Millennium Camp – 28th February
Amongst the buzz and excitement I managed to find a spot to sit and rest my aching legs and enjoy a quiet moment to allow the situation to sink.
I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder and looked up to see the smiling face of one of our guides, Bobby, and a steaming cup of sweet tea reaching out towards me.
It proved the perfect remedy to my flagging spirits and knowing that any rest was destined to be short lived on this small windswept perch I picked myself up for my first look about as the others began to leave.
It proved the perfect remedy to my flagging spirits and knowing that any rest was destined to be short lived on this small windswept perch I picked myself up for my first look about as the others began to leave.
To my right was a breathtaking collection of glaciers, made up of blue/green ice and rising up in tiers they appeared almost cathedral like (or a suitable lair for a megalomaniac villain from a Bond film).
Welcome Mr Bond!
However as uplifting as the view in that direction was my hopes were soon dashed as I turned my gaze to the left.
On paper, once you’ve reached Gillmans Point you have effectively “beaten” the best the mountain has to offer all that remains is a relatively straightforward walk with a few minor ascents to reach the summit.
However mountains aren’t climbed on paper and with my lungs screaming for oxygen and the wind doing its best to suck the air out of my mouth I could feel my heart sink as I scanned the route to the summit plateau.
The summits at the high point of that ridge, easy right?
Reminding myself that if I could make it to this point I could sure as hell make it the rest of the way I looked at the path ahead and spotted my “boys” and original “A-Team” members Jas and Raj.
I’d really enjoyed their company throughout the trek and having started out with virtually no experience of mountains it had been watching them grow in strength and confidence that had made me want to be part of their group.
Looking back Nerissa appeared to be enjoying the support and attention she was getting from the guides so deciding I had done all I could for her I kicked on and spent the next 20 mins catching up with the guys.
When I did catch up I’m not sure who was happier them or me, but as we closed in on Stella Point, the final “checkpoint” before the top, there was a tangible uplift in all our spirits now that our summit team was in place!
The Summit Team at Stella Point
(and wearing pretty much everything we had)!
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