Under the 8,000 foot Southwest Face of Everest

GreatOutdoors, this is Dave Hahn, I'm at advance base camp, 21,300 feet. It's about 7:30 in the evening, so it's pitch dark out right. Still kind of a thrill standing up here at the head of the Western Cwm under the Southwest Face of Everest. Just bizarre, as many times as I've seen it, it's just an incredible wall, looking up 8000 feet up to the summit of Everest, trying to imagine the British climbers in the 70s and the Russian climbers doing the Southwest Face of Everest. And of course the big view of Lhotse and Nuptse . . . the horse shoe. Nice night. . . stars. Nicky Messner and I just had a rest day, went from having advance base pretty much to ourselves to a large number of our climbing team came up to join us, so 15 climbing members and 16 Sherpas tonight so it turned into a party atmosphere, fun talking with the Sherpas and listening to them sing at dinner, feeling the camaraderie up here. Not too much going on otherwise. Our Sherpas carried loads the last three days from Base Camp all the way to Advance Base Camp and . . . tomorrow. Nicky and I will head down early in the morning tomorrow hope to be in base camp by mid day, that'll be nice, wash up, take a shower as it were. That will be six days on the mountain. And so far it been a tour for us, so we'll have to watch our step getting down to base.