Bill Allen from Camp 2

Another day at Camp 2. We woke again to a beautiful morning here high in the Western Cwm with Mt. Everest towering above. It was another calm cold night up here, with a couple of inches of snow through the evening. We haven’t been stirring much in the mornings before the sun hits camp shortly after 8 am and things start to warm up. Our little buddy the dog came running to greet us as we emerged this morning.  She got the name Lhotse today. We are trying not to encourage her to stay up here, but it’s fun to have a Camp 2 mascot.

After breakfast today we went for a hike up to the base of the Lhotse face. It’s not far, but we’re still moving pretty slowly at this altitude. It was a nice little hike, and Chris and Neal found some decent snow to ski back down to camp, a couple inches of new makes a big difference.

Heading out of camp for our hike. You can see the dog “Lhotse” next to our dome.

At the base of the Lhotse face looking up at what awaits us…

We’re going to get up early in the morning tomorrow, before the sun warms us, and head down to base camp. We should be down by 10 or 11 in the morning. Base camp has taken on mythical qualities to us now, it is the land of showers, thick air, and warmth.  We’re looking forward to it.

Bill Allen