Going Home

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

It's fitting that I write the last blog from a hotel near LAX on my way home. I've just been in the piano bar, and coincidentally, a Nepali couple who were on my flight also turned up for a nightcap. One of them asked the Cuban bartender for a "hot meal" but he brought them hot milk instead. They're arguing about it right now, neither side able to penetrate the other's accent. It's the Babel factor.

The days since we departed base camp have been a frenzy of travel: a tooth-rattling, two-day dirt-road journey through Tibet and over the Friendship Bridge into Nepal, then a lounge-lizard feeding frenzy in Kathmandu restaurants like Kilroys and Fire and Ice, then a hurried session of goodbyes as we taxied off to jostle onto flights home.

I've spent this time thinking about the season that was and what it means. It was a lucky season, blessed by good weather. Sure, there were tragedies, but expeditions got off lightly given the enormous numbers of people who stood on top.

Fewer tragedies don't alleviate the burden of any single tragedy, though. In the last days at base camp there was a forlorn Italian woman visiting the Himex camp, hoping that Russell's Sherpa crew might locate a missing member from the Italian team who I'd originally heard had made it off the mountain. It turns out that one climber named Marco (see the blog "Babel") had survived, but another, Pierangelo Maurizio, was still unaccounted for.

As we left, Russell's Sherpas and any climbers left on the mountain were looking in abandoned tents for the climber and keeping an eye out on the ridge. More than 10 days have passed since the man was last seen. No one holds much hope for his survival now, but his friends wonder…

In Kathmandu our oldest team member, 71-year-old schoolteacher-turned-farmer Yanagasawa from Japan, became a celebrity when it was confirmed that he was indeed the oldest man to climb Everest. Last I saw him, a Japanese film crew were pursuing him around the Hotel Tibet.

And last I saw of Tim he was holding an X-ray that clearly showed two broken bones in his hand. A local clinic recommended surgery. More metal into the big boy's body it looks like.

Darius will remain in Tibet and Nepal with his wife and friends; Fred will be back doctoring in no time; and Rod has been splashed around in the press for his cell phone call from the summit. One publication, taking journalistic license to the typical extreme, reported that he asked his family if he should "pick anything up" on the way home; he did no such thing. He had just enough battery power (he taped the batteries to his chest to keep them warm) to make a half-minute call to a preapproved voicemail box that registered his GPS location to prove he was on Everest.

The film crew took off as one, returning to England to edit the Discovery Channel series, Everest: Beyond the Limit. Russell remained at Everest with Conrad Anker's crew, hoping to make a summit bid if the jet stream ebbs again.

I'm looking forward to getting home to a Utah summer, to mundane house repairs, to feeding my cat and most of all, back to watching my daughter grow up.

So how many people climbed the mountain this year? Russell says he's got no idea. He thinks it's impossible to know anymore because there are so many folks on both sides that no one can tally the numbers accurately – maybe not even the redoubtable Elizabeth Hawley of Kathmandu, who has kept score for decades.

Unofficially, people are saying 300, with a death toll of about eight. But what if the score is 2,700, 3,000 or 3,001? It won't be long before the summit count on Everest is 5,000, then 10,000. Will that make the mountain less interesting, less appealing to climb, less a pinnacle of human endeavor, less a keystone (or tarnished keystone) in climbing's identity myth?

At the outset of this trip, I wondered if a bunch of strangers who'd paid a fee to buy onto an expedition could find the necessary camaraderie to climb the mountain. It did seem to come together by the end, with some people finding that "certain thang" more than others.

A lot of the climbers on the trip say they'll never do another high mountain again; they've ticked off Everest and they're moving on. Others hint that the bug has bitten them and they might pursue more Himalayan adventures.

