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DISPATCHES FROM EVEREST Expedition leader Todd Burleson reports from Nepal
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Monday, May 12, 1997 -- 9pm (Base Camp)
Hi, this is Todd calling to The Mountain Zone. We did not get a weather forecast today, so hopefully we'll get one in the morning, and that'll let us know what's happening in the next five or six days. Everybody is basically sitting in Base Camp right now waiting to find out when the weather will change.
Lots of people are interested in news from the north side. We need to be very, very cautious here -- there are just numerous, numerous rumors that abound in Base Camp. Several people have talked directly to Russle Brice on the north side who's leading an expedition there -- via radio, walkie-talkie -- and even Russle, I do not believe, has all the facts. At this point it is either seven or eight people are either dead or missing. [ed. note: An AP report earlier this morning identified the three Khasaks as: Alexander Torochin, 45; Nikolai Chevtchenko, 52; and Ivan Plotaikov, 36. German guide Peter Kowalzik, 29 who was climbing independently, a climbing Sherpa, and two other yet unidentified climbers are also known to be dead or missing and presumed dead on the north side.
 Everest and Nuptse viewed from Kala Pattar (18,300'). Snow and cloud plumes are blown off the top; the Khumbu Ice Fall is at the bottom left. We will keep you posted on what's going on here. It's of great concern to everybody here. The mountain has claimed far too many lives in the last two years, and hopefully people are going to start heeding this warning -- realizing that Everest is a very dangerous mountain, and it's also a very great mountain and needs to be treated with tremendous respect. We'd hoped that those lessons had been learned last year, but we shall see. There are still several expeditions here waiting to go. Everybody feels good -- we'll have to see what the future brings. Hopefully, everybody will be on their toes and be very careful. [Click here for more digital images from Kala Pattar: pan-out of Base Camp beside the Khumbu Ice Fall and close-up of the rock and ice that IS Base Camp.] Nothing more from Base Camp. I hope everybody out there is fine. Talk to you soon. Bye. -- Todd Burleson, Expedition Leader |
Click to hear Todd Burleson's audio dispatch recorded over sat-phone.
[Dispatches from Everest Index]
1997 Everest Expedition with
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