Straight up

The wind did not relent and was blowing hard when we woke. The climb today is basically straight up from 15K to 18,500, then we go into the crater. It was very difficult hiking, as the wind would regularly blow you off balance. We would later find out this was the worst wind our guide had experienced in 10 years on the mountain. It was a long, hard day. As the oxygen got thin, so did my thoughts. I would start to have one, then it would trail off. I'd finally come back to it in 20-30 minutes. Most of the time I would breathe and step. Kim, Matt, Anhgus and I split off from the rest of the group and were led by Liberaty to Stella Point. At some point, Liberaty took my pack because my back was hurting so bad. We limped down into the crater and finally made it to camp, after about 8 hours or so. I fell asleep with a headache. When I woke and entered the dining tent, Barbara was on oxygen, and I think Jim, Kim and Nick had already been hooked up. They were also given some type of steroid for brain swelling. Great fun. I walked outside and puked. Then went immediately to Francis, who gave me something for the nausea and told me I was dehydrated. I pumped fluids all night, but didn't feel well. Then again, I did feel better than some. It was a miserable evening: cold, nauseated, and windy. On the other hand, it was beautiful, camping right next to the glaciers and drinking the water melted from them. Tomorrow, if we all live, we summit and descend. Can't wait!Read more