BLOG: Kay Mitchell 2nd Jun 2007
Potential for Skipping!
Things appear to be going well with the packing, and Mike Grocott announced tonight at dinner that if they continue to go well, we might be able to leave on Monday! If that happens, I think I might skip out of base camp!
The final day of testing is tomorrow, which means that it is the last day for the core team to do the diary. After 76 days, this is phenomenal. I will be happy if I never have to see a step again! We had wanted to have a ceremonial burning of the step on the last day, but burning things willy nilly is considered bad luck at base camp. Oh well, we will have to find a different way to celebrate!
Today, Paula and I went to Camp One on Pumori. This is a climb of about 400m, and the reward is stunning views of Everest, including the Lhotse face, Geneva Spur, South Col, South Summit and Summit. None of these are visible from Everest Base Camp.
Jim, Jo and Dick arrived this evening at base camp. They have been wprking hard at the Namche and Pheriche labs, and have just finished a successful summit of Island Peak. Paula and Blanche from the Kathmandu lab are heading back down the Khumbu valley tomorrow. It was lovely to see them, and we wish them a safe trip home.
| By: Tina Mackenney | When: 9th Jun 2007 08:56 | Hi Kay! What's happening? No blogs from you for a week now! I realise that all the excitement is over, but it would still be very nice for family and friends to have some news of XE folk remaining in Nepal - i.e. who's doing what - and where! We continue to search the website daily. I'm sure you must be very busy - just a few words would suffice. Thanks a lot! Good luck with the packing up and safe journey home. Love and good wishes to Mac and the Logistics Team. Tina Mac. |
| By: Jane Cronin | When: 8th Jun 2007 18:21 | None of you have mentioned Dan (Hurlbut). Although anyone who knows him will know that he is not easy to miss We know he's back in Namche now |
| By: Sylvia Imray | When: 5th Jun 2007 13:34 | Well done Kay for keeping it all together for such a long time and with so many people to look after and organise.
I hope you get to enjoy the last few days of this memorable trip and have a safe journey home. I'm also hoping my goody-box has arrived and you get the chance to paint your nails and wear flip-slops and a skirt whilst you are skipping along! And remember, I'm relying on you to drag Chris around the right shops and give him some style advice! Love |
| By: Richard (Trek L) | When: 5th Jun 2007 12:43 | Hi Kay, I guess you're all on the way down from EBC by now (Tues 5 June). I just wanted to say a BIG congratulations to all at XE - the awesome climbing teams, amazing sherpas, and wonderful testing staff who put us volunteers through our paces. I'm sure you're all tired but you've achieved a wonderful thing and I'm just glad to have been a part of it. I'm back in Manchester now breathing buckets of O2 - great to see friends and family but strangely missing those tests. Enjoy the comforts of The Summit Hotel - and the breakfast buffet! Resting In Pieces. Richard x |
| By: david howard | When: 5th Jun 2007 11:39 | Dear Kay, You may already have left basecamp but I am back in London. I did try for 2-3hrs every day to telephone you, sometimes I tried >100x/day!However, the dulcet tones of the thuraya man told me that the calls could not be connected or satellite was congested. I wanted to speak to Mark & Jules and feel really bad that I am not there to pack up all my own kit. There is one TUFF box for the endoscopic kit but I do have my large Canon digital camera. V imp-1 bottle of Highland Park in my boots at door of tent and big jar of homemade marmalad. Please consume with my best wishes! Many apologies, David |
| By: Marian from Trek A | When: 3rd Jun 2007 22:18 | Hi Kay
I'm sure it is with mixed emotions that you are leaving EBC and all that testing. It certainly has been a wonderful experience to be a part of it all and I thank you for all your blogs which I'm going to miss. Hopefully we will all manage to meet up again some day and relive our adventure. best wishes to all from Marian |
| By: James Hambly (Trek A) | When: 3rd Jun 2007 15:59 | To all the Xtreme Everest team: Many many congratulations! It's great to hear that all of the testing has finished and especially that the summit team were successful in achieving their goal/dream. It's awesome news and I'm sure that everyone both in Nepal and the U.K. who's been involved in the project is chuffed!
Look forward to hearing all about the results in due course. For now, enjoy your remaining time in Nepal and look forward to the swimming pool and Summit Hotel burger! Best wishes all, and once again congratulations! |
| By: Keith and Kieran (Trek B) | When: 2nd Jun 2007 23:31 | Thanks Kay, for keeping us all so up to date with events. Don't know what we're going to do without our daily 'fix' of Blogs! Take care and have a great celebratory party -you certainly all deserve it. |
| By: susi rawson | When: 2nd Jun 2007 19:04 | its so good to hear that everythin has gone well and that testing is coming to an end. we were sick of the step after 3 weeks, i do not know how you all have managed with it for so long! glad that you have been able to do some climbing yourself kay, stay safe and hope to see you back in sunny england very soon! x x x |
| By: Lamont Ross | When: 2nd Jun 2007 18:25 | Miss Kay, Monday is "no-time from now". As I mentioned to my son, I hope you get time to do some 360's to say goodbye to a place you might not see again. I also hope your blogs will continue, albeit from a different location, to keep us updated on the findings of the research. Continued safe journey! Lamont |
XE Blogs:
Other blogs by Kay Mitchell:
23/12/09
Getting ready for the Christmas Break!
26/11/09
Talking it up
23/05/09
Everest Summit Anniversary
20/05/09
Summit Success
14/05/09
Oh what a beautiful morning!
12/05/09
The more it snows!
07/05/09
Taking the piss!
17/04/09
Trek A9 are well on the way
More blogs by Kay Mitchell>