Coming Down the Mountain

[Click on the pictures to see larger versions with captions.]

The past few days, people in the Himex team have trickled down the mountain, first to ABC, then to BC. Initially, they all had that million-mile stare, but now it seems they've put their experiences into perspective.

Rod Babar was among the first to arrive in ABC, rocketing down all the way from the top with Darius and Ed Wardle in a single day. He's never at a loss for words, but his description of standing on the summit watching "the sunrise paint the high summits of the Himalaya a shade of tangerine," was, even for a guy who doesn't consider himself spiritual "a spiritual moment." He also made his Guinness Book of Records cell phone call from the summit.

Darius was all smiles when he strolled into camp with Rod. He'd seemed supremely confident in the weeks leading to summit day, never doubting that he'd get to the top, but he admitted that two-thirds of the way along the ridge, he became so overcome by tiredness that he considered giving up. A brief rest, a search of his soul and turning up his oxygen flow a couple of notches got him moving again. Yet the moment of near physical shutdown and almost-defeat surprised him.

When Fred Ziel arrived at ABC midway through the day on May 22 after another night camped on the mountain, you could see in his face that his experience was an emotional one. "It'll take me a few days to figure out what this means to me," he said.

I suspect Fred was not dry-eyed on the summit. He'd tried Everest twice before, and on one attempt he'd become a frostbitten iceman in a storm that drove him back a short distance from the summit. Back at base camp he seems relaxed and calm, patiently waiting for the day we drive away from Everest.

Li Yong was barely seen on summit day. He left Camp 4 with a Chinese team, summited early, then zoomed downhill to party with his countrymen. He's already headed back home to Chengdu.

Guides Woody and Dean strode back to ABC directly after summiting as well. It was their third and fifth times to the top, respectively. They'd never seen such a perfect summit day — there was no wind. "It was so warm I had my gloves off on top for quite a while," said Dean.

The rapid speed of their ascent amazed everyone — they climbed almost the whole ridge in the dark. That's because of perfect snow conditions. "Where we'd found rock in the past, this time there was a sidewalk of firm snow stuck to the ridge," said Woody. That made for rapid climbing.

Ed Wardle, who filmed the climbers clustered on the summit, seemed a bit taken aback by the human toll along the route. "I counted six bodies. Some are from this year, some from other years." He described one victim, said to be a Brazilian, who lays lightly covered by snow and a foam pad, a few paces from the tents of Camp 4, where the living eat and sleep. Others sit along the route. But the dead didn't particularly bother or spook Ed; they seemed simply an unfortunate reality of the Everest landscape.

It's not well known, but Phurba's Sherpa team often move bodies to less visible resting spots and cover them as best they can. It's physically impossible to take bodies down from up high (too exhausting, too dangerous to the living), but they do the best they can to keep the living and the dead from bumping into each other.

It was great to sit by the radio and hear Tim Medvetz shout, "On top of the world, yeah!" Weighing in at 240 pounds, with a host of motorcycle-crash induced injuries, including a fused ankle and a spine encased in a titanium cage, he had a harder time than most and his rebellious nature (well, what do you expect, he's an ex-Hells Angel) didn't always mesh with Russell's strong leadership style.

During summit day, Russ goaded the slowly ascending biker on with shouts into the radio of, "Get off your big arse," and "Stop crawling and climb like a man." It was a "tough love" dynamic that worked. When Tim sauntered into ABC after a slow descent that included a night at Camp 3 with Lakpa Sherpa, the cooks banged pots and pans and everyone turned out to greet him.

We all knew he'd be a slow mover on the mountain (Russ had threatened to turn him around like last year if he didn't reach certain points along the route in reasonable time out of fear of him running out of oxygen), but when he revealed he'd broken his right hand early on summit day, I had to be impressed.

As Monica cut off his glove to reveal his swollen, bruised paw, Tim explained that he'd stumbled on the ridge in the dark and cracked bones in his hand when he reached out to stop his fall. "I didn't tell Russ I'd broke it," he said. "He might have turned me around."

After their summit, Woody and Sherpa Lakpa carefully roped Tim down the obstacles of the ridge, like the ladder that spans the Second Step. This 20-foot metal ladder was originally placed by a Chinese expedition in the '70s (after the original 1960 Chinese ascent, on which a climber scaled the tricky step in socks, resulting in toe-chopping frostbite) and it's regarded as the scariest bit of the climb. Tim says his next adventure is to hunt a Kodiak bear and then climb Pumori, a Nepalese peak.

Mogens summited in the second group. He feels he made the right choice to use oxygen, as his asthma was hitting him hard on the ascent until he plugged into the bottle.

But Josette, who stuck to her guns about trying the mountain without supplemental oxygen, gave up her bid at Camp 3. She says she felt too cold and too slow. Back at base camp she seems disappointed, but she knows the mountain is there for another day.

The Japanese master-guide Hiro, with clients Taka, Yanagasawa and Kobi, all summited that day, too. That 71-year-old Yanagasawa climbed the mountain is nothing less than stupendous. Few of us in camp really thought he'd do it. He seemed so slow and frail. But as Russell says, "The Japanese have strong minds; don't underestimate them." The 71-year-old slowly made his way down Everest, and today, May 25, and he'll arrive in base camp riding a yak, as he's finally gotten a bit tired to walk the 14 miles from ABC down the glacier.

