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 Home > South Col Dispatches Index > May 29 Dispatch

Summit Eve
Camp IV - Thursday, May 29, 2003

Prittie
Prittie
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Good morning everybody from the South Col of Everest. This is Willi Prittie reporting for Alpine Ascents in 2003, and this is in fact the 29th of May, 2003, about 9 AM local time.

With that, I would like to congratulate the family of Tenzing Norgay and also Sir Edmund Hillary and family. Little did they know what they started 50 years ago today.

At any rate, we made the decision here at the South Col not to climb last night. It was a wise decision. It stayed windy until well after midnight, and now the winds have moderated significantly at about 15-25 knots [down from 50 knots! -ed]. So it's looking like tonight is going to be a go. Everybody is doing well, we're in good spirits and we're psyched to get this thing over with.




So after one more rest day, or I should say, waiting day right here, hopefully with God being on our side, we will be able to summit this thing and all go home.

So that's all from the South Col on this 50th anniversary day of the 29th of May.

Generally a little aside I would like to put in. When it's very windy, and one has to heed nature's call and do number two, one does so in a plastic bag in a tent vestibule. Yesterday, I made the mistake of thinking I could do it outside behind a rock, and I almost frostbit every attached part of my body as a result of it in the 50 knot winds. So live and learn. Hopefully that will be the last piece of stupidity that anybody has to do on this climb.

So long for now.

Willi Prittie, Alpine Ascents International Guide and MountainZone.com Correspondent

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