Namaste from 20,000 feet!

Against some protest from our sleepy bodies, We woke up at 1am this morning and after some coffee and breakfast we started up through the Khumbu icefall towards Camp 1. It was a beautiful night with the nearly full moon in the east and except for some winds it was perfect for climbing.

The first time through the Khumbu icefall is always interesting as we encounter some steep ice sections and get to cross the notorious ladders. Greg and Vanessa did great and the ice climbing we did together for training in Ouray, CO this winter clearly paid off.

We topped out into the Western CWM, a more gentle glacier leading up to Camp 2 and the Lhotse face, right as the sun hit, which was perfect timing. We are all settled in and resting this afternoon at Camp 1 at 20,000ft and will spend another day here tomorrow to acclimate before heading up to Camp 2.

Bill Allen
Camp 1, Mount Everest