Dispatch 26: Climb from Base Camp to Camp I (5703m/18,712ft)

Dorge and Badia crossing a complex crevasse field on the way to Camp I

Today, Ryan, Badia, Mauricio, Lina, Javi and I woke up at 4:00am, packed up our things, and ate breakfast in the mess tent. We left around 5:30am for Camp I, taking advantage of the cooler temperatures of the early morning. We quickly made our way across the moraine and climbed up the steep section below the traverse, making good time. The sun began to shine on the glacier and our pace slowed as the temperature rose to 40C or 104F. I was relatively impressed with my leg as I was carrying a 23kg backpack and was climbing on complex terrain with little pain. We eventually made it to Camp I, quickly getting inside our tents to escape the direct sunlight as some weather made its way into camp. I made water and had a small lunch. We all watched as snow began to fall in the afternoon. We were concerned as one of our weather forecasts called for heavy snow the following day, while the other called for 2-4 inches. We discussed our plan in case of heavy snow, and decided to remain in Camp I for the day and continue up to Camp II on Friday morning.