Day 6 - 8/15/06

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• • 7:00 am - Darol woke up this morning with his right lung ¾ full of fluid. He has to go down the mountain today and while a difficult decision it is the smartest one. Darol will have another opportunity to make the attempt. We split into two teams. Darol along with Roger, Alex and Big John will head down, while everyone else will attempt the summit.
  
  Darol’s character is without measure and he inspires not just our team and porters but every person on this mountain. At the end of this, we all take comfort in knowing that Darol’s disability is not inability. And what lead to the decision to stop the climb for him is something that can happen to anyone regardless of age, sex or physical limitations. Altitude plays no favorites.

  
  • 8:45 am - The rest of the team just took off to the summit, and will head to camp at 12, 400ft. afterwards. Darol, Roger, Alex and Big John are leaving at 9:30 for base camp at 9,400ft.

  
  • 7:00 pm - Darol, Roger, Alex and Big John have made camp at 9,400ft. and tomorrow it will be a rest day while we wait for the rest of the team to hike down. We learned that everyone else did summit and reached camp at 15,200 ft. for the night and got up safely.