Sitting Pretty at Camp I

Wes and Dan are at Camp I (16,200 feet). They climbed up there yesterday. They retrieved their cache and everything was intact. It took about four hours to get there. Wes said it was warm and clear yesterday. They set up camp and then relaxed for the rest of the day. There about the same number of people at this camp as there were at Plaza Argentina. Today they had a modified "rest" day by climbing up to Camp II at 19,028 feet. Wes said they got a pretty good campsite at Camp II. They cached half their gear inside a couple of duffle bags and covered them with rocks. It took almost five hours to get to Camp II. Around 18,000 feet it started to get windy and began to lightly snow so they hid behind a rock to get out of the wind. They took a break and had something to eat. They had to put on another layer of clothing - their warmer jackets and pants. They were both pretty tired when they got back to Camp I. Tomorrow the plan is to either stay at Camp I or they may move up to 17,700 which is the Ameghino Col Camp. They initially were going to bypass this camp and move directly to Camp II but have decided that they may stay one night at the Col Camp. It is snowing right now. They have received about three inches of snow today. There are ice crystals inside the tent. Dan and Wes had one of their freeze dried meals for dinner. They had to eat inside the tent since it was so cold outside. Either yesterday or today they watched the recovery of the German climber. Two rangers were up at Camp II and lowered his body down to two waiting rangers who had a Stokes basket. His body is about 200 yards from the guys' tent resting on a knoll. He will probably be helicoptered out tomorrow. Both guys are still feeling great!