Back on the mountain

17th May 1924

Photo by N. E. Odell, courtesy of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). Caption on the back of the photo reads; 'George Mallory (center) and Andrew Irvine (with goggles, on right) on "initial foray" up the East Rongbuk Glacier, Tibet, on 1924 British Expedition'.

On 17 May, originally planned as their summit day, Norton, Somervell, Mallory and Odell set off for Camp I and Sandy followed them the following day in the company of Hazard and Noel. Geoffrey Bruce, Hingston and Beetham remained at Base Camp. Sandy was not feeling as fit as he had been and noted in his diary at Camp I, ‘have had diarrhoea for 3 days and feel rather rotten with it. However am trying the effect of lead and opium. It looked a very dirty day on the mountain this afternoon' (18 May). After a very warm and comfortable night at Camp I he was feeling considerably better and set a record time between Camps I and II, arriving at II in one and three-quarter hours.

‘Rested in Camp II till 4:30 then as no other sahibs had arrived I strolled up the glacier and met Shebbeare at the entrance of the trough — very tired. I took his rucksack full of crampons and we both returned by easy stages to Camp II.’ The next morning he and Hazard made their way up to Camp III as planned. Sandy, as usual, found that various repair jobs had been left for him in camp, so he spent the early afternoon mending the primus stoves which were malfunctioning in the cold. He also effected repairs to various tent poles which had suffered in the last winds. After these jobs were completed he set out towards the North Col to meet Norton, Mallory and Odell who had been up to establish Camp IV, but he was not properly dressed for the cold on the glacier and had to return to Camp III before he met up with them.