Yesterday we practised using a fixed rope and jumaring up it. Then rappelling down. This is for the top of Island Peak where the last 250m ascent is pretty much a steep cone of snow. Today we climbed up the first 2.5 hours of the route to help acclimatise for the height gain on summit day.
The route is like bouldering and we’ll be setting out tomorrow night at midnight so it will be very difficult in the dark with head torches. The ascent is very steep and tough on the legs and the breathing. Progress is really slow. We hope to summit around 8 or 9 am the morning of the 26 th.
We lost the two who were finding it difficult and not really acclimatising. Mark and Raj. I wish Mark was still here. Raj came here with nothing and bought stuff in Kathmandu. I didn’t bring hard shell jacket or trousers and I asked if I could buy them off him and he can buy them again when he gets back down but he said no. The jacket was $65 and the trousers $40. They were fakes which a lot of stuff is here. Anyway I don’t mind. I didn’t like him and most of rest of the group felt the same way. He just came here thinking he could climb Everest and he got a serious reality check. Mark I really liked and respected. He will be missed by all of us left.