First, thanks for all the comments about my father. I appreciate it. Wojciech and I woke at 5 am and headed to the heli pad to catch our chopper back to base camp. We had hiked down to Namche for the lower elevation to heal up, and that just what we did. We were recommended not to stay more than 3-4 nights max or you start losing the acclimatization you build up by being higher. So we took the “scenic” route back to basecamp.
I had never flown in a helicopter before this last October, when we used one to fly over a civil war in Papúa, Indonesia, while climbing Carstensz Pyramid. They are amazing and such a cool experience. Today was no different. We got a great view and covered 40 kilometers and more than 10,000 ft in elevation in 12 minutes, what a lifesaver. Since it took us over 5 days to hike it the first time. Below, I captured a great shot of the Khumbu Icefall this morning from the chopper!
The remaining 6 climbers of our team are booked to return tomorrow at 8 am. We are now just waiting on our skilled Sherpa team to fix the lines to the summit and a weather window to open. Once everything is a go, it will take us five days to summit, once we leave basecamp ( assuming everything goes as planned.).
The remainder of the day was spent relaxing and organizing gear. I also cleaned up my tent a bit, as it needed some cleaning. Other than that I spent the majority of the day wrapped in my sleeping bag trying to stay warm. It is amazing the difference in temperatures between Namche and Everest Basecamp!