Just got off the radio with Dave calling from the South Col. He reports everybody is down from the summit and in good shape. They are taking a nice break, but will soon begin breaking down the South Col camp, then heading for Camp 2 where they will spend the night.
All in a days work.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Y’all are so excellent and exciting…really glad to hear and see all are safe…thanks for sharing a bit of this amazing experience…Love to ya…from Taos, NM!
Posted by: nancy on 5/21/2011 at 9:50 am
CONGRATULATIONS!!! You guys continue to keep me inspired and motivated for my next summit (no matter how small in comparison). Thank you for the blog. I have enjoyed following your adventure and reading every word. Safe Travels.
Downhill from here!
The team's descent began five minutes ago. The group had the summit to themselves for a while at the end. We tried to do a phone call to the blog, but tough conditions as you can imagine.
Just to make sure you guys hear some of the thoughts that were mentioned by Dave and Linden from the summit:
- Bill and Sara hope to see you on top, another time ,and thought of you two the whole climb up today.
- RMI Guide Melissa Arnot and Dave Morton over on top of Makalu today (we hope), looking forward to seeing you here on Everest in a few days.
- Thanks and couldn't have done it without our local staff: Lam Babu, Tsering, Dawa, Kaji, Yubarji, Kumar, Raju, Gurung, Jeta, Gelzen, our guys in Kathmandu, Kili Sherpa, and Sagar
- Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. back in Ashford, Washington. You let us run a top notch program.
- First Ascent - the gear to get you there
- All the friends and family back home
- Linden: Wishing his Mom "Happy birthday", and spoiled old me getting my wishes from the top, for I think about the fifth time, since it being my birthday today as well.
- All the other teams on the hill for such a great season and fabulous cooperation.
- All you for following our blog.
- And Mount Everest, for being so kind to our team.
The team should be back to the South Col in a few hours. Weather still perfect, all systems in the green, guys are still having a great time.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Congratulations! And Happy Birthday (although I am a day late)! I was glad to read your thoughts about seeing Sara and Bill at the top, another time, but Bill did ask his family and friends to talk him out of it next time! I did notice that Sara did not make that same request! I believe they were both with you in spirit. Thank you for sharing this amazing journey with us. Well done.
Maggie, friend of Sara’s Mom
Posted by: Maggie Tully on 5/21/2011 at 10:13 am
Congratulations on behalf of the millions who are with you all the way but never could do it themselves!!
So uplifting for all of us! Thank you, thank you.
Wolf
6:55 a.m. Nepalese Time
ON THE SUMMIT!
Perfect conditions with some other teams around.
Everybody in great shape.
Congratulations to RMI Guides Dave Hahn and Linden Mallory!!!
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
This is Solveig checking in from Camp 4 @ 14,200'.
Today our team is enjoying a rest day, which nicely corresponds with a weather day. The wind has been blowing strongly and we have received nearly a foot of new snow in camp since last night. This afternoon we saw a few sun breaks but still the wind continues! We are keeping busy with ipods, books, and sport eating (not because you need to, but because it's fun!).
Yesterday the team constructed a cook shelter surrounded by high wind walls of snow blocks. We have been enjoying eating meals and taking a break from the confines of our tents in our plush livingroom/kitchen! The forecast looks like continued winds and snow through the weekend, so most likely more resting is in our future. Maybe tomorrow we will constuct a tunnel to Mike (Walter) and the other RMI team's camp!
Hello to all our friends and family back home, and we'll check in again tomorrow!
RMI Guide Solveig Garhart
Team at the South Summit and things are great! Dawn came up a half hour ago. The sun came out and what a beautiful day. Clouds lifted and mountains all over- Kangchenjunga, Shishapangma, Cho Oyu, Makalu, as well as many more.
Went through the check list with Dave and all systems green light. They kept saying how much fun they were having, guess these guys have never been to Hawaii.
Not on top just yet, they need to traverse the ridge over to the Hillary Step. And a bit more uphill on moderate terrain before the top.
Two more hours at the most if no other climbers on the route. We are making pretty good time. Just a beautiful day on Mt. Everest!
More later,
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
Been following your updates here in Athens Georgia. Have a safe summit and descent
Posted by: James King on 5/20/2011 at 7:01 pm
Thank you Mark for keeping us informed in real time. Richmond, VA sends their wishes for a safe summit and return. Can’t wait for the next report! GO LINDEN!!
3:21 am (Nepal time) arrive at Balcony.
No direct radio talk to climbers but Dawa at South Col relays that the team is all together and all doing well.
Breeze down here at Base Camp and looking up, I see some high thin clouds, a few clouds setting in on some surrounding peaks but word from above is weather is OK, not too windy. During this stop they will change to a fresh bottle of oxygen and store their partially used ones in a certain spot to pick up, and possibly use on the descent. They will be working with some metal parts on the regulators during the exchange process so it's don't touch any part with bare skin or congratulations, you now have some form of frostbite on your hand.
Next up, the climb to the South Summit (28,750 feet). Start up from the Balcony along the ridge to some very steep climbing, that on a dry year would be a number of rocky steps. This year conditions are very nice in that they are mostly snow covered making it a little easier and less chance of rock fall hazard.
Right on schedule. Right on track. Right on Dudes upstairs.
Another few hours till radio traffic but should have direct radio contact from South Summit.
Drop you all a note soon.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
A few inches of snow fell overnight, along with strong winds here at Camp 4; today is more of the same. Sounds like back at Camp 3 they got two feet of snow last night.
We're patiently waiting for a break in the weather. In the meantime, there's lots of reading, playing cards, eating and sleeping to pass the time. We're still doing pretty well with food and fuel supplies up here. And, as importantly, everyone's patience is hanging in there.
