2012-05-20T15:57:08Z Steve Berry Copyright 2012, Steve Berry SPHPBLOG
Just got your message; thanks for that. You already know that I'm on my way home and should be back Wed am. Been a great trip and can't wait to return next year and get it done; as well as Hunter and maybe Foraker; who knows?

Back to the chaos soon!!

Love to all xxx]]> http://www.crackingdaysout.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry110515-050926 2011-05-15T00:00:00Z 2011-05-15T00:00:00Z
On my arrival to base camp I knew that I had made the right decision to go. the flight over the mountains has to be one of the most impressive that I have ever experienced; even comparing the Himalayas and the Andes; pictures will not do this place justice!

The first night I thought that at 'only' 2200 mts it wouldnt be that cold...wrong!! It was minus 30 degs C had to wear thermals in my bag; never had to do that all the time I spent on Everest.

The following morning I was fortunate to meet Ben he is a local guy who was spending some time on Denali solo;he also was looking to hook up with someone. Although he didnt have a permit to climb high on the mountain. He agreed to join me for a few days so we packed our kit and headed on up the mountain; this was my first experience of pulling a sled; getting a rythem going is super-important. On the way up to the first camp Ben was pointing out to me the dangers of the many crevasses that the trail crosses by the the formation of ice bridges; some of these are less than two feet wide. I was starting to question the logic of making a solo attempt; especially considering my lack of knowledge about the mountain. Ben suggested that I forget the idea.

We found a spot to pitch tents for the night; but before we could do this; Ben had to probe the area making sure we were not going to pitch our tents over a crevsasse. To do this safely Ben and I remain roped up just in case he fell into a crevasse; this made me think more about climbing the mountain solo.I spent another night wearing thermals; it was cold outside.

The following day after breakfast; I decided to move up to the next camp and cache some supplies with the view to returning to BC and waiting to see if I could join a group. On the way we met two Brits who I thought would make ideal climbing companions but they were wearing skies as opposed to snow shoes which meant that they would move much quicker than me up the mountain plus they had a different itinerary to mine; drew a blank there!After spending another night on the mountain the following day we headed back to BC.

Life at BC changes everyday with new groups coming in and then heading on up the mountain; others use BC as a base to climb the many routes and mountains nearby; it's certainly not all about climbing Denali.

Everyday Ben and I headed of to either climb some smaller mountasins or just to trek along the huge glaciers. Again without Ben I wouldnt have been able to do this because of the crevasses; we were always roped up as soon as we left camp; the day we climbed Frances was when I experienced the value of climbing roped up with a partner.

For me the climb up Frances was a whole new experience at least 600 mts of snow and ice using ice axes and wearing crampons the exposure was stunning! We arrived at a snow field just below the summit and I was following Ben when my left foot went into a crevasse; I went in up to my waist with my right foot supporting me;as I shouted over to Ben I was wondering if my right foot hold would be able to take my weight when I tried to push my way out. I could see the crevasse when I looked down; it was deep; couldnt see the bottom. No need to tell you what my heart was doing!I knew that Ben had me on the rope and I could see that my right foot was in line with the crevasse edge and running in the same direction so I managed to push up on that foot and move away from the crevasse; only another 4 inches to the left and I would have gone in. As we looked into the crevasse I threw a piece of ice into it and started to count; 10 seconds; nothing 15 seconds still nothing; who knows how deep it was!! Another wake up call about doing a solo attempt; I knew then that it would be stupid.

So we spent the full week exploring the area, having to boil water from snow and ice to cook food and make drinks; you have to be totally self sufficient to survive on Denali as there are no porters or cooks; this is what life in the moutains is all about.

As each day passed without being able to join a team my; food supply was starting to dwindle; most of it was cached up the mountain; I was starting to realise that this was not going to be my year. I was getting very fit climbing and treking everyday with Ben but without a partner it was meaningless. I decided to leave with Ben and told a group where to find my cache of food and fuel; they were greatful for that.The night before we were due to leave there was a major problem happening higher up on Denali.

