News release: 14 May, Fog | |
   | Up at five to rig our aircraft ready for a test flight up the valley a
bit. We were ready by six but the entire valley down to Lukla was full
of cloud coming our way, not long after we were in a fog. According to
Barty who climbed the little hill for a better view just before it
arrived it looked like the sort of thing likely to linger all day, with
'big bubbly stuff as far as you can see'.
He was right, we have been in and out (mostly in) a fog all day. This has not really disrupted us as there have been plenty of things to do to prepare our kit. It must tbe frustrating for the helicopter people though; they came yesterday with a load of plywood, steel reinforcing bars and miscellaneous washing machines, fridge freezers and other accoutrements of modern life and are due to be based in Lukla for a few days shuttling more stuff from the roadhead at Jiri. Of course with this fog there was no sign of them today. It would be better for us if helicopters weren't about while we are here, but Syangboche is a big place so it is not a desperate situation like we had at Lukla with these huge machines landing mere feet from our parking place. Here, being that much higher they do a 'rolling landing' in a spectacular cloud of dust. i was a bit worried they might blow all our careful runway repairs away but there doesn't seem to be any appreciable damage. Weather permitting we will fly another test flight tomorrow morning, forecasts suggest the day after tomorrow might be a good day for an over Everest attempt.... |
RMH 
info@angelodarrigo.com