Left Lobuche at 6.40am after a large breakfast. Fairly level walking but heavy breathing anyway. Heartbeat really pounding, could hear it in the back of my head. Going up a steep rise had to be taken at a snail’s pace. Then over a rocky moraine. Fine views of mountains all around – great weather.

Passed Gorak shep (a single teahouse) after 2 hours. Ascending Kala Pattar (black rock) – actually the end ridge of Pumori – I had to rest often. Saw Rick on a lower level of the ridge, followed others to the summit, only just making it, 5,540m, or 18,500ft. 

Actually its now recorded at 5,643m. A local dog followed me to the top – you can see it in the picture at the lower left. I now have a (14 year old) Border Collie that I’ve named Tenzing.

Extremely windy and cold. However,  a great view of Everest, a gigantic black rock, virtually no snow. The huge jagged Khumbu icefall reached down to bace camp where a joint Japanese/Korean expedition is in progress.