5/18/06

Roger Coffey Reporting From Base Camp

There are cheers throughout Base Camp as members of various teams arrive on summit after an all night push. It's a beautiful  summit day! MJ, Dirk, and Klaus are moving up to Camp IV after a night in Camp III. They're all on oxygen now to help sustain their capacity to climb. All are feeling as well as can be expected at that altitude. Today they'll rest a few hours in Camp IV, drink and eat as much as possible (usually, this is very little) -- then leave tonight between 9:00 and 11:00 PM for the summit. They have a long climb ahead. The rest of our team is a little spread out now.

Jeff and Julie left early this morning from Camp II for Camp III after hearing my weather report at 9:20  last night. Later this morning, Will decided to move up as well, foregoing the usual Camp II rest day. Is decision was based on the morning weather report which confirmed that Saturday may well bring negative changes to our summit window. Doug is remaining in Camp II for the day, hopefully allowing him time to rest, rehydrate and recover from an intestinal disturbance -- which apparently began last night. He sounds good on the radio, still positive and strong. We wish him a speedy recovery and a quick push for the summit!

As the evening of 5/18 approaches, our team finds itself spread out. Safely in Camp IV are the climbers MJ Kim, Dirk Stephan, and Klaus Mees. They will only rest for a few hours before beginning the final push for the summit, accompanied by our very own Apa Sherpa and four others. If Apa summits tomorrow, that will push his world record to 16 Mt. Everest summits! I'll stay with them via radio throughout the night, monitoring their progress across the Balcony, the South Summit, the Hillary Step, and on to the summit in the morning. Tucked away for the night in Camp III are Julie Smith, Jeff Warden, and Will Cross. In the morning, they will follow the trail across the Lhotse face with 4 Sherpas to Camp IV.

In Camp II, you'll find the lonely, Doug Tumminello, recovering from a serious bout of dysentery. His plans for tomorrow are dependent upon his ability to rest tonight. Camp II is a place stocked with food and supplies and is perfectly suitable for resting. Doug's only race now is against the weather changes predicted in the next few days. This is only moderately important as no one can very accurately predict weather on this mountain. Let's hope Doug is faced with a beautiful summit window when he's ready to move again.

Team member, Larry Rigsby, sends up thought and prayers to all of the climbers on the mountain and continues to cheer them every step of the way.

A word from Larry to Doug and his family:

Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait upon the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.