Our midnight wake-up call was hot coffee brought to the tent…How nice! Instant noodles were also on the midnight menu, and something warm was greatly appreciated. It was a chilly morning as we hiked up the large scree and boulder field at the base of Island Peak. We approached the glacier around sunrise, and struggled to put on our harnesses with cold fingers and a distracting view. We joined another group from Finland and our Sherpa guides teamed-up to prepare fixed ropes at the summit. This expediated the final summit push, as we were able to Jumar (ascend) without technical climbing. (Very difficult anyway at 20,000’, by the way) Stacee, Marcie, Lexi, and Jasmina all summited Island Peak by 9am thanks to our supportive team! What an amazing view and how humbling! We sat on the top of the world’s largest anthill at 20,035 ft., surrounded by the towering Himalayas. Island Peak, or Imja Tse, sits at the feet of Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu, and AmaDablam, among other giants. We safely descended all the way down to Chukhung, where we are excited to rest and eat more delicious Dal Baht!