Day 12 Penitentes Camp - Camp I (Important target achieved)

3h 53 slog up to Camp I.

Approximately 6,000m looking back

Looking upwards (glacier) towards Camp I

Crevasse fields start...

Crumbling ice walls to the right

Looking down - slowly but surely gaining height

Last grind up to Camp I

My icy view from Camp I

My Camp I - really chuffed to have chased the negatives away



Location: 6,352m N28 22 57.8 E85 44 57.6
Very happy, as this is the first time in a long time that I've been up at 6,300m with a full load. Approach: 20 steps rest, if steeper 10 steps then rest.....for about 500m vertical. See many crevasses and luckily no punch thru's! Conditions have been difficult so this years camp I is lower than when I was here in 2007. Camp III is in a fixed location on the North ridge, so one really needs to spread the height and distances gained (Camp I & II) out as equally as possible.
Conditions are just ok to get tent up, but very changeable. Good to be back and to have beaten the negatives...
3 sets of sleeps during the night. Temp drops to -15 Celsius. The inside of tent has its own “environment” of snow/frost forming from my breathing. Boil water for hot water bottle during each awake “session”. Plan for summit night/day. Notice soon that no wind! Look outside – would be a perfect pre-summit night! Start to build a checklist for the occasion!
On forth awakening, find a beautiful day.