Summit Night

Horombo Hut (3705m)

The feeling was extreme, my feet tingled and were beginning to lose their sensation, my cheeks stung as the moisture struck my face, and burning sensation around my ears from the oxygen tubes. I have never experienced my hands being as cold as they were that moment I had lost sensation in my fingers. The sweat built up along my spine and my clothes felt wet. All I could see ahead of me was the silhouetted shadow of the person’s legs in from of me. It wasn't a good feeling, it’s hard to describe, I wanted to continue in one way but in another way no. Could I work through what I was feeling?  

Step after step, the steps seemed so small, I began to become disillusioned and disorientated, so dark was the night. The burning sensation intensified, we stopped for water and I remembered what we were told from the night before "make sure you clear your tubes of water or they will freeze". My water in hydra pack was already beginning to cool in the cold night’s air. We started to walk again, I began to feel worse, my body began to resist, weighted down in some way by force, sweat soaked my back underneath my rucksack. I began to wonder if I felt like this now how would I feel in an hour and the thought of sunrise being five hours away. I stopped and stepped out of line, trying to get my bearings, aware that the group was passing me by, words were spoken to me but they fell so distant for me to understand I just mumbled a response so distorted even I can't recall what I said. Attilio was by my side at this point and I had made my decision "I need to go down" I told him together we almost ran down to base camp the lights from the huts became visible, and then on to our camp. Shortly after I lay in my sleeping back almost fully clothed trying to re-gather my warmth, Still not really thinking clearly, but knowing for certain I had no regrets in my decision to turn back.