Day Twenty-two - Back to Base Camp

Back to base camp day. 

First delivery for those who didn’t want to try proper down-hilling i.e. me, Philippa, Matt, Ed and Mike who’d already been. We left at 11am to reach a pro-glacial pick-up point at 12:00. All very well if you go in the right direction. About 2 hours later, having been most of the way down the wrong side of the glacier and prevented from going straight back across the glacier due to a massive crevasse field, with a pulke and no crampons. 

Luckily Jim was waiting with the Land Rover when we finally descended the snout, and we piled skis, rucksacks and ourselves in and on the Land Rover. 45 minutes later and the base camp was in sight!!!

HOME!!!

New was that Ski 2 had reached their objective and climbed Oraefejokull and down to the road and caught the bus about a day earlier. 

The bus for the Myvatn group had been booked for the wrong day so instead of being back Thursday evening they had only left on Friday morning and were due back later. Jim had commented to Ray that “Amundsen won again” and had been told somewhat irritably to shut up; and it hadn’t stopped raining at Myvatn.

The others arrived back at about 6pm. We stayed in our adventure groups, but Liz, Claire and I got a good natter in and I was I.C. for the evening, and I I.C.’d rather well (or so I thought!). Food was overflowing, like a massive tin of creamed rice, 5 tins of corned beef (nice fried) and baked beans in plenty. John West had been very generous.

Tent arrangements had been modified to 5 i.e. 2 per tent and I shared with Philippa. The emptiness caused me to wake up thinking that I had been abandoned on the icecap whilst they all walked off…. Luckily I don’t think anyone heard me calling for Roger.

Anyway, I’m still alive. Sustained by frequent visits to Liz and the loo (usually with Belinda in it). Having been told that the main base would cater for the glacier groups, I made dinner for us, to be asked about 9:00pm to make a meal for the aforementioned ice persons. Rog drummed up five packets of cheesecake (one packet for two people!) and I awaited the arrival of the inflatable. After one false alarm thanks to Henrey. I got the timing right and served up a passable goo of fried corned beef and tomato, and macaroni and baked beans at about 11:30pm. Philippa and Matt both put in their bit and the weary were all well satisfied (apart from a lack of a primus making a simultaneous brew impossible). Having rapidly packed my unpacked rucksack, I scrambled into bed at about midnight in preparation for the ‘six o’clock’ get started for tomorrow.