Page 21 - 2000 AMA Millenium

several feet of new snow. They started early but the journey to the South Summit was an endless wade through thigh deep, avalanche-prone
JP powder. After some heavy soul
searching at the South Summit they pushed on, reaching the top at 3pm. After
a short rest they began the descent and as night fell they were forced to bivouac with no gear and little food or water. At this point they had to share the remains of their oxygen, passing the mask from hand to hand until it was finished and keeping themselves from falling into a fatal sleep by beating each other. We had no way of knowing what had happened to them. The next
The Lhotse Face above Camp 3
morning at camp 3 ,1 got ready to take up another load and, like everyone else, prayed that they had somehow survived. Then Pat and John found them, badly frostbitten and snowblind, slowly edging their way down. When we heard that they had done it, I think we all just felt enormous relief. We were then preoccupied
with getting everyone off the hill alive. It was much, much later when we were able to relax and let it sink in; we had done something extraordinary..
In the Western Cwm looking towards the Lhotse Face.
Everest - The Hidden Faces
Bronco Lane is leading a high altitude trek to the three Northern (Tibetan) faces post-monsoon 2000.
For more information contact Bronco or Nigel Gifford at Palanquin Travels;
Tel: 01749 671311 fax 01749 671310
email: sirdars@palanquin.co.uk
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Brummie Stokes on the Summit ol Everest 16 May 1976.