>From: Trevor Vaughan <TVaughan@prebon.com>
>To: "'fermis@hotmail.com'" <fermis@hotmail.com>
>Subject: FW: spoke too soon
>Date: Thu, 24 May 2001 11:24:13 -0400
>
>this is an email form owen west, he' s a basis trader form j.aron who's
>scaling everst
>we've been getting weekly update that were all pretty honky-dory till this
>one
>this email was sent fom 8000 meters yesterday
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:	Donald Tencellent Jr.
> > Sent:	Thursday, May 24, 2001 9:07 AM
> > To:	Trevor Vaughan
> > Subject:	FW: spoke too soon
> >
> >
> >
> > ----------
> > From: 	Nagle, Rita[SMTP:rita.nagle@gs.com]
> > Sent: 	Thursday, May 24, 2001 8:47 AM
> > To: 	Donald Tencellent Jr.
> > Subject: 	FW: spoke too soon
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: himex [mailto:expedition@everestbasecamp.com]
> > Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2001 5:03 AM
> > To: patrickw@Youthstream.com; gamacorp@aol.com; owenandsuz@yahoo.com;
> > richard.ruzika@gs.com; rita.nagle@gs.com; njones@thecarlylegroup.com;
> > jeff.reznick@gs.com; dmandel@sjga.com
> > Subject: spoke too soon
> >
> >
> > Unfortunately i am too late to halt my last email. Perspective comes
> > quickly
> > at 8000 meters and today, thinking back on the ascent and all the rock
> > climbing moves on that ridge that might have left me dead given my
> > perpetually clumsy condition (wrsened by AMS), I am happy to be alive.
>The
> > weather is beautiful but the mountain has bitten back and many are dead
> > and
> > dying, including friends of mine from my own team who summitted too late
> > for
> > the north side. By the time i am allowed to send this, the media will
>have
> > already begun reporting on this tragedy. I was slowed by my vomiting and
> > had
> > i continued, i likely would have been trudging up with this group.
> >
> > In my last email there is black humor concerning one of my friends:
> > ensuring
> > his safety so suz and i could take a vacation. He is stuck on the ridge
> > now,
> > dying, and will likely be dead by morning. One of our strongest guides
>is
> > with him and he, too, will probably die. This guy is super strong but
>the
> > altitude has snatched him. We're in shock here and can do nothing but
> > stare
> > into telescopes and pray that they continue the bleak fight. I have been
> > assigned NOK duty and have made two very tough phone calls to young
>wives.
> > A
> > member of the Aussie expedition died suddenly at Camp 2 this morning, 3
> > Russians are stuck with our men on the ridge, and a spaniard is flirting
> > with death right now after a bout with cerebral edema, despite Chris
> > Warner's valiant effort to get him down from the ridge last night. When
>i
> > think of this mountain now, i think only of death.
> >
> > Russ is quite experienced in hig-altitude rescues but this is the first
> > time
> > he has unleashed the team for our own. It is a totaly professional
> > logistical operation (locating and moving oxygen and regulataors back up
> > into the jet stream), relying heavily on the sherps who are just
> > incredibly
> > strong. Many stories of heroism over last 24 hours and many to come. The
> > guide and the client spent the night on the ridge (8650 meters),
> > incoherent
> > and immobile, freezing, but they were saved when Asmus turned around
>from
> > a
> > desperate stumble home, climbed the second step (brutal) for the second
> > time
> > in 10 hours, and delivered oxygen to the desperate pair just before
>dark.
> > Asmus tried to roust them and then had to dash for lower altitudes,
> > reaching
> > top camp (8300 meters...still incredibly dangerous) at 11:30 pm. It was
>a
> > relatively warm night (just below)and both client and guide were seen
> > moving
> > space blankets this morning through the telescope. Alive. But they could
> > not
> > stand. One could not see. No comms. Bivouacs above 8000 meters are epics
> > and
> > you are sure to read about this.
