원정 개요

Garcia left C4 for the top at 1:00 am of 22nd May and got there at 5:00 pm; on top also was Ivan Vallejo from his Ecuadorian expedition; slept in C4 and next day in BC. Very good weather on summit day.


Email from Joao Garcia to Billi Bierling - 22 June 2006

On the 23rd April, Andrew Lock, Antonio and myself were going to C1 (6100m) from BC, our first incursion on altitude camps and before the 1st shoulder (+6000m). Antonio started to slow down. He said nothing and it is normal for a party of 3 pax that one decides to go slowly. At about 10:00 me and Andrew reached C1 and made the altitude deposit. We didn't pitch any tent so quickly we started descent back to BC. About 12h we find Antonio laying on the snow in pain agony on top of the 1st shoulder. We made a first diagnosis and we knew that it was something bad and serious. We abandoned his load there and Andrew and I descend him to BC. I short-roped him and Andrew carried the 3 empty packs. Here in BC Gerlinde and Ralf helped along with some sat phone call to doctor, helped to make a better diagnosis. It was something bad and he had to go to a hospital quickly. About 14h we started descending to Ramche where I was told that the helicopter could land to pick us up. Antonio descended all the way on his own. I helped coordinating by phone with insurance company and helicopter and we brought 3 Sherpas along, well a kitchen cook, a sirdar and another kitchen boy just in case... nobody else from our expedition helped anymore. We arrived on Ramche about midnight after 10 hours of trekking. I was giving antibiotics and strong pain killers to him, checking SPO2 and pulse to Antonio from time to time... On the 24th morning Antonio was vomiting, and had much more pain on top of his right leg. At 7:00 we heard the helicopter coming. At about 10:00 we were at the hospital. In the evening and after other tests and exams, the doctor Malla (Norvic Hospital) told me that it was for sure appendicitis and that they were going to operate him immediately.

I stayed in Kathmandu 3 more days until doctor gave Antonio medical release and that I could organize his repatriation back home. On the 28th I flew back to Ramche. Next day I trekked directly to BC.