Dispatch 7 - Icefall Turnaround :
April 25rd
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Sometimes on Mt. Everest things don't turn out as planned. After
resting 5 days in BC, I was ready to get up climbing again.
This morning I got up at 4:15 and started climbing at 5. I
made it about halfway distance-wise - a little more altitude-wise
(over 19,000 ft) up the icefall when I ran into 3 Sherpas coming
down. They described a large collapse and told me the route
was unclimbable today - until the icefall doctors repaired
it. So, I came all the way back down and I'll try again tomorrow.
On one hand it is a little frustrating to do all that climbing
for nothing, but it is Mt. Everest and that's how things go.
On the bright side it was good exercise and pretty fun - I
turned around before the really scary stuff, which is when
there are large seracs (towers of ice) looking like they are
going to fall at any minute.
The numbers . . .
2 sections collapsed on the route up the Khumbu icefall last night
3 ladders were carried up by the icefall doctors in order to repair
the climbing route
12 climbers were turned around by the route problems
Day by Day . . .
23 April - Rest at Base Camp
24 April - Climb part way up icefall (over 19,000 ft.) turn around because of icefall collapse.
