Nicholas Rice: Manaslu Dispatch

2009 Solo Manaslu Expedition

Dispatch Forty-eight: May 10th, 2009

Day Forty-eight: Ana Airlifted to Kathmandu; Snow Storm Continues

Today, after finally getting a good night’s sleep, Mario and I rushed up to the makeshift helipad to bid farewell to Ana from the Andalucian expedition. She is being airlifted today to Kathmandu where she will be admitted to the International Hospital where her eye will be checked to see if the nerve damage is permanent or not. After this, we had coffees with the Russians who are trying to decide how much longer to remain in base camp to wait for the weather window. For lunch, Mario and I made roast chicken using an Indian spice mix I had brought from home. The afternoon was snowy with almost non-existent visibility and we struggled to pass the time. I heard that the doctors on Carlos Pauner’s team were planning to head down tomorrow, so I headed over to ask them to give me another blood test to see if I was better or worse acclimated after staying dormant in base camp for a week in bad weather. My Hematocrit and hemoglobin levels were exactly the same, however my electrolytes were low indicating dehydration (thanks to all the coffees we drink when visiting other expeditions). Mario and I had dahl baht for dinner as the snow storm intensified, played cards with the kitchen staff, then went to bed, snow falling heavily all night.

Photos: Left: Climbers wave goodbye as helicopter takes off from Base Camp; Right: Mario Panzeri peeks out from his snowy tent