C3 Then Back To C2

Still haven't talked to Dave, but Chaci and Prairie have communicated in short bursts with Brandon and Larry.  They have a cool device called "In Reach" which basically gives you satellite wifi.  They can only send a few lines but it's nice to stay in touch.  They have a spot tracker where you can also track their progress.  It's really cool and updates about every 10 minutes when they are on the move.  

I also wanted to post a really cool website that a few people have sent me, which lets you see 360 degrees from the many spots including the summit of Everest in a virtual reality type experience.  You can follow along the journey of a group of climbers.  It was awesome to be able to get a small idea of what they are seeing and experiencing.  You can watch it here.

From what I can piece together the camps they have been at are moderately established. Tents, an outhouse that is over a crevasse etc.  There are usually mess tents and the Sherpa's do all the cooking.  Camp 2 seemed like a nicer camp.  One of the challenges up there is not to overheat or freeze- at times there is risk of both.  Also, it is just so dry you have to do whatever you can to keep your throat from drying out.  Making it up to touch camp 3 was a challenge.  It's 23,500 feet.  Next time they get there, they will get on oxygen and remain on oxygen until after the summit.

According to plan, they will be back to basecamp tomorrow and will take anywhere from 3-8 rest days depending on what they need and also the weather.  Pray for a nice long summit window so everyone gets an opportunity and it will reduce crowds.  If there is only a short window, it means everyone tries to summit on the same day.  With any luck we will see our first summits by Sherpas within the next few days.  At that point, the fixed ropes will be all the way up to the summit and the route will be established for the climbers to begin their summit attempts.

Climb on!