Two Chinook helicopters landed a BC and another smaller helicopter flew in carrying a dead climber he was hanging from a rope underneathe it. At first I thought he might have been unconcious; sadly; he was dead; another climber was brought in with a broken leg. It seems they had a fall and their guide went for help; the weather changed and one climber died due to the extreme cold. A lesson to all about how unforgiving life on mountains can be when things go wrong!!

My experience here has been all positive; I know that when I return next year with the right partner that for me (given the usual conditions; good health and weather) Denali is do-able. It's a truly amazing place; sometimes it's not all about the goal; the journey to it can be more important. This (for me) has been part of that journey.

Best wishes to all

Steve

]]> http://www.crackingdaysout.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry110514-193254 2011-05-14T00:00:00Z 2011-05-14T00:00:00Z
So; thats the plan; I have all the equipment with me and a lot of experience; just need to stay healthy and have good weather; although; I am convinced I will be able to join a team!

Steve]]> http://www.crackingdaysout.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry110506-015559 2011-05-06T00:00:00Z 2011-05-06T00:00:00Z I have an interview with the Park Ranger when I arrive in Kalteekna this is mandatory before they allow you to fly into BC. I am hoping that they may be able to give me some contacts; anyhow I will hang around town until I find a suitable group or partner; starting to feel like a hobo!!!

I see that the Global H2O link has been added to the home page(thanks Daniel) take a look at the site and see what great things Jamie is achieving; and if you can; please offer some help.

More from Kalteekna soon

Steve]]> http://www.crackingdaysout.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry110505-160207 2011-05-05T00:00:00Z 2011-05-05T00:00:00Z
Steve]]> http://www.crackingdaysout.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry110504-061819 2011-05-04T00:00:00Z 2011-05-04T00:00:00Z
This exped is going to be completely different from the others; I dont have a clue who I will be climbing with; or even if I manage to find someone to climb with! At least last year on Everest I knew what the set was going to be beforehand having met Alex in 2007. Talk about a blank sheet of paper!!! ]]> http://www.crackingdaysout.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry110430-184859 2011-04-30T00:00:00Z 2011-04-30T00:00:00Z
Managed to change my flights so I'm heading home on Monday arrive HRW Tuesday but have to take train from there (strike at BA?) anyhow arrive at Newcastle 2ish, be good to get home and start putting some weight on.

Ribs are still protesting; but after two days of travelling on dirt roads you can't really blame them, I'm sure they'll soon sort themselves out, fingers may take a while longer!!!

See you all soon

Steve]]> http://www.crackingdaysout.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100528-121818 2010-05-28T00:00:00Z 2010-05-28T00:00:00Z Resting in the tent at 8300 and waiting for the summit push and resting at the top with Jamie Wilde from the USA.
The Prayer flags in the background are a permanent fixture at the top of Everest
(A certain little lady will be asking some very relevant questions about his lack of gloves at the summit !!!)

BL


]]> http://www.crackingdaysout.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100526-132951 2010-05-26T00:00:00Z 2010-05-26T00:00:00Z
I'm happy to tell you that I am now safely back in BC after what I can only describe to you as a true Everest classic, but this one has a happy ending!

The ascent and decent make a good storey on their own. We set off at 10pm and we heaed off up to the ridge and after about 11 hr my head torch failed, the batteries where brand new the cold had obviously had an effect on them. I had to borrow a spare from Pasang my Sherpa because my spare would have been useless (I bought all new batteries from Kathmandu) lesson number 1!

Tackled first step with no problem and we were on course to summit well within the given time. As we headed towards the infamous second step I became aware the the vision in my right eye was being affected by the cold wind; I was losing peripheral vision; I was also aware that my fingers and toes were starting to go numb.

We reached mushroom rock which is about ten minutes from the second step where we checked our equipment by this time my vision was all but non existent in my right eye an I had no feeling in my hands and feet. the problem with my eye was due to the cold wind getting past my goggles and I thought it would clear up as the weather warmed up. The problem with my hands and feet were due to a faulty oxygen mask; it was freezing up and it was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe though it; I tried thawing it out but all the valves froze up; it was useless. The mask is a british made device and I was the only member of the group using this type; the others used the well tried and tested Poisk; no other members had any problems with their masks.

