In the middle of the night, I wake up to start my adventure for climbing Island Peak. My body is shivering and my head is hurting, but I knew that it will get better as soon as I start moving. I force myself to drink some tea and eat some porridge before I go off into the darkness, following the poorly lit spot of my head torch. After some hours of strenuous hiking and easy climbing, I reach the crampon point. It is time for a short break and to rope up. I am feeling strong and am motivated.
As we continue our way up, the sun is rising and colours all surrounding peaks in bright red. I come to believe that I can climb the final 200 metres of steep snow and ice within less than half an hour to see the sun crossing the horizon. Soon, I start to realise that it is far fetched. Every step up the mountain takes a huge effort. Cold air is painfully filling my lungs with every breath. Two hours later, I find myself on top of Island Peak (6,189 m). Sunrise is long gone. The view is amazing though. Right in front of me, the north face of Lhotse (8,516 m) is breaking through the clouds. All pain and suffering is forgotten. A truly impressive mountainscape.