Yesterday’s rest day was quite uneventful, which was just how we wanted it. We relaxed, read, ate well, drank a lot of fluids, and checked out our gear once again. We would drink on average 4 to 5 liters of water a day.

Today was our day to carry to camp 1. It was sunny with just a mild wind. We each carried about 55 lbs of food and gear up to 16,500 feet, which took about 4 hours. We climbed at a very fast pace but it was a real test for me. I had to pressure breath pretty much the whole time.  Especially on the last section, 45 degrees of rock and gravel. At times, I was down to one step for every two breaths!

We stashed our load at camp 1, rested there for 20 minutes and came back down to base camp to sleep. Climb high and sleep low is the way to go. Our climbing itinerary was solid, conservative and though out in every detail. We had planned four rest days during the climb, and only two summit day attempts. And if we needed, we could convert a rest day to a summit day, health permitting of course! That night, I had decided to sleep outside of our tent. Our little 2-man tent would get claustrophobic at times. The weather was nice and calm, so it was a great opportunity to “Bivi” in my sleeping bag at 14,000 feet.