Hello there cybernauts at Mountain Zone, this is Vern Tejas with Alpine Ascents' Team Giant Lobelia! [laughs in background]

Hey gang, today we went up high, we went up to 14,000 feet and into the high-alpine desert that surrounds the summit of the mountain. It was dry. Many of us were using the positive pressure technique that have gotten us through so much, but guess what, it's starting to get thin up at 14,000 feet.

So we dropped down after a hearty lunch, back down to a valley on the south side of the mountain underneath the glacier. We have glaciers hanging over our heads now off the summit; beautiful, beautiful, spectacular area.

And as we descended we descended through a forest of of giant lobelias and senecios, giant senecios, they're giant plants that kind of look sort of like saguaro cactus on steroids; they've got leaves coming out all over them and the leaves actually act as insulation, they hang onto the stem and surround it with maybe about four inches of insulation to keep the plants from getting too cold at night as it drops below zero here.

So, here we are set up in a giant canyon known as Barranco. It's a beautiful place; the stars are coming up. Last night we were fortunate enough to see the Southern Cross for the first time, a wonderful constellation in the southern sky indicating where the South Pole star should be if there were one.

So that should pretty much bring you up to speed where we're at. The weather's been wonderful. People's spirits are quite high. Everyone seems to be acclimatizing, some more than others, but we definitely look like we're getting over the hump of it. So thank you for staying tuned and we'd like to do a few postscripts.

First, a little correction by Tim. He says, hi Molly Dolly. I think what he meant to say was that he really, really was saving the best for last. And Sam says he's alive and kicking and he wants to send his love to his roommate Beth on their four-month anniversary. Hi to Cindy Bell, Ina, Chip, Tracy and Jason and he knows that Beth is the one hiding his dip cup. Okay, a little cryptic there, but we appreciate it. Kurt says hello to Wells Fargo coworkers. He's having a great time here in the Southern Hemisphere and is enjoying his climb.

And we also want to say hi to Claire from George. Okay, that's all for now. Take care, bye.

— Vern Tejas, Alpine Ascents International Guide and MountainZone.com Correspondent