October 29 2001 - Fisher Camp (12,950')

The rain quit by bedtime last night, and when I got up to pee the sky was mostly clear and the moon (almost full) was shining brightly overhead. The mountain was visible, with a fluffy ring of clouds around her base. The second time I got up, the sky (and the mountain) were completely clear, with lots of stars. The moon made the glacier on top sparkle. The hike today was shorter (about four hours) so we had lunch in camp at the end, instead of on the trail in the middle. We took a quick nap and then went on an hour-long excursion up a nearby ridge to help acclimate to the altitude. The food is great. Most meals include many of: bread, avocado, honey, jam, raw sugar, mango, papaya, passion fruit, apples, bananas, tea, hot chocolate, coffee, margarine, and peanut butter. Breakfast adds eggs, porridge, pancakes, or toast; lunch has tomatoes, carrots, green peppers, cucumbers, tuna; and dinners are the best with soups, stews, chicken, pasta, swiss chard, and potatoes.

There are two big tents: the pointy white kitchen, and the squarish green dining tent where we eat most of the meals (except for a few of the earlier meals when it was warm, or lunch on the trail). The crew uses both tents to sleep in, too. They're great; they work very hard, but are always friendly and happy and get along with each other. Many of them live together in the village, but they still have no end of stuff to chat and laugh about. We asked Freddy (a.k.a. "Rasta", the assistant guide with dreadlocks) what they were talking about one time, and he said "women". The crew are very happy to have work (especially since so many Americans have been cancelling trips since Sept. 11), so I guess that helps their mood. Simon treats them well, too. Still, it's amazing how they worked yesterday setting up tents in the rain, without complaining a bit. They're good guys.