Brook Alongi, 28, of Marysville took off for Kathmandu, Nepal, on March 20 to lead a six-man expedition up the North Ridge of Mount Everest. The team includes Scott Streett of Everett, and Ryan Allen, Al Baal, Ambrose Bittner and Michael Frank, all of Seattle.
Their story was featured in The Herald on March 19. Alongi is filing occasional dispatches from the trip, using a laptop computer with a satellite modem.
This dispatch was received at 11:29 p.m. (Pacific time) on April 29:
I’ve been forced to return to Kathmandu, Nepal, to attend to personal business. This came at a most unexpected time in the expedition. The rest of the team is still on the mountain, preparing for their summit bid.
When I left the mountain a few days ago, Camp 3 was in place. As of today my Sherpa Staff has put in Camp 4 at 8,300 meters and they are beginning to stock it with valuable climbing oxygen for the summit push. The mountain should be ready for a summit push in two or three days, after which the team and my staff will return to base camp to rest for five or six days.
Once a good rest has been accomplished they’ll make their way back to advance base camp (ABC) and start for the summit.
Everyone on the team was looking strong when I departed base camp. Michael Frank and Everett climber Scott Streett were the strongest of the five remaining team members. Al Baal, Ambrose Bittner, and Ryan Allen were unable to make it to the North Col (Camp 1) their first two tries so they went to base camp to rest.
They were there when I came down and they left for ABC the morning I began my long journey toward Katmandu.
I still have three or four days worth of formal business to attend to in Katmandu. After it’s finished I will be unable to make it to the mountain in time to re-acclimatize and make a summit push. Therefore, I will be heading home to Marysville once my business is finished.
I set up the expedition e-mail account on a friend’s laptop at base camp, so the team can still receive e-mails from home at the same address.
Returning to the city was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. It was an extremely emotional event, resulting in tears from my entire staff of Sherpa. Spending so much time on a mountain of this size with a handful of your closest climbing Sherpa creates bonds that are difficult to describe. This was not the first expedition I’ve spent with them, and it’s certainly not the last.
Yesterday, I went to a Monastery and prayed for the team. The climbing Sherpas requested that I did this to give them safety during their summit push. One cannot deny the rights and religions of those who you share a mountain with.
As I have said before, I organize expeditions to experience the people and cultures of the region, my team members, and the overall climbing on the mountain. If I reach the summit it’s but a mere bonus. This time, however, my summit attempt was affected not due to illness or fatigue but rather a strong desire to stay in the industry – to keep doing exactly what I want to do: climb.
The team has all the tools necessary to make the summit. There is little more I can do now except wait and see who makes it and who doesn’t. I do wish that every member stands upon Everest’s apex. They have some of the best climbing Sherpa in all the Himalayas taking care of them.
From Katmandu. Nepal,
Brook Alongi
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
