Safe and Sound
Bad weather is moving in on Mount Everest the day our team got back to base camp on May 4, 2010.
By Marshall Thompson
The weather has been very unpredictable lately and our team has spent far too many days at Camp 2 waiting for an opportunity to go to Camp 3 and acclimatize. This morning was sunny with no wind, but Apa and the team made the tough decision to come down anyway. It was a good feeling to have them all safe and sound at base camp even though many of them were itching for an opportunity to get just a little closer to the summit.
As Apa says: “Safety first, then summit.”
The weather this afternoon has proven their decision wise. There’s wind and precipitation that would have made it miserable or even dangerous at higher altitudes. Most of the team will probably wait out a storm that we expect to come around Thursday and last into the weekend. In the meantime, I’m just glad to have Apa’s cheerful presence around and have more people to play cards with.
Glad you are all safe. Reading daily and hoping for the best to the whole team. Mary Breinholt (Jerry Mika’s Cousin)