The i Spot

We raised $28 K of the total $115,000 to finish the Seven Summits—with generous contributions from various supporters and Dad.

ARRIVED AT VINSON BASE CAMP
January 11Today, we arrived at Vinson base camp from Patriot Hills base camp. The flight in was simply amazing. The temperature at base camp is 12° F with winds around 5 mph. We set up camp and are reviewing the expedition logistics in order to prepare for tomorrow’s climb to camp 1.

THE VALUE OF PREPAREDNESS
January 12The morning brought a day of change. Instead of climbing to camp 1 as planned, the value of preparedness was reinforced through training. It was a great day to test the strengths of my technical skills and to learn the strengths of each member’s skills. A good portion of training focused on rescuing members from a crevasse, a must-know skill while on a glacier! Tomorrow, we will climb from Vinson base camp, up the bluebold wall, to camp 2.

ARRIVED AT CAMP 2
January 13Today was filled with climbing. Finally!

As planned, we climbed from Vinson base camp to camp 2. This entailed carrying a 30 lb pack while pulling a 20 lb sled. Upon arriving at camp 2, we were met by a majestic bluebold wall. We established camp at 10,000 feet and are letting our bodies acclimatise to the gain in elevation.

Tomorrow we plan to climb up the bluebold wall to camp 3. The elevation gain should be a few thousand feet. We will leave our sleds behind at camp 2.

ARRIVED AT CAMP 3
January 14We successfully made it to camp 3. We climbed 2,300 feet up the bluebold wall to reach a col between Shinn and Vinson and established camp. We are surrounded by enormous white jagged peaks, which make for incredible views.

Tomorrow’s plan is to wake up at 11.30 am, when the glacier starts to warm up. We’ll have breakfast and set off for a six to seven hour climb to high camp. We will spend time acclimatising at high camp, then descend back to camp 3 by 10 pm.

SAFELY ARRIVED BACK TO CAMP 3
January 15We safely returned to camp 3, and we are now enjoying a nice hot dinner.

Our climb to high camp was astonishing. Well, the pace up was a bit quick, but the views more than made up for it. It was very energising to step foot into high camp because I know we are that much closer to making summit. But focusing solely on the summit is a let-down once you reach it.

Tomorrow, provided it’s clear, we’ll pack up camp 3 and climb to high camp.

ARRIVED AT HIGH CAMP
January 16We made it to high camp, and I must confess, I’m coooooold! As we gain altitude, the temperature is decreasing. Last night at camp 3, it was around -35° F and tonight at high camp, it dropped to -40° F.

Other than the night-time chills, high camp is magnificent. After arrival, we took time to recuperate and let our bodies become stronger by naturally increasing the production of red blood cells due to the increase in elevation. It’s important to give the body time to acclimatise, because failure to do so will leave you short of breath, weak and feeling very sick.

Tomorrow’s plan is to climb to summit, provided the weather is clear. So far, the weather has been phenomenal, so here’s hoping. Summit day will be a 12-hour climb. The ascent takes eight hours, the descent four.

AWAITING THE ASCENT TO SUMMIT
January 17Well, I have good news and bad news. The bad first: We did not attempt summit today. The good: We got some rest.

We planned to make the first summit attempt today but because the weather took a change for the worse, and the team needed another day to replenish our strength, we decided to attempt summit tomorrow. This means another early wake-up at 7 am.

For the most part, I’m packed. My gear is inside the tent, arranged just so. My overboots are on top of my plastic boots and I dedicated each of the four pockets in my parka to a particular system. Like, all eyewear is in one pocket and all hand and foot warmers in another. Organisation is a must for a safe and successful summit.

1ST SUMMIT ATTEMPT
January 18We woke up early, had breakfast and were off. Unfortunately, we were only allowed to climb for two of the eight hours it takes to reach summit, and then we had to turn back as the weather demanded so.

Although we are planning to attempt summit tomorrow, by the looks of the weather, we will probably remain in high camp.

SUCCESSFUL SUMMIT
January 19Triumph is in the air! Yesterday was our first summit attempt and, after two hours of climbing with visibility so low that we could not see our own boots, we had to turn back.

Today, the weather was perfect! We woke up at 7 am, by 8.30 am we were roped up and at 2 pm, the smell of victory filled our lungs.

Reaching the summit was both a physical and emotional journey. I climbed the final 10 to 30 metres with Malli, another Indian, holding the tricolour.

The plan for tomorrow is to return to Vinson base camp from high camp. If the weather remains clear, we should depart from Antarctica within the next couple of days.

SAFELY RETURNED TO VINSON BASE CAMP
January 21Yesterday, we made a quick dash from high camp to Vinson base camp in hopes of making a rapid departure to Patriot Hills camp because the weather was clear. But, as luck would have it, clouds quickly masked the beautiful blue sky.

We are now patiently waiting for the weather to clear to fly to Patriot Hills camp. Hopefully, there we will be greeted by another plane that will return us to Punta Arenas, Chile, and home to our warm beds!

(On January 19, 2006, Gautam Patil became the first Indian to scale five of the seven summits in the world. This is his blog on the trip)