Costa Mesa
May 23, 2007
10 PM
Bill is safe and at Camp II.
After I have said that NO WAY would Bill ever try to climb Everest again, I got a call tonight from him telling me that the reason he hadn’t called was because he was busy organizing a second attempt!! He wanted to go with two sherpas, but couldn’t line up another sherpa. He said was 100 vertical feet from the summit and knows he can do it. He said one of the reasons he was slow was that he had to carry his oxygen bottles from Camp 4 and they were very heavy.
He also said he would have liked to spend a night at Camp 4 instead of just resting there. He feels better rest would have made a difference.
On the way down the Lhotse face he dropped his camera and watched it tumble down the steep ice. It had a memory card in it with all of the photos from Base Camp. He kept climbing down and happen to look over and there was the camera on a very small ledge, but he couldn’t get it. A friend that came down after him was able to retrieve it. Bill was thrilled! He doesn’t know if the camera works, but he has his photos.
Paul, who climbed Lhotse with Dan, is suffering with pulmonary edema. He is very sick. They will help him down through the Icefall tomorrow.
Bill will stay at Base Camp until his gear gets down. He said it then takes three days to hike out.
He has scabs all over his lips, but other than that “feels great” and his legs could use a “little rest”.
I think Bill was going to organize a second attempt and then call to tell me this in the night…… on the recorder.
I’m just thankful that he is safe. He has to get through the Icefall and then head home. He will be writing to tell you about his adventure.
Sharon Burke