The morning was absolutely beautiful as we started out of camp for our trek to Lobuche. After a fairly cold night we were soon shedding layers. I can not find the words to describe the vistas in every direction. We are surrounded by peaks that tower above the highest peaks on every other continent. Massive glaciers feed the Dudi Koshi river which eventually empties into the Ganges many miles and thousands of vertical feet lower. This is a land of extremes in weather, terrain and people. We suffered our first person having to turn back today. Richard from Cleveland who was trekking with us and hoping to climb Island Peak began feeling like he was having trouble breathing and was taken back to Pheriche to the clinic we visited yesterday. When his symptoms persisted they recommended he go down. Another of our climbers also had to go back to the clinic but she should be rejoining the group today in Lobuche. The move from 14,000 to 16,000 is always a very tough move physiologically and yesterday was no exception. For most of the trekkers this is higher than they have ever been. It seems however that Lobuche is the hump. For those that make it hear and sleep at all they can make it the final two easy travel days to base camp. For me I will not began setting personal height records for another couple of weeks. But it is still very high. One of the most telling signs of overall health at altitude is the ability to sleep. No one sleeps well here but if you can’t sleep that is a very good sign that you are not acclimatizing well. Because of the cold and the limited electricity for lighting most of the 12 hours of darkness are spent in the warmest place there is on the mountain – your sleeping bag. Most people use headlamps to read or MP3 players to listen to music. I do both but the nights can still be very long. It is normal to stay in the bag until the sun hits the tent. Seasons, weather and the sun especially rule your daily life. It still amazes me how you can be freezing one minutes and an hour later baking. That’s life close to the sun.