It was a great day for upward progress as the wind finally relented. Under clear, sunny skies we left Camp 2 and pushed up the Lhotse face. This face of ice, rock and snow stretches over 3500 feet at angles of 40 to 50 degrees with the occasional steeper bulge. This steep face requires a different climbing technique putting us onto the front points of our crampons— kicking them into the hard blue ice to get purchase. Climbing this face to camp 3 is another one of the obstacles all climbers must conquer on their quest to climb Mt. Everest. Today we broke through 22,000 feet on the face on our way to camp 3 when Amit developed some neck and back pain. At this point in the trip, our primary concern is acclimatization. Every exposure to the thin altitude will help our chances on the summit push. Better to keep our climbers in good physical condition, so we decided to return to camp 2 where we will spend the night. Tomorrow our group heads back to Base Camp on the Khumbu glacier where the food, warmth, comfortable tents and thick oxygen will feel like paradise after our time spent above 21,000 feet.