We woke up at 5 had my porridge and we were off to high camp by5:30. It was a clear beautiful day. Yesterday I sat in the cold unheated lodge for hours reading, surrounded by fog. Around 5 it cleared offering spectacular views of the mountains, this is why people come here, to see the views. We have met no climbers, So we set off, rappelling into the deep moraine, then walked over to the place we left our gear, serannaded by constant rockfall. Then we headed up the death couloir, which was mud and loose rocks, culminating in a slab which was streaming with water. I was carrying my large pack, 50 or 60 lbs, and moving very slowly. About 3/4 way up to the waterfall slab, Dawa came down to grab my pack. This guy is incredible, 66 years old, and unbelievably strong. When I reached waterfall slab, he had managed to set up a rope above the slab, so I climbed the waterfall, getting completely soaked. Then Nima sent up Dawa's pack and said, just throw it up higher. I could barely move it, let along move it up. The death couloiir continued above the waterfall, until we we on solid ground. The path crossed several steep snow fields, one slip would be a long slide and then over a cliff. Eventually we reached high camp and I set up the yellow tent at last. It was pretty foggy, so I sat in the tent and wrote. It was paradise. Around four it cleared up and I hiked to the top of the ridge to see our peak.
View from Annapurna base camp in the evening, Machhapruche.
Little picnic table.
The edge of the rappel into falling rock gully.
Vegetable soup and chapati, with eggs.
Water fall slab in the death couloir.
Snow traverse,
How to climb a waterfall
Inside the steep canyon
High camo at last.
View of Machhapruche from high camp.
Closer view of Tharpu Chuli.
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