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Adventure Coaching Blog
Dealing with Disappointment
The news that we are turning around and going home has been gradully sinking in. Like any big event it seems to come in waves of understanding and realising the implications.
I'll be honest with you, I am really gutted that we are not going to get a chance to go for the top. To pretend that it does not matter is a lie. At least I know that I gave it everything I had and at the end of the day the mountain decided not to let anyone stand on its summit this season.
As I look up above me at the glistening slopes of Cho Oyu above i can see the steps made up to Camp 3, I can see the yellow band of rock that cuts the slope anad above that the glistening white slopes leading to the top. It seems so achievable and yet the white mantle of snow conceals layers of deathly instability in the snow pack. These hidden layers of snow await only the slightest pressure of a foot or an ice-axe to unleash their deadly burden of snow and sweep clean the slopes of anyone who dares to cling to the fragile upper layer. It seems so near and yet it is so very far.
Thanks so much for all your encouragement and support. It certainly got me up to 7100m - which I am still very proud of, and there are many other lessons to process in the next weeks. But now it is time to turn homeward.
Last night the Chinese camp hosted a huge party and all the climbers gathered. There was more than a hundred people there and many that I had not met. So it was great to talk to other climbers and for us all to commiserate together. The Sherpas livened up the party with some great foot-stomping dancing which definitely lifted people's spirits.
Today there is the sounds of yak bells as Base Camp packs up and everything starts moving downward. We will have a couple more days here as our gear is retrieved from high camps and we sort out all the equipment.
I will be updating things further as I get computer access. But for now I will leave you with this quote which I am finding useful:
"The aim, if reached or not, makes great the life" - Robert Browning
Wishing you all a life of adventure and inspiration
Sarah Wilson
Adventure Coach
Posted by Sarah Wilson on 29th September, 2010 | Comments
Tags: Adventure, Altitude, Cho Oyu
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