Everest Diary/Grania Willis: So, if everything has gone according to plan, we'll be leaving high camp on the north side of Everest tonight in the hope of reaching her summit tomorrow morning. But, it has to be said, I embark on this journey to the roof of the world with a degree of trepidation.
Not only is climbing the world's highest mountain, particularly from its more technical northern aspect, hugely demanding physically and mentally, it also requires a mammoth helping of luck.
Everyone who has sat at advanced base camp (ABC), waiting the endless wait for the weather window, has had to keep themselves strong. Strong physically, of course, but strong mentally as well.
We need strength in both areas if we are to succeed. Maintaining physical strength has been tough at our 6,400 metre advanced base camp as the body is gradually - and in some cases not so gradually - deteriorating at an altitude that is not a natural habitat for the human body.
Appetites wax and wane. And the coughs are constant. But we have added salt water gargles to our repertoire of home remedies.
We have continued our acclimatisation walks and climbs, which have kept our minds alert as well as our bodies. And now we are throwing ourselves into the unknown. Heading for the highest point on earth, knowing that we are literally risking life and limb in doing so.
Most of us are tempering our ambitions with caution. Akitomo Fujibyashi, one of three Japanese climbers on the Himalayan Experience (Himex) team, has no intention of putting himself at risk. "The most important thing is to come back safely," he said, as he gazed up at the plume coming off the summit.
And a Brazilian journalist I met the other day was equally pragmatic. "I'm not giving anything to the mountain," Clayton Cervantes said.
But at least two of the Himex team have voiced the opinion that they would be prepared to lose digits in their search for the grail - the summit of Everest. It's not a belief I subscribe to, but there are plenty who do.
Slovenian Marco Lihteneker died after summiting a fortnight ago (May 21st). But his companion that day, Bhutanese climber Karma Gyeltshen, was rescued in extraordinary circumstances. Both Marco and Karma had run out of oxygen about 90 minutes from the summit, but opted to continue, knowing they were putting their lives in jeopardy.
Both achieved their goal and stood for a while on the top of the world. But, even in that moment of pure pleasure, they knew they were dying.
Tragically, Marco did pay the ultimate price and died just below the summit, to become yet another statistic on Everest's gruesome roll of honour.
But Karma continued his tortuously slow descent and, just as he was about to give up both hope and life, a Korean appeared before him and told him that he had a full bottle of oxygen for him.
Karma, now dangerously hypoxic and delirious, looked around him and did indeed find a bottle, lying next to the body of a Korean who had died in his summit attempt a year ago. And, yes, the bottle was full. And, yes, it did save his life.
Such things happen on Everest. But the Everest rumour mill can create even more fantastical stories. Like the tale of French Canadian Jocelyn Dufour, who also summited on May 21th. The date was significant, as his wife back in Quebec was celebrating her birthday.
But the following day, the joy of the double celebration was wiped out when news of Jocelyn's death was posted on one of the mountaineering websites.
The report stated that Jocelyn's body had been found in a tent at the 8,300m high camp.
That body still hasn't been identified, but it certainly wasn't Jocelyn. As reports of his death were being greatly exaggerated on the web, he was struggling back down the mountain.
On his arrival back at the North Col, he borrowed the Jagged Globe expedition radio to get the message through to his Monta Rosa team - and his wife - that he was safe.
There are other feel-good stories from the mountain. Word filtered through 10 days ago to the Himex expedition leader Russell Brice at ABC that a Tibetan Sherpa had been abandoned, snow blind, at camp II by the Chinese team that had summited that day.
Two of the Himex Sherpas were immediately dispatched on a rescue mission, complete with oxygen and food. But, when they arrived at their destination, they were told by the Tibetan that he didn't need their assistance.
"Eyes broken, body strong," he said, accepting their food and oxygen but rejecting their offers of help down the mountain.
Today, we ascend in hope that our eyes will remain unbroken and our bodies and minds will be strong as we strive for the summit.
The Grania Willis Everest Challenge 2005, supported by The North Face, SORD Data Systems, Peak Centre Ireland and Great Outdoors, is in aid of the Irish Hospice Foundation and the Friends of St Luke's Hospital. Donations to the fund can be made to The Grania Willis Everest Challenge, Permanent TSB, Blackrock, Co Dublin, account number 86877341, sort code 99-06-44. Visa card donations to 01-2303009.