The past several days have been spent sitting out this storm. This is very unusual for this time of year. Usually this kind of weather does not start until the monsoon gets here in late May or early June. That ends the climbing season on Everest, as the slopes become too treacherous with snow accumulations to be safe. Typically the first summit days will fall in early to mid May. We will start monitoring the weather on a daily basis beginning Monday. At this point it is important to get our final two rotations through including a night at camp three on the Lhotse Face at about 24,000. Some climbers take a week after that and go a long day’s journey to Dingbouche where there are trees and thicker air. They hope to spend a few days recharging before the final summit push. The downside is you are susceptible to catching something from the trekkers and other people you come in contact with. There are frequent trekkers coming through base camp now just to see what it is like. Our expedition has a policy that they can not come in the mess tent. If you know someone you visit outside. As you can imagine people who have finally gotten over most of their ailments do not want to start that process again. Today I got to take a hot shower – sort of. Some of the kitchen staff carry water up to a barrel on a hill. It runs down a long tube to a propane fired hot water heater and then into the little shower tent we have set up. It actually works quite well although water pressure is pretty low. It was a good day to take inventory. I have a sore throat I can’t shake. It has caused me some problems with my ears not equalizing but the doctors at the Himalayan Rescue Association gave me some medicine for it. The HRA is a team of doctors who set up a clinic in base camp each year. Our expedition paid them a fee per climber for unlimited consultations. And our group has definitely been down there a lot. Luanne Freer, M.D. who is probably one of the foremost experts on high altitude medicine, heads the operation. They have their own web site basecampmd.com which is quite interesting. I have a couple of fingertips that I have bruised on the ropes. It is surprising how much that can hurt. I have one toe I hurt kicking in steps in the ice as well but it isn’t much of a problem. I have lost a little weight but not much. All things considered I am in better shape than most and have been higher. So I haven’t anything to complain about especially if I can get rid of this sore throat. With these loaded slopes I think it is too dangerous to move higher so we will stay here a few