Whoa!

Pending Aged's blog I thought I'd post a picture of us together after our epic feat.....

From Shoveling Grit to Shoveling ....

A mundane practicality of life is man's need to drop a log every now and then. But while we had our own private toilet tent, complete with chemical khazi (expertly erected by Peter the Bog Porter and associates) at camp, there was a distinct lack of facilities on the trail.

And judging by the amount of bangers and mash left behind any reasonably sized off piste rock, no shortage of people getting caught short and taking what became euphemistically known as a "Countryman" (aka sending an email with attachments).

 "Did anyone else bring a shovel, or is it just me?" asked JG
"A shovel?"
"The list said shovel or trowel, so Bex packed the shovel we use for gritting the road in winter"
So, from shoveling grit in Wales to shoveling $*!% in Africa, I bet that shovel will be the talk of the valleys when it gets back home.

Oh feckin' Yes!

We made it - all of us - there's even a photo somewhere to prove it. And we're very proud of what we've achieved. After 5 days trekking we reached base camp in various states of disrepair. Mainly altitude sickness (and yes, it is as bad as everyone tells you), blisters and dodgy knees and ankles. But not being the type to be put off by such trifles, and armed with oxygen (thank gawd for the Altox), poles, down filled jackets and the most amazing team of porters, guides and helpers, we started our final assault at midnight. This was the steepest part of the week, which we crept up at 0.00001 mph, finally summitting at Gilman's Point some seven hours later. What a feeling. Probably not as bad a childbirth, but a close second! Full details of the extraordinary trip will follow. Phew!