FW: Everest Tragedy

-----Original Message-----
From: Sanchez, Monique
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2001 11:54 AM
To: 'jmenconi@adv-eng-ser-inc.com'
Subject: FW: Everest Tragedy

-----Original Message-----
From: Sanchez, Monique
Sent: Thursday, May 24, 2001 11:53 AM
To: 'hotmail.com,ksanchez@houstonisd.org,sscott5@enron.com,emharris@dow.com'
Subject: FW: Everest Tragedy

-----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.
< <

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