Sep 24 – Its summit time!

Below is the exchange of SMS between myself and David today.

DAVID:   “Nice walk today. Still wasted from yest climb. Making and drinking fluids now, shutting down comms by 8pm.  Still dehydrated, so long to melt snow, weather? thks”

AXE:  “Weather: Tue slightly unstable, maybe rain or snow, wind 32km, wed – thu wind 24km also unstable, not ideal tomorrow but could be worse!”

DAVID:  “Dang! thought it was improving! Thanks anyway, 5AM start for tomorrow”

AXE:  “Go hard boys! How you both feeling?”

DAVID:  “Thirsty, must drink more, Roz has slight tummy ache, otherwise ok”

AXE:  “OK, pls call from summit if possible, good luck!”

So it looks like the guys are set to leave for an early morning start at 5Am for there summit push. To leave by 5AM they will need to wake around 2 hours earlier – around 3AM, in the freezing hours of darkness.  They will melt snow to make drinks, try and eat something, fill their water bottles, dress for the brutal cold which will be well below freezing.  They will run though the long list of preparations required to climb by the light of their head torches.

They will have an uneasy sleep tonight, waking frequently as the reality they are about to face is only a few hours away. The reality that they have trained and prepared for months has finally arrived.  All those mixed feelings of excitement, nervousness tinged with fear at the unknown obstacles that will confront them.

Please send many positive thoughts in their direction! I hope David can make a Satellite phone call from the summit if they are lucky enough to make it.  But most importantly a call from basecamp when they are back safely after the climb.

Safe climbing guys!

Axe signing out on behalf of David Lim.