Camp I
On April 15th we got up at 2:45 am to get ready to climb by gearing up and eating. We were moving in the icefall by a little after 4:00 am. Sometimes it is better to climb in the dark as you can only see what your headlamp allows you to see; you just keep moving, blissfully unaware of the enormous challenge ahead of you. By first light we arrived at our first ladder. I love climbing, but climbing rickety aluminum ladders over crevasses that are up to 150 feet deep is not my idea of fun. The vertical ladders or nearly vertical ladders are pretty easy to rip up and down on. The horizontal ladders spanning the deep crevasses are crossings that I curse and become religious about. Just before Camp I there is one last horizontal crevasse to cross. This...