EXPEDITION REPORT
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24 Mar 04 |
Greetings from the capitol of the Himalaya! This is my 8th trip to Nepal. It's good to be back again. My last trip was in 2001 on the Shishapangma expedition. This feels like my 2nd home. Kathmandu is still dusty as ever but I still feel the charm of this lovely place.
But the goodbye at Changi Airport yesterday was very hard for me. I couldn't hold back my tears saying goodbye to Sheng Feng. I already miss him so much. It was very good that my few close friends came to see me off. After so many years, they still send me off on expeditions. Their friendship and support is a source of strength for me.
I met up with Deepak and Diana. They introduced me to some equipment shops. Diana is our Singaporean friend and her husband Deepak is a Nepali. They run a trekking outfit in Kathmandu. It's very refreshing to know an adventurous Singaporean living in Nepal.
I spent yesterday afternoon and this morning buying some equipment that I either forgot to bring or that needs replacement - thermos, gaiters, lip gloss, duffel bag, crampons and the most expensive item, the climbing boots, at US$350. I decided to replace my old boots. The rubber has started to crack due to the humid Singapore weather.
I met the team yesterday. There are 7 Americans, 1 Canadian, 1 Australian and me. One of them is Mike Dunnahoo, who was on Cho Oyu in 1997. It is good to catch up with him again after 7 years.
I also met DB Koirala, our Nepali logistic agent that provided service for our Everest expditino in 1998 and the few other training climbs before that. It's always good to catch up with old friends.
Tomorrow morning, we will fly to Lukla and start the trek to base camp. We hope to get there on 6 Apr.
I will try to send some updates from Namche Bazaar in a few days' time.
In the meantime, stay cool and enjoy life!
| 28
Mar 04 |
Hello everyone,Greetings from Sherpas Capitol of Namche Bazar (3500m). Today is our 3rd day here as part of our acclimatization. Just like Kathmandu, nothing seems to change. It's a good feeling. But Internet has found its way here. In Kathamndu, it's one Rp a minute. Here, it's 20Rp a minute. (US$1 = 70Rp).
There are several members in the team who have been on this trek before and everyone notices that this year, it seems to be warmer and a lot more flowers blooming so early in the season.
On the flight into Kathmandu, the weather was fantastic and I had a very good view of Everest. It looked very black, ie, very little snow on the peak. Yesterday, Mike and me took an acclimatization trek up to Shayangboche airstrip to see Everest. Again, the upper valley looks very dry with little snow. Everest was blasted by the jetstream with a typical long plume of snow. So, windy, warm and dry. I wonder what it means for the climb. There should be less avalanche. But the warm climate means the icefall ladders will need to be maintained more frequently to keep the passage safe.
Everyone is getting to know each other little by little. Mike, Kevin, Bruce and Jason have been on Everest before. It's good to hear their stories. Jason turned back because he rescued someone very near the summit in 2001 on the north side. That says a lot about his values and principles. I am very impressed with him. The fact that they are back again speaks volumes about their spirit of adventure. I hope they all make it this time.
Yesterday, standing at a high point above Shyanboche, looking at Everest, after all these years, the mountain still inspires me. The feeling is the same as in 1998. This is an awesome place on Earth.
For the 3 nights so far, I have been sleeping and eating well. No diarrhea or headache. After resting for 2 days, everyone is ready to move again tomorrow. We are heading to Tengboche(3900m).
I don't know where I will be able to send the next update. Unlike in 1998, I only have an Iridium phone for this time.
Stay tuned as my adventure unfolds...
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| 13
Apr 04 |
This is Day 9 at base camp. I just came back to BC (5360m) today from spending
2 nights at C1 (6060m). Yesterday, Dan, Ron and me went up to C2 (6510m)
for acclimatization climb. After 6 years, I still feel very inspired to be back here in the Western Cwm again. The sight of the Lhotse Wall and Everest is magical. Thank God I am alive to experience this wonderful creation.
On 7th Apr, I went up the Khumbu Icefall for the 1st time to a point just below C1 for my first acclimatization climb. The route through the Icefall this year is longer than that in 1998. But it is safer, only 14 ladders crossing. On 11th Apr, it took me 5 1/2 hours to get to C1. It was tiring but I slept well without any altitude sickness at C1.
Next 2 days will be rest days at BC. Our C2 should be ready in 3 days' time. C2 is also the Advanced Base Camp (ABC). There will be a cook stationed there throughout the climb. I hope to spend longer time at C2 on my next acclimatization trip up. Hopefully, C3 (7300m) will be ready and I can at least sleep one night there or even go higher before coming back to BC for rest.
