Everest International 2002 Expedition North side

Update (note this is from a few days ago, but it helps explain a little on what has been happening on the mountain.) This comes from sources close to the team.

Guillermo is still trying to summit, let's pray for him and wish him good luck.  On the 24th, they climbed to C2 at 7800 in spite of not having support from the Sherpas, the weather was bad and all their depots and tents above ABC had been destroyed by the intense wind in excess of 160 kph.  Guillermo and Ivan kept on supporting the expedition with their 4 personal tents because, they lost everything between the 19 and 21 of May.  Even so, they climbed to C1 with enthusiasm and they even raced with some Sherpas of the Japanese expedition and they were in good mood.  This was the 22nd.  The 23rd the weather turned bad along with Ivan's health because a virus got him at ABC. Ivan had bronchopneumonia on the night of the 22nd.  By the night of the 23rd it was obvious that Ivan had to descend to avoid a lethal pneumonia, even so Ivan stayed and got worse. The 24th Ivan went down to ABC and decided to stay and wait for Guillermo at ABC but the weather and Ivan's health didn't let Ivan, so on the 25th Ivan went down to Base at 1,200 vertical meters (and 25 linear kilometers).  Guillermo stayed like a lion, brave and hungry for blood, but even the best hunter misses its prey and this is the case.  Ivan will see him in a couple of days and Ivan will write the definitive news.  

What we indeed did, according to a whispering bird at Base Camp, is to motivate you all to follow us and to make you conquer your personal summits. This is as big as stepping on the Everest summit.  There is a phrase that says: "He who fights and runs away, may live to fight another day". This is our case, they WON'T give up, they will fight and leave and will come back!

After all, the real summit is health!  This is what they liked the most, the pleasure of a constant fight against adversity.  Being Ivan's third expedition on Everest by this route, Ivan have suffered more or as much as anyone who had made it to the summit and thanks to that Ivan have learned something unique:  To keep an invincible fighting spirit and to have faith even against all odds, humbly watching my limits.  Everest is climbed being in the right place at the right time (that is, being at C3 at 8,300m with good weather), but an ascent is something material, there is not creation of virtues or learning that you can find like hidden treasures on a summit.  If effort is not dedicated and shared, it is only something very selfish and temporary.  And that same effort can be done even if you don't climb to the summit, but if it is done with the same commitment and effort of the "summiter", there is a lot of respect to gather.  So this is a great moral victory (and a great lesson of life to Guillermo) and with that conviction, real victory can't be much farther.  Also, if we are always close to God, we CAN'T fail.  When we started this great adventure we talked about the abilities and of how we are not much more or less if we are praised or denigrated (before God we are what we are), also we talked about great dreams and great achievements... so we begin to make our dreams come true without fear, that is what defines and dimensions us.

Teamwork:  They work together in good or wrong, they looked for joint solutions whenever things got complicated, and they avoided to blame, instead they tried to be part of an integral solution, failing but also having success. 

Thanks for your moral support and your prayers, without you this dream could not have become true.  Stay tuned because Guillermo is about to come with good news and remember we have adventure training all year long and some of you (why not) could participate in a more active way. 

They would like to say some words about the merry and full of illusions Zoran Miletic, 42, our late teammate from Yugoslavia:  His death has made us sensible, but has not made us coward, Everest is an accelerated micro cosmos of the cycle of life, we try to live a braver, simpler and honest life, and sometimes the cold hand of death gets us prematurely but "kings don't die" because our blood is still alive through our children.  Zoran left his daughter of 12 and his son of 8.  May he rest in peace. 

Take care and wait for our last communication from here in a few more days because another interesting point is that our airline, Singapore, has canceled operations due to insecurity created by the Maoist rebels and by now, we have NO way to go back (and no money) to Mexico, but that, as they say, is another story (which I will tell in my last communication).

They leave you with this ad hoc Irish rhyme: "May you have food and shelter and a roof over your head, and may you live 40 years in heaven, before the devil knows you are dead" 

Note Guillermo did not make the Summit as you can see below....

Update 5/30/2002: We had news by phone (yesterday May 29), that Ivan Loredo had to go back to Base Camp, because he was ill, Guillermo Carro Blaizac, went back to climb, we don't know with what group. GCE

Update 6/1/2002: Reliable sources report to EverestNews.com that Guillermo Carro Blaizac is back to camp.................no summit.

The Mountain will be there another year... Good News...

Dispatches