Well, this happens to the best of us.  Believe me.

We moved up to Lobuche High Camp, about 1,100 feet above base camp, as planned after lunch.  Fun hike, way easier than the first time we made this same trip for acclimatization.  Camp was already set up by our amazing Sherpa team, and we settled in easily for a few hours of planned sleep before an alpine start.  It was cold, but we were more than prepared.  AND, we were treated to an incredible luxury: Snacks and dinner served to us right in our own tent!  Blake and I could hardly believe it.  Felt like climbing Kilimanjaro.   We were prepared to move to the cook tent to eat, but they insisted that it was easier for them to serve us in our tents.  Toasty warm in sleeping bags, with hot chocolate and popcorn and sherpa stew… we were ready for the summit assault and a 2:30 AM wakeup call.

There was a rumor of a small precip system moving though late in the evening, which might brush us a bit, but that is not unusual for this part of the world.  However, the weather deities had a different idea, and we got spanked with continuous snowfall starting before midnight and continuing through the next day.  This would have made for a miserable summit attempt, and one with a low chance of success.  Plus, no view from the top!  All of us agreed with our guides that descending to LBC was the better part of valor, and we did this after caching our technical gear at high camp, in anticipation of another attempt very soon once conditions are more favorable.

There is a certain MOIST misery to LBC, and we are all eager to get back up there and climb this sucker once and for all.  Meantime, there are laughs in the dining tent, new friends to meet from other sub-groups climbing with IMG, and movies to watch on my computer.

Here we explain the luxuries of life at LBC… Best in 4K.