> >
> > Coordinating therescue from the Col, Russ then rousted all available
> > bodies
> > and they started up the ridge for the second time in as many days, Purba
> > and
> > Lopsang leading the way back into the death zone, humping oxygen. The
> > American expedition came upont the bodies this morning and have given up
> > their summit attempt (remember, they failed last week and also failed in
> > '99
> > so this is a huge sacrifice) to make the rescue. It looked bleak this
> > morning but after some injections our teammates began to move, carried
>by
> > the strong Americans. As i type, they have been moving at a snail's pace
> > and
> > the Americans will soon have to leave them to save themselves.We hope
>our
> > sherps are there by then and can take over for what is turning out to be
> > an
> > absolutely epic and incredibly dangerous rescue. Remember, that ridge is
> > 14
> > inches across for stretches, dropping 10,000 feet on either side. When i
> > gazed down 2 nights ago, it was truly like staring out of the window of
>a
> > plane, so steep was the drop. The sherps are going to have to be
>supermen.
> >
> > From the ridge and high camp, chris and asmus (they've been wasting
>there
> > for over 36 hours now) have been gathering oxygen for the 2000 meter
> > descent
> > to ABC. They are sucking some themselves to ensure we don't have a
> > double-rescue. I'm feeling better and i may be going up to the col to
>help
> > with the rescue, assuming we get these guys off the ridge alive. Too
>high
> > for a helo on this side so we'll have to platoon them down asap. Other
> > members who summitted earlier are still up too high, too slow descending
> > from 'safe' camps, and i may help them down as well. So i will not be
>back
> > by mem day--we have to get these people down.
> >
> > The drama unfolded yesterday as i stared through a spotting scope,
>sulking
> > and making occasional trips to the waste moraine. The client was slower
> > and
> > slower and then he just stopped on the summit snow field. I thought: uh
> > oh.
> > Russ had warned them hours before to turn but summit fever had taken
>hold
> > and the guide was pursuaded by the client. Soon russ was on the radio
> > screaming at the guide to drag the client down, but the hour grew late
>and
> > suddenly a successful summit evolved into a death trap, both men
>immobile
> > and nearly incoherent, the guide kicking and draggin the client, to no
> > avail. Asmus was with them and performed valiantly, as i mentioned, but
>no
> > one was in a position to help. At that height, every second counts and
>the
> > other teams rushed past on their way to safety. When you rush into a
> > burning
> > building you can't linger, especially if your physical performance is
> > literally cut in half.
> >
> > I am praying for these two--and the russians--and  it's hard to think f
> > anything else as they progress home, mumbling, step by step. I have
> > messages
> > from their wives but they are unable to [process spoken language at this
> > point. Even if they get down, i wonder what the results will be. It's
> > really
> > sad. I am sure they are also severely dehydrated--i'll explain the
>process
> > when i get home but siffice to say you literally can't boil water fast
> > enough to keepup with needs of body at altitude. My heartbeat at top
>camp
> > was 180 when i was 'resting' in my sleeping bag before the attempt. My
> > tongue split down the middle even though i was trying to keep the fluids
> > coming at a rate of a liter an hour, doing nothing.
> >
> > I feel lucky today. Very lucky. When i think of my own descent, alone,
> > throwing up along the way yesterday, i realize just how razor-thin this
> > whole thing is. There were times on the ridge where i was hanging by my
> > jumar on a supposedly new rope, ony to reach the anchor point to find a
> > ten-year-old knot, totally fried by the uv rays. Other times i stepped
>in
> > snow footprints and slipped, sliding down on my stomach until the rope
> > jerked taut. Too many ways to die here.The aussie who gave me his water
>in
> > the bowl may have prevented another casualty. Who's to say? Problem here
> > is
> > that, unlike the events we're used to when we sprint to the finish line
> > (we
> > used to say in crew that the perfect race was when you passsed out at
>the
> > finish), you have to reserve a certain amount to get the hell down the
> > mountain. And it's so hard to do that. Is a quarter tank enough? Half?
>Or
> > do
> > you need even more because, in truth, you are dying from the moment you
> > leave camp 3 (not even top camp).
> >
> > I will pass this info only when the word is out--sorry--but will keep
>you
> > updated from there once i talk ro russ. It's hard watching friends die
>but
> > we're helpless down here.
> >

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