New audio update from TA on Everest.

This is the text of TA’s audio message:

Hi this is TA and Marian calling in our update again from Everest base camp.  We are hanging here in our Everest Hilton thanks to the Prith family, my brothers good friends we have a wonderful Everest abode.  We are just at that transition point when we are about to loose the sun and the temperature is about to plummet.  Here at Everest base camp we are Corning Wear we go from the freezer into the oven, and then back into the freezer again.  Temperatures in the tent last night dipped to -5.6C, not too bad, and then at some point today during the peak of the day it was up to 56C in the top of the tent, and now it’s beginning to do its plummet towards freezing again.  The pedometer registered no steps today because this was a rest day, the first in 13 days.  Did a little engineering with the rocks around the tent, creating a little platform and vestibule where we get in and out.  Redirecting some water because already the glacier is in the heat of the day giving off little rivers, so we need to direct them around our tents.  We are camped right on the glacier so you can hear the ice especially in the middle of the night grinding and crunching as we move anywhere from a millimeter to a centimeter downhill each day.  We also hear snow avalanches, rock avalanches so it is quite the cacophony.  The other thing that we heard today was much drumming as we are centered kind of near the icefall, surrounded by other expeditions having their Puja Ceremonies.  So we heard chanting and cheers and much much drumming, we look forward to our Puja on Monday.  So today is a day of rest, a wonderful shower and some reading and even a little nap so we are all continuing to settle in trying not to burn ourselves to a crisp in the high altitude sun.  Just thinking of all of you, the Newfoundland trekkers will be heading out, they will be spending the night in Periche tonight.  Got the big Newfoundland flag on the side of the tent, I hear that John Truno the second Newfoundlander to summit Everest is here again as is Al Hancock the first Newfoundlander to summit Everest.  So three Newfoundlanders here at base camp, it should be an exciting time.

Take care, talk to you tomorrow 

TA