Cho Oyu expedition

Tuesday, September 26, 2006 - 21:00

Summit Bid Starting Tomorrow

Storm has finally stopped on the evening of september 25th but I still remained in ABC since the snow did not settled yet and the slopes on Cho Oyu were still under huge avalanche hazard. I'm talking about the section above the ice fall and the huge slope above camp two. 
I am planning to do my summit bid starting tomorrow morning. According to my weather forecast there will be fairly good summit days on october 1st and october 2nd, although with some high winds (I'll find out there what high winds means into the Himalayas:) . But of course, the forecast might be wrong ...
If all the things will go smoothly, The Godess permitting, I will most probably be on the summit in the morning of October the 2nd.
I have not decided yet whether to make the final push to the summit from camp two, or to also establish a light camp three at 7600m altitude. I will make this decision when I will reach camp two, depending on the mountain conditions and the way I will feel. The ideea is to spend as few time as possible in the "death zone", at over 7500m. That's way ideally it will be to start from camp two at 9 in the evening and make a continuously 14 hours ascent to be able to reach the summit in the very next morning and have the time to come back in camp two on daylight. But I don't know if I will have the physical strenght to do that and that's why I am also considering the option of a higher camp three.
...."plans, plans...situations, situations", as my Russian friend Anatoly used to tell me in one cold 2004 September evening in our ice cave biviuac at 5900m in the Tien Shan mountains of Kazakstan."If man will have no desires, he will be not called anymore a man", used Anatoly to finish the phrase...
...so, let's see what the next days will bring, and looking forward with sheer joy and hope to it...
I deeply wish to stand atop The Turquoise Godess and I will do whatever in my power to do that.
But...playing safety will be the name of the game. Coming back will be the succes, summitting will be just the bonus.
I hope She will accept me. I hope She will be kind with me.
PS: On September 30th my close friends and partners from Zitec, Alex Lapusan and Simona Tase are getting married ...hourray!!!!!!!!:))))) ...just have a cup of good wine for me, guys;))) I'll be thinking of you up there;) (ALEX)

(Sergiu's monster, second part) But all I knew was that I HAVE to go down no matter what, so I started packing up my down sleeping bag and my down suit in case I can't make it so I had a warm shelter in my sleeping bag .From my tent to the ridge before the killer slope it was about 30 meters to walk up,took me 15 minutes to walk.Those were problably the hardest 30 m in my life and after that VoILA The Killer Slope.
I said hello ,verry respectfull and started just like before step by step easyly descending. After roughly about 3o min I have descended a quarter of the slope and I stopped to take a sip of water, drinking the water I noticed that the mountain that stood across Cho Oyu begin to turn red in a very curious way...! Just like when somebody smacked him in the head and blood started to gush out off his highest point and leeking down on him! Fuuuuck!!! Whatta buZzz! It's the IT again ,can't be, IT is !!! Than I started walkin' again towards the lower part of the mountain hopeing i'll lose IT!
I don't know how much took me to outrun The Killer Slope ... I don't she was making the same steps as I would ,and turning when I was... Just like IT's sister! Finnaly I passed her and I was now onto the moraine being happy that I Have Defeted Them HA ! Than I Took the phone and call Cosmina to tell her that I'm ok as I was doing it all the time.
She answers and in that very momment the fuckin' subway comes along ...and desapears to...
I had my share of talking to my pair soul and calmed myself down ,for a while , at least. As soon as I hung up the phone ,the subway comes again, and I suddenly fall down and make a really nasty cut to my little finger of my left hand but for some reason I was captivated by the tube and by the fact that I was in romana sqare ;yeah I know IT is back again ,but despite of this fact I'm still lookin' for the subway card so I can catch it ,and I could hear the voice from the subway saying next station ABC with descending onto the right side. I have snaped into it again and stared at one of the sharp ridges poppin up ,hoping to get away of the halucination again ,but instead of that all I got was a weird look from one off the oldish guys from the subway! That' seemed pretty fucked up to me at that momment; hmm. Don't matter I just went ahead towards ABC station on foot ,falling I don't know how many times, but that I know to tell you because second day I was soar all over .
After walking for I don't know how long ,and meeting on the way Horia Brenciu jogging, with a sort of silly bandana on his head I have convinced myself that I do need my hadlamp because it was getting dark and I couldn't see the track . Once the light on all the rocks were glowing ; strangely!. I tried not to mind that aswell and keep going towards my target but they were glowing stronger ,and that's when I decided to stop for 10 minutes and have a rest, I set down at the base off a big rock and I kinda slided on my left side ... It felt soo good ,I was walkin' for 9 hours on the mountain,morains, it felt great! I picked a spot and my eyes stuck onto . I was listening to my right lung easyly gurgheling and just thining that I might get away with this........
Two little lights were chaseing in the dark ,and I kinda tried to accept the fact that IT came back again, who in this world would walk onto the glacier at 9 pm in the night....... IT was defenetly back, but not for long .
One off the lights just popped out Namaste sir , the other one Tashi Delek ,I didn't know what to say ,I just lied there ... The lights asked me if I'm fine and I think I said that I feel bad and I'd like them ''lights'' to help me to get to ABC.
And one of them just said you come with us sir ,comeon . The lights were actually two porters going back to ABC I got up happy that I was not hallucinateing and I have started walkin' with them,but I was looseing ground behind them, I was fallin' back and they were not going slower they looked smaller and smaller.
I couldn't keep up with them and they weren't waiting for me . You just can't keep up with them especially when you are half beaten up by the mountain and half nearly in coma . They turned into two little stars and vanished. I stood there for a while stareing at them disappearing in the darknes and between the glowing rocks and after they dissapeard I just ,...start walking again towards my target.
After another 1 hour I was reaching the ABC ,still breathing and the danish doctor Pierre give me a quick consultation and confirmed me that I did had an pulmonary oedema and that the fact that I CAME DOWN all the way it was a miracle and that is the only thing that actually kept me alive so I can say this story. (SERGIU)

Share on Facebook