Day 36
S79 45' 39.60", W82 51' 24.84"
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More time at Union Glacier and the team are enjoying themselves
“Hi everyone, it’s Lou reporting in on, I think, it’s day 36 of the expedition. Starting to lose track slightly! To be honest that’s one of the things I really like about these expeditions – certainly days of the week become completely irrelevant; I’ve actually no idea what day of the week it currently is, because it doesn’t matter. I don’t really know what date it is, in December, I’m not too sure. I know we’re coming up to Christmas, but I’m not sure, unless I check my phone. And I think we’re around day 36, but again, it doesn’t really matter too much.
That’s one of the things I really like about these expeditions – they really become quite timeless events. You’re just focusing on day to day. Time’s going really well for us here in Union Glacier, and it’s just a fascinating place. It really is a melting pot of so many different people. To give you an insight – my day today: This morning, at breakfast, I was having breakfast with the youngest-ever guy to summit Everest without oxygen. A young Nepalese lad, and he was 19 years old when he first summitted Everest without oxygen. And we’re just sat there in bewilderment of him over breakfast, listening to his story, and finding it fascinating that he’s equally bewildered chatting to me and learning about what I’ve done. Then, after a bit of admin, lunch. I was sat with a group of Russians, and the lead guide with the Russians was called Vlad (of course he was) – and that was equally fascinating. He’s summitted Vinson several times. Elbrus over 100 times, and he’s here guiding a group that have just come back from Vinson. They’re just about to go out and do the last degree. They spoke fantastic English, and it’s fascinating listening to them. This afternoon, ALE laid on a movie afternoon, and we’re sat there watching a movie, and then was a 57-year-old Nepalese guide, who’d been guiding out here on Vinson. He’s summitted Vinson more than 13 times, and this is going to be his retirement year. Fascinating listening to him, from his early days being out here, and at Patriot Hills, which is the base ALE were using before Union Glacier.
And then this evening, I went to dinner, and ended up being put into a quiz team with Nims Dai, whose name I’m sure is familiar to lots of you, and luckily the first 12 questions were on Antarctica, we did really well in that section! Then on to mountaineering and various other things. We did exceptionally well, and all of sudden, we were drinking red wine until the early hours, and I staggered out of the tent at half two this morning, into broad daylight. So bright I had to put my sunglasses on. But then wrap up in a down jacket, because it was about -20 degrees with the blizzard that is blowing through the camp. And stumble around trying to find my tent.
This place is incredible, with the people that you meet, and the things that they’ve achieved. It’s been an awesome day meeting all these incredible people, and I look forward to meeting lots of other interesting people tomorrow.
That’s one of the great things about these expeditions, is being in amongst this melting pot of all these like-minded people, all doing incredible things.
After drinking far too much red wine, that’s the update on the expedition. We’ll update you again tomorrow.
Onwards.”
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