Alive after 6189m!

We are indeed still alive!

Sorry to disappear, I had planned to write something in Chhukung, but apparently the internet doesn't reach past 4500m.

We survived our trip up to Everest Base Camp and Kala Pathar, even managing to convince our guide to let us play on the Khumbu ice fall. The weather was perfect and the view of Everest amazing.

We then retraced (retrekked?) our steps back down the mountain, this time heading east through Dingboche, arriving in good health at Island Peak Base Camp. We had our own personal cook (with a fondness for garlic and large amounts of food) and our winter camping experience was also put to good use (spending 3 nights in tents laughing at the "cold weather.")

Then, despite both feeling incredibly ill (although my pool of vomit wasn't even frozen solid), we set out at 2:00am in the pitch black and climbed ourselves a mountain. The weather was (again) perfect, the views spectacular, and the memories will last a life time, etc. etc.

We had a great time, got to play with all of our cool and expensive equipment, have fun in the snow, and watch as our guide climbed a rope hand over hand up a 60° ice slope while we could only hang in our harnesses panting like idiots.

Tonight we're again in Namche Bazaar, heading to Lukla in the morning and hopefully catching a flight back to Kathmandu the morning after.

Once we return to a land where the internet is not billed by the minute we will begin sifting through our photos and videos and begin posting the details of our intrepid adventure (although I will be forcing Jennie to wait and post her pictures at the same time I do, so the delay will be entirely my fault.)

Talk to you again when the internet is free and the air is thick! 98% oxygen here we come!