Location: Pheriche
Altitude: 4300m
Time: 11pm Thursday 20th May
Conditions: thunderstorms outside. Earlier today there were super strong winds up high, Mount Everest had a massive hogback over it and crucially, the jetstream has changed direction from north to south to south to north - an indication of the arrival of the monsoon. It all looks a bit suspect for all of the big teams currently up in C2 and C3 aiming for summit bids on the 22nd and 23rd of May.

Hey guys, it's Pat here, writing to you from Pheriche. We packed up BC this morning in a matter of hours and before I knew it the yaks and porters had arrived. I was quite sad to leave our home of the past six weeks, but when it I realised that our whole team of Sumit, Lakpa, Angkaji, Jangbu, Ang Gyaljen, Rabin and Mingmar were on the trail together I knew it didn't matter. On the way out we dropped in to the ER tent so I could get my altitude medicine book signed by the legendary altitude doctor Peter Hackett. Peter and the friendly other doc Steve showed us some photos of the frostbite injuries sustained on the 17th May by a few climbers and it was pretty disconcerting to see how some simple mistakes had led to these injuries.

After Gorak Shep we spread out, and I had to make some phone calls back home to get the reporters off Annie's back and so I lingered in Gorak Shep while I had phone reception. Mingmar waited for me and we then headed off down the valley once more. By now it was late afternoon and the sun was starting to perform it's evening magic on the mountains and I fell in love with the Himalaya all over again. It was the most pleasant walking I have ever done in Nepal, no other trekkers in sight and the mountains felt wild. The valley up from Pheriche to Thokla really is lovely.

Passing the chorten memorials to dead climbers at Thokla Pass was an interesting experience as I recalled seeing them on the journey in to BC way back in early April and hoping my name wouldn't end up there.

We're staying at a nice little teahouse in Pheriche which coincidently is having a puja tonight, and so we're sharing it with numerous monks, including the one who conducted our BC puja back in April.

The teahouse has a deliciously hot yak-dung stove and it was sooooo nice to sit in front of it and soak in the warmth. My feet and hands which were giving me grief today really appreciated it - especially one of my fingers which I realised has got a touch of superficial frostbite - the tip has blistered so it should be fine.

Tonight I sleep in a bed (albeit a small one, in a room made from plyboard)!

The whole media thing back home has taken me by surprise and stressed me out a little. I ended up doing a brief phone interview with ABC radio and the West. I hope they come across ok. Anyway if I can climb Mount Everest I'm sure I can handle it.

It has at last started sinking in that we climbed Mount Everest! This evening we watched the 60 minutes of footage that I shot from a headcam which I turned on at the South Summit at 8700m. It's awesome, we have great quality footage of us climbing the Hillary Step (and some guy falling down it!) and some great vision looking down the cornices of the Kanshung Face. It really is spectacular. I can't wait for you to see it. Watching the footage makes me want to climb Everest again!

orrow we'll head to Namche - keep your eye out for our summit synopsis.