Some of you have expressed concern that I might acidentally mix up my Nalgene drinking bottle with my Nalgene pee bottle, but rest assured I have a piece of duct tape on the lid of my pee bottle so I don’t make that mistake.

Day 42: We flew back to EBC from Namche in windy conditions. It was an interesting flight back, but the pilot is excellent. He hugged the mountains to avoid some of the wind, and luckily it was not too windy at EBC for him to land safely. One of the helipads is right next to our camp so it is pretty convenient for us to fly in and out. It was good to return to EBC at the higher altitudes and continue our acclimatization. As nice as it was to spend a few days at Namche, it was time to get back.

It was also good to see Subas again. Who is Subas? I have been meaning to write about him for the longest time, but he is a young man who has been our waiter since the beginning…even during the trek into base camp. He is very hard-working and always smiling. He is the guy sitting next to Brian in one of the photos I posted. He also does our laundry here at base camp. Subas is one of those people you like having around because of his positive attitude.

Day 43: To stretch out our legs and lungs, we went on a day hike up Pumori. It was good to be moving again instead of just sitting around. It was pretty windy again today but not too bad. You could see it was extremely windy higher up on the mountains. In the two photos of the mountains you can see the winds swirling around the peaks.

Day 44: The guides showed us how to fit our oxygen masks, work the regulators and attach the regulators to the oxygen bottles. We learned that each of us has an allocation of 10 oxygen bottles for this final rotation. That is quite a bit more than most guide services offer (approx. 6-7 bottles each). We will be on oxygen once we leave Camp 2. All of the condensation from our breath will be collecting/dripping from the front so we will need to empty it out periodically (I know, it sounds a little gross). I posted a photo of me outfitted in my oxygen mask with all my head gear. I look a little like an alien.

Day 45: This morning after breakfast we are going on another day hike towards Pumori. This afternoon we will prepare all our snacks (the food we eat while we climb) for the final rotation. Our guides have been monitoring closely the weather forecast and the movement of other teams up the mountain. Our Sherpa are still carrying loads up to the South Col (Camp 4) and we cannot move up until that is complete. We should know in the next day or so when we will depart for our summit rotation. I will be sure to let everyone know as soon as we know.