May 4th Update...

Where to begin... What a change in biodynamics with a significant gain in altitude and a decrease in temperature. Throw in some inclement weather and dehydrated food and you can see where this blog is going... We are so excited to be resting today post our 2 days @ C2 which is @ 6,642 m. We arrived under azure skies, calm breezes,and pumped spirits. We had stunning views of Everest and Lhoatse to the west, Ama Dablam to the south, and we could see the proposed route above us. We had previously discussed that we were going to head up to Makalu La on the 2nd which would bring us up to 7,400 m That was going to be our greatest acclimitization move thus far. At 0000 hr, unbeknownst to us, a storm building to the southwest was going to slam us @ C2. And it did. I was already struggling with the unfortunate realization that I didn't have enough insulation between me and the tent floor... Those that do know me know that I don't have a surplus in that dept. I slept or tried to without plausible results. I didn't bring my Thermarest so I used coiled ropes and a thin pad to separate me from the glacier beneath me. I was able to get a couple of winks in before IT arrived and what a party THEY had. A well choreograghed blend of snow, graupel, 30 km winds, and our now unfriendly prayer flags beat our tent fly and souls for over 24 hrs. Needless to say we made no progress in elevation. Big ideas and massive progress were thwarted by this storm. The Germans, with whom we hiked up to C2 the day before, were descending (as well as team Marmot)We decided to stay... It was a decision that we felt would better our acclimitization efforts... May 2nd was spent removing snow, pacing, boiling H20, trying to develop interesting conversation, and keeping the aspirational lies to a minimum. I was certain that we were going to go to the La for the weather on May 1st was sans pariel and would continue for the next couple of days so I didn't bring cerebral stimulation devices or read-ables for we would be climbing.... Need to rethink that one!!! Being couped up was brutal, for the mind can travel to locations where not even the bravest Navy Seals would be dispatched... Mountaineers need to be continously stimulated and if not, read the warning label before opening. :) so on the morning of the 3rd, it was determined that we were going to head to ABC to get out of the weather for 24-48 hrs. Collective realizations post trip to C2... Bring your Thermarest, we don't like dehydrated food, bring tunes and something to reign in your thoughts IE: books, Sudoku, etc... It is mid morning on the 4th and we are enjoying some quiet time. We all slept SO well and it's nice to recoup. Tomorrow we are planning to head back up to C2 and start again. We are still pumped and looking forward to making progress again. As stated, we love hearing from you all, so keep the comments coming!!! We appreciate it.
Robbie, ABC