大象传媒

Xegar

• Hugh
• 5 Sep 06, 03:54 PM

The big news today……the team have reached their Base Camp.
Shegar turned out to be an enjoyable acclimatisation stop- a small collection of dwellings and shops clustered around a crossroads. Set in the midst of a fertile alluvial plain, the area is cupped in a bowl of rising hills, each composed of sedimentary rock. Yesterday, some of us scrambled up some 300m in search of fossils- which, to our surprise, we found. Amenites seem the staple find, but by son will find a trilobite in his stocking this Christmas.

Sadly, he probably knows more about them than do I! A good meal, and then an effort to learn bridge, and then a night’s sleep.
This morning went like clockwork, with an early breakfast and all on the road by 08.00hrs. This proved a false start, being followed with a return to the hotel to hand in the VT’s room key. Fifteen minutes later, and some form of random in-county passport control….and our driver seems to have forgotten a vital piece of white paper. Thus, back to the hotel, back to the checkpoint, and finally all is well.
The drive to base camp took only three hours, through truly beautiful surrounds. Lakes and streams in the flat central valleys, towering hills all around, and diverse (and unidentified) bird life with impressive wingspans. The roads are unmetalled, and there was one short period of excitement when an oncoming four-ton lorry lost control for a few seconds. Not a time to be in a landcruiser without seat belts!
There appear to be two basecamps separated by 3 km- and we are at the higher of these. From here, we can see Cho Oyu ahead to the North West- and impressive it surely is. Our Sherpas have done a great job, and all tents were set up and barrels stacked. Indeed, we were greeted with hot tea, followed only 40 mins later by soup, curried potato, and toast. Thus satisfied, it was all hands to the deck. While one team sorted the barrels and bags, another set up the Drash tent. As I write, the electrical geeks are all looking very proud of themselves, having got the generators running and solar power online, whilst Denny and Dan are installing the CPX bikes in the Drash.
Personal thoughts? So far, all seems to be going smoothly. However, we have really only just begun. Will the CPX system calibrate well at this altitude? Has the chamber testing proved accurate? Will power be sustained? And what of us? It is easy to feel ‘close to help’ having arrived here in a vehicle. However, the truth is that we are nearly 5km up in the air- and less than half of the breathable gases of the atmosphere lie above us. Further, things do go wrong- as we are reminded by the grave only 20m from our tents. And we ARE a long way from help. Plenty, then, for a neurotic such as me to consider- before even considering the implications of the ascent ahead of us, and my own personal failings. I am surrounded by some of the most capable people I know, many with vast experience on the big hills. I feel very much ‘the weakest link’, and expect Anne Robinson to tell me so at any moment. I also miss young Oscar (who is to be four in only two weeks time) and Fergus (soon to be 10 months old),and think a deal of Mary- who is struggling with a heavy clinical load and two children. However, there are some big positives. The team are all considerate and kind, and I have laughed more in the last four days then in as many months.
So- onwards and upwards! We plan to finish setting up kit tomorrow and calibrating, for experiments to begin the following morning. More news of this tomorrow!