Hello from Camp Two! We survived the man-eating crevasses and swaying ladder bridges through the Khumbu Ice Fall and arrived to Camp 1 without a hitch despite the snow and wind. After a night of acclimatization, we forged on to Camp Two. The hike from Camp 1 to Camp 2 was slow and treacherous due to the scorching sun reflecting from the surrounding peak, as well as the dangerous crevasses, many of which were hidden by last night's snowfall. Even though we couldn't see them, we knew they were there and therefore had to be much more cautious with each step.

After a day of acclimatizing in Camp 2, Gary Scott headed up the Lhotse Face to Camp 3. Due to the weather conditions, he dodged rocks and ice pieces that whizzed past his head the whole way up. He made it safely, stayed a few hours and returned to Camp 2 to sleep for the night. I'll head back up to Camp 3 with Gary S. in the next day or two and we both will spend 1-2 nights acclimatizing there - Keep all fingers crossed for good weather. Wind speed at these heights can reach 90 miles per hour and temperatures well below zero. - Gary Guller

Back at Base Camp, life was pretty quiet until the arrival of the generator: We have power! Thanks to Chad Pritchett and Dolores Kane we are in the dining tent, charging and recharging everything! Some of the climbing Sherpa have returned to BC for some rest days. They will rest tomorrow and then return to Camp 2 and 3 with much needed supplies and rations. It was wonderful to see them all return safely and share the stories of camp life high on the mountain. We had another Sherpa language lesson, this time on body parts: eyes: mik,nose:no, mouth: kha, ears:namjuk, teeth:sa, hands:lakpa, feet:kangba, arms:pumu, legs:pila, fingers:teptuk. Keep those Sherpa dictionaries updated!

Because the weather was warm and sunny at Base Camp today, we washed clothes, took showers (for the first time in five days!) and aired out sleeping bags and tents. It is amazing how life is controlled by the weather here!! - Christine Kane

With each ladder we cross and rope we climb, the message of the Team Everest '03 Expedition reaches new heights. Other climbers and expeditions on the mountain have become aware of our message and we receive visitors to our camp from all over the globe to congratulate us and wish us luck for success on all levels.

A quick hello and thanks to all of Janis Tupesis' colleagues at the University of Chicago Hospital! Christine Kane sends a shout out to all the students and staff at TSD, as well as her awesome family and friends - Keep the emails coming up, You guys rock! Chad, the news about the generator was just too much! To all the sponsors and supporters of Team Everest '03, as well as the people at CTD, please know that we couldn't accomplish any of this without you! And last, but certainly not least to all the Challenge Trek members who are home, warm and comfortable - WE WISH YOU WERE HERE!!! - Summit Team