What is certain is that without Phurba and his Sherpa friends, as well as the Sherpas on other teams, few of the Western summiters would get there. This year, Phurba's crew fixed ropes from the foot of Everest to the tippy top of the summit. They made it as safe as possible. They and other Sherpas carried up the tents and pitched them, humped up countless oxygen tanks, took most of them down and otherwise tailored this mountain for their clientele. That's the way it is, and that's why the Sherpas own the mountain.

Signing off,
Greg Child

Comments

[HM Liu]

Greg, I enjoyed the blog, thanks! Just one thing, the Japanese climber's name shoud read:

Katsusuke Yanagisawa

Not

Yanagasawa or Yanigaswa (in picture caption)

[ping]

loved the show on discovery channel and keep up the good work :)

[idot60]

i love Tim on the show, too bad he didn't summit in season 1 of the show, i'm waiting for season 2 when i do hope Tim and Mogens will be able to reach the peak of everest :) and great show - the best documentary - i know i'll never summit everest and at least i can know how it feels and looks like on the summit with you guys.. thanks :)

[Rose]

I swear I could kill some of these characters on Everest. I was worried sick about them all. But that Tim...I'd love to give him a good kick in the pants. You IDIOT! I hope you get on your knees and thank God every morning for your life. And--thoes guys who saved you. you IDIOT!

"What is certain is that without Phurba and his Sherpa friends, as well as the Sherpas on other teams, few of the Western summiters would get there. This year, Phurba's crew fixed ropes from the foot of Everest to the tippy top of the summit. They made it as safe as possible. They and other Sherpas carried up the tents and pitched them, humped up countless oxygen tanks, took most of them down and otherwise tailored this mountain for their clientele. That's the way it is, and that's why the Sherpas own the mountain."

I wish they were fairly paid. The show should really be about them. They carry the "hero's" gear up and carry the hero's down when they get into trouble.

[David S.]

After watching the last episode of Everest: Beyond the Limit (2007), I would really like to express to those that made the show possible my thanks for the show. I really enjoyed it (as well as the 2006 one). It was great to see the successes -- especially for the ones who didn't make it last year. I sincerely hope the team members can read my comments.

I cheered in your successes and mourned your hardships. However, I had the easy part -- just watching it all. You're all heros. Especially my hats off to such a great man: Russell Brice. If I would to ever tackle the expedition myself, I'd like a leader such as him on my side (I wouldn't even consider it until I had sufficient climbing experience, physical stamena and financial resources).

I've hiked up a mountain near me, almost 12,000 ft Mt. Charleston, twice. The linear and vertical displacements are perhaps comparable to Everest but just much lower. At almost 50 yrs of age it was a challenge (my brother is 60 and did better than me!) for just that, nevertheless. That was my Everest for awhile (goal to get up there) but with much struggle I made it! Even though the 17000 ft difference for Everest is considerably different, I can sure feel what the Everest team feels when getting to the top! Perhaps the lesson we can all learn from this excellent show is that we all can find our own Everest -- perhaps even in our own back yard. Just do it!

Perhaps next I'll go for 14000 ft Mt. Whitney. Then after that...
Who knows? Maybe I'll work my way up to Russell's mountain someday (it may take until I'm 71 too). If Russell hasn't retired by then, I look forward to shaking his hand.

Again, thank you team and congrats to them all! I hope there's a 2008 series.

[yogachix]

i wonder if anyone is aware that the producers of this show, sponsors, or the governments around the mountain, will see to it that all footage is edited to show you what they wish for you to see... an entertaining show

... and entertaining it certainly is ...

