5/15/06

Roger Coffey reporting from Base Camp

I anticipated disaster in Base Camp. After being  gone three days, there was no telling what I would find. These are climbers focused on climbing. Somehow I've developed a sense of responsibility for these guys. I know they can manage just fine without me, but maybe they'll pretend to need me. Well, I found them in perfectly good shape, bored silly and watching their third movie of the day -- stressing out the solar charged Base Camp batteries. It was 8 PM when I crawled through the dining tent flap, exhausted from 11 hours of mountain trekking in the snow. Boy, I glad to be back! Odd, looking forward to sleeping in "my" tent.

Currently, we have everyone in Base Camp except our Camp II cook. He's sitting out the wait, preparing for tired, hungry, and thirsty climbers on their summit push. Other teams are not so patient as ours. You can see them creeping up through the Khumbu Icefall on a gambled summit bid. They're betting on improved weather over the next four days and a shot at being the first on top from the South side. Good luck! Today we've witnessed two of the largest avalanches this year. They drew out jaw dropped, onlookers from all over Base Camp - each grateful that they're waiting for their turn rather than risking it all on a windy rough day. Weather is the talk around Base Camp. It's discussed with great enthusiasm and tones of knowledge like we are all experts. Weather creates decisions and decisions create success or failure.

Problem is, no one knows the weather. Let's just all pray a little harder.

Talk to you soon,
Roger Coffey, TNL - Base Camp Manager