Thanks for posting this Steve. The affects of altitude has always been my primary concern and of great interest. I've had more encounters with AMS than I care for, and have had the ominous gurgle in my lungs once before.
I had an experience very similar to this a few years ago when heading up Whitney. I had acclimated for two days and night though. I made it to Iceberg Lake in great spirits but by the time I reached the summit, I could barely walk and could not descend back down the North Fork. I literally took 5 steps before I had to stop to gasp for breath. This routine continued from the summit to Trail Crest before things normalized somewhat. It took about 6 hours for that short distance. Luckily my friend was with me and forced me down the switchbacks. I was so delirious and desperate that even though I had no ice axe, I wanted to glissade down Trail Crest to quickly get off the mountain.
Thumbs up to Elizabeth and her husband. There are some decent folks up those mountains.
