We have been in Base Camp for almost 10 days and it look like it was just yesterday!

In fact as I am writing this, I ask Tety and Eugene how many days we have been in BC. and they tell me 5 or so. No!! 10 days!
I guess that time flies when things run okay and at the same time we have been involved on some serious stuff.
First was an avalanche above BC where a sherpa and two members got involved and then few days of relax where we scape the land of ice and drama of base camp and hiked 35” to our little paradise at the base of Pumori, where we spend hours with other teams, bouldering (rock climbing). Such a relax time! The last time we where about 20 people, our team, some of Willie’s team and the Croatian female team.
Walking bare foot and climbing at our limits at 5200 meters and just relaxing.

Both of these pictures are from our expeditions to the Boulder fields of Pumori. The one in the right is Willie on a hugh ball with Big E in the back ground.

Few days of stormy weather confine us to Base Camp, in which one of those days I woke up to a very snowy morning and after breakfast I decided on giving Willie a short visit to talk about future weather, when I walked by the Clinic HRA where I fund a bunch of sherpas with very long faces. After the usual greeting they told me that a sherpa die of Methanol poisoning by drinking some fake whisky and another was in critical conditions.
Usually methanol poisoning is fatal or with various serious side effects such as blindness and kidneys failure.
As willie and I are always very involved with all rescues I entered the tent where I found a very sad seen.
Mimna Sherpa was laying in the bed with all sort of IV tubing’s and a oxygen mask hook up to his body in a very serious condition.
By 1300h we all thought that he was to die at any moment and by 1400h he was getting better. A team of doctors and volunteers took care of him for 48 hs when a helicopter was able to pick him up for a 45” flight to Katamandu.
He become the first person to survive methanol poisoning in Nepal! In part for his incredible will to survive and in big part for a incredible group of human beings, who proved that the South of Everest is all about helping each other! A team of doctors from different expeditions and a team of volunteers took care of Migna for 48 straight hours. The whole base camp got together and each team helped with donations of medicines, oxygen and man power.
As soon as the helicopter left, Willie and I went straight to our tents and sleep for many hours trying to catch up with sleep.
Yesterday we have a meeting and after comparing many weather charts and maps we got and idea of the first summit windows.
A very dedicated decision making! Not only we look into perfect weather but also the number of people summiting on that day– we don’t want too many climbers on our summit day as it can get danger.
After many pots of Yerba Mate we decided on May 19.
So schedule goes as follow:
May 15: Move to Camp II
May 16: Rest at Camp II
May 17: Move to Camp III- sleep on oxygen at 0.5 liters at minute
May 18: Move to Camp IV- South Col. climb on Oxygen at 2.5 liters at minute. Arrive at S.C. at 14hs. Rest for rest of day and at 21.00hs depart to summit.
May 19: Summit! some time in the morning and return to S.C.
May 20: Descent to Camp 2
May 21: Descent to Base Camp.

We will be posting news as we can– just short news flash. Mara, Wilie’s base camp manager will be calling some of you to give you updates.
We have a fabulous team! Eugene is like the energizer bunny always keeps going, Johnny (AKA) Trash compactor– might be the only person that gain weight in Everest, Tety the queen of Base camp– incredible strong and positive attitude, and me– just keeping everyone in other.
We have all worked very hard for the past 30 days, all fought something, from bacteria attacks to missing home.
Tomorrow is the day and everything will be fine!
What counts is the process and the summit is just a bonus!

Damian

Hola a todos!!!!!

En el campamento base dejo de nevar y se viene el BUEN TIEMPO!!!!!
Maniana partimos hacia arriba. La idea es hacer cumbre el 19 de Mayo.
Hoy ya partio un grupo grande de gente para arriba que van el 18 a la cumbre. El 19 seremos como 50 personas haciendo cumbre.
Hoy estuvimos practicando todas las maniobras con las mascaras y los tubos de oxigeno. Ya esta todo claro con ese tema.
La idea es:
El 15 subimos al Camp II. El 16 Descanso.
El 17 subimos al camp III. Dormimos con oxigeno.
El 18 subimos al camp IV y a eso de las 21hrs partimos hacia la cumbre. Llevamos oxigeno como para 24hrs para cada uno asi que eso no nos corre.
Vamos a ir junto con un grupo de Willie de Jagged Globe y otro de mujeres croatas. Tambien ese dia va a subir un grupo de IMG y de Russell Brice.
Obviamente todo esto es una idea veremos como sale todo. Esperemos que re bien!!!!!
Los dejo les mando un beso y sigan haciendo fuerza que ya parece que falta poco.
Besosssss
Tety

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This entry was posted on Thursday, May 14th, 2009 at 8:09 and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.