CURRENT SUMMARY FOR MAY 22, 2001

The team left Camp 2 for Camp 3 at 6:50 am. Chris Morris and Charley Mace arrived at 9:50 and everybody was safely in Camp 3 by 1:15 pm. Our team counted 46 people moving from Camp 3 to Camp 4. At 10:00 am we spotted a paraglider floating down from the summit and into Tibet. We hear that he is a Frenchman who summitted from the North Side. On the South Side (where we are) 3 Spanish climbers summitted without Sherpa support or fixed ropes up high and broke trail for the rest of us!

May 22, 2001 From: P.V. Scaturro Expedition Leader NFB 2001 Everest Expedition 6:00 PM Nepal Time, Camp 3

Today was a fabulous day! Currently our 13 climbers are sitting at almost 24,000 feet at Camp 3 overlooking the Himalayas. The sky is crystal clear and blue. There's no wind. It's almost 6PM and it's warm. We started this morning at 5:30 to go from Camp 2 to Camp 3. By 1PM, all members were in Camp 3, safe and sound. Jeff Evans wanted everyone to know that he got in before me! We actually did a really good job acting as a team. It was really, really heart-warming. A lot of climbers stayed behind to make sure everybody got in on time. Of course Chris and some others got in ahead of the rest but that worked out very well. The weather is, in a word, fabulous! It is good mountaineering weather. Tomorrow we plan on leaving Camp 3 at 5AM going up to Camp 4 hoping to get there by noon to rest and prepare for the summit attempt. The plan is to leave tomorrow night at 9PM to go for the summit attempt. We hope to get to the summit before 8AM or 9AM on the morning of the 24th.

That's about all from Camp 3. We can't say much more. It was a perfect day, a 10! Wish us all luck and thanks for your support.

Blind Climber Positioned At 23,500’ On Everest

Erik Weihenmayer To Begin Final Push To The Summit On Wednesday

He May Live The Dream Of His Book "Touch the Top of the World"

Erik Weihenmayer, a 32-year old blind mountaineer from Golden, Colorado, is one camp and a final summit push away from living his dream, to touch the very top of the world, 5 1/2 miles up, 29,035’, Mount Everest. A few hours ago, he pulled into Camp 3 (23,500’) with his 2001 Everest Expedition teammates, hoping for a clear day and a weather window. It has not been a good weather year on the mountain so far. No one has yet summited from the south (Nepalese) side, and Erik has already spent 9 nights 21,250’and now two at 23,500’ waiting for an opening. The expedition is sponsored by the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the largest membership organization of blind people in the U.S.

Because of multiple carries of gear to the higher camps, as well as the stormy weather, Weihenmayer has already crossed the dangerous Khumbu Ice Fall nine times. The first passage took a grueling 13 hours 42 minutes; his last passage two days ago was completed in just 5 hours 23 minutes - respectable for anyone, but absolutely remarkable for a blind man. This calls attention to Erik’s message, that with special adjustments and creative systems, with courage and an iron will, much of what is considered impossible for a blind person is actually do-able. This mindset is at the heart of NFB’s sponsorship of the climb, and is part of its effort to "change what it means to be blind."

The timetable for the final push is highly dependant on the weather, which in turn is heavily influenced by the positioning of the jet stream. When the jet stream is over Everest, which has been the case for the last month, the 29,035’ peak is actually in the jet stream, causing winds of 100mph and more at the top. As the season progresses, the jet stream moves north, and leaves behind somewhat calmer winds and clearer weather, at least in the mornings. That seems to be happening now. So the team plans to move up to Camp 4 at 5:00 a.m. Wednesday morning Nepal time, arriving around Noon, then begin its final push to the summit around 9 p.m. that evening (11:15 a.m. Wednesday EST). The team will climb all night, reach The Balcony at approximately 5 a.m. Thursday Nepal time, climb the Hillary Step, and hopefully stand on top of the world by 11 a.m. Thursday (1:15 a.m. Thursday EST). Frequent progress reports will be posted. This history-making event is being captured in a documentary being shot now on the mountain, sponsored by Allegra, a seasonal allergy product.

Everest is the key to Weihenmayer joining less than 100 mountaineers who have actually climbed all Seven Summits, the highest peak on each of the 7 land continents. When he does, he will become one of the youngest. Erik has 4 of them under his belt: McKinley (North America) in 1995, Kilimanjaro (Africa) in 1997, where he paused halfway up the mountain to marry his sweetheart Ellen; Aconcagua (South America) in 1999, the highest peak outside of Asia; and Vinson Massif (Antarctica) four months ago. He has also scaled Yosemite’s 3300’ rock face El Capitan, the highest exposed monolith in the world, in 1996; and Polar Circus, a 3000’ ice waterfall and the crown jewel of the Canadian Rockies, in 2000. Formerly a middle school teacher and wrestling coach, Weihenmayer is now a professional speaker and author.

His story, Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man’s Journey to Climb Farther Than the Eye Can See , was released in the U.S. in February. Because of his intense training regimen for Everest, Weihenmayer was unable to undertake a book tour at that time, but will tour and promote his book in the U.S. in July and August, England in June, and Germany in September. Book reviews have been enthusiastic.

CURRENT SUMMARY FOR MAY 21, 2001

This morning 5 Sherpas left Base Camp for Camp 2 at 6:15 AM, and all arrived safely. The team rested at Camp 2. We received word from them that they counted 71 people heading from Camp 2 to Camp 3 and another 40 going from Camp 3 to Camp 4. It has turned out to be a rather busy day. Currently, all NFB members are safely at Camp 2. They continue to feel well and are eager for their departure to Camp 3 tomorrow morning.

Touch the Top of the World : A Blind Man's Journey to Climb Farther Than the Eye Can See by Erik Weihenmayer Get yours today !

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