Day 4 Morning Update (Resend as only my nose picture rocked up....)

I have just got off the radio with the boys. It seems like I have totally underestimated how insanely hardcore these guys are. Yesterday they had breakfast and started packing up their stuff and porta-ledge around 7am and started climbing around 8am. I got a radio update last night around 9/ 10pm (that is a solid climbing day), they said they where going to carry on climbing for a bit but I only found out this morning that they continued climbing till around 1am and only got their stuff sorted, porta-ledge up and a brew on the boil at 5 am this morning.... got to sleep around 6am (the sun rises at 7am. I think I woke them up with my radio when I called them an hour ago as I had not heard from them yet (obviously now I can see why now.... they where sleeping)...haha. Now I am sure there are those of you that have done similar long missions.... but this is the first one I have witnessed doing it on such hard terrain and such extreme conditions.

Well done boys!

Anyway, so far everything is going according to schedule, their plan it to carry on hauling everything up today to the third ice field and then spend the night there. Tomorrow, the plan is to continue up to the top of the face and then all the way to the summit of Mt Hunter. The Summit is not essential in claiming a new route on the North Face, but weather permitting, they have always intended on doing the full summit for that "feel good feeling". The weather report is for 40mph SE winds tomorrow, and while the face North Face is protecting them from those winds at the moment, when they walk up and onto the ridge and head to the summit they will be in the line of fire... so fingers crossed they can realise their dream for the full assent.

I thought I would give you a break from my MS Paint skills with the mountain, and treat you to a close up of my cracked nose...;) Yes that is snot, but my nose is too sore to actually clean, so I figure I would just leave it there for your enjoyment.

David