EVANS ON EVEREST 2010

Well 2 of our team made it to the top plus the Sherpa’s of course. Well done Inia & David.

They did not return till after dark last night. A mammoth effort!!! This morning all tired, but going downhill, we headed off for “home”. It was decided to take a bit of a shortcut by taking a small track traversing steep and sometimes vertical descent up the side of the valley face. At first the porters refused to go, being late in season with slippery ice etc. But after 15 mins of discussion (In Nepalese!) they agreed. The plan was to fix some ropes up a tricky bit. After some easy traversing on some steep rock & grassland we arrived at a frozen waterfall. The Sherpa’s put up fixed ropes and anchor for all of us including the porters to climb up one at a time. I was one of the last and make it up ok, but sometimes head down from falling ice from above. It was a bit of fun really!

I thought the tricky bit was over, until we reached a snow and ice covered narrow ledge, which traversed upward along the side of a steep cliff. No crampons, or ice axe made this dangerous and I was not happy. The Sherpa’s & porters seemed to zoom up this, but due to certain death if one slipped at some sections, I was very scared the whole way. If I had my ice axe, I would have been more comfortable as if I slipped on the ice or snow you would have had no chance, and would fall..............!

With a bit of help from Keith & Tim I made it. Definitely the worst moment of the trip.

However, a celebration took place at the top; we survived the traverse, and could look down onto the town of Khumjung below. It really feels the trip was over!