Hello in cyberland,
It's 5:00 pm, and almost as expected, it ain't over yet. Here's where we stand: Willi and Jeff arrived back at Camp IV at 11:45 (half an hour before the rest of the group was arriving at the summit). The rest of the group has been working their way back down the mountain following the summit, and when I spoke to Willi at 4:30 he said that most of them were at the bottom of the fixed lines and should arrive at camp within the next hour or so (about the time predicted). Some of them were apparently running short on oxygen, so Dorjee was taking a few bottles out to them.
As of 4:30 Paul, Luis, Lakpa, Kami, and Pemba Tenzing were still up around the level of the balcony. Lakpa reports that Paul is ok, but exhausted and moving very, very slowly. At this point we don't have an expected time of arrival for them, but we're expecting that it will be after dark. Paul is accompanied by the best folks around, and we are expecting that they will be able to keep him moving for a late arrival at Camp IV.
Meanwhile, here at Base Camp, I am once again slipping into my down pants and parka and preparing to sit by the radio for a while longer until everyone is safely down. I may have to go in search of a hot water bottle to slip onto my stomach pretty soon - an excellent source of warmth when the going gets chilly.
I'll be on again in a few hours for an update.
— Ellie Henke, Alpine Ascents International Guide and MountainZone.com Correspondent