Mount Everest climber recounts moment he lost guide who survived alone for six days
A former British soldier has described the moment he became separated from a Nepali mountain guide while descending Mount Everest.
Dawa Sherpa was found alive on Thursday after spending six days in what was known as the “death zone.” Mountaineer Chris Thrall said that at first it was impossible to believe that the Sherpa survived against all odds.
“It’s crazy to be bursting into tears with your daughter one minute and then see her crawling towards the city. It’s just too amazing for words,” Thrall told the BBC’s Newshour.
Thrall had last seen Dawa Sherpa sitting in his backpack for a brief rest as he headed back towards base camp after a grueling day of climbing.
Dawa Sherpa (L), feared dead after getting lost on Everest last week, has been found [Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC)]
Thrall passed the guide, also known as Hillary Dawa Sherpa, after famous climber Edmund Hillary.
He continued to descend alone for a distance he estimated to be around 50-100 metres, before encountering another member of his group, “a Polish climber who was struggling with pretty severe frostbite and had no oxygen.”
“So my attention immediately turned to the weakest member of the trio. That was it,” he told Newshour.
“As I looked up the mountain, as I was helping this man down, Hillary Dawa didn’t appear to be moving and she certainly wasn’t coming down because we could see her head torch.”
Dawa Sherpa was last seen above Camp 3, at an altitude of approximately 7,500 metres.
There was no sign of him for the next six days. He told AFP that he had begun to pray for his wife’s soul.
[BBC]
As hopes of survival faded, Dawa Sherpa was slowly making his way back and was spotted by a cleanup crew on Thursday as he slowly slid down the world’s highest mountain.
Thrall said when he first saw comments on social media saying Dawa Sherpa had been found alive, he thought it was “spam.”
“He is truly defying all odds. I met with the family yesterday to offer my deepest condolences,” he told Newshour.
He added that he was “very happy for Hillary and looks forward to speaking with her.”
Pemba Sherpa, managing director of 8K Expeditions, which is overseeing the search effort, described it as a “true self-rescue”.
“Dawa managed to survive against all odds for days. This is nothing short of a miracle,” he said.
Dawa Sherpa is “awake and receiving treatment”, according to Nishant Dhakal, a doctor at the intensive care unit of Kathmandu’s HAMS Hospital.
“We are managing his frostbite, cold injuries, dehydration and trauma. He is undergoing further evaluation and will be in our intensive care unit.”
“He recognized me… he’s a nice guy and he talks,” his daughter Mhendo Lhamo Sherpa told Reuters news agency after visiting him. “We are happy.”
More than 1,000 people have summited Everest this season, making it the busiest summit in history. According to AFP, 5 people died.