... so before you judge anyone (e.g., the personalities, the commercial operators, the surrounding governments, or the local culture), it might serve this blogging community to have a think about what this program is ... just entertainment ... with the more controversial parts biased, dramatised, or just edited out altogether.

i am not defending anyone ... i just think that there is more reality to this show than what the producers, himex, their clients, the locals, and the governments on the mountain are at liberty to present to the mass american/western market ... and that should be taken into consideration before expressing such strong opinions one way or another ... i'm not convinced that discovery producers wish to show the more socio-political-religious controversy that lives on that mountain along with everything else ... nor should they given the context of the channel ... we leave that up to the CNNs, NBCs, BBCs, et al of the world

there is no right or wrong, there just is ... some of it is sad, some of it is maddening, some of it is unethical, some of it is heroic ... but i'm not naive ... i know what goes on up there ... and who else is up there ...

with all that said, there is still accomplishment here, no matter how diminished or diluted

[Tim Medvetz, not such a good guy]

Much thanks to the producers, guides, sherpas, staff, and climbers of the 2007 season. All except for Tim Medvetz. Every minute of him crying like a baby only seethed me more. Just as Woody put it (more or less), "you're just making yourself look bad, mate." Sure, he broke his hand in two places (according to the show), but he even portrays himself as a big, tough man who can take anything. As I believe he said, "If we were in L.A., he'd [Russell] be on the ground." Yeah, you're real tough, Tim. Real tough. Then he complains for hours on their summit bid about his broken hand, much to the chagrin of his guides and sherpas. Honestly, I think he's a fucking idiot. Furthermore, I think his only "friend," or even sympathizer, on the whole expedition was Mogens Jensen. He wouldn't even be here today if not for Woody and his own personal sherpa who had to short rope him down the mountain together. I saw the footage and avidly climb mountains in Colorado at all times during the year, so I have a pretty good idea of mountaineering. Sure, he made the summit, but he couldn't make it back down on his own. Not even taking into account this guy's "baby bottle" necessity, he is a total disgrace of a mountaineer. Thank you Russell for finally getting him out of the spotlight and off of a legitimately great show, not to mention your exquisitely run expeditions.

[bandannaanna]

Regarding Tim Medvetz's money issues....

Apparently he had no money of his own for the second climb and his shameless website www.highwaytoeverest.com is quite direct in asking for people to give him money to climb the mountain. He's no better than any beggar panhandling on the street.

So, alright, it's the person's loss if he/she falls for his scam but...

The kicker is that he THEN tells everyone he's taking off for a 3 month vacation to soak in the rays at the Thai beaches- gee, with whose money, Tim???

[adrian green]

hi, huge mountian robot, big skier ,not a good statistic, russ u make good decisions thats what it is,tell me very specificaly what you can do for me and how much bottom line in english pounds please.itinery,logistics.to the sock;

[the interior of architecture photographer]

Truly inspirational!

[Roeryda]

Thanks for the blog-it really does a great job of the emotions behind an achievement that has always been a personal goal of mine. The last entry particularly hit home, because while climbing the largest mountain in the world has always been a lingering desire, I realize that the continued presence of people like me are gradually contributing to the mountain's transformation into a contracted adventure rather than the symbol of mystery, danger and technical skill that it once was. Nonetheless, I remain committed to my goal of climbing Everest, which you can read about on my blog.

[Mrugesh]

Greg this is very special post for everyone fantastic very exciting blog God Bless you :)

Thanks..for posting this.

[tabldot yemek]

Greg,you are the man,i don't care what anyone says.All those crazy personalities you had do deal with.I love the show.Each climber brought something new to the daily challenges,without which, i believe helped the show's success.Never the less,some of them seemed to ask for some of the troubles they found themselves in,as they just couldn't check they're egos at the door,and just refuse to bow down to wisdom and experience.Everest is the last place to be a lone wolf. Much continued success in future projects. http://www.yemek-tabldot.com/http://www.polesan.com

[tabldot yemek]

Find an October 2007 Mens Journal magazine for one of the best pieces of mountaineering journalism ever, or read this:http://www.polesan.com - http://www.yemek-tabldot.com

[cellulite cream]

so much danger, and yet so much fulfillment from these adventures. you people are so inspirational.

[Uniden VHF Radio]

Great show and awesome photography in the blog. Love the show!

Mike
Uniden VHF Radio
http://www.outlanderdirect.com