We had done little walking since January and our muscles were out of tune.
Skirting the base of the mountain above us, we came to a gigantic bergschrund, a mile and a half long and 1000 ft.deep.

This tremendous gully, cut in the snow and ice by the fierce winds blowing round the mountain, was semicircular in form, and it ended in a gentle incline.
We passed through it, under the towering precipice of ice, and at the far end we had another meal and a short rest.

This was at 12:30 p.m.
Half a pot of steaming Bovril ration warmed us up, and when we marched again ice-inclines at angles of 45 degrees did not look quite as formidable as before.
Once more we started for the crest.

After another weary climb we reached the top.

The snow lay thinly on blue ice at the ridge, and we had to cut steps over the last fifty yards.