Into The Swing
16 June 1998
Camp 2, N 69º04.408', W 26º44.147'.
All is still going well. We have moved camp a couple of kilometres to be nearer the mountains we had our eyes on. We have now made a total of five first ascents, including the impressive Pyramid (2525m and shown in the picture) which dominates the head of the bowl. Simon and Ruth ascended the left ridge while Sean and Mark climbed the right one, both arriving at the summit around midnight.
Simon -
Confession TimeI didn't quite make the final 5 or 10 metres to the summit of the first peak. It was a bit loose on the rock and I was occupied thinking about the way down. I ended up on photographic duty. Still, since then I've been touching the tops, and yesterday Ruth and I climbed the SE ridge of the Pyramid as Mark and Sean did the harder NE ridge.
We have swapped day and night to make the most of the better snow conditions while it is cool. At 8:00 pm we set off to climb, returning in the early hours of the morning. We then cook a meal and go to bed. By 9:00 am the sun turns the tent into a greenhouse and we doze through the morning and into the afternoon. 3:00 pm is breakfast time, then we spend the afternoon reading, writing, melting snow, snacking and generally preparing for the next climb.
Camp Scenes
- Ruth sleeping with a 30.06 rifle and box of 20 rounds by her side. Every rustle could be a polar bear.
- Sean emerging from behind the toilet pit wall bearing an ice axe and a roll of toilet paper.
"I've got some suppositories that might do the trick",
calls out Ruth helpfully.
"I just hammer it in and hang on",
explains Sean,
"So I don't fall in."
|