Action stations

A frenetic day of testing. Kay and Denny nearly slash their wrists over CPX. The machines are excellent, but really struggle to hold their calibration as ambient temperatures rise wildly first thing in the morning. Twice, power cuts out mid-test. Nonetheless, they manage a staggering eleven tests today! Meanwhile, I am echo scanning hearts? and Mike S and the twins are measuring body composition. Despite eating like yaks, most of us are amused to find ourselves slimmer: most have lost about 4kg in weight. We debate the causes. Not diarrhea or obvious malabsorption.. not lack of intake?.. We are more active, but not seemingly that much. But then, this ia just one of the questions which Xtreme Everest hopes to answer in part?.

We finally finish experiments at about 19.00hrs- in time to see another patient with sickness from another team. Denny sees all visiting medical problems - without such a plan, fifteen doctors would all be fighting over the patient!

Cards follows supper, and Mac breaks his recent winning streak. We retire to bed. Despite our thermometers saying that it is only -6C in our tents, we struggle to believe it. It takes a full 30 minutes before my sleeping bag seems warm enough, and I slip into a deep sleep.

Story by Hugh Montgomery