The Storms by Mike Trueman

Author:Mike Trueman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Vertebrate Publishing
Published: 2015-04-12T16:00:00+00:00

– Chapter 10 –

The Desire to Live

Those who spent the night of 11–12 May on the South Col included Pete, Todd and Anatoli, the survivors of the Adventure Consultants team, the South Africans and the clients from the Himalayan Guides expedition. By the time dawn broke on the morning of 12 May, for many at the South Col it was the third night that they had spent there or on the ridge above. For much of this time they had not slept much; they were in a state of extreme exhaustion and it was vital that they descend without delay.

As soon as it got light, the climbers started to prepare to descend. At 8.30 a.m. the remnants of the Adventure Consultants team started down. This did not look like the same team which had, only a relatively short time before, made its way up the mountain from Base Camp, full of confidence and ambition.

Between before midnight and 8.30 a.m. no climber at the South Col had gone to see whether or not Beck was still alive – it was probable that Beck had died, but no one knew for sure. But Beck had survived and, finding that he was still alive, his teammate Jon Krakauer rushed over to Pete and Todd, who started to give Beck the help he so desperately needed.

Earlier that morning the Taiwanese Sherpas had started to descend with Makalu Gau. It was going to be a cold and painful descent for Makalu. He was very badly frostbitten and without the aid of his loyal Sherpas he would not have made it back to Camp 2 that day.

Following in the tracks of the remaining members of Rob Hall’s team came the South Africans, followed later by the Himalayan Guides team, who had at last decided to give up their summit attempt.

On the South Col, Pete and Todd continued to look after Beck. The day had dawned clear, but the winds were horrendous. Only when climbers reached the Lhotse Face would they get any relief from the force of the storm.

Amazingly, Beck was able to eat and drink and, after taking some drugs, the speed of his recovery amazed both Pete and Todd. By mid-morning he was dressed and ready to go and, most surprisingly, he could walk.

Despite Beck’s appalling injuries, his good humour and positive attitude were an inspiration to all who met him during his evacuation from the mountain. As a doctor, Beck could appreciate the extent of his problems – he would later have his lower right arm amputated, and he would lose the fingers and thumb on his left hand and most of his nose.

Pete and Todd escorted Beck through the wind and down towards the Lhotse Face.

At the Yellow Band they were met by the Austrian climber Robert Schauer and the American Ed Viesturs, both members of the IMAX team who were playing such a vital role in the rescue on the mountain.

Further down at Camp 3, two other members of the IMAX

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