We’ve now been at advanced basecamp for nearly 24hrs.  What a difference a day can make.  When we pulled in yesterday, I  wasn’t exactly on top of my game.  Lethargic, nauseated and in the early stages of a pounding headache.  

Remind me again why we do this to ourselves?  Oh that’s right, to experience places like this:

   
 
Expeditions like these are a regular test of determination, grit and will power. As annoying it is to lose your last meal or have a head splitting headache, it makes you appreciate the good moments ten fold. The more you learn to love hard work, the more you’ll reward yourself with incredible outcomes. 

You’d be amazed what you are capable of if you just put yourself out of your comfort zone. Whether that’s walking your first 5k or doing a 100+mile run. You don’t need to climb Mt Everest to blow your own mind with what you can accomplish. Whatever you define as ‘hard’ is within reach, I promise. The biggest obstacle is your mind telling you that you can’t. 

Anyway, back to Everest.  We’ll be here at ABC for a few days to acclimatize and recover. We’ll hopefully go tag the North Col (23,000ft / 7000m) in the next couple of days to enhance the acclimatization process. Then, next Sunday the 8th of May, we’ll have our Puja ceremony which the Sherpa will ask for a blessing from Chomolungma before we do our rotation up to the North Col for three nights. 

It feels so good to be here. Now, it gets real. I’m looking forward to the hard work of moving up the mountain. Chomolungma isn’t going to give up the summit without work. The mother goddess of the earth demands respect. Those whom don’t, well, you’re free to google the consequences of this hill. 

Thanks for checking in!