The team ... at 13,500 feet.

​After a great nights sleep (it was right around freezing), we awoke to a beautiful clear morning.
 
The morning was not so beautiful for one of our team members, Jordan, who suffered a rib injury. It got worse during our hike yesterday, and he was helicoptered our this morning.
 
That leaves 7 of us - Robert, who has summitted Everest and is an accomplished climber, Dylan and Ashleigh, a married couple who are geologists, Richard, a lawyer from Washington DC, and us three flatlanders.
 
After Jordan’s departure, we hiked up the valley until we hit an altitude of 13,500 feet - the day was absolutely perfect, and we got a clear look at the big mountains. The trails are relatively empty - we are sharing the tea house with Russians, Dutch and American climbers.
 
It looks like we have a strong team - everyone is doing well.
 
Tomorrow we are off to Thagnak, at 14,200 feet. We will be staying there for three nights, and taking some great acclimatization walks.