|
|
Dave: "Some folks have been looking for this thing for 60 years now? I'll do my best to find it."
May 23, 2004 17: 47 EST
Dave did one written dispatch and two voice dispatches from C1 and C2. Tommorrow, it's C3 and then D-Day!
"May 21 - Tomorrow's the day
Tomorrow's the day to start climbing. According to the forecast, May 25th is looking like the day for us. May 26th and the evening of May 25, the winds should be pick up. We plan to be down by then.
A health report. All good, except my digestive track has been in neutral for the past couple of days. Last year a sherpa died from a similar condition, no joke Thankfully the Italians left some prunes and they seem to be getting things in gear - hey if you really want to hear the nitty gritty of it all - this whole climbing thing isn't as glamorous as it seems.
So I stopped by the Connecticut tent today - a whole bunch just summited including, Dan Lochner, the now 22 year old from Norwalk. I got tons of information about the route and even saw video of the second step. I have gone through the motions and everything. Between the first and second step is a sketchy traverse and I know on the way down that you turn off the ridge a little after a dead body that has been there for some while.
I don't know what to think right now. I am definitely very fired up, however, I am thinking lots of things. What if I don't make it? It's hard not to let these thoughts enter your head. I try not to, and ignore them, but then I figure maybe to think about it if only for a few, and the only thought that I let enter my head is that I might have a couple takers for next year to come back with (You know who you are and I have the emails saved). Tom and Tina, you guys are great, but I don't know if I could do this 4 years in a row though :)
Thanks for all the birthday emails and good luck emails - lots of "the mountain will be there next year" type stuff. Yeah I know it will be there, and I won't do anything stupid, or at least try not to. For some even being here is stupid, maybe. What do you think to yourself when you know the next four days will probably be the toughest, most dangerous, and painful of your life? I know what I am thinking this second though, I'm going to go fucking get this thing. A fifteen year old did it, and a 70 year old did - I should be able to do it too. It's on.
I've been told the left handed smoke shifter is up there too - some folks have been looking for this thing for 60 years now? I'll do my best to find it."
The Russian Adventure team has recently been on trips to Elbrus and Ararat, over in Turkey. They also ran a successful Everest expedition last year and are running another trip again this year to the big E. This time, Dave D'Angelo, from team ExWeb is with them. Dave has already shot over two live videos from the mountain (check WebTV) and some of the best stories along with them (check links).
Ludmila "Ludi" Koshelenko, the teams BC chef (who bought aprons and over sleeves for the BC cooks in China) is Yuri Koshelenko's wife, and coming with the team to Base Camp to meet her husband. Yuri is climbing the new route on the Everest North Face with the Russian National team and also joined Babanov in their first ascent of the former highest unclimbed mountain in the world – Nuptse East, 7804m last year.
Image of the route, courtesy of Dave/ExplorersWeb.
|
|
Feature Stories |
|
Latest News |
more news |
 |
Everest Supercouloir: "What is a summit compared to a friend's lif
Full Story
|
 |
Mystery Chopper's Utopia summit - VIDEO
Full Story
|
 |
Annapurna South: "It was such a great climb"
Full Story
|
 |
ExWeb Special report: The Ropes and Summit Push on Everest...
Full Story
|
 |
Real men
Full Story
|
 |
Christian Kuntner - a mountaineering legend is gone
Full Story
|
 |
14 x 8000: Ed Viesturs joins the world's most exclusive...
Full Story
|
 |
ExWeb Special: Ed Viesturs "I still have peaks that I want...
Full Story
|
|
|
| Andrew Lock on Annapurna tragedy: "I wanted to keep on climbing" Jun 6, 2005 | | Gabriel Filippi and Sean Egan's soul, together on the summit of Everest Jun 6, 2005 | | "Supermom" Monica Kalozdi update: Everest Summit and hard descent Jun 5, 2005 | | Robert Milne dies during summit push Everest South Jun 5, 2005 | | Grania Willis summits Everest this morning Jun 5, 2005 | | ExplorersWeb Week-In-Review Jun 5, 2005 | | Himex summit - Update from climber Jun 4, 2005 | | No Mountain top too high, my Love Jun 4, 2005 | | Jagged Globe team summits again! Jun 4, 2005 | | More summits for DCXP/Project Himalaya this morning Jun 4, 2005 |
| | End of season... Jun 4, 2005 | | Ranulph Fiennes turns back on Everest Jun 3, 2005 |
|
|
|
|
2004
BEST of EXPLORERSWEB
|
|
|
|
