Groundhog day again. The sherpas appear to be on some sort of strike without any leadership. They are putting a list of 13 demands to the government today - most of which are reasonable but unlikely to make any difference. They are cutting off their nose to spite their face but the wiser council of the older sirdars doesn't seem to be effective. The first problem is there being enough experienced sherpas at base camp to get the fixed rope secured safely to the summit. Then there is the specific problem that JG do not have enough sherpas to form a viable expedition - although of course more can be recruited.
I am taking each day at at time. I am eating well, resting rather than excercising to give my throat chance to heal. It is so frustrating looking up at the icefall and wondering what lies beyond the narrow neck 2,000 ft higher up. Hopefully we might get a chance to find out but the odds are lengthening. The sherpa dispute will be resolved as all disputes eventually are - but we don't have unlimited time.