I say, this is probably one of the nicest days in the past month, if not the nicest day we've had, for walking here at 16,000 feet.

It's been interesting with our rest and recovery period down at Deboche in the forest, comparing this spring to 2000, the trees are a good two weeks later budding out and flowering up than they were two years ago and that pretty much corresponds with our subjective viewpoint of how cold it's been; it's definitely been a late spring.

Today, unquestionably, it feels like spring as opposed to a little over a month ago when we first walked up this section and first arrived at Everest Base Camp. Everyone was pretty much in long johns and pile jackets and today I'm walking, basically, in shorts and a T-shirt here at 16,000 feet. It's an absolutely gorgeous day.

Word is on the mountain that there are three expeditions waiting at the South Col, couldn't climb today due to high winds, and another two to three expeditions advancing up to Camp III en route to the South Col. It's actually pretty hard to imagine that anybody is waiting for wind today, looking around, it's a totally spectacular day, not a cloud in the upper sky anywhere, no wind plumes anyplace at all.

But be that as it may we are not up on the mountain to judge that. And we're going to be in Base Camp today examining some weather reports and looking at things in general to determine when we are actually going to advance up from Base Camp and go toward our High Camp at the South Col, at almost 26,000 feet, for the summit.

So we'll of course keep you posted on all that. For now, we're looking forward to meeting back at Base Camp for lunch and getting things reorganized and really turning our focus on the upper mountain at this point.

So this is Willi Prittie reporting from between Lobuche and Gorak Shep and that's all for today.

— Willi Prittie, Alpine Ascents International Guide and MountainZone.com Correspondent

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