Day 4

Well that was tough. Very tough! We are all at camp, pretty exhausted though we all remain standing!

The day began with an early morning call at 6am with breakfast at 7am. By then everyone had to be washed, packed and ready to go. The weather was sunny but again overnight the temperature had fallen to well below freezing leaving everyone's tent very damp.

Most people got a few hours sleep though for many (including yours truly) just a couple of hours.

The morning views of the summit and the clouds (now well below us) were magnificent.

We set off in bright warm sunshine and climbed steadily to 15,200 feet which was some climb! As we ascended each step became harder and harder and most of the group developed noticeable headaches. Lisa, Allyson and Shannon were particularly affected - but for friends and family of theirs this is not a concern. It is usual for ladies to acclimatise quicker than men (more oestrogen in their bodies) and this, when passed is usually a very good sign. The men have theirs to come!

After reaching 15,000 feet we had lunch close to the famous Lava Tower and by then we were shrouded in very cold mist.

After lunch we descended back down to 13,500 feet to the barranco wall camp. The weather is cold but the scenery beautiful.

Everyone is shattered after a gruelling 8 hour day and resting now before we climb the barranco wall tomorrow.

Tomorrow night (Tuesday) is our last sleep before we travel on Wednesday to vase camp and attempt to summit Wednesday night.

The team is in good spirits - but everyone is very well aware how difficult a challenge this is!

TTFN

Sent from Nigel Payne's iPhone