I have been unable to post since May 16 because of our summit push and retreat from the mountain.  I’ve decided to post my summit day now since that is what most people are interested in and jump back and catch the interim days next.  At present we are finally back in KTM after a very difficult 6 days coming down from the mountain and hiking out to Lukla in some of the worst weather in decades.  We heard there has been 5 feet – that is not a misprint – 5 feet of snow at BC that started the day we left.  We have heard there are climbers trapped by the loaded slopes higher up which we haven’t been able to confirm but we are sadden that one of the Kazaks that we came to know was killed day before yesterday.  We have heard both a fall above C2 and an avalanche in the same area as the cause but we don’t know exactly.  Either way we are saddened again.

April 23 South Col 26,000 Cold and very windy

Part 1

The South Col is a relatively flat area between Everest and Lhotse, probably the only flat spot between C2 and the summit.  It is a rocky, desolate, grey patch of earth where the wind has destroyed more dreams and dreamers than any other spot on earth.  Although you have to imagine all the dead dreams that is not the case with the dreamers.  Scattered around the perimeter of Camp 4 are the remains of climbers famous and forgotten.  Several of them have been relocated downhill from a giant rock that is visible from the Western Cwm. Although it is impossible to bury the remains of the dead and they are frozen in situ they are not as obvious as the giant rock and most climbers respect their final resting places.

We have now been at the South Col since yesterday afternoon.  We got in too late yesterday to attempt the summit last night.  The winds also seemed high so we opted to wait until tonight.  At 26,000 feet we are constantly on supplemental oxygen.  Everyone is wearing a facemask and carrying an oxygen cylinder.  There is a tube that connects you to that life gas.  Unfortunately the tube is too short to stand up straight with the cylinder lying on the ground.  At the same time the tube is long enough to get tangled in everything.  That takes a bit of getting use to.  To eat your noodles – no pizza delivery here – you eat for a minute or two until you start panting and then you put your mask back on until your breathing gets back to normal.  Even going to bathroom presents it’s on challenges.  You sure want to set your O2 cylinder where it will not roll away and tip you over at an inconvenient time.   Fortunately, there aren’t a whole lot of people outside of their tent unless they are on a similar mission.  Some teams even use radios to communicate between tents.

We begin preparing to leave at 9:00 PM.  At about 7:00 PM I get the last wind report and I don’t like it – 30 to 40 knots.  It is now at least 20 degrees below zero.  I have already been reminded how cold that was when I grabbed a piece of metal with a bare hand.  It felt like I had grabbed a frying pan out of the oven.  The other piece of news is that staying one more night isn’t an option either.  We have plenty of oxygen because of all of our casualties but the weather is supposed to get continually worse on the 24th.  Two of the Austrian team decides to bag it and stay in their tent.  I respect the courage it takes to make that decision.  I decide to wait another two hours.  This doesn’t go over well with everybody.  Three other members decide to go then to get ahead of the two commercial teams set to go later hat night.  I know it is hard to believe that Everest climbers can be hard headed and not agree on every decision.

I don’t like being pressured.  In fact I’m not going to be.  So we curled back up in our bags and tried to discern the gusts and flapping of the tent to pick up a trend.  Finally about 11:00 PM I decide it is at least safe enough for me and my two Sherpa climbing partners to go take a look.  At 11:30 w ith the wind still very high but seeming to diminish we venture into the dark and add our little head lamp glow to the string of lights heading for the summit.

To be continued