Page 31 - 2014 AMA Summer

The team at 5500mtrs on a glorious afternoon with Everest and Nuptse in the background. L-R Cpl Timo Boulton, WO1 (YofS) Steve Binks, LCpl Tshring Sherpa, Cpl Jayaram Puri, Cpl Dipal Gurung, Lt Josh Ingold, Maj George Hume, Cpl Jim Beck, Capt Kirsty Davies-Walters, Capt Henry Chandler, LCpl Ajay Gurung, LCpl Andy Williams and SSgt Damber Thapa Magar.
Another acclimatisation day followed before we set off for Lobuche and the bottom of the Khumbu Glacier. Hiding beneath a sea of moraine, the glacier stretches endlessly up the valley towards EBC (5364m). It’s covering of rocks hides the dangers that have made the glacier so hard to negotiate for mountaineers throughout history. It was here, after a stiff climb up the Thukla pass and an all too close call for WO1 (YofS) Binks with some Yaks, that the weather turned for the first time. The spectacular mountain scenery quickly disappeared and we trudged, through falling snow, along the huge banks of moraine discarded by the glacier.
After negotiating a treacherous frozen stream, we arrived in Lobuche which sits in the awesome shadow of the peak of Nuptse (7861m) which shielded the sometimes elusive Everest from view. The next day we moved out early to Gorak Shep which sits on the slopes of Kala Patthar.
The decision was made to ascend up to the famous viewpoint that afternoon and we set off across the ancient lake bed and up towards the summit in bright sunshine. At 5500m, the rarefied atmosphere had an effect on all of the party and progress was slow but steady. The wind howled ominously as we climbed in the heat but slowly we gained site of the rocky prayer flag adorned outcrop that denoted the summit. Half and our later we were there with the entire Everest massif in front of us. The summit itself is clearly visible from Kala Patthar looming clearly above the surrounding peaks like a great dark pyramid with an endless plume of snow rising from its’s wind raked crest seen in
the middle of the photo below and yes the sky really was that blue and clear.
Far below the glacier snaked its way behind Nuptse and disappeared up the Western Cwm towards the South Col. Before the cold, and altitude related headaches could set in we took the photo that would add to the Corps Colonel’s wrist band collection and descended back to Gorak Shep in order to make preparations for the next day- and the walk to EBC.
The next day blessed us with another cloudless sky and we moved with confidence towards our goal. The final trek along the moraine is an exciting one with huge glacial erratics and spectacular
landslides to negotiate along the way. A final drop onto the glacier itself led to a snaking path around hidden ice towers and up towards the prayer flag adorned cairn that marks EBC. A diminutive site outside of the climbing season, it nonetheless represented a high point in the trip for all. The photo below taken at EBC on a day when we had the Khumbu glacier and EBC all to ourselves.
It was on the descent to Gorak Shep that we noticed a significant deterioration to the state of SSgt Damber, who had been stoically suffering in silence for some days. He had finally succumbed to Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) and had to be helicoptered off to Kathmandu where the reduction in altitude saw him make a swift and full recovery. The rest of the group descended to Pheriche, reaching this small metropolis in the dark, where we were rejoined by Cpl Dipal who had gallantly volunteered to accompany SSgt Damber in the helicopter to collect his kit from the lodge in Pheriche.
Descending once more towards Phortse the weather, that had been so kind in that crucial 48 hour window, turned again. We decided, following a rest day, that it was no longer viable to trek to Gokyo. Whilst disappointed at this, the group had learned a valuable lesson in the necessity for restraint in the mountains and headed back to Namche knowing that the main aims had been achieved. We found Namche (just!) in another snow storm and settled in for a chilled out evening...I will not account for, in full, the events in Namche over the next 12 hours but they involved a local with a lump on his half frozen head, a British tourist who was lapsing in and out of consciousness, a lot of work for Capt Henry Chandler and a stretcher carry that would have brought a tear to the eye of any QMSI! After this unexpected adventure, we headed back to Lukla and our first non vegetarian meal in two weeks at a lodge owned by LCpl Tshring Sherpa’s uncle, we reached it without
incident.
The final days in Kathmandu were principally spent eating meat and buying pashminas and khukuris. We did however, also visit an orphanage and decided to donate money we had collected as fines for mishaps to the orphanage for the purchase of essential supplies.
Returning back to the UK, again via Muscat, we were able to reflect on a highly successful expedition that, for some, will be a once in a life time opportunity whilst for others it will have lit the fires of passion for AT in the Army. As a result of the expedition, two of the team gained their SML in the build up and 6 of the team attained their SMF qualification.
ARMY MOUNTAINEER 29