The weather forecast says there will be a storm in the next 2 days. Hopefully, our C1 and the equipment at C2 will not be blown off.
This year, 12 permits were issued for the Nepalese side of Everest. But many permits have multiple expeditions. The Malaysian BC is right next to ours. I have visited them twice. It's good to have our neighbor country here. They have 2 climbers and 14 support members.
The Discovery Channel has 4 climbers and they are filming for a 6-hour documentary to be released this November. There is a Taiwanese climber who does not speak English. His guide and him came by the other day and I did some translation for them. The American movie maker that gave the world EVEREST on IMAX, David Breashers, is also here to make another Everest movie. There is also a Chilean lady climber who was born in Singapore. The Everest BC is always a very interesting place to meet people and make new friends.
I had my first visitor the other day. She is a Singaporean doctor based in Hong Kong who is trekking here with her friends. She just happened to visit the Malaysian BC and they told her about me. It is always good to have visitors at BC.
This is Day 22 since I left home. I have been calling Wee Leng every other day. It's always good to hear her voice especially when I am cold and home sick. I miss Sheng Feng very much. The photos I brought of him and Wee Leng help me to cope with my loneliness. He will be 6 months when I get home. I am looking forward to spending time with them...
28 Apr 2004 Swee Chiow went up to camp 3 and stayed one night there before returning back down. He reached bacse camp yesterday. He will rest at base till camp 4 is ready.
23 Apr 2004 Swee Chiow attempted to go up to camp 3(7400m) yesterday but turned back at 7000m due to high winds. He will try again tomorrow.
19 Apr 2004 Swee Chiow has today arrived Camp 2(Advance Base Camp). He will spend another few days at ABC. The route to camp 3 is ready but not the campsite. He will go up to camp 3 once it is set up. He also reports of ladders collapsing in the Icefall two days ago. Luckily, no one injured. The Ice doctor took 1 day to fix it.|
30 Apr 04 |
The next morning, melting snow and packing was hard as it was freezing. My hands were numb from putting on the boots and crampons. I thought to myself, conditions will be much worse at C4 and the summit push. So, this is not that bad.
We had a stormy night at C2 and our kitchen tent collapsed. Luckily, no one was injured and the tent was salvaged. Three days later, while having breakfast in the same dome-shaped kitchen tent, it caved in right in the center due to the heavy snowfall the night before. Again, luckily, no one was injured and the stove was turned off quickly to avoid fire.
Just like at BC, our camps and the Malaysians' at C2 & C3 are adjacent to each other. That's good neighbor, just like back home. They did their C3 acclimatization on the same day as us. The two climbers have gone down to Deboche for a 5-day rest before getting ready for their summit attempt.
On the way down to BC, there was another seracs collapse in the icefall. It happened just a couple of hours before I reached that section. There was no rope for about 50 meters. I was able to follow some faint footprints from a few climbers who were ahead of me. Again, luckily, no one was at the scene when it happened.
But there have been some evacuations. One Swiss climber fell and broke his fingers. He was able to trek out to Lukla. One Korean had some eye problem and is in Kathmandu. One American had HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edeama), was put in a Gamow Bag and later helicoptered out from Pheriche. One American lady was hit by rocks while scrambling on a loose rock slope at BC. She was helicoptered out from BC the next morning. Five other climbers have also left the expeditions due to non-medical reasons, including two from our team. Let's hope there will be no other injuries this season.
Most of our Sherpas have left for C2 today. This will be the big push to set up C4. This is a heavy task for them. Lots of stuff have to be carried up - tent, ropes, oxygen bottles, food, stoves, fuel etc. The leader has decided to bring a bottle of oxygen for me to C4 in case of emergency. I appreciate that. But I hope I will not have to use it.
All of our team members are back in BC now. They are resting and getting ready for the summit attempt in about 10 days' time. But I have one final acclimatization trip to make and this is the plan:
2nd May - BC to C2
3rd May - rest at C2
4th May - go up to C3 for a night
5th May - go up to C4 for a night (most critical !)
6th May - back to C2
7th May - back to BC to rest for 4-5 days and get ready for summit attempt
Of course this plan is dependent on the weather. We have started to receive daily weather forecast a few days ago. This final trip up the mountain is the key to my attempt without oxygen.
The night at C4 (7900m) will be a new frontier for me. I have never slept that high without oxygen. Most of Everest climbers who use oxygen do not need to go to C4 for acclimatization. I will probably spend the night on the South Col (C4) with just one Sherpa and no one else. I feel a bit nervous about the risk but at the same time, looking forward to it, because this is the reason I came to Everest this time.
