Last night at 6:30 in the evening, Team Shishapangma was still on the move, descending a barely visible trail etched into the ancient glacial moraine by only a few dozen boots going up and down with hopes of establishing camps on the higher slopes of this snowy mass. Clearly this footpath changes each year after the passing of the monsoon rains so we were again proven how generous and selfless our Sherpa team is when Furba and Pemba Sherpa met us more than two miles from camp with warm drinks and happy smiles. We had been away from base camp for more than three days and they were eager to greet us. The remaining walk was in the dark guessing where the trail led which our Sherpas, with most things mountain related, were better at than us. We devoured dinner and shortly after sleep devoured us. This morning, Sunday the 18th of September greeted us like most others have. The sun hits us at 7:30, the sounds of Aital and Purna our righteous cooks firing up the kitchen, echoing off the rocky hillside behind us, our neighbor's camp coming to life. But these common place things are now accompanied by a new set of sounds. A chorus of coughs, hacks, and other phlegm related guttural noises are reminding us constantly how the unforgiving altitude we are living at is tightening its grip. Life at base camp is the best we have but at 18,500 feet it is still a challenge. So we were all grateful that today the most difficult thing we needed to do was drink coffee, clean some clothes, and listen to the Mark Wilkins school of business. Rest days are quickly becoming a hard earned and well deserved reward. The rotations coming up are only going to get higher, colder and longer so we will enjoy base camp as much as we can. Everyone is dreaming of home and wishing all following along lots of love. RMI Guide Elias de Andres Martos