Just been checking summit logs on the net for Imja, and the latest, from pre-monsoon says that 5 of the 6 Americans who tried for the top suffered from severe HACE, but all got down safely.
It's interesting really, because despite the wealth of information available about cerebral and pulmonary oedema at high altitude they appear to have tried to summit in a day, allowing little time for acclimatising, other than their walk-in, which was probably a few days out from Lukla.
The benefit of the circuitous route we are taking means that by the time we reach Imja we'll have been to 5500 metres twice, and should be in prime condition to summit.
The author of the entry I read notes that you need to be in "in great physical/athletic shape", so maybe tonight's fish supper wasn't such a great idea. That said, I'm a big fan of the great British climber Dougal Haston's theory that the walk-in is where you gain your strength and fitness for the summit. Dougal climbed Annapurna without oxygen, and summited Everest on the 'Everest the Hard Way' expedition.
So four more shifts at work, then let the packing begin.
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