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Summit Night: Play by Play from Base Camp
Base Camp - Wednesday, May 24, 2000

DISPATCHES

Henke

Editor's Note: This is a recap of the summit night from Everest Base Camp by Ellie Henke.

Here it is...summit night. For us here at Base Camp it is almost as big a night as it is for the climbers. Of course, it's not as physically demanding, but it does have its moments. For myself, this has to be one of the hardest nights/days I've ever spent. I start monitoring the radio at about 8:30pm, about an hour before the team leaves the South Col, and stay with it until just after they report back to the South Col about 3:30 the next day. The same goes for the juniper fire up at the puja pole. The Sherpas fire it up about 3 or 4 o'clock and keep it burning for the duration. Maybe the weather is better up on the mountain, but down here it is all socked in with wet snow bordering on rain for most of the night.

The Sherpas bring a big propane heater and a couple of lanterns into the communications tent, so at least we are able to stay warm. Except for my feet — I'm wearing big down booties, but by morning they get damp and my feet are wet, so I have to do a bit of foot re-warming just like the climbers. We have big Thermoses of tea and hot water, and by about midnight the Sherpas break into the Pringles. We also bring in the nice folding chairs so everyone has a comfortable place to sit while we wait.

At first, everyone is here: Dorje, Lhakpa Futi, Ang Nima, Pemba, Carsang, and of course, Gopal and Owangchu. They all crowd into the tent waiting for the first reports. We give the team a big send off when they leave the South Col at 9:30pm. Then we wait...and wait...and wait. Sherpas start trickling away. By the time the first report comes in, relayed through Dawa at Camp II, it is 2:10am and only myself, Owangchu, Carsang, and Gopal are left. The climbing team is still below the Balcony and the radio team is fading fast. The Pringles are gone and Carsang and I entertain ourselves by attempting to record Owangchu's snoring on the JPEG video camera (didn't record very well).

I never have been much of a night person. I figure nights are for sleeping and I usually don't manage to stay awake much past 10. But here I am doing my duty next to the radio. It glows a bright orange "144.770" at me. I stare back with burning eyes. But I don't sleep. There's probably too much adrenaline in my system. After all, this is the highest mountain in the world and people I love are up there. I know all the stories: people getting lost, people falling off, people getting hit by things falling on them, people getting caught in storms and never heard from again (hmmm, seems to be snowing harder out there). I try not to let my imagination run wild. I've waited for people on mountains before, and I'm pretty good at being patient and waiting, but this is the worst. I'm sure sitting here in the pitch black and the snow doesn't help. The glow from the juniper fire up the hill is strangely comforting.

4:30am: The second report comes in. The team has reached the Balcony through deep snow. Willi has cold feet and has stopped to warm them and to change oxygen cylinders. I tell him to crank it up, and the new oxygen helps him. Hmm, maybe we could use some of that here in Base Camp. The radio goes silent and I add the call to my radio log. We wait again. By now it is starting to get light, which helps our outlook a lot.

7:05am: I record in my radio log, "Willi called from just below the South Summit. All okay. Team is watching the weather, light winds, clouds moving in." I'm left on my own for a while as everyone helps take Kevin's gear down to the helipad. Kevin is taking the fast approach and has arranged for a helicopter ride back to Kathmandu. I give him a big hug goodbye. We all think of the climbing team heading for the summit.

9:30am: I record in my radio log, "Willi called from just below the South Summit." Wait a minute...WHAT? That's what they said last time! What's going on here? They should be past there by now. In any enterprise such as this, there is always confusion, and here it is. It turns out the last time they were just further below the South Summit. This time they really are just below the South Summit. And Willi is out of oxygen. My pulse races. He says he has been climbing a bit without oxygen to try to catch up to where he can get some, but he can't do it. I tell him to stay where he is and don't move. My hands are shaking as I try to raise Vern or Lhakpa on the radio, but they are still turned off. We agree that if I can't get an oxygen bottle headed his way in fifteen minutes he will start down. And I note what time it is. It's amazing how fast time goes up here when you need something fast. Finally I talk to Lhakpa, but when I talk to Willi again nothing seems to be coming down. He is waiting past his 15 minutes because we have been communicating and oxygen is supposed to be coming. A huge wave of relief sweeps over me when Vern and the Sherpas finally deliver the bottle and Willi starts breathing again. I tell him to just sit there and suck down the oxygen and get his head straight for a few minutes and then we'll talk about what he wants to do.

Well, that's it. I feel numb with exhaustion. It's 1:00pm and I haven't slept more than an hour in the last 30 hours, and it's not over yet. Vern, Al, and four of the Sherpas have started down from their turn-around point at the South Summit. Three other Sherpas, Kami Rita, Mingma Tsering, and Chewang Nema have reached the true summit and are now with Willi on the South Summit. The weather is closing in on them a bit and I'm not going to move from the radio until they are all safe and sound at the South Col. I fire off telephone calls to both Mountain Zone and Alpine Ascents International owner Todd Burleson to let everyone know what is happening and where everyone is.

3:35pm: The call comes in. Everyone has arrived safely at the South Col. Hurray! I call Mountain Zone and Todd again to let them know, and all the Sherpas and I break into the case of Coke that was delivered on Kevin's helicopter (we decide to save the beer for the celebration party). Everyone is exhausted and a bit giddy. Owangchu purposely shakes up his Coke before opening it so he can spray it all over everyone. Ang Nima is busy tying a sleeping Gopal's shoe laces to the tent door. After my Coke can is thoroughly squished and added to the pile of other flattened cans I say goodnight and head for my tent. My head no sooner hits my stuff sack pillow than I hear Owangchu's voice, "Ellie, we have to send in the Ministry of Tourism report."
"Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
"No, we should send it in right away."
"Ooooaagh."

I stir myself out. Hardly able to focus on the paper, we fill in the names and numbers. Ang Nima and Carsang carry the report down to the appropriate liaison officer while I pour myself back into my sleeping bag. I'm a little bit disappointed about not getting to the summit, but overall I feel good. We've given it the best shot we possibly could, and no one has anything to feel sorry about. This has been the best team anyone could possibly work with. But tonight I don't even dream about it. I sleep the sleep of an exhausted yak.

Goodnight folks,

— Ellie Henke, Alpine Ascents Expedition Member and MountainZone.com Correspondent

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