It's 6am and it's still about 25-30 degrees. Today we hop in the bog and begin our Journey, I have been told this is where the Margarita pizza stops been served. I have been on a pizza diet since I got to Russia, that's all I have trusted in the food stakes to eat. I don't want to end up sick, it's also the only menu item I can read, order and trust to be getting what I thought I asked for. I have so far convinced other members of the team that pizza is the best thing to be eating so we are the walking Margarita Pizza brigade.
We all pile into the bog I immediately gravitate towards Jamie, he's a brit but he couldn't give a toss about Rugby. He will be a sure bet not to give me a ribbing if NZ lose. Our little corner feels we got the best seats and for the next 7 hrs we become a tangle of legs, drool and feet all over the place trying to be comfy. Andrew J has made a wind catcher out of our window so our area has 'air conditioning'. I'm not a big googler ie; I never google people or look them up before I meet them which is kind of lucky because if I had I probably wouldn't have put my feet all over Jamie or even guessed that he would have such a bloody good sense of humor about it. In return he put his feet all over me and proceeded to mind me up the mountain, reminded me of my uncle. Not googling people makes for a comfier ride to the mountain.
NZ won the rugby in case you were wondering but the banter has now turned to Kiwi's been a bunch of cop outs. I get offered a drink and when I turn it down (I'm not a drinker even when in a bar) I'm told by a Brit on the trip I'm taking it all too seriously and that I had better not be a cop out to the summit like the All Blacks are getting to a World Cup final. Nothing I haven't heard before so I brush it off, you know do the whole cop it on the chin and smile routine that you learn from a young age to master when you're a Going all the while in secret wanting to smack his dile - Told you I could be patriotic.
Because we are on the North side today we will be carrying gear about 1300mtrs or so up to Camp one and then returning to base camp. It will help us acclimatise as well. It's still about 25 degrees I'm looking forward to gaining some altitude and the heat dropping off. It's a 5-6hr trek up to Camp One and once we get there we have to turn around and come back down. We head back down via Mushroom rocks - Amazing.
Today we move to camp one with the rest of our gear, it's back up the way we went yesterday and I set off with Ana, she has already become a treasured mentor on this trip. I can't think of anyone I feel safer with it's like she's my family already. We take our time going up because we don't have to turn around and head back down again. Neither of us have a watch, which means Mike has to constantly tell us the time. We are the official Team girl on the trip, complete with come on girls give us a Carlsberg ad banter on the way up, the term 'Hey f-ck you' is developed. Ana can't understand english that well so when the guys say something she looks over at me my face is usually telling so she just turns around and says 'F-ck you guys'. It's a potty mouth festival on the way up, all in good humor of course. For this reason last names will never be published on this blog. We finally arrive at camp 1 and Ana scores us an amazing tent out of the hut, we are pretty stoked.
Today we actually step foot on the mountain. Were tackling about 1200mtrs straight up in snow and ice with a gear carry to high high camp, just like we did coming up to camp one. I'm excited, it's the first time I'm going to play in my Adidas 3 in 1 terrex jacket. We start off and around 200-300 mtrs into it, I can feel a pain around my hip. I keep going, it's seriously starting to slow me down around 500 mtrs in. Jamie, Andrew J and the amazing Andrew M come alongside to help me out. At this stage I'm convinced it is the stitch. The guys decide to take my pack and help me push on, I couldn't have done it without them. The pain is almost unbearable and I make it to high camp tears streaming down my face the entire way. It's not until on the way down that it becomes apparent it's something more serious than stitch. Nola and Ana both examine me, I'm so tender and inflamed they're shocked I even made it up and then back down or that I can even walk. I have an acute groin sprain, Mike walks in looking heartbroken for me. I sit at the table tears streaming down my face. I know what it means and I feel my dream slipping out from me. I can't leave for high camp with this injury. I can't go up the mountain, I go down to my tent curl into a ball and cry, I can't even remember the last time I cried like this. Ana comes in with the Sat Phone wraps her arms around me and tells me to call my Mum. I'm so upset that I can't even get the words out over the ph, my entire family is devastated for me. It's going to take a miracle.
I lay in my sleeping bag, a beautiful Marmot Col from my sponsor and I realise that I have to have some faith. People have partnered me to live my dream because they had faith in it, it's at this moment I realise maybe the last 4yrs have damaged me more than I know. I never thought of myself as someone with low self esteem but maybe I do doubt myself. When I told the people closest to me I was going to do this they never doubted for a second, had I been doubting myself? I fall asleep and dream that a loved one I lost recently wraps his arms around me and I see his watch. On his watch is the date 6th of August. I awaken to a gale blowing outside, others tents have been shredded and I am nearly blow away heading up for breakfast. I walk in and they tell me were not going up the mountain today because the weather is rubbish. I've woken up feeling peaceful, I sit down next to Mike and Z (the other member of my small team) and tell them about my dream. I tell Mike that I'm going to summit on the 6th, I say it with such conviction that he looks worried. The 6th is a few days to go and our flights don't match, were supposed to be off the mountain by the 6th.
