July 26th
Rest Day at Camp 3.5
I was grateful for the rest day. It seems that having a full day to hydrate and eat before the summit push works well for me. While some climbers struggle to rest or sleep at these high altitudes, believing that the rest day diminishes their strength, I, on the other hand, find the downtime quite tolerable. I drift in and out of a sleep-like state filled with vivid dreams, aided by the fact that I am utilizing 0.5 liters per minute of oxygen, which significantly improves the body’s ability to recover. For people attempting 8000-meter peaks without oxygen it does not make sense to spend a full day resting since without oxygen the body can’t recover in the death zone.
While I enjoyed the break, our Sherpa team had no respite as they had to descend below C3 to retrieve our cached oxygen. Their dedication and capability were truly impressive, and I cherished the temporary solitude in the tent.
Once the Sherpas returned, we started speculating as to whether we would leave for the summit later that night. It was still snowing and the rope fixing team was down below us at the standard C3. People at BC were speculating that too much snow & not enough manpower. Despite the uncertainty, I had gotten all my gear prepared as if we would be leaving in several hours. I went to sleep with unsettling uncertainty.
