Yaki & Yeti Hotel, Kathmandu

Namaste Everyone:

Early tomorrow morning, I depart by land rover for Tibet. I have my own car and driver, which will make this an enjoyable trip.

I am so ready to begin climbing again. The 3-day rest in Kathmandu was great for my acclimatization and for the tough climb ahead. I can hardly wait to get back to the North side.

For the last few days since my arrival in Kathmandu, I have been second-guessing my decision to return to Kathmandu, rather than wait for the lines to be fixed on the South side. Should I have stayed South and tried to summit the South side first? What if the weather and route improved and an early South side summit became possible? Was I premature in my decision to flip to the North? Now, I think my instincts were correct and my decision to flip was correct. The lines have not been fixed to the summit on the South side. I heard that, just yesterday, loads were carried to the South Col, but I don’t think our camp has been established. Bad weather has been forecast for the South side, which may delay things further. I am so glad I made the decision to switch to the North. In just 3 days, I will be moving up to Advance Base Camp on the North side. Hopefully, the Chinese will have fixed the lines to the top so, weather permitting, I can keep moving steadily up to the summit. If the season extends into late May and/or early June, perhaps I can come back to the South side and complete the double. It’s all in the hands of the Lord.

During the trip to Chinese Base Camp, I will be signaling my location with my Spot tracking device. You can follow the journey on my website using the “Track Bill’s progress” link. I will also be filing regular audio reports and sending photos with my pocket computer and satellite telephone.

Sadly, Allan flies home today. Also, I spoke yesterday with Bud Allen at Base Camp. He is coming down and heading home because of an illness in the family. All my friends are leaving! I will miss them so much. However, I wish them safe travels home, and I will pray for their loved ones who are ill.

Because Allan is leaving, I will have no computer to send written reports. Most of the rest of my reports will be audio. I’ll try my best to speak slowly and clearly. If you have trouble listening to the audio, please speak up and we’ll see if the transmission can be improved. Maybe someone in the family will transcribe the reports.

See you in Tibet!

Bill