New audio update from TA on Everest.

This is the text of TA’s audio message:

Hi this is TA calling in from Lobouche at 4910m.  I had forgotten to mention last week that I had reached a milestone, as you probably know Signal Hill is the centre of my training activities and that 60 Signal Hills equals Everest elevation 8848m.  So last week given the disappointment of 2 bladder infections I failed to celebrate with you that I have gained the equivalent of 60 Signal Hills since beginning the trekking on March 27th.   Thanks to the past few days the total is now 71 Signal Hills, I’m hoping all of you “Step up to the Summit Challenge” folks are making good progress towards your own physical activity summits.  Remember day by day, step by step gets you there, couple hours here, a half hour there, get out there get those steps in, get them recorded and climb the mountain with me.

My watch alarm went off today at 1,2,3,4 or 12:34 as it does everyday, I said Hi dad as I always do and promptly burst into tears.  As I grieved the loss of my physical strength these last weeks due to infections, my grief for my dad has risen sharply like the jagged peaks that surround me.  In their sharp brilliance the intense pain thunders onto my shoulders like seracs falling from Nuptese.  I wonder if I will be buried alive, but then the spin drift passes over and I can breath again, acknowledge my lose and go on.  The other day I admitted to myself the extra weight of grief that I’m carrying in my backpack.  I miss my dad.  I worry about how my family is dealing with their grief.  I feel close to him sometimes and other times I wish he could say just exactly what I needed to hear, “leave her to it, she can do it.”  So Flat Stanley and I are in Lobouche for the night, I decided to break the walk back to base camp into two smaller chunks to allow for some rest and arrive at base camp in good form.  I’m moving decently well, and am looking forward to seeing the team tomorrow.  I’ve been racking my brain about how to get a rotation in while the team is resting from their last rotation, but haven’t sorted out all the logistics.  Perhaps a few nights at Pumori camp 2 might work.  I will chat with Tim as soon as I get back to base camp about the possibilities.  Thanks again for all of your support, get out there get active, I’ll check in again tomorrow, thanks so much, bye.

TA