At 4600m this is a rather bleak but majestic spot. At night a cold wind often blows. There is no water nearby and porters will have to carry all the water required up to here - hard work! If you arrive from Barranco you will be here in the mid afternoon at earliest. If you have just come from Karanga you can make it for lunch, so now you have a good few hours to "rest" before getting up in the middle of the night for the final ascent.

Drink as much as you can the evening before. Get your blood thin so it can flow round your body more easily. If your doctor approves take Diamox in the evening or earlier if you have the slightest feelings of nausea or headaches.