Mt. Everest 2005: Alpine Ascents Everest 2005: All back down from Camp III safe and sound

Update: Camp II
    
All back down from Camp III safe and sound.

Namaste everyone! This is Dave writing in from the relative low altitude of CII at 21,000 ft. Willi and I returned with this second group of climbers around 2:30 this afternoon and they're all tucked into their cozy sleeping bags. This is our seventh night above BC and we're all very ready to descend to the "compound": email, showers, carpeted dining tent, etc.

As expected, last night was long without much in the way of shut eye. The consolation is that the views from CIII are spectacular as you can see from the photos. The climb is equally impressive. Vern and Jose Luis returned from CIII yesterday with the first contingent of climbers and then dropped down to BC today. We just got off of the radio with them and they're all happy to be enjoying the thick air of BC.

The trip up to CIII is a bit of a litmus test to see how we're all doing at this point and the last chance for significant acclimitization. We now drop down and recover in order to restore some of the strength that 's been lost up here over the week. The trade off: acclimitization vs. strength. We've gained in the first now it's time to recover some of the later.

On the 5th the plan is to drop down well below BC making approximately a week round trip with a few nights around 11,000+ ft. Green grass, water running, birds chirping, t-shirts and lounge chairs... sounds like a dream- and we're all up for living it.

We'll be in touch tomorrow as well as during our "vacation".

All the best,
Dave

Dispatches

Vern Tejas, Willi Prittie, Dave Morton, Jose Luis Peralvo, and Lakpa Rita Sherpa will lead the Alpine Ascent team on Everest this Spring. They will attempt the standard South East ridge route.

GUIDE STAFF (BIOS)
Lakpa Rita Sherpa Senior Guide & Sirdar	Vern Tejas Senior Guide	Willi Prittie Senior Guide
Dave Morton Senior Guide	Jose Luis Peralvo Senior Guide	Ellie Henke Base Camp Manager
CLIMBERS
Nigel Clark	Esther Colwill	Ron Farb
Kevin Grant	Cathy Groninger	Kent Groninger
Mostafa Mahmoud	Jeanne Stawiecki	Dianette Strange-Wells
Tony Van Marken	David Liano	Danielle Fisher

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