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Adventures
International Everest 2002 Expedition
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Everest
2002 Expedition Report May 17th, 2002
Descended
to Camp 4, had hot drinks and crawled right into our
sleeping bags--I slept like a baby all night. About an
hour into the descent from the summit a vicious wind
kicked up. It started out as spindrift, but then it
came down like a hammer and turned into a 30 minute
white-out. It was impossible to know what direction to
take to camp at the bottom of the fixed-line, so we
stayed put until it passed.
We'll
head down to at least Camp 2 today and possibly clear
to Basecamp. It'll take all day carrying heavy packs.
The risk factor is still quite high, as we have yet to
descend the Lhotse Face and get through the Icefall.
With the wind kicking up and moving the snow around,
the Lhotse Face may be really icy. The route through
the icefall is also falling apart; it's been warm and
crevasses are opening up. We just have to get through
that mess and we're back.
It
will be total euphoria once we get down to Basecamp.
As for right now, at 26,000 feet, my brain is starting
to feel like oatmeal.
Scott
Woolums
Adventures International Inc.
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