Bolivia Expedition Dispatch

June 15, 2011 – Organizing Gear and Practicing Our Skills

Hi this is Leila Silveira reporting from Condoriri Base Camp. Our base camp is keeping its reputation as being one of the base camps ever. It is large, comfortable, no crowds, the views are really the best. Last night we had a full moon so we almost didn’t need a headlamp at all. Last night the dining tent was completely empty because everyone was outside playing a card game called Egyptian Rat. The idea of the game is to collect cards by slapping them so it gets quite rowdy. From my tent, I could hear the noise and laughing – everyone was having a really good time.

The wake-up call this morning was for 8:15, but the weather was so nice this morning that the sun started warming our tents as soon as it came up. By 7:30 everyone was already drinking hot tea in the dining tent; it was really lovely. The morning was dedicated to organizing our gear to make sure that everyone has everything they need for the climb today. We also spent some time reviewing our mountaineering skills around the camp. We practiced with ascenders and the fixed lines. Bill is a scientist and he had a good time trying to figure out the system of the ascenders and to make sure that he could trust it.

It has been really fantastic weather. Between the spectacular views and the llamas all around us, it has been a great day. It doesn’t hurt that our cook, Simon, prepares great food for us. Today he prepared a delicious lunch of cheeseburgers with all the fixings including French fries. For dinner he is preparing pizza – not your typical camp food!