Got word from Lei today.  They have been stuck at camp 3 for a couple of days now, waiting for the chance to move up to high camp.  She caught a cold from the guy on her team who has been sick the entire time (see the guiding company’s blog), but escaped with only a few days of symptoms:  runny nose for a day, scratchy throat for a day, and a slight cough.  Otherwise, healthy and strong!  In fact, she reports that she is nowhere near the weakest link in her team.  It is some of the bigger men who call for breaks or for the team to slow down.  Some do not show to much familiarity with crampons or walking in deep snow, and she is a little worried that they may cause problems on summit day.

Asside from avoiding germs, the team is waiting for good weather to move up.  With the time lost in getting to the glacier and the two days stuck at camp 3, Lei is a little worried about getting the chance to summit.  If it doesn’t come with this group, she plans to stay on with the next group so that she can bag this peak.