737 Leg 7 Everest - Day 142

Today's another rest day, which I'm grateful for, as I didn't sleep that well last night. The temperature has already significantly risen, to -10c in the nights, causing the glacial ice to creak and produce avalanches. Normally I sleep like a log, but my mind was racing!

This morning I washed my clothes, but it started snowing so now they’re frozen on my line! Typical!

We heard news this morning that sadly somebody died between camp3 and 4 yesterday. A heart attack we heard, we also heard that some amazing person did CPR on him for over 1.5hrs above 7400m, with all the teams in the area helping out. Everest gets a bad rap for people not helping each other, but that was amazing. It’s a sobering reminder of what’s ahead of us.

Steve and his dad are arguing over who's cheating at scrabble, which is funny! It's Dai's last night in camp tonight. I'm going to miss him! Tomorrow Steve and I make our first trip into the Khumbu Ice fall. Leaving at 4am when it's coldest and most stable. Were planning on climbing half way and back for acclimatisation and practice on the ladders without loads.

FACT: The Khumbu Icefall is an icefall at the head of the Khumbu Glacier. The icefall is found at 5,486m (that's 18,000 feet and only about 400m shy of the same height as Mount Kilimanjaro) on the Nepali slopes of Mount Everest, not far above Base Camp and southwest of the summit. The icefall is regarded as one of the most dangerous stages of the South Col route to Everest's summit. The Khumbu glacier that forms the icefall moves at such speed that large crevasses open with little warning. The large towers of ice or seracs found at the icefall have been known to collapse suddenly. Huge blocks of ice tumble down the glacier from time to time; they range in size from cars to large houses. It is estimated that the glacier advances three to four feet down the mountain every day.