A great day for climbing, at last. We were out of the tents just after the sun broke the big freeze at Low Camp. Conditions looked much better today, so we ate breakfast, tore down the tents and hit the trail. Actually, we broke the trail, which wasn't too big a deal. The fixed ropes were under about two or three inches of hard wind blown snow. It was a long time on a steep angle but most of the way, the surface was perfect for our crampons. We worried that the wind might come up as we topped the ridge, but we cleared that area fast and escaped the big chill. Five and a half hours of hard work brought us in to beautiful "High Camp" at 7 PM. It was perfectly calm and sunny at 12,150 ft and we set to work building a comfortable and secure camp. We like this one to be secure since we are right on the edge of a dramatic and profound drop-off. One doesn't have to go but 75 feet to be staring straight down the 3000 ft to low camp. Looking out to the west is a shining sea of ice and low cloud stretching seemingly forever. We ate dinner and prepped our packs for tomorrow. It just might be our summit day. Best Regards RMI Guides Dave Hahn