Charlotte Fox and Tim Madsen, who descended to about 14,000 due to altitude sickness, are keeping up with the pace and are not experiencing altitude sickness. Martin Adams is also doing well and Scott is hopeful that he will summit. Unfortunately, Dale Kruse, who suffered from cerebral edema the previous ascent to Camp III again experienced severe altitude sickness. His case lends credence to the fact that one can climb without altitude sickness, yet be stricken for no apparent reason on another climb. The same situation occurred on this climb with Nawang Sherpa.
Dale is in excellent condition and has a strong emotional constitution.
Obviously, this is a disappointment for Dale. Even Scott wonders about the randomness of altitude sickness. Altitude sickness is unpredictable and can turn back the most fit climbers. Scott and Neal are feeling confident about the team summiting. Scott's positive attitude and upbeat manner are well known within the community of high-altitude American climbers.