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Moro, the Eternal Optimist
Base Camp - Monday, May 8, 2000

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Morrison

Editor's Note: The following story was emailed today from Everest Base Camp by Dan Morrison, Quokka Sports/MountainZone.com correspondent.

Back in Texas, we'd call Simone Moro "snakebit." Nothing seems to be going right for him this expedition. He is now back in Base Camp trying to scrounge enough gear to climb the mountain.

"We lost two tents!" Moro said as he entered the comm [communications] tent with an expression he often has, part bafflement, part bemusement. Simone Moro is the kind of guy who always seems amazed by what life tosses at him, yet he is also enjoying life by far more than the average man on the street.

"Two days ago," Moro explained, "we went back up, and we started here in the morning, and in three-and-a-half hours we were in Camp II. We were happy. It meant that the rest [downvalley] was good. We were very optimistic.

"And the day after," he continued, "we started at 7 o'clock [in the morning], partly because it was bad weather, and we arrived very quickly at the base of the fixed rope. In 45 minutes we were there, and there we should find one of our tents.

"We didn't find it. We shoveled for one-and-a-half hours. And we didn't find it," Moro said.

It had been snowing heavily for a couple of days.

"So," Moro explained, "we decided to continue up to Camp III, and we arrived at Camp III in very stormy weather, and we didn't find our tent.

"We shoveled for three-and-a-half hours. It was very hard work — two people. When I was tired I gave the shovel to Denis. After three-and-a-half hours, we were completely frozen and wet. Without a tent. So we had lost two tents."

Not only had two of their tents been buried by fresh snow, but of course all the gear stored in those tents was, for all practical purposes, lost.

"We lost two down suits," explained Moro, "two sleeping bags, two backpacks, the cameras stuff, the keyboard, the battery, everything. Gas, food, everything. So, we were there like two stupid guys. So I said to Denis, 'What do we do now?'

"In one day," Moro said, "we had gone to Camp II and Camp III and had shoveled for two tents. So at 4 o'clock, we decided to come down."

"But I'm a little worried, because we have no oxygen, and usually if you don't use oxygen you feel colder. So it was very important to have the down suits."

Moro was able to come up with a tent, but the problem now, according to Moro, is that once again, since they are using no Sherpa help, even if they can scrounge enough gear, they have to haul it all back up the mountain. They are essentially back to square one.

"Maybe tomorrow we will go back to Camp III and ask for help," Moro said, "And maybe if we have two or three people shoveling, we will find our tent. If we don't find it, we will take our down jackets and put on three layers of clothes, and go."

Simone Moro, the eternal optimist. For some reason though, you get the feeling that, in a day or two, or a week, Moro will unexpectedly show up in our tent with yet another tale that not only amazes his listeners, but also seems to amaze Moro as well.

— Dan Morrison, Quokka Sports/MountainZone.com Everest Correspondent

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