Camp 2

Bob called last night from Camp 2. It was 8:40 PM his time and they were settled into Camp 2 at 18,000 feet above sea level. He said that Camp 2 was actually pretty nice: protected, flat, cozy, nice views of the Polish Glacier up above them.

Bob said that he was doing well, his legs felt strong, his overall endurance was good. Nicky was doing well, too, he said. He said he had a headache rating about a 3 out of 10, annoying but not unexpected. He said most team members had a low-grade headache, but that's why they will sleep there the next couple nights and acclimatize. The good news was that his and most everyone's appetites remained strong, so the little bit of altitude illness experienced was not affecting their ability to stay fueled.

Dinner had been rice and chicken, not too exciting; but Bob said they have been eating well. He loved burger night at Base Camp (does anyone remember when Bob was a vegan?), and Martin made pizza from scratch at Camp 1 with pepperoni, herbs and 'shrooms.

Bob also sent props to Andrew, who descended earlier. He said he never saw anyone work so hard to take care of themselves and get down and out of harm's way. (For more details, see Andrew's comment to an earlier post on this blog.)

Today they are carrying a load up to Camp 3 at 19,800 feet and then returning to sleep at Camp 2. Tomorrow they will rest at Camp 2 and acclimatize some more, then Saturday they will move up and sleep at Camp 3. If all goes well and the weather gods cooperate they will hopefully ring in 2012 with a summit climb on Sunday January 1, 2012. Good luck, dude, and to the whole team!

(mjs)