December 6, 2003
5:12 AM
Nathalie Cabrol
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Arrival at Camp I--told by Nathalie Cabrol
November 12, 2003
Today is the day. We are on our way. Breakfast is at 7:15 AM as usual. The mood is good and there is a sense of expectation in the team. After breakfast, everybody finalizes their personal equipment. We review a last time what still need to be taken with us to camp 1 and then to the summit. We will have six porters with us today plus Leo. We pack people and equipment in three cars and around 9:00 AM we finally leave the refuge.
This is a beautiful day. We take the now familiar dirt road on the west side of the lagunas. I am thinking one year back. We left a lot earlier than today but arrived at 11:00 AM. It was so early that we decided for some of us to climb higher in the volcano as an exercise. The high wind caught us by surprise and we had to run back to camp 1. Once at camp 1, we will build camp and stay there. No need to get there too early then. This year is also different. We have the experience of last year but at the same time, I very well know that a mountain is never the same and should never be taken for granted. I am definitely not taken this one for granted. I have a lot of respect for this volcano. I hope I earned some from him last year. We will see that on the slope this year.
The 4x4s climb the high incline of lava flows that lead to the trail head near Incas City and soon stop. These are our last moments at the contact of civilization for several days. Cristian tells me that the drivers will actually come with us to camp 1 to help carry the load. Fantastic! We establish the ascent line: Leo, Edmond, myself, Greg, Andy, etc. We stay in line and the line stops if someone needs to get out. No one goes ahead of the guide. The journalists are the only exception to the rules as they need to get some front shots.
By 9:30 AM we are on our way. This is a very impressive column. We are not far from 20 or 21 including the journalists and the porters. Our caravan initiates the long walk that should take us to camp 1 in few hours. This is our first leg toward our goal, lurking up there at 6,014 m. What a program we have this year. Not only we have to get up there, which is always a challenge, but once there, we will have to don full dry-suits and get into the lake. This is crazy, maybe, but this is so exciting.
There is so much science that we will gather by doing this: the CPODs in the highest lake on Earth, never done before; physiological data acquired for free diving at this altitude, never done before…not too mention that nobody has been crazy enough to even think of free diving at this altitude before. We are carrying also a 4-kg dosimeter that will record UV and temperature data for the next five years. None of these sorts of instruments had been positioned at this altitude before. I am thinking about all this while slowly putting one foot in front of the other. Leo has a good pace and is leading a bunch of crazy scientists toward a great mission if we are successful.
My backpack is way too heavy and is killing my shoulders. We are obviously a bit slower than during the training session but we are progressing very well. By 11:30 AM we are at lunch rock where we stop. I have no watch so it is difficult to assess how long we stayed at "lunch rock" though.
Here we go again with this pack…From here, camp 1 is not very far. Loaded as we are, maybe an hour or so. This is the most difficult part of this first leg though. We leave the sandy, loose material to get into the jumble of unstable rocks on the ridge. I remembered this not to be easy last year but this time, hiking up on these blocks with a heavy pack is a bit of a challenge. The secret is to take our time and to push hard on the walking poles. By 1:00 PM we are at camp 1. The blankets, water, and tents are already there waiting for us. They have been brought by the porters in the previous days. We will just have to build the camp. This is great. Beside, the high and thick wall should protect us very well from the wind tonight.
Everybody cheers as we arrived at our home for the night. The view on Laguna Verde and Blanca is wonderful. This is the second time I am getting there and I am not yet used to it in the sense that I still find it so beautiful. I sit for a moment and just look. It is then time to think about building the camp. I start helping a bit Greg to get some of the poles for his tent which is big.
When he is in good way, I leave and get to Edmond. Apparently, tents are getting mounted from the far end of the camp first. Ours is third in line. I help Edmond. I am now fixing the ropes solidly to volcanic rocks. I have some memories of the wind storm last year and this time, I want to be able to sleep. So, big rocks and big knots. I prefer not to think at where we are sleeping. We are on the edge of the ridge...Hopefully there will be no earthquake tonight! Night is here. Like nights in altitude, sleep comes and goes many times. The good surprise is that there is almost no wind-or at least the wall and the low profile of our tent protect us from the wind but we feel almost nothing--and the temperature is really decent for this altitude.
When daylight comes, I have accumulated some good rest.
Continued...
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