 2:30AM. Just like ironman race morning every time, a hasty trip to the bathroom helped rectify that 🙂

So, ready to do this – I think – when we get word from our guide that part of the icefall near the very top (beyond the football field where we stopped Friday) had collapsed and so requires the icefall doctors to re-rope the route during daylight later today. Nothing to be done except return to bed and with luck we will try again tomorrow.

Mountain life. Just one of many examples of even when you show up prepared, there are so many variables in the equation (training, fitness, health, weather, ice conditions, other climbers and just blind luck) – and more beyond your control than not – that just maybe, if everything lines up, may eventually equal a summit.

Anyway, we have plenty contingency days in the plan so this is nothing more than a minor inconvenience. For now, I’ll simply  relish an opportunity to get some more sleep in my warm sleeping bag.

Goodnight!

Update to this post (Sunday 3:50pm):

We just got word that the section in question has been re-roped, so we leave for camp 1 @ 3am tomorrow (Monday). All going to plan, we then stay Mon/Tues @ camp 1, Weds/Thurs @ camp 2 and return to EBC Fri.