An amazing thing happened on our hike today.

On the way to Lobuche (last stop before EBC) we passed an area with several memorials dedicated to those who have died on the trek. I was shocked when I recognised one of the names on a memorial. Trevor Stokol, a guy I went to high school in Idaho with. I didn't know him well as he graduated only a few months after I arrived. But I knew of him really well as his parents were close to mine (he was also from Texas). He died here in 2005 and I remember when it happened. I was traveling in South America at the time and my parents emailed me to let me know. Seeing his memorial was sad. A man who lived life to the fullest, and though passed doing what he loved, his life was far too short. Having seen my parents lose a son, I am saddened thinking of what Trevor's parents had to go through, and continue to go through. I was really glad to have seen the memorial and grateful I am here walking in his shoes.

We had a long hard day. We have now elevated 1200 meters in two days and I feel like sh*t. My head hurts and I am nauseated. Tomorrow we go up another 600m to Everest Base Camp. I hope I feel better soon.

Aside from feeling crap the day was actually great. We hiked in the sunshine, not a cloud in the sky. And we are staying at a great tea house--in that the toilet is inside, common dining room warm, and beautiful views from the bed.

We made friends also, which made the afternoon pass quickly. Elicia (not Alicia as previously spelled) is here (my Aussie mate from Wollongong) and we also met and chatted and laughed with Maggie and Erin, two physician assistants from NYC. It made the headache and nausea a bit more bearable, and the afternoon go by in a flash. Elicia brought a pulse oximeter and we had good fun with that. At 4910 meters my oxygen saturation sat around 79-82% and my pulse was sitting around 90bpm.

Tomorrow we will head to Gorak Shep, the main destination of our trek. From there we make a day trip up to Kala Pattar and then the following day to Everest Base Camp. Hope the weather holds up!