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 Home > South Col Dispatch Index > May 25 (4:40am PST) Dispatch

An Amazing Display
Camp IV - May 25, 2002 (4:40am PST)

Benitez
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Hello, greetings from the South Col, this is Luis Benitez reporting for Alpine Ascents International and Mountain Zone.

Yes, that's right ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we are back from a very, very successful bid. All climbing members, with the exception of Al Hanna, who was with us in spirit, and all guides reached the summit between 10:30 and 11:45am.

It was an amazing day, with beautiful weather. We couldn't have hit the nose more right on the middle than if we tried.

"...we got to join Peter Hillary and Pete Athans on the summit and watch as Peter Hillary called Sir Edmund Hillary to say that he had actually made the top..."
The guides were amazing, I'm so honored and proud to be a part of such a climbing team; the second Ecuadorian to make the summit, Jose Luis Peralvo, Mike Roberts, another Kiwi to grace the top of the world. Myself, my second summit, actually on the same day, May 25, at the same time, 10:30am, as last year.

Willi Prittie, congratulations to him on his first summit, and where would we be without our Sherpa staff, with Lakpa Rita right in the front of all of it. These guys are truly the blessing that make our expeditions possible here and without them I think we'd truly be lost.

Every single one of the climbers today put in an impressive, impressive display of strength, determination and stamina. Just the looks on everybody's face as they crossed certain sections: watching Cleve MacDonald crest the Balcony; Arnold Witzig keep an amazing pace up towards the South Summit; Joe Leroy negotiate the Hillary Step and come out on top of it smiling; and who could forget Karl Yoder as he made his way from the Balcony to the South Summit, bit-by-bit, step-by-step.

Every single one of us has been lifted up by all of the well wishes from our loved ones and family back home. I think that every single one of us agrees that without them, truly, truly, truly, our strengths would be diminished and for that every single one of us are truly, truly, thankful.

Another specialty today was that we got to join Peter Hillary and Pete Athans on the summit and watch as Peter Hillary called Sir Edmund Hillary to say that he had actually made the top and that he thought the Hillary Step, named after him, was quite hard, so that was quite amazing.

Right now, we're all back at the South Col just kind of resting and hydrating intending on moving down to Camp II tomorrow. We can't say enough how much we appreciate all the well wishes of family and friends back home and I know everyone echoes my sentiment when I say that we're all thinking of you back home and cannot wait to be back among you, along with good food, good family and friends.

I especially want to thank Vern Tejas as well. When Al Hanna had to turn around this morning, Vern still came up in incredible support for the whole team, summitted with us and just kind of floated from group to group and helped us all out as we needed it. Just an amazing display of strength, performance and incredible skill, I was very proud and honored to be a part of this group on this amazing day.

So for right now we're just eating ramen soup, and counting our blessings and just starting to dream about salads with blue cheese dressing and big old steaks.

Till then, this is Luis Benitez reporting for MountainZone and Alpine Ascents International.

— Luis Benitez, Alpine Ascents International Guide and MountainZone.com Correspondent

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