2017
Exped day 9: From Freezer to Sauna (+ video)
(featured photo: one of the many meals in the Kitchen tent, dug right into the snow, with snow/ice benches, snow/ice counter, snow/ice cooking surface)
May 13,
Altitude 4300 -> 4000 -> 4300
Weather: sunny, around -20 morning, prob -15 afternoon
The night at camp 3 was incredibly cold, it went down to -32 degrees. No wonder we were all tossing and turning in the tent trying to warm up. Big sleeping bags full of quality down are a lifesaver, close to each other to keep warm.
Easy morning, a stretching session organised by Xavier in camp (for the story Xav is our master stretcher, black belt in 2 martial arts, we do not challenge him to any kind of wrestling). Abdul joins in for the stretching session.
Today is an active rest day. It means we ‘back cache’ and pick up the food and gear that has been cached a few days ago. On the way we see one of the most amazing crevasses. It’s deep blue, and goes very deep probably 40-50 meters into the heart of the glacier. We walk carefully on the snow bridge that covers it. Nature is fascinating!
Back to camp it’s sauna time, sunshine and snow reflection and the tent becomes an oven. We hang all our wet gear and remove all our clothes (almost, we are literally in underwear in the tent), what a bizarre moment knowing that in a few hours we will be in -20 degrees in our sleeping bags freezing overnight