EVEREST LIVE
Thursday, May 24, 2001
From: Maurice Peret
A View from the Khumbu
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| Mingma Tshering lights a juniper as part of the Puga ceremony as the climbers leave Camp 4. Photo by Matthew Sanner. |
The sun rose on Wednesday morning over Everest Base Camp with a general air of optimistic and hopeful anticipation of our team's progress from Camp 3 to Camp 4 and beyond. Radio transmissions of elation greeted each of the climbers throughout the afternoon as they reported in from the South Col. The evening found us preparing ourselves for the long night ahead, layering on warm clothes, planning for coffee and hot water for tea, and staking out comfortable positions in the comm tent around the Base station to hear the latest news from the mountain. Because radio communications are difficult at 26,000 feet and in order to preserve batteries for the summit bid, messages had to be relayed through Kami Tenzing Sherpa, our climbing Sirdar, from Camp 2. Due to a slight cold Kami wisely decided to remain back from the climb, organizing logistics such as food, water, and oxygen from his vantage point at advanced Base Camp. With cameras rolling in the comm tent, we settled in after dinner listening to Kevin Cherilla, NFB Base Camp manager, checking in on the health and well being of our team members.
For the climbers it had been an extremely long day. Chris Morris, the first to reach the South Col, found that the three tents, which were to be set up, were in reality only one, buried deep in the ice, standing taut against the strong winds of the high-altitude pass between Mt. Everest and Lhotse. His teammates and Sherpa support were not far behind to help out with setting up the remaining tents. A stove used for melting ice for fresh drinking water was not functioning properly, and food supplies were somewhat less than sufficient. The climbers were expected to leave Camp 4 for the long night's journey to the summit by 9:00 PM Around 8:00 PM word came down to us through Kami Tenzing Sherpa that the team was in deliberation about what to do next. Silence blanketed the comm tent as the suspense grew palpable. From the time all of our members reached Camp 4 we down here at Base Camp had begun sending hourly reports to the 2001everest.com web site. Everything during the past month and a half had been invested in these next several hours. Reba Bull, Base Camp Manager, in particular, had a great deal more invested than most. Both her husband Brad Bull and her father-in-law Sherman Bull were up at the South Col.
Finally, at approximately 9:15 PM, after much consultation with Kami Tenzing Sherpa, a decision was made that given the conditions described above and the team's fatigue under the circumstances, they would remain at Camp 4 for the night to make their bid for the summit the following night. All of the day's hopes and anticipations came crashing down like a heavy rain of disappointment over the comm tent. We would have to wait another entire day.
After a night's sleep and upon long reflection, we concluded that the decision, which had been arrived at collectively, was courageous and prudent. It once again distinguished our expedition from many others on the mountain in its taking account of the condition of each of the 13 members of this extraordinarily strong and cohesive team. The disappointment that we endured last night could not possibly compare to the anguish we might all have experienced had the team decided to move up the mountain laboring under such adverse factors. We remain confident and proud of our climbers, and we have internalized well the crucial lesson of patience. We vow never to forget or take for granted those uncontrollable factors: weather, wind, and the great mountain itself, which ultimately determine success on the highest peak on earth.
The moment of truth is fast upon us, and we will accept and celebrate it together with you very soon. Please stay with us throughout these critical moments. I am intensely eager to share a summit dispatch with you.
Together we are changing what it means to be blind.