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It was really a perfect day for walking. The rhododendrons are starting to bloom on the way up so we had that on our right and the smiling kids running up and down the trail on the left. And as usual, we lunched by the river before the big climb up to Namche. But the group is doing great, and the whole group made it up no problem.

A lot of the bridges on the way up have been rebuilt. They used to be old, wood bridges, but a lot of German and American money has come in to rebuild them so it's a lot easier crossing especially when the yaks are headed right your way.

We made it up here about three in the afternoon, so we had time to actually kind of shower and do a little laundry and just enjoy the views before the clouds rolled in. We're staying at the famed Panorama Hotel, which is high above Namche. Namche is kind of a beautiful town situated in a bowl so we're sort of at the top of the bowl looking down at all the colored rooftops.

So we got here, like I said, in the early afternoon, spent some time outside, and just finished dinner. We had dinner with another Everest guide, Andy Lock, so we got to share stories. And things are progressing nicely at the Panorama. It's sort of a famed hotel for climbers. Everybody passes through, spends a night here.

And things are good here at the Panorama — the large cow had a small baby, so that's running around. And last night we got to — Todd and I — got to catch up, talk to old friends Lhakpa, Dawa, and Ong Chu — the first time we've really got to sit around and chew the fat as they say. So things are looking good. We're going to have a rest day here tomorrow. We'll have everybody acclimatized, and then head to Thame the following day.

We'll give you a call tomorrow evening and let you know what's going on, but all is going well, and in final words, I'd like to say hello to my young friend, Jesse, back in Seattle. Take care and bye.

—Gordon Janow, Trek Leader

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