- Hike to Camp 1 -

Journal:

"January 15, 2000 - Day 4 -Rest Day - Today we rest and prepare our gear for a "carry" tomorrow.  A carry is when you carry your gear to the next higher camp but do not sleep there, and instead head back to the prior camp.  This helps to acclimate us without putting our bodies through the rigors of a permanent change in altitude.
    I was feeling pretty badly and found out why I was so hot sleeping - I had a 102.4 degree fever!  I felt OK otherwise but was very hot and thus very lethargic.  I did manage to pack my gear and take on my share of the group gear that we no longer had mules to carry for us.  I took a few Advil and hoped to break the fever by evening.
    As far as packing for the carry, we had to prepare for 10-11 days above Base Camp, and we wanted to bring things we would not need at Base Camp.  Typically this meant everyone would leave their heavier clothes at Camp 1, 10 days of lunch food, and group food and fuel.  We would return to Base Camp after the carry and determine if we would move to Camp 1 the following day or take another rest day."

"January 16, 2000 - Day 5 -Carry to Camp 1 - Up at 6:30am, a quick breakfast, and still we didn't manage to hit the trail until 8:30.  30 minutes into the hike and I was already tired.  Bruce pulled gear out of my bag and distributed it amongst the others - it didn't seem to help, an hour later we did it again and we changed plans.  Keith would hang back with me and we would try to get as high as we could.  Bruce would continue with the rest of the group to complete the carry - it was clear that I had not recovered from what was ailing me the day before, and that probably was affecting my acclimization.
    The rest of the group went ahead while Keith and I trudged along.  With numerous rest stops, we eventually made it to the bottom of "Heartbreak Hill" - a hill of scree several hundred feet high with Camp 1 at the top.  Keith and I agreed we should wait here and not press me further.  In about 45 minutes the rest of the group (minus Bruce) met us and Keith headed toward Camp 1 while I joined the others and headed back down - apparently Bruce was waiting for Keith at Camp 1.
    We headed down with me slowing down the group, but not too badly.  Eventually Bruce caught up and headed down to prepare warm drinks.  David, Pat, and Pumps headed down as a group while Simon watched over me.  Pat decided to slow down and watch over me from the front since the area was getting steeper and the steps we had kicked into the scree earlier were non-existent.
    I had no problems and we gained speed as we headed down and into Base Camp.  I was exhausted.
We decided not to move to Camp 1 the next day and instead take another rest day.  I hoped that would be enough."

"January 17, 2000 - Day 6 -2nd Rest Day at Base Camp - I awoke feeling just as bad as the day before.  Pat recommended that I start taking Diamox and so I did - hoping to be ready for a move the next day.
    We had pancakes for breakfast - I could only eat 1 1/2.
    Bruce wanted to start checking our vitals to pattern them over time.  My O2 level was 74% and pulse 98.  Pumps was 84% and 98, Keith 93% and 92, Bruce 91% and 86 - I was clearly low on O2 but the measurement is person-specific so we do not yet know if that is a bad sign or not.  We will measure again tomorrow morning.  I sit in the tent hot, tired, and trying to force down water.
    The day remains very windy and the summit is throwing a huge white plume - no one will summit today.  We also heard that groups moved from Camp 2 down to Camp 1 due to conditions.
    I took my 2nd Diamox at 7pm and had Bruce recheck my vitals - I had taken in about 7 liters of water and rested in the tent the whole day, so I was hoping to be showing an upswing.
    My fever had dropped to 101.2 (not good, but better) but my O2 and pulse had barely changed at all - I would not be going to Camp 1 with everyone tomorrow.
    Keith would hike up and come back down giving me one more rest day at base Camp.  Either way I would be moving on Wednesday - up if I was doing well, and down if I wasn't.
    I went to sleep already feeling better, but stats did not yet agree."

