Outperform - Island Peak Himalayan expedition - Attack Camp

We arrived at 'Attack Camp' (pictured) in the mist - getting used to it now! - after a very hard slog up the valley from Chukung. WE climbed glacial moraine out of Chukung and then passed just about every glacial feature known to geomorphologists! It was a spectacular array of glacial lakes, U shaped valleys with braided rivers and huge 'glacial erratic' boulders dumbed all over the valley floors in a series of random locations as the glacier had retreated after the last ice age. It was wonderful!

We sorted out the camp and had some food before trying to sleep. We had decided to leave as soon after 02.30 as we could in order to get to the summit in the early dawn - the best time for the snow to hold our weight on the high cornices. It was at this time that the lead guides decided to mention to us - in typical frank Nepalese style - that we were to be the first people this season to try to get to the summit and, just so we knew, three Japanese climbers had fallen off and been killed last year in an early attempt! So we spend the 'night' in 'the tent of awake'!

We were 'woken' at 02.30 with a cup of tea and the news that the two lead guides had 'popped up to the top' last night to have a look! They hadn't made it - forced back by a huge crevasse and a massive avalanche which had torn away the upper snows and cornices of the peak! 'Should we be climbing?' we asked. "Yes - we might as well have a go since you are all here" came the reply - not massively reassuring.

We set off at 03.30 with Pete and I relieved of our packs for the first section as Pete was still weak and I was suffering from increasing headaches and bouts of 'wow is that the ground?' dizziness. After only 30- 40 minutes of climbing it was clear to me that if I carried on I would have fallen off! The dizziness spells camp thick and fast and the last one was so bad Mark W had to stop me from walking off the edge. Time to go down!

Pete was sent down too - he was in a bad way and despite a minor protest he knew it was not in the interests of the team to carry on.

We descended and left the two Marks to go up with the two sherpas.

Once back in camp we both went back to bed and I managed to drift off to sleep as I listened first to the distant sounds of climbing and then just to the wind.