RMI Guide Mike Walter
Looks like Monday might bring a window for ya’ll!
National Weather Service is saying winds diminishing.
Lets all hope that works out.
Go team!!
Posted by: David Hampton on 5/21/2011 at 11:34 am
Hi Ken,
It is still raining here. I can’t wait to see the sun. I won’t have to worry about turn on the sprinkler system. Ally and I had pedicures today after her program at the Works. Then we went out to dinner at the Fish Shanty. She is doing well but misses you. Take Care..I miss you too!! Love Cathy & Ken
12:01 a.m. (Nepalese Time) - Team leaving the South Col
UP UP AND AWAY !
These guys are my supermen. It's now down to a handful of hours. With all that has happened over the course of this expedition, success shows itself in many ways.
Summit or not these guys rock.
In a couple of days, when Dave, Linden, Kaji, Dawa, Yubarj and Tsering are back down here at Base Camp feeling good and all equipment removed from the mountain, that will be a huge success.
As they leave the South Col they start on kind of rolling terrain with some good-sized crevasses. In the past the fixed line didn't normally start till you got the first steep part, the Triangular face. So some kind of markings like the sticks with flags were great but if it was hard ice everywhere you had a difficult time placing them. GPS is sure an improvement but electronics can have some problems in the cold and one more thing to mess with. The last few years the teams have made it a point to put a rope line to follow in this area for low-to-no visibility occasions.
As they start up it's a constant mix of adjusting straps, pace, oxygen masks, gloves, ice axes and more.
While you hope you hit the clothing options right, it may be necessary to pull over and make the quick change so as to not sweat bullets or need to move to quick to stay warm. And what about the other teams? Are they in front, going at a pace that does not work for you? Can you unclip from the rope and make a pass safely? Is your oxygen mask clogging up and not allowing freedom of ambient air movement? Is the wind now picking up and I need to put on some form of eye protection to keep from getting the dreaded frozen cornea? Now that I have put on the eye protection is it all fogged up? Better to see the terrain and risk the freezing? How are my toes, what is going on with my hands? Head to toe self survey, constantly observing my every move. What are my thoughts, am I keeping focused? How is my partner? Where is my partner? Are my Sherpa OK? Do they have my next bottle of oxygen? My oxygen!
Do I still have enough to get me to the Balcony (27,500 ft), the next location that I will expect to hear radio communication from the team? And first semi-flat place for a short break and a oxygen bottle change.
That should take between three and four hours from now. So hang in there, I promise as soon as I hear, you will too.
RMI Guide Mark Tucker
It's been an adventurous couple of days so far. It took three flights to finally get onto the glacier, the first attempt getting turned back about half way to the airstrip on the SE fork of the Kahiltna glacier. The second time we were just four minutes from the airstrip when ground fog turned us back. But, at 6:00pm we finally made it! I've got to hand it to our pilots. Three attempts is unprecedented.
Given the hour of the day we opted to make camp and begin our climb in the morning.
I'm sure I wasn't the only climber on the trip to fret about the winds and snow the was blasting our tents all night, but at 6:00am the weather settled and we awoke to calm skies. Unfortunately, it didn't last and clouds and snow soon became the order of the day. Navigating in conditions like this can be a challenge, but I soon discovered that we had a secret weapon on our team: our guide Maile Wade, whose uncanny eyes could pick out even the smallest speck of a wand in the white out conditions that our first day served up for us. Coupled with my gps, we made it to tonight's camp at 7800' in great order. Of course, the tiresome winds of the day challenged our camp building skills, but I have to hand to the entire team, everybody dealt exceptionally well with all that was thrown our way today. The first days of these big expeditions can be trying even in nice conditions, and that everyone was in great spirits at the end of the day bodes well for the rest of the trip.
In the parlance of the young: 'I'm psyched!'
RMI Guide Brent Okita
Got the message that you guys moved up to @ 9600’ Great job! Please post an update on how the team is doing when you can.
Posted by: Marina on 5/22/2011 at 7:41 am
HW- hope the weather will get better. BB made a new friend with a 3yr old boy with glasses in her soccer class today. All of us are well and we wish you & your team a successful climb. Love, F
Hey, this is Dave Hahn and Linden Mallory up in the tent at the South Col. We have been brewing up for about an hour now. It takes a long time to get some hot drinks here and get a little food down. Since I talked to you last, we got a little forecast… in the evening... Clouds had come down low. The wind was blowing a little bit more than we liked it. But now it’s close to 11 in the evening and the winds have dropped down and it’s clear sky. Looks like a go for us. We’re just trying to get ourselves as hydrated as possible. It’ll help us deal with the intense cold out there. If we’ve got plenty of hydration we’ll be feeling better. We did have a good night. Tshering and Kaji are getting ready in the next tent. Dawa, as planned, is going to be the lifeguard here at the South Col and make sure we do okay up there. But everything is going ahead. There are some climbers out ahead of us now. That’s good. We’ll probably be trying to walk in, I don’t know, 40 minutes or so. We’ll try to stay in touch as best we can.
RMI Guide Dave Hahn
Linden- EAT those snickers! Hopefully share some with Dave if they are not all frozen or gone. Richmond gals are thinking of you all day and night here! BE SAFE.
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Y’all are so excellent and exciting…really glad to hear and see all are safe…thanks for sharing a bit of this amazing experience…Love to ya…from Taos, NM!
Posted by: nancy on 5/21/2011 at 9:50 am
CONGRATULATIONS!!! You guys continue to keep me inspired and motivated for my next summit (no matter how small in comparison). Thank you for the blog. I have enjoyed following your adventure and reading every word. Safe Travels.
Posted by: Dan Ralston on 5/21/2011 at 4:39 am
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