Hearing these guys recount their experiences brought back my own memories of climbing the North Ridge in 1995. Back at base camp, in the editing shack of the Discovery Channel film crew, we've been viewing footage from the summit days.

I've seen every inch of the final day's climbing, recorded by the helmet-mounted Sherpa cams. It's been a surreal stroll down memory lane: There was Mushroom Rock, which truly looks like a human-sized mushroom; the rocky bumps called the First, Second and Third Steps, and the final pyramid of snow and rock that tapers into the summit, always covered in prayer flags. It all came back to me.

While I've been bashing away at this blog, writing about these folks who joined together to climb Everest, I've been wondering if I'd come up with an understanding of why anyone, including myself, would go through all the risk and pain this mountain demands.

In the end I've relearned what I knew all along: there is no logical reason to climb. You do it simply because you see something beautiful in the shape of the peak, or because you are curious to know what lies on top, or to look down on the lowlands where we live.

People cannot live long up there on the big mountains. The altitude alone will eventually kill you. But to spend a little time there satisfies a curiosity I cannot explain, but which you’ll understand if you ever go there.

Signing off,
Greg Child

Comments

[Dewey]

Thanks Greg. Terrific wrap-up. And congrats to all. Especially to Tim. I said after last season he had so much grit that you had to admire him. And he proved it once again. Enjoy the beaches. You earned it. Frank, the pics are breathtaking. Thanks for sharing. And to the Discovery Team, I can't wait to see the series.

[Julissa M. Lai]

Congradulations TIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you took pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!

[tim's mom CAROL]

Well Tim another broken bone to add to your injuries. Come home and mom will take care of you. I am just so glad you made it down safely. Where is your picture of you on the summit? Greg the pictures are great as usual

Carol, Tim's mom

[Steve B]

Great Pictures, Great People, Great Blog. Well done to all (again). Thanks for the site and the pics, cant wait to see Discovery series, Where do I book my place on Russell's team?
Tim, if you ever feel like doing the other '6 Summits' let me know cause I couldn't think of a better character to do them with!

[matt hardy]

great blog greg im really going to miss reading them and finding out wats happening on everest amazing pictures and great blog to give a real inspite to what everest is really like

[Li Yong's friend Cathie]

Thanks for your great blog, Greg!

Li Yong is still in Tibet for a volunteering trip, can't wait to see the pics.

We can't watch discovery channel in China, so we hope to view more pics of Li Yong, please

[Linda]

We've been pulling for Tim for what, two years now? Nothing broke our hearts more than the turn back last years. I can't explain how much his personal triumph means to us. We knew you could do it - no one has a heart as big as yours. Congratulations...you earned this one, brother!

[Brandon M.]

Congrats Tim! Knew you could make it to the top. Ive been your fan since your first Everest Season. You've inspired me to want to climb Everest. LETS GET IT ON!!!!!!

[Mrs Woody]

For the record this was Woody's 4th summit. He also summitted the past 3 years all with Russell Brice and Himex.

[Giedre]

Congratulations to Darius.

[bill]

Thank you for the wrap up. It's been somewhat scary having heard the news of the successful summits, but then the silence.

Congratulations to everyone involved!
Very inspiring......I can't wait to watch it all.

[joy]

Great blog and congratulations.

I had to agree with Greg that you could never provide a satisfactory answer the question of why we climb the mountain.

I would certainly look forward to the series and also be looking forward to your further expedition blog.

booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Paige]

I have no idea WHERE to leave this message, but it's extremely important if I could possibly find out what doctor Rod went to for his back (the part of his spine encased in a cage)? I have been suffering for 4 years now after a fall that herniated a disc in my back and now, 4 years later, I have 3 more buldging discs.
His encasing shown on the tv looked as if it MIGHT be in the same area that my back is injured.
If there's any possible way, I could just find out what doctor did that surgery, I would be ETERNALLY grateful!!!

I would appreciate any information you could provide in this area.

Warmest Regards,
Paige Gray

[Dale]

I was thrilled that the Everest program was on again this year and am sad to think Russell may not be back next year for another show. I would miss him terribly but I can see that it is hard on him. When will we know for sure? I have come to love the folks and cheer them on. Phurba Tashi and the Sherpas are the true heros and don't forget the animals who climb too and don't get any glory. Hope to watch again next year!!

[Janet Smith]

I was thinking Russell is an extrordinary man to take these "climbers" under his wing. With such exceptional weather the future will only bring too many fools to Everest thinking they can climb - many may not even care if they summit, they will want to come just for the "experience" of being on the mountain. His team will be overwhelmed with the burden of these "stupid people" needing help from his experienced guides and sherpas. None of these people will be Russell's clients - they will be with less experienced cheaper teams. I respect his decision to stop (if it is true) - I would like to personally thank him for allowing the Discovery Channel to come along on his last two expeditions. I have never climbed anything other than the stairs, but since reading "Into Thin Air" I have had a interest in Everest and the Discovery Channel series has been a great bonus for us "stay at sea level" folks. Thank you to Russell, the Sherpas and the Discovery Channel.

[oteller]

Great blog and congratulations.

I had to agree with Greg that you could never provide a satisfactory answer the question of why we climb the mountain.

I would certainly look forward to the series and also be looking forward to your further expedition blog.

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