Mountain Trip guide, Tom Huntely is calling in live with the dispatch from his -20 degree sleeping bag at the team’s new home of Camp 4 17,200 ft (5242 m)! That means they are right on schedule and were able to complete their objective for the day. Congratulations team! This is a huge accomplishment and one of the bigger climb days of the trip with about 3,000 ft (914 m) of travel over 6-8 hours.
After breaking down their home of the last few days at Camp 3 14,200 ft (4328 m) the team ascended the fixed lines and climbed past the 16,000 ft (4876 m) ridge to Camp 4, also known as “17 Camp”. This is the highest base camp on the mountain and if climbers haven’t felt the effects of altitude by now they likely will start to feel it here! The team dug in a camp here after unloading their heavy packs, made a delicious dinner, and bedded down for the night.
Tomorrow the climbers will rest while the guides will evaluate weather forecasts, climbing conditions, and reports from teams above for their summit bid. They are hoping for a window in the next few days. We wish you luck, team!
