Before you start reading, you may want to grab a cup of tea or coffee, as this is a long one. We have no data left on our package and cannot download photographs, however, we will do so tomorrow when we are back in Kathmandu. We have managed to acquire a helicopter,which is dropping off supplies in Base Camp, and needed passengers for the return flight at a cheap rate, so hopefully we will all be back in the busy city by tomorrow afternoon. Stay tuned for some great photos.
We did it
We are finally back in Base Camp and enjoying the saturated oxygen at 5400m. I hope everyone enjoyed Pat’s updates, what a fantastic job he did. It was quite funny really, we would fall into our tent after each tough phase of the climb, Allan would ring Pat from the satellite phone, manage to force a few words, usually consisting of, ‘we are here’, and Pat, being an experienced mountaineer with a great knowledge of Everest, would go from there. Thanks again Pat, you are a great mate and we really appreciate your help.
I am still trying to come to terms with the fact that we summitted the highest mountain in the world. What an amazing journey. This has without doubt been the toughest undertaking of my life, and it has definitely not sunk in yet.
The response on the email and from the media has been totally overwhelming, and I am blown away by the positive words and congratulations. I promise to reply to each message once we are back in civilization.
The hard yards
After having arrived at the South Col, at almost 8000m, we rehydrated and rested, knowing that in less than 7 hours, we were about to continue our climb, this time focusing on the highest point on earth.
The climb to the South Col from Camp 3 is a difficult enough challenge in itself, having to navigate the Yellow Band and the Geneva Spur. We left Camp 3 at 4.00am and arrived 8 hours later, pretty exhausted, but happy that we had used oxygen, which conserved important energy levels.
The summit push
At around 8.00pm, we had our packs loaded, our down suits on, hand and foot warmers operating, and oxygen pumping. We were ready to go. To say that I was apprehensive and nervous would be an understatement, we were about to enter the unknown. This was our first time above 8000m, climbing into the death zone, and all the books and stories we had heard were now running through my head. This is not generally an environment where people venture, and I had this in the back of my mind, but I was also so excited and the adrenaline running through my body was invigorating.
We started off slowly from the South Col, which is an area that separates Everest from Lhotse, and after around 5 hours, we reached the Balcony at 8500m, which was the point of our first oxygen change. It was pretty chaotic at this point, as a number of climbers congregated in this area, desperately seeking further oxygen to continue the climb. After extreme confusion, we loaded another bottle, and headed up the narrow ridgeline.
As we approached a difficult section of rock, that seems to go forever, we were greeted by the most spectacular sunrise I have ever seen. The clouds, which were a long way below at this stage, provided an amazing canvass for the beaming warm sun to push through.
I looked further up the mountain, although I know this is sometimes not a wise decision, and could make out the South Summit, which seemed an eternity away. I tried to distract my mind away from the pain and exhaustion I was feeling, and focus on my goal. I knew I was getting close, but I knew that I still had a great deal of work ahead. By this stage, I had noticed that the crowd was thinning considerably, and a lot of people had turned back. That is the reality of Everest, it is certainly unforgiving, and plays endless mind games, luring you toward the summit, but constantly challenging you with difficult obstacles.
Once we reached the South Summit at 8750m, we were able to make out the route to the summit, and approached the famous Hillary Step. Once managing this section, we were on the Summit ridge, which has to be one of the most spectacular ridgelines in the world, with massive exposure, and views into Nepal and Tibet.
At this stage, I knew that my dream was about to become a reality. I knew that the summit was still a distance away, but the climbing from here on in, apart from the exhaustion, was relatively straight-forward.
I could see the flags swaying in the wind, and a small group of people sitting at the summit, and I was almost there. Allan and I slowly made our way to this point, and gave each other a massive hug. I had visions of total elation and celebration, but as it turned out, I had this overwhelming feeling of relief and inner-peace. I was crying tears of joy, so satisfied that I had achieved such a wonderful feat.
Allan, my best friend and soul mate, was always by my side, challenging himself, both mentally and physically every step of the way, pushing it to the limit to reach the summit. I will never forget the look of pride on his face as we stood on top of the world, and he told me that he loved me. This was the most special and emotional time of my life, and I knew that it was not the time to think too deeply about what we had just achieved, but enjoy the moment, and get safely down.
Can you believe it, we were standing on the summit of Mt Everest?
The Fine Line
I have heard this so many times from climbers, and I experienced this first hand. You really do have to be lucid and aware, in order to make the right decisions on the mountain. You have to listen to your body, make sure that you have the strength to not only reach the top, but more importantly get down, and have enough oxygen and water.
The majority of our Sherpa’s were sick on the summit push, and did not have their usual strength and clarity to make the important decisions. This in itself created a difficult situation, as we do rely on them for assistance on the mountain. We started the summit climb with 6 Sherpa’s, and by the time we reached the Balcony, we were down to 3.
We were lucky that Lakpa Sherpa, who is one of the most experienced climbing Sherpas in Nepal, and head instructor at the Khumbu Climbing School in Phortse, was with us. He had the nouse and foresight to load up extra bottles of oxygen, and make sure that he was aware where we were at all times on the mountain. Lakpa made this climb possible, he knows how dangerous it is, and he never let his guard down, despite the extreme stress placed upon him through losing half of his Sherpa guides on the day.
