Reaching Beyond the Clouds

Camp 4 (26,000 ft) holding CSUF banner and oxygen bottles behind me.

I will be home by Monday afternoon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After being away for two months, I cannot describe what it is like to know that in 36 hours I will be home.

Thank you for all of your comments: They have helped me stay connected with home and friends.

I will try and get the event-outline completed while flying home but I have to say that my energy level is still unusually low. I have been told by other summiters that they feel the same: weak. I weighted myself and was not surprised to see that I have lost over 10% of my body weight. It is said that on summit day alone the average climber burns 10,000 to 15,000 calories which if you consider that it took us 18.5 hours (I am guessing there were close to 100 people trying to summit: very crowded) to climb from Camp 4 to the summit and back to Camp 4 (starting at 26,000 ft). On summit day you do not stop and rest. The only breaks you get are when your oxygen bottle is changed and then you have time to drink a little and eat a few bites. Anyway, more details to come.