The next couple of days pass by, the weather as it would turn out after Mike and I talk about my dream he calls for the forecast and it's not gonna be good to go until the 6th. My groin injury is also healing at rapid pace. It's decided that we will move to high camp on the afternoon of the 5th, Adventure Consultants will change our flights and we will take a gamble on a typical Russian breakdown not happening. In other words we will fly by the seat of our pants and have faith the universe will sort it out. Some of our Visas run out on the 8th so we discuss missing the plane back to Moscow and the fact that we have to if we miss our flights on the 8th to get out of Russia we will just jump on any plane going anywhere to get out in time. Russian authorities are rather serious about overstaying a Visa.
Today is the day, we move up to high camp about 1200mtrs up. There is a mammoth amount of fresh snow so that means more the stomp through on the way up. As we reach high camp the wind starts to pick up, we jump into our tents. A storm is coming, were told to get into sleeping bags and ride it out. Dinner becomes snacks and Mike bursting into our tent looking like a snow monster. Were at altitude so everything is becoming a little manic. The storm just will not let up, it feels like the chariots of hell are outside snow is slamming into our little tent. Hours pass by and Ana and I discuss not getting to go for the summit because of the weather. I'm filled with dread, Ana understands what I've been through and what I will go through if I don't make the summit. Chances are it will make the papers and a bunch of haters who have never met me will rejoice, we decide that no matter what even if we have to stay on when the others leave were staying until I get up this mountain. Our departure time keeps ticking by and getting pushed back because of weather. The altitude is making a host of people ill, I haven't suffered at all. I look over at my bottle of 1 Above and smile.
It's decided well after daybreak were going to take a crack at the summit. the weather isn't ideal but were gonna go for it. Off we go, Mike puts me behind him and ropes us up. It's a tough slog and 1000 mtrs to the summit. I'm battling my head the entire way up, get your shit together Pearl you can do this. It's inch by inch and you have to fight for every bit you gain. I'm having a real head argument, at this moment everything that has niggled at me over the last 4yrs is swirling around in my head, it literally feels as though I am beating it out of me. Mike sits down next to me on a break, he can tell something is going on. We decide to take a crack straight to the saddle the route is more exposed but it will cut a few hours off the journey. We finally reach the saddle, everyone is exhausted, I can't speak my head is too full for words I'm battling. The final push is going to be tough. I can see what we have to go up and luckily I'm in fighting mode because otherwise I would have turned and ran. It's decided that only 2 out of 8 of us will continue on to the summit with Mike. It will be Guy M and myself, Guy later tells me on the flight back to Moscow when he looked over and saw this little girl was going up there he thought bugger if that little girl is going up but not me. The rest of my small team have already headed up to the summit, we set off Mike in front, me in the middle and Guy M behind me. We move at such pace even Mike is astounded, I've started winning the mind game in my head and I'm not slowing down. In a bizarre fashion I'm speeding up. We take what would have been a 3-4hr climb in 2hrs without a break. We step on to the the plateau and Mike says the summit is a stroll away. I'm here. I'm in a daze, we walk over to the summit were about to become the first Kiwi's to take the summit from the North side. Ana, Z, Andrew and Jamie are coming down. The each hug me I get to Z and he picks me up and tells me it's there Pearl, it's waiting for you, you dreamed it. The tears start streaming down my face by the time I reach Ana I'm sobbing, I can not believe I'm here. My little mountain family huddles around me, they know exactly how I'm feeling. I walk over to the summit, Guy M puts his hand out and says come on up.
Here I am standing on the summit, it feels so good I just want to collapse and stay here forever, everything has become clear and I feel the lightest I have in the last 4yrs. I feel nothing but love everywhere, it's as though all the people who love me are right there with me. I can touch heaven. I'm so happy all I can do is thank Mike and Guy M for coming with me. It's everything I had imagined when I sat in my room staring at that diary and decided I was going to touch heaven on every continent. We come back down and it's nothing but a blur, we charge down the mountain in record pace. Ana and I pack our high camp and ski to the bottom on our crampons. I walk into the hut to have my last dinner and the cook who calls me Princesca it means princess in Russian gives me the biggest hug.
Ana and I get ourselves together around 7am to head down the mountain, there's not much time were rushing for a flight. All of our packs are loaded up extra heavy. I end up taking a fall half way down and busting my knee with a gash that later requires 4 stitches. I hobble down the mountain and end up in the 4WD which makes the trip shorter by a few hours with Mike instead of the bog because my leg is buggered. From there it's a total off road adventure for the next 4h-5hrs screaming along dirt roads.
We did it.... Now we have to catch the flight...
This just blows my mind. Absolutely stunning description of emotions. Felt as though I was there, good luck with your journey I look forward to following it. Best, Mel
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