(Click on pictures to enlarge)

Greatest Disappointment
Not being as physically fit as I wanted to be -- very noticeable when climbing Namche Hill, our first 3000 ft. ascent.

Greatest WOW!
My first sighting of Mt. Everest.

Greatest Idea (not mine)
Filling my water bottles with boiling water after dinner (boiling is used for purification purposes) and throwing them into the bottom of my very cold sleeping bag.

Greatest Satisfaction
Giving my spare pair of boots to a young sherpa in our group who is carrying 60+ pounds up the rocky trail in his bare feet.

Biggest Bombshell
It's not how many miles we walk today but that we go down 2,200 ft. and then up 3,800 ft.!

Greatest Frustration
A broken zipper on my sleeping bag that makes for a very cold, uncomfortable night.

Greatest Annoyance
Acquiring the "Khumbu cough."

Greatest Lesson
"Cotton kills." All cotton shirts, underwear, and towels will only freeze -- never dry out. Polypropylene is the key.

Greatest Treat
"Bed tea." At 6:30 a.m. sherpas serve tea and hot washing water at my tent.

Biggest Surprise
Waking up at 3:00 a.m. to depart for Everest Base Camp only to discover that, at 9 degrees below zero in my tent, my contact lenses are frozen solid in their case.

Most Astounding
That this trip is changing many aspects of my personal and professional life forever.

Most Exhausting Day
Leaving for Everest Base Camp at 4:00 a.m., headlamp on, and returning at 7:30 p.m. -- 15-1/2 hours later, headlamp on.

Greatest Challenge
Climbing Kala Pattar, an 18,500 ft. mountain, to view Mt. Everest, stopping every 20 seconds to spend 40 seconds catching my breath.

Greatest Concern
Completely losing the feeling in the tips of my toes and fingers.

Greatest Shock
When one of my hot water bottles, improperly capped, leaks in the bottom of my sleeping bag at a very cold 16,000 ft. altitude.

Greatest Scare
A frightening day struggling with extreme dizziness at high altitude on a very narrow, dangerously exposed (10,000+ ft. drop) trail. 

Greatest Accomplishment
That I walked 116 miles in 87-1/2 hours.

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