NEPAL TIME: 
|  Manaslu (8163m) and Dhaulagiri (8167m) |
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Safe and Sound at Base Camp Wednesday, May 5, 1999 — 3:11am (PST)
 Hear Ed's Call from NepalClick for [RealAudio] [Windows Media](Requires FREE RealPlayer or Windows Media) |
Hi, it's Ed Viesturs calling from Dhaulagiri Base Camp. Yahoo! The climb is over. We got here about two hours ago. The descent took us six-and-a-half hours. It was very, very windy last night. We thought we were going to sleep like babies but neither one of us slept a wink. We got up early this morning, began the descent; no major obstacles or major difficulties other than the snow conditions were a bit trying; crampons were balling up, and we had to just take our time and work our way downhill.
And so, after six-and-a-half hours of descending, we're now here, happily, finally done, sitting here at Base Camp and the climb is now officially over. So, we're pretty pooped. We're going to have a full night sleep. I think we have porters coming in a day or two and then we're going to start the march out. But I'll call back tomorrow with more details. I just wanted to call in and say we're safe and sound here at Base Camp, and the climb is over and we're two real happy campers. Talk to you soon, Ed Viesturs signing out.
— Ed Viesturs, Mountain Zone Correspondent
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