Another update

We heard from Bruce again last night. They had returned from their second acclimation climb of Lobuche Peak. They spent the night on the summit this time, and from their camp site they had this awesome view of Everest. Bruce took this picture at sunset.

I was actually a little surprised at the lack of snow at the top of the mountain, but Greg tells me the wind almost always scours it clean of snow at the very top. Their route will go up the skyline that you can see on the right, most of which is hidden by the mountain in the foreground.

Bruce says he feels great and is acclimating well. The first time they climbed Lobuche, they weren't carrying any weight, and yet it still felt like an effort. This second time, because were spending the night on the summit, they had to carry their gear (tents, sleeping bags, food, etc.) Even though he was carrying a fair amount of weight, he said the climb felt easier this time, so he's adjusting to the altitude. They'll have a couple of days rest now at base camp, and then he thinks they'll start acclimating on Everest itself. They don't have a specific schedule yet, but will most likely go up to camp two, spend a couple of nights, come back to base camp, rest a bit, go up to camp three, spend a night, then back to camp two, spend a couple of nights -- that sort of thing. He'll let me know more specifically in his next phone call.

He said the weather has been absolutely perfect the entire month of April. It's in the 50's and 60's during the day, and although it usually clouds up and gets a little unsettled at about sunset, there has been none of that. Hope that continues for another few weeks!