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-----Original Message----- From: Sanchez, Monique Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2001 11:52 AM To: 'jake_scarbrough@hotmail.com,'; 'jmenconi@adv-eng-ser-inc.com,' Subject: Everest Tragedy This email just came in today. One of our brokers from New York has a brother in-law who just summited Everest yesterday at 10eastern. There is a west gas trader that works in new york that is writing the account below. Apparently there was a drastic change in the elements and several are already dead and there is a major rescue underway. I haven't even found anything on this yet on the internet, though i expect there will be news shortly. I thought you all would be moved by this account. -----Original Message----- From: "Frank Ermis" <fermis@hotmail.com<@ENRON [mailto:IMCEANOTES-+22Frank+20Ermis+22+20+3Cfermis+40hotmail+2Ecom+3E+40ENRON@ENRON.com] Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2001 11:44 AM To: Sanchez, Monique Subject: Fwd: FW: spoke too soon <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. < < _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
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