Despite the loss in numbers, we all had to rely on our previous climbing experience, and make some important decisions along the way. We had an impromptu meeting on the Balcony, and after some discussion with our support, we were satisfied that the climb could safely continue. We were confident that our oxygen supply was sufficient, and that we all had the strength and ability to keep going. In the end, it was the right decision, and as a team, I am so proud of our performance.
This has been the best experience of my life. It has been an incredible journey, and has tested me as a person on every level. I have experienced incredibly difficult days, from wild weather, to extreme cold, sickness, lethargy and sadness. I have had difficult days where I have doubted myself, where I have been stressed and in pain. But in the end, I have been able to overcome all obstacles, and keep my dream alive.
I would like to dedicate our climb to my Dad, who is currently going through his own battle with cancer. He is an inspirational man, and my driving force. I love you Dad.
To my Mum, you have never stopped me from doing the things I love, and you have been with me every step of the way. You are my best friend.
To Allan’s Mum and Dad, you have always been there for me, and supported both of us, so I thank you from the bottom of my heart. We love you very much.
To my sister Catherine, thanks for looking after my Facebook page. Love you, Cooper and Briar.
To all the people that have believed in me along the way, my friends and family, I will always hold you in dear in my heart.
And of course, to all the people currently going through cancer, the survivors and to the people who have lost loved ones through this disease, you are the reason I climb, and the reason I do what I do. I hope in a small way I am able to give inspiration and strength, and give you the belief that anything is possible.
Once we arrive back in Kathmandu, I will post another blog, focusing on my personal journey and future plans.
Until then, all my love
Sharon
Media inquiries
At the moment, I am unable to reply to email inquiries. Please direct any media inquiries to Pat Hollingworth or Rina Ferris at rina@ferrisdaviesprm.com.au.
Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined - Henry David Thoreau
Message from Chris
18 months ago I was evacuated off Cho-Oyu (8,200m), the 6th highest mountain in the world in a critical condition after attempting to climb too soon after a lengthy flu and mild pneumonia, which compromised my lungs. I worried that I would not be able to return to altitude safely. On medical advice, I stayed away from altitude for over 6 months, and then started again, firstly on Kilimanjaro, then on Ama Dablam. I am pleased I continued and decided to attempt Everest. The journey has been a valuable one.
I won’t put all my thoughts about summit day here. They are not all in order as I’m still processing things but… arriving at The Balcony (8,500m) was eventful, dealing with the oxygen issues as our Sherpa’s needed to descend (my allocated Sherpa had already descended earlier due to illness), ascending and hearing the words of westerners around me critical of other climbers, lacking compassion when climbers needed assistance, pushing and shoving on the ropes (although that was not limited to westerners).
On climbing the Trango Face, I started to hyper-ventilate and was concerned Cho-Oyu events were repeating themselves. I waited for Lakpa to come and asked for the oxygen flow rate to be increased. Some 30 mins later I was still not breathing correctly and said ‘If you can’t help me, then I’m in trouble’. Luckily, Lakpa checked and there was an oxygen blockage. I was relieved the problem was not me!
Climbing to the summit took everything I had (but for the energy I knew I needed to descend). I am so glad I was climbing with Sharon, Allan and Raul. We knew each other’s strengths and our power together got us to the summit, relying more on ourselves than we ever anticipated, our support team no longer available, except for the amazing Lakpa (and Dendy coming up the rear with Raul).
On descent, I was ahead of the rest of the team and above the Balcony came upon an Indian women climber in distress. I watched her for a while as I negotiated my way down the ropes. I planned to stop at the Balcony to check my oxygen levels as I knew I was low (we later discovered some of our oxygen bottles had been taken – a sad occurrence on this mountain). I observed her there and she was not in a good state. Getting down from this altitude when lucid and strong is hard enough – if you are not, you are lucky to come down at all. Lakpa arrived at the Balcony and we formed the view I had enough oxygen to get to South Col. I then headed off and within 10 metres I stopped to talk to the Indian woman and she was incoherent. I tried to show her how to descend on her bottom by sliding on the snow. She took to the idea but could not control the speed and direction of her descent, which would be incredibly dangerous and potentially fatal. I called to Lakpa for help and so began a rescue mission over several hours to get her down to South Col. I felt terrible asking Lakpa to do more. The delay meant I used up extra oxygen and ran out ahead of arriving at South Col, but I managed to make it back to my tent to reload.
This is the short version of my observations and experiences on summit day. Thanks to all for your interest and thanks again to Sharon and Allan for letting me blog on your blog! Looking forward to seeing family and friends soon. Chris
Message from Raul
Nu har man varit pa eversts topp.Det var helvetes hard dag.Vi kom ner
Igar 4 tiden.Toppen var jag min Sherpa fredag kl10.Sen tar sig ner fran
Den hojden nar man ar helt utmattad var inte sa latt.Men nu ar man nere och
Lycklig.Jag tappade telefonen pa 7600 m hojd och har lite svart kommunisera,
Vi ska packa idag och borjar knalla mot lokla.4 dagars knallande som man inte ar sa sugen pa.Hej till alla bekanta och specielt familjen som man vantar traffa sa..
