New audio update from TA on Everest.

This is the text of TA’s audio message:

Hi this is TA calling in from camp 2 at about 6400 or 6500m above sea level.  The series is now 3 – 2, it was a tough game today.  The mountain had a strong first period, but I fought back in the second, even able to put together a string of 840 steps without stopping, I had to occupy my mind somehow.  I started the third period strong, but faded in the last half, having to dig deep to salvage the game.  It was about 3 hours of walking; I got in here at about 10:15.  The first hour we had some ice fog, and light snow, I had a really hard time finding a rhythm, my glasses kept fogging up, and its just a more hilly part of the day, just a really tough first hour.  Then made a radio call in and started to get into the more gentle part of the Cwm and the second hour was mountaineering at its finest.  I dropped into the “I can go all day at this pace” pace, so I enjoyed the second hour.  The third hour of course was chasing the mirage of camp 2, you see it long before you should, you think you are going to get there soon, but then you don’t.  As you come in there are camps at all different heights and we have one of the highest camps which is great for making the move to camp 3, but I envisioned there should be signs that read “if you where climbing with outfitter X you would be home by now” as I continued to pull steps out of the deepest part of my being to get here in the heat.  I continue to be amazed at Lhak-pas strength and patience so it is hard not to put him in the superhero category, because he sure appears to be one to me.  We spent 14 hours in the tent yesterday, hiding from the snow that was blanketing camp 1.  Its snowing again now, thank goodness, because it helps survive the heat here at camp 2, at one point it was about 46 or 50 degrees in my tent before the cloud rolled in, now its only about 35.  The intense oven effect of the Western Cwm definitely contributed to the toughness of the last hour.  I was dropping snow on my neck and trying to hide as much skin form the intense rays that where coming from both above and reflecting off the snow below, definitely a Corning Wear day.  Sometimes it is just so hot I have to lay on the cold stones in the vestibule of my tent to bring my body temperature down, so we go from the freezer, into the oven and back to the freezer, could someone send me a hot fudge sundae.  Thanks to the folks at RJG Construction for assisting me in being here and bringing you these dispatches, a special hello to my tire pulling training mates, I was definitely pulling tires today.  Another special hello to Rayne and Xander my niece and nephew out there in Edmonton from camp 2, and Flat Stanley sends his regards to Madam Edwards’s grade 3 class he broke his personal altitude record today getting here to camp 2.  A reminder my efforts are dedicated to my grandmother and to raising scholarship funds at Memorial University.  One of the things I thought about today is the fact that the highest point in North America is Mount Mckinley also known as Denali “the high one”, its 6130m and I celebrated passing that height getting here today.  Have a great day and I will talk to you tomorrow

TA

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