Local time: 18:00 16 Nov 2007
Location: Island Peak High Camp
Altitude: 5450m
Weather: Sunny and little wind during the day. -14C overnight.

Hi, Paul B here bringing you today's update from the inside of a freezing tent at Island Peak High camp.

One more sleep
Only one more sleep now until we tackle the final 600 odd meters of Island Peak. We're all filled with the anticipation and excitement such an event brings. (No exception for Dazza who is always the little kid)

Today we had a late rise and breakfast before the packing of essentials for the short night at high camp. Then at around 12:30pm we headed off on a quick 350m climb to high camp.

High Camp
We now perched on the side of this steep mountain looking across the valley at numerous snow capped mountains and their associated glacier's. Wow!

It's now four in the afternoon as I am writing this, the sun is gone behind a ridge of Island Peak and it already feels below zero.

Our next hours will involve dinner in our tents at 6:00, then sleep ready for our 3:00 am rise. All going well, after an hour of preparation we will head off at 4:00am on our climb.

Summit time
Our climb to the summit should take us around 5 hours. We will first continue across the rocky ground we have become very accustomed to here in Nepal. Then we will soon hit the snow line were we will have to attach our crampons to our snow boots for the remainder of the climb. This will involve steep ice walls, glacier crossing and a long ridge walk to reach the summit.

We hope to make the summit at around 8-9 am Nepal time (2-3 am London time or 1-2 pm Aus time). If the weather is anything like it has been in the last week we will be spending more than an hour on the summit taking plenty of photos and video and just taking in the scenery.

We will also attempt a voice post similar to that we did on the Cho La Pass when we reach the summit.

Then a relatively quick decent and lunch back at Base Camp to recover and reflect on our experience.

Dave will bring you all the details of actual events tomorrow evening.

This may be the last update from me (more from the other guys) as we head back to Kathmandu then our respective realities soon.

Cheers
Paul B

Your Messages
Mum & Rob
Thanks for the messages. The excitement is here and we are as ready as we possibly could be. With great planning and preperation its time to take the final steps to complete this journey.
Chat Soon. Love Dave

Erin Bruhn
Hey Georgeous, Thanks for your encouraging words and constant support. Paul B is ready for the next hardest thing he has ever done. I am feeling much better after seeing the doctor in Periche. Everyone has a head cold of varying degrees. But head cold or not....One last climb to go.
Great work on the business and as always I love and miss you very much.
Love Always `Dave.

Hi Kade, not sure what the conditions are like when you were here, but it sure is cold now. All the nearby rivers & lakes are frozen. There is no wind now as I write this (17:45), so it's looking up for good summit attempt.
Cheers, Paul

Hi Mick S, Thanks for the message and hopefully we can have the same success as you. We had to climb about 15 minutes for water, but we found some that was free flowing in the afternoon sun. Paul A.

Hi Marg, Thanks for your message. Looking forward to some warm weather back home. Love Paul A.

Hi Isa
Thanks for your message. As I'm writing Im sitting in my sleeping bag, nice and warm...we just had some spaghetti with tomato sauce and grated Nak cheese.We will start the climb at 4am Nepalese time, which is in about 10 hours from now.Missing you all...see you soon
Cas