It's a chilly morning and the lake is covered with a thick layer of ice that we can't break with even the larger rocks. The 'B-team' (Tom, Sue and Antoine) want to make a second attempt on Ramdung.

Sunset over Camp Jeremy Photo (c) Tom Padgham 1998

They decide to make it a two-day route, and place a high camp on the col, now nicknamed 'camp Jeremy'. This will be on the snow and promises to be the coldest camp of the trek so far. For some incomprehensible reason, Julian had decided to play tent porter for the B team, and will carry them as far as the glacier.

Alan and I are far less alturistic, so after seeing them off we pack up and head back to Na. Climbing back up the landslides on the valley side is even worse than going down. We pick our way carefully up the loose moraine, rocks coming out in our hands and our feet sending material scattering down below. Eventually we reach the crest of the ridge and wander back through cold mist and fog.

Presently we locate the path down and stomp off at record speed back to Na, losing some 1500m in under two hours. Back at the valley, we wait for Julian to join us, but he fails to appear. He's managed to get himself lost again, becoming disorientated in the mist above base camp and wanders aimlessly for sometime, contemplating a night in the cold. Eventually he spots some of our footprints and arrives at Na with the dusk. The cook is evidently pleased to see us, as he prepares a record-braking meal with no less than twelve dishes. Delicious!