We re-crossed Lobuche pass and stopped on the way down at Lobuche for a quick lunch (with my altitude and sickness-addled brain it took most of lunch to realize we had been there before). We set back out in the snow, and reached Pheriche in the late afternoon. This was to have been one of our shortest days in good weather, but it was a high exertion day. I felt so bad I could think of nothing other than getting this day over with and was the first to arrive. Took a shower, and crawled into the sleeping bag before dinner. Too bad there was a full bar at the tea house that we never touched.

Katie was there, looking and feeling great. Amazing what a couple of thousand feet descent can do for the body. Except that it didn’t do anything for mine that night.

By the next morning the storm had blown through and we were treated to another spectacular mountain view. Right after breakfast, Andy’s helo arrived and soon he and Abby were airborne to Kathmandu and some medical attention.