Crevace from camp 1 to 2 (these photos all taken by Guide Adrian Ballinger)
Well now the ladders are across.....how to get up that baby......
Oops....that was close....
Got you!...now we can get up (an avalanche eventually completely covered these ladders making it a whole lot easier to get up!)
Pushing up the cliffs....(camp 1 to 2)
Paul (taking yet another rest)
Making our way across a very dangerous slide area - huge ice boulters came down this small valley)
OK where did out tents go -
Camp 2 in its initial setup (ok we lost it eventually....)
as I said, eventually there were 10-12 feet of snow at camps 1 and 2 and ....well...they are still down there somewhere....
Sorry Phurva - you will never find them again.....
As you see...when the snow comes...it really comes down....
So after the looooooon storms......the boys went back to camp 2....and after an entire day of digging....they found what was left.....not much.....Camp 2 (and 3) RIP
BUT - the new camp 2 was built and here we are
that nasty storm (over 10 days)....did some serious damage....
An the old camp 2 is somewhere under these holes.......way down there......too bad
Somewhere up high.......and what a great view of the glaciers in the valley (nice photo Adrian!)
Paul on the summit!!!! (that O2 was really good!!)
And with his Purdue flag - Go Purdue!
The team on the summit.....where's Adrian..(oh he is behind the screen)
Lets het the hell out of here....going down.......
OK, we must have gone to the summit again...
Paul crossing the crevace at camp 3.....careful there.....
Paul coming down from camp 2 to 1 day after summit - you get the feeling he is tired......
Really tired....maybe even exhausted....
OK, really exhausted...and look at that scraggy hair!
And one way or the other, he has to go over the edge......contemplation (or exhaustion?) and carrying all his junk collected from capms 4, 3, 2 and 1....!
Would be merciful just to push him over I think....!
Apparently reeling under the weight of his badly loaded pack....Paul stumbles onwood.....desperate to reach base camp.....after 6 days of tough climbing...(obviously Adrian was close by!)
Russel (always prepared) Brice getting ready for the big party when the team returned to base camp....what is in those bottles?
One of the Sherpas racing down from camp 2.....how do they go so fast!
Porters milling around at base camp ready to take loads down to Sama Goan in the valley
The entire village turned out many times to carry stuff up and down the valley to advanced base camp
Some carried huge loads....they are incredibly strong people and sure footed....the track was steep and very slippery....
and across 3 rivers tumbing down the mountain.....
and at the bottom another river...this time with some logs......two exhausted climbers crossing the bridge...is that Chris and Bruce???
And bringing the gear into the enclosure at Sama Goan base camp where we waited (and waited) (and waited) for the heli to get out of there....
Paul...apparently quite comfortable waiting...and contemplating that heli into Katmandu....and a real bed to sleep in...!!!
Russel checking the first load of equipment for the heli - measured and weighed out exactly right.....and it fitted exactly too!!
Country side not far from Katmando....from the heli..
And finally katmandu........
