19 April 2008 4:00 am EST. Update by Keith Cowing.

I just got a satellite phone call from Scott Parazynski at Everest base Camp. He was expecting to leave a voice mail when I picked up the phone. We had a short chat during which he updated me on his stay.

Scott and his team have been at Everest Base Camp at an elevation of 5,380 meters (17,700 ft) on the south side of Mt. Everest in Nepal for a week now.

He sounded really good and said that "everyone is doing well and in excellent spirits" but noted that "at this point a little of the loneliness is starting to set in" in terms of friends and family and that in this regard he "now feels a kinship with my friends on-orbit".

Scott also noted that he is feeling somewhat cut off from the rest of the world and that he is "out of the loop in terms of the presidential primaries, NBA playoffs, and Britney Spears".

Today he and his climbing team will be heading up to Camp 1 which is located at 6,065 meters (19,900 feet) where they will stay for three days. This is all part of the gradual process whereby he will acclimatize his body to work at higher and higher altitudes. This process assures that climbers will be at maximum capacity when it is time to make the push for the summit.

During their stay at Camp 1 they will make a day hike even higher up to Camp 2 also known as Advanced Base Camp (ABC) which is located at 6,500 meters (21,300 feet). They will then head back down to Everest Base Camp and rest for a few days before doing this again.

Of course, throughout the day's treks up and down there is the magnificent scenery. "This place is so photogenic. You cannot take a bad picture" he said.

In closing Scott repeated to me that he was truly having a wonderful time noting "sorry you cannot make it you'd really be in your element here."

I expect to get the next update from Scott some time on 22/23 April after he has returned to Everest Base Camp and had a chance to relax.

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