원정 개요

Kellogg's intention was to set a new speed record for an ascent and descent of Everest on the Nepalese side with no Sherpa helpers and no supplemental oxygen.

After arriving at BC on 10 April, Kellogg spent most of the rest of the month ferrying his loads to C1 and C2, and in the process, acclimatizing. He helped the men fixing rope on the Lhotse Face above C2 by helping to fix 20 double anchors. then on the 27th, he made a speed test run from BC to the site for C3 at 7300m and back in eleven and a half hours round trip.

On 28 April he descended to the village of Deboche to rest. He returned to BC on 3 May, and on the 6th carried a load to C2. On the 7th he carried a 45-pound load to C3, took two thermos bottles to the South Col and went back to C3 to spend the night there.

He spent the 9th to the 14th of May resting again in Deboche. He had developed a bad cough, and high winds were forecast to continue through the 14th, when he returned to BC. On the 18th he made one more carry to C2 and descended to BC. The new weather forecast predicted the strong winds would continue until the 22nd. He decided to hire a Sherpa to melt water for him in C3 and it was agreed that a Sherpa with an expedition led by Willie Benegas would be available to melt water for him in their C4 on the Col and fill the two thermos bottles he had left there. (When he reached the Col, the thermoses had disappeared.)

Finally on the 22nd he left BC alone at 4:15 pm for his summit speed climb. But he got no higher than 8250m at the rocks below the Balcony at 11:30 am on 23 May. He had covered the distance in 19.35 hours.

He now turned back because of poor weather conditions and 138 climbers crowding the route descending from the top in single file. "Not the day for a speed record," he commented dryly. The number of people on the route was "unbelievable." If there had been no crowd, he believes he would have summited in the dark.

He spent that night and the next night in C2, hoping the weather would improve. When it did no, he dismantled C2 and carried his equipment to BC. The climb was over.

He felt he had spent too much energy in the two and a half hours he spent in the Icefall to the site of C1. He said said that next time he would hire four Sherpas to carry his loads and to take oxygen bottles up the mountain for him in case he needed them.