Good Morning everybody there at Mountain Zone! This is Willi Pirttie reporting from Pheriche for the 2003 Mount Everest Expedition for Alpine Ascents. We started what we call out drop back yesterday. We're on our way down to Dingboche at just over 12,000 feet down in the forest so we can recover. The whole purpose of a drawback is to try and recover from the incredible stresses of high–altitude climbing. It's very hard on everybody physically to be climbing and finishing the acclimatization process. So by dropping back to a lower elevation we can recover physically by eating very well and by sleeping very well. These are important parts that are very hard to do up high, especially as you spend more time higher up on the mountain.
You recover psychologically because it's a world of difference to be down in the world of green growing things – forest and animals and birds – again. It really helps to sustain your effort later on, on the mountain. And the third thing I also think is very important is a spiritual recovery from being high on the mountain. And that varies quite a bit from individual to individual. Obviously, Nepal, being a Buddhist Country here in the hills with the Sherpa culture, the spiritual value and the spiritual aspect of climbing are very important and I think that's something that all Westerners need to think on a little bit, too. To ensure they have the proper attitude to coming to these mountains.
So, that is our entire purpose for this drop back. To recover, to rebuild our ambition, our strength, all those sorts of things, and to prepare for the final challenge ahead, which of course will be climbing to the summit of Mount Everest, we
— Willi Prittie, Alpine Ascents International Guide and MountainZone.com Correspondent