"January 18, 2000 - Day 7 - Others move to Camp 1, I rest at Base - I awoke at 6:30am with everyone else and I was feeling a lot better.  I did not sleep as hot, I could not recall any coughing, and I had more energy.  The cough came back slightly when I sat up, but it wasn't bad.  Everyone else had pancakes while I staid in my tent.  Pumps brought me back 2 pancakes (which took me over an hour to eat) and Bruce came and checked my vitals: my O2 had jumped 10 points to 83 and my pulse had dropped to the mid 80s - very good signs.
    Everyone else headed up to Camp 1 and I felt positive I would join them the next day.  I sat for another hour then got restless and decided to wash up.  I grabbed my towel and toiletry bag and headed to the pipe that funneled the glacier water for people to collect.  Just downstream from the pipe was a small pool of water that was iced over - I broke the ice with a rock and soaked my towel in the water.  After pushing away the broken ice pieces, I positioned myself on the edge of the pool with y head hanging over.  I picked up the towel and placed it on my head just above the neck and squeezed the water into my hair.  I set the towel aside and placed some soap in my hand and washed my hair.  Then I dunked the towel into the water, picked off the ice pieces that clinged to it, and rinsed.  Since the sun was on me I could wipe the rest of my body without being too cold - a luxury I will not have at higher altitudes.
    I got back to my tent and grabbed my duffel of thing I would be leaving at Base - my day pack, leather boots, Tevas, extra food, dirty clothes and lighter weight clothes - and placed the duffel with the others by the kitchen tent.
    I continued drinking water and eventually had to refill my bottle and waterbag.  I used the filter and water jug they had left for me in the kitchen tent and had nearly emptied it when my bottles were filled.  So I took the 5-gallon water jug to the glacier pipe and nearly filled it full.  This jug unfortunately had lost its handle and I was forced to place it on my head and walk it uphill about 200 yards - so much fun - but at least it was a sign my strength was returning.
    Keith returned at about 4:30, hot and tired.  I pulled out my filter and refilled his bottles and my own as well.  We would try to eat earlier and go to sleep so that Keith could recuperate more before 6:30am tomorrow."

"January 19, 2000 - Day 8 - My trek to Camp 1 - Having convinced Keith I was capable of proceeding upward, I was up early preparing (6:15am).  I had already packed most of my things and started taking down the tent before Keith - who had slept in the kitchen tent - awoke at 7am.  We had a quick breakfast of canned pears (I had 4 halves) and tea and then packed up the rest of our things.  I took the tent and its fly and Keith took the rest - my pack was definitely the heavier of the two - a 3-person, 4 season tent can weigh 12 pounds, then I had my personal gear on top and 4 1/2 liters of water.
    We were passed the other tents at Base amp and on the trail at 9am.  We hiked the first hour straight and then rested, as was our custom, and I was wearing too much and sweating horribly.  I took off my shell pants and my fleece and stuffed them in my bag.  We started again and crossed the stream coming down the valley - the path already looked different from the last time I took it.  Parts were worn away and new areas exposed, we had to kick new steps to scale the opposite bank of the stream (about 30 feet high).
    After an hour of hiking uphill we rested again - Keith was beginning to look sluggish, and I was the one he was looking after!  A couple of day packers passed  us as well as a team of Germans.  We started again.
    This portion of the hike is loosely called a "traverse" because you are not gaining/losing altitude, but the truth is you are constantly going up and down eventually ending up slight higher.  Keith stopped at a convenient rock that blocked the wind, the other parties had stopped there too - but I did not want to stop because I knew we would stop again just before "Heartbreak Hill," which was close.  We started off again and in 25 minutes were at the stream at the base of the hill.  Heartbreak Hill is so named because it is a mountain of scree and the end of the trek to Camp 1 - and we had already hiked for 3 hours.  After the break we started up.
    The hill didn't seem so bad at first.  I just watched Keith's heels and kept hiking.  After about 45 minutes I looked up to see the top and realized that we were just halfway, with the more difficult portion to come.
    As we continued hiking the hill grew steeper and each step would start a small slide in the rocks which would, if you were lucky, only slide you down a few inches.  We fought and fought, feeling our lungs burn from lack of air and too much exertion.
    Keith called from above "You're almost there" (he wasn't even there yet, but we were close).  The stream was right by our side and the kick-stepping was easier.  I was at the top in a few minutes, but almost 2 hours total for the hill alone.
    Our group had the tents just up a hill to our immediate left.  Pumps was thrilled to see that I had come up and not gone down.
    Refried bean burritos for dinner and a hearts tournament for hours - we joke about betting gear and then start eyeing each other's clothing."

These are "penitentes" - ice spires that seem to be mysteriously found more on mountains in the southern hemisphere.

A look up the hill above Camp 1 - the first major obstacle for the climb to Camp 2.

A look across our tent and over the valley we had hiked up through.

Looking over the edge at Camp 1 down into the valley below.  You can see the stream following the traverse between Camp 1 and Base Camp, and watch it travel further until it drops off where we came up through the Relincho Valley.

A panoramic view of our campsite at Camp 1.

A panoramic view over the edge at Camp 1 down toward the Relincho Valley that we came up through.

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