I called Wee Leng and Sheng Feng's voice in the background always makes me feel homesick. He is also the motivation for me to come home safe. Wee Leng also told me about Phillippines climbing Everest in 2007. That's exciting news...
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On the 6th May, I went up to the top of the Geneva Spur (close to C4), about
8000m, for my final acclimatization.It took me 6 hours from C3. It was a very tiring climb. I decided not to sleep at C4 as I didn't sleep well at C3 the previous night. Hopefully, the next time I go for the summit attempt, it will take less time.
I have been going over to neighbouring Malaysians camp for chit-chat and coffee. They are doing well and in high spirit. In fact, they have a 61-years old ex-minister here to cheer them on. He does not look his age and is young in spirit.
Yesterday, 2 trekkers from Penang dropped by, Dr & Mrs Low. It was a pleasant surprise. They have read my book and so, knowing that I love bak-kua, they even brought me some ! It's always very heart-warming to meet folks from home when you are in a cold and icy world. God bless their souls.
Base Camp is now buzzing with preparations for the summit attempt. All the hard work of acclimatization and going up and down the high camps is building up to this climax. Our team is cooperating with 3 other teams to share resources to fix the route from C4 to the summit. We are sharing Sherpas and equipment. According to the weather report, it's relatively good from the 13th to 18th.
Our first group of 5 team members left this morning for C2. They will attempt the summit on the 15th. I decided to be in the 2nd group because I want to take a few more rest days, since I just came down to BC on the 8th from my last acclimatization trip. Also, since everyone is looking at the same weather forecast, there is likely to be a crowd on the first attempt. Here is my summit schedule:
13 May - BC to C2
14 May - rest at C2
15 May - C2 to C3
16 May - C3 to C4
17 May - Summit attempt
I will have our young and strongest Sherpa Dorje Lama climbing with me on the summit day. He has been to the summit twice. Like all other Sherpas, he will be using oxygen. This is so that just in case I run into problems, he will be able to help me.
Well, please bear in mind that every plan in the mountain is very much subjected to change due to the weather. We can only put up a plan, do our best and leave the rest to God.
I received a package from Wee Leng the other day. She sent me some recent photos of Sheng Feng. He is grown bigger ! His smile is irresistable. Thank God everything is fine at home. Today is Day 49 since I left home. I will be home very soon.
Here, I would like to thank my sponsor, NORCA and the man that made this happen, Mr Saroj. Life is really an adventure. You never know what's round the corner or who you will meet next. That's what makes life exciting and worth living.
Please pray for me, for a safe climb and hopefully, success.
| 23
May 04 |
I
just arrived back in Kathmandu this morning. What an adventure it has been.
Today is Day 60 since we left Kathmandu on 25 March. It feels so good to
be back in the warm weather. More importantly, I feel very good to be alive!
I attempted the summit on the 17th May, reached the Balcony at 8415m and decided to turn back. I have never breathed so hard in my life! The feeling is a bit like drowning. I spent so much energy just breathing that fatigue set in quickly. Luckily, the weather was very good and that allowed me to descend safely.
We started from C4 at 8.30pm on the 16th May and reached the Balcony at 2.45am. I could go on and probably reach the summit but I know I would not come back alive. It was a struggle to get that high and the minute I got to the Balcony, my instinct told me to get down quickly. The idea of using oxygen to continue to the summit did not cross my mind (My Sherpa Dorjee Lama carried an emergency bottle for me).
This season, there have been at least 4 deaths on Everest and I have no intention to be on that list.
The Malaysians did well. Both their climbers, Korbin and Mat summitted on the 16th May. They worked hard and they deserved the victory.
I will take a 3 days rest here and will be home on the 26th. I can't wait to spend time with my little Sheng Feng (more than 10kg now), Wee Leng and all my friends again! I must have lost at least 6kg. Time for some R&R !
Cheers...Swee Chiow
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7 Jun 04 |
"I am home with Sheng Feng (6 months and 10kg now!) and Wee Leng. It feels so good to spend time with my family and friends and to do nothing for a while. The No.1 question I get asked since I returned is: "Will you try again?". I don't know yet. I would love to but it will be very hard to leave our adorable Sheng Feng, not to mention the dificult task of finding sponsors.
The season on Everest has just finished. Sadly, 7 people died on her slope this year. The mountain gives and the mountain takes. In this space age, when we humans have "conquered" so much in so many areas of science and technology, Mother Nature remains an awesome power for us to ponder and admire.
For the rest of this year, I will think of an adventure nearer to home. Stay tuned :)...."
Cheers. Swee Chiow