Currently, we are regrouping our energies in Base Camp, at 18,000ft. We spent the past week up high, willing our bodies to acclimatize and at the same time praying that the snow, and especially the wind, break soon, allowing us to mount a summit attempt.

The past two nights at Camp 2 (7050m), we were battered by constant gusts of 70-80mph, and spindrift everywhere, including inside our tents. Shoveling out the tents in the morning made for a good workout, except that at over 23,000ft you feel like a 90 year old with emphysema.

Those who didn't like the looks of the weather and stayed behind at Camp 1 were not rewarded for their cautiousness, as the wind flattened a couple of our tents there. Our team has split up into two rough groups on different schedules due to differing acclimatization periods. The first group is heading back up to Camp 1 today after three days R&R at sunny and warm Base Camp, where the cooks have been doting on them.

Hopefully, they will make steady progress and the weather will hold, especially since we still need to set up Camp 3. Our first efforts at doing so were not successful, and we had to cache some equipment there. We are holding our breath in hopes that it was not stolen, as such things are not unheard of.

Many teams have been clearing out this past week, with varying levels of success. One thing most seem to have in common is the garbage they leave behind. The ravens are everywhere, even at Camp 2, and what they don't eat gets left to the mountain. An ugly sight, and I'm sure only a few teams are responsible.

Luckily for us, our leaders, Dan and Jon, are enviro-nuts who insist on packing everything out when we're done. It's nice to be able to take the moral high ground once in a while.

We still have over two weeks left before we have to leave, so there's no hurry to the summit. Everyone is feeling better than when we first straggled into ABC, when the place looked like an outpatient clinic. We have lost five members of the team due to injury, illness, and personal reasons. That said, spirits are up, and there is still an amazing amount of civility and camaraderie at meal times, along with plenty of good stories floating about.

The team doctor, Rob Allen, has taken the old adage "physician, heal thyself" to heart, and is back to his jovial self, dishing out advice, horror stories, and single malt scotch in equal amounts. That's about all for now, maybe next time you hear from us we will all have summitted and will be feasting on yak steaks and butter tea, leaving none for the ravens.

— Mike and Chris O'Brien, MountainZone.com Correspondents