Dont ask me why but before leaving ABC I put a spare Poisk mask into my pack so I changed the useless one I had with the Poisk within minutes I could feel my hands and feet starting to come back to life. I continued on towards the second step albeit with vision in only one eyeI was determined to summit!

We eventualy summited at about 5.30 am negotiating the 2nd and 3rd steps without too many problems, even passing the corpes along the way was a completely different experience to 2007. I would normally get quite emotional on summiting any mountain but as we were celebrating I was thingking about the decent, the hard bit was about to begin for me.

The remit is once the celebrations are over the you decend as quickly as possible with your Sherpa; you have to exit the Death Zone asap; my fears were about to be realised. After about 15 minutes Pasang and I started to clinb down a rock face in the dark. I had clipped into the fixed rope which was quite slack so I wrapped the loose rope around my arm the next thing I knew was roling down the face and coming to a stop lying on my back waiting a few seconds to check for damage. I was aware of pain in my chest and the tension of the rope wrapped around my arm; thinking to myself; this is turning into a nightmare! Pasang just looked at me, never asked how I was only saying; we have to move down quickly!

We started off again slowly; dawn was breaking which made my vision problems worse, the shadows made things worse and i found it difficult to judge distance; not good when you are trying to decend any moutain let alone Everest! We were walking along a narrow ridge when I tripped over something and fell face down onto my ribs again; this time it was bad! There was no room to role other than a long fall which would have solved all my problems; but not the answer. I coul hardly breathe let alone climb; Pasang just kept saying we have to move quickly; no much TLC but later I was to realise why! I managed the 2nd and 1st steps with great difficulty and all the time Pasang was saying quickly quickly; I wanted to tell to get lost; silly as I needed him but I was becoming increasingly frustrated with my situation. My main objective was to get down to camp 8300mts and rest.

We eventualy reached 83 afte a combination of abseil; wrapping rope around my righr arm and sliding down on my backside, tearing my downsuite and leaving a trail of feathers in my wake! Pasang said to me that we would stop at 83 for a drink and continue, I had other ideas.

I crawled into a tent and told Pasang that I was going to rest there for a night (crazy idea) I thought I would feel better in the morning. He said to me Steve if you stay here tonight you will die; and I will be very sad; we must go to ABC today and I will be happy. I told him that he didnt understand how I felt. Then he brought me a radio Alex was wanting to talk to me. He said if I didnt come down to at least the North Col tonight I would die during the night; I told him that in 2007 I slept at 83 with no problems; he reminded me that I didnt summit that year and I wasnt injured; I became very afraid of my position, no choice there then stay and possibly die or struggle on.

In my pack I always carry a small first aid pack so I took a handfull of pain killers and anti inflamitories an set off with Pasang. We eventualy arrived at the NC and was greeted by Alex; he then told me that I had to continue on to ABC; I was shattered; he told me that the camp doc was there and wanted to see me; again he was right if I left it 'till the next day it would be worse for me, we arrived in ABC 4 hrs late and 18hs afte leaving the summit.

This is a thumbnail sketch of a fascinating story; team two were having their problems to!

But in the end everyone arrived back down safely.

Home soon, with a sore chest bit of frost bite to hands; eye recovered after 24 hrs; job done, now wheres that pen!

Oh the management of The Royal Curry have promised me a free curry if I present them with a pictire of me on the summit; mines a Madras!! ]]> http://www.crackingdaysout.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100526-044204 2010-05-26T00:00:00Z 2010-05-26T00:00:00Z

TM where is the CDO Banner picture !!!!! You did take it up with you didnt you ??? Looks like a return trip next year pal x

BL]]> http://www.crackingdaysout.com/blog/index.php?entry=entry100525-112120 2010-05-25T00:00:00Z 2010-05-25T00:00:00Z