OK then the day began at midnight on day 4 and there are no pics until we are nearly at the summit.I did not make a diary entry about this day so I am writing from memory and it will likely read a little differently from the other days. So, at midnight we set off and I could see little torch twinkles up ahead from climbers who had set off in to the night before us. We had a bit of banter with the porters who would not be joining us for the summit climb charlie made it quite clear that he wanted mula to serve us breakfast on the summit 'hey no problem' was the cry from inside the porters tent! We all laughed.
So off we went and the going was much like the previous days; pole pole but the terrain was actually very different. The mountain made its origins clearer because we were now trudging through ash and it parts it was quite steep. It was also bloody cold, almost as soon as we stopped you began to feel cold. Not like after a run on a cold night in the UK where you are aware that you are cooling off but actually cold very quickly. I felt a bit odd from the altitude so whenever possible I would slip a few chunks of chocolate in to my mouth to help keep my blood sugars bolstered against the exertion and the cold. The group seemed to be coping well and I think all of us just wanted to keep moving. so we did!
This night was hard, I only really remember the good stuff now so i am a little annoyed that i did not make a diary entry at the time but I wont sugar coat things it was hard. I was actually getting angry with Edie, the guide because I did not trust him when he said 'its not far'. We would ask again how far to that marker? from there to the top? 'Not far'....."for fucks sake 'how long will it take to walk 'not far' "?
The group was OK but clearly this was not the easiest night out we had enjoyed and the double vision and headache that had troubled Jo during day 4 eventually became a deal breaker. We were gutted to see her turn back. I had secretly planned this trip with her for weeks and I was seriously gutted that she would not be at the summit. I think Charlie offered to go down with her first and I added my voice to it as well. Jo being the star she is though made it clear that she would be even more pissed off with the situation if we went down with out a pic of the summit for her.
Jo had been walking with double vision under the full moon, in the bitter cold for several hours and I will honestly say that I would not of endured what she did that night. I am a soft anxious worrier of a person compared to her. I would of gone rapidly in to hypochondriac mode if I was many hours from medical help and I had been suffering from double vision for hours on end. I would been totally convinced I was dying from a brain tumour or something! Jo, I salute you!
Anyway, with very heavy hearts we said goodbye to Jo and pushed on.
I forget the name of the place we went to that is about an hour from the summit where we crouched down out of the wind for a few minutes. This was an important landmark as many people are satisfied with this as a kind of secondary summit and many people get here and turn back. We however were not going down just yet. I was personally begging Mr Sunshine to make an appearance at this stage, I just wanted the pick-me-up it normally gives me. But today, this morning, at this point in time, after 7hours of ascending in the bitter cold I was pleading with it to pop up.....I could see the night was lessening and the curvature of the earth would soon give up its hold on the sunshine but it could not come soon enough. Its funny how when your up high on a mountain you think about the curvature of the earth and how it effects the sunrise.....but right now I just wanted to see that old friend Mr Sunshine putting his hat on!
The next memory I have is knowing that the last walk to summit was in front of me and the Sun was now lighting up the world behind me, I cant remember the view exactly but I do remember looking back over my shoulder and nearly crying. It was achingly beautiful and not a moment too soon.
We walked the last bit quickly, maybe too quickly and I actually timed this section on my GPS device. we did it quicker than is advised at this altitude but we wanted to get it done. We got to the sign marking the summit and I threw my bag on the floor to get the sticker out I wanted to put on the sign....did that....got some pics.....holy cow done it......do I actually have the warmth in my hands to do a video message for my daughter? Yes! (will add it soon!). More hugs, emotional situation, Charlie obviously gutted his sister was not there, I tried to say 'mate lets tag this and get our arses back down'. It was spectacularly beautiful. I remember Rich asking me to take pics and thinking what a pain in the arse he was because he had this big bloody camera that needing focusing. My hands were in no mood to be out in the cold any longer than needed!
After several hours of making our way down, and removing several layers of clothes to deal with the now hot sun we made it to camp. Charlie had gotten down incredibly quickly to see Jo and I was kind of in awe of the leg strength he must possess to of descended so much quicker than me. Anyway the main thing was he was now with his sister.
The next memory I have is knowing that the last walk to summit was in front of me and the Sun was now lighting up the world behind me, I cant remember the view exactly but I do remember looking back over my shoulder and nearly crying. It was achingly beautiful and not a moment too soon.
We walked the last bit quickly, maybe too quickly and I actually timed this section on my GPS device. we did it quicker than is advised at this altitude but we wanted to get it done. We got to the sign marking the summit and I threw my bag on the floor to get the sticker out I wanted to put on the sign....did that....got some pics.....holy cow done it......do I actually have the warmth in my hands to do a video message for my daughter? Yes! (will add it soon!). More hugs, emotional situation, Charlie obviously gutted his sister was not there, I tried to say 'mate lets tag this and get our arses back down'. It was spectacularly beautiful. I remember Rich asking me to take pics and thinking what a pain in the arse he was because he had this big bloody camera that needing focusing. My hands were in no mood to be out in the cold any longer than needed!
Soon Edie reminded us that its not a good idea to hang around at this altitude for too long so we turned on our heels and made for camp. I think we were all keen to get down and see Jo.
The journey down in terms of the sheer physicality of it was more difficult. It was incredibly steep and the ash sent you flying down at ever greater speeds. It really pummelled your legs - kind of fun in parts but easy to see how you could get injured.
The journey down in terms of the sheer physicality of it was more difficult. It was incredibly steep and the ash sent you flying down at ever greater speeds. It really pummelled your legs - kind of fun in parts but easy to see how you could get injured.
After several hours of making our way down, and removing several layers of clothes to deal with the now hot sun we made it to camp. Charlie had gotten down incredibly quickly to see Jo and I was kind of in awe of the leg strength he must possess to of descended so much quicker than me. Anyway the main thing was he was now with his sister.
This was pretty much where my trip started to go downhill. I felt rough and the long walk down to the final camp was made even longer by frequent stops to vomit up the precious fluid I had drunk and to drop my trousers in the bushes to expel wretchedly. It was not fun and I was bloody pissed off with my body for letting me down. Everyone said it must be altitude sickness but I did not think it was. We will never know. They were prob right but either way it was bloody annoying.
We eventually made camp and that was it, I got some rehydrate powders down me and spent the rest of the evening drinking this bottle of nectar and making frequent trips to the toilet. The next day was the walk back to civilisation......
