Making progress - Camps 2 and 3. Brett faces difficult decision while team continues higher.

May 14 - Duke and I at Camp 2 (21,000 feet) - a successful acclimatization rotation before heading back down through the Khumbu ice fall to base camp.

May 15 - Learning the ins and outs of using oxygen tanks and regulators - a week before our May 23 summit bid.

May 18 - Brett made the correct decision to evacuate from Camp 2 to Kathmandu - as he was battling pneumonia and HAPE (high altitude pulmonary edema). We were all beginning to suffer from various degrees of altitude sickness!

May 18 - Brett boarded a helicopter from Camp 2 for a direct flight to Lukla airport and then on to Kathmandu to seek medical attention.

May 19 Camp 2 dining tent - It was a mixture of feeling miserable and the excitement of looking for a favorable weather window for a shot at the summit. I can assure you that everyone was exhausted and testing personal limits.

May 19 - looking up from Camp 2 to Camp 3 and the Lhotse peak (Everest is out of view beyond the top left corner of this picture). Lhotse is the 4th highest mountain in the world at 27,940 feet.

This is a zoomed in picture of Camp 3 - taken from Camp 2. It was about a 6 hour climb....suffering all the way.

May 20 - getting closer to Camp 3 (approximately 24,000 feet). And using oxygen for the first time on the climb....providing a huge boost to morale. HOWEVER, I was struggling with a severe chest cold, a sore throat, and persistent dehydration.