Page 16 - 2010 AMA Spring

Camp 1
8000m peaks have their own weather pat- terns as their peaks sit in the high jet streams and climatically they only offer a short weather window of a few days per year when the wind speeds drop off suffi- ciently to allow a human being time to climb above 7800m without being ripped off the mountain by the winds. Our first window of
Maj Marsh breaking trail
leader. The time had come and we finally we made our last move to camp 1, then camp 2 and on again to camp 3 for the big push. Preoccupied at camp 3 with melting snow for drinking water (two hours to pro- duce a litre of water!) with three to a tent. Useful sleep is not possible in the ‘death zone’ so teamwork, mental and physical
two litres per minute to our starved bodies and trying to thin our blood sufficiently to pre- vent fingers and toes from freezing solid. Climbing through the night looking like the Michelin Man in crampons and cradling your ice axe, hacking your way through the famous rock bands that spread geologically to our neighbor Mount Everest proved to be
opportunity was to be 27 September 2009 with the window closing 01/02 October. Eight members remained along with four high altitude Sherpa guides and our Dutch
preparations are key.
Summit night and most of us were carrying bottled liquid oxygen, essentially supplying
a physical endurance test like no other I have ever experienced. As dawn broke it became apparent that the first glimpse of the elusive summit was still hours of work away.
Camp 1 and prayer flags
14 ARMY MOUNTAINEER