원정 개요

Kellogg intended to set a new speed record for an ascent of Everest from BC on the Nepal side of the mountain, reacheing the South Col in 11 hours and 8 hours more to the top. Before going for the top, he made seven trips to C2 and five trips to C3, climbing for three days and taking four days off. He testifies to the dangerous rock fall down Lhotse's West Face. While he was going to C3 on the face in late April, perhaps on the 26th, a rock two inches square came hurtling down towards him and hit his backpack.

He started his summit push from BC at 6:00 pm on 25 May. He arrived in C1 at 9:30 pm changed clothes and left the camp at 9:48 pm. At 1:00 am of the 26th, he got to C3, spent 40 minutes changing into high-altitude clothing; there should have been two liters of water for him in his tent, but there was only one liter there. He left C3 at 1:40 am, ten minutes behind schedule. He vomited three times on his climb to C4 at the South Col, where he arrived at 8:00 am, now two hours behind schedule.

As a result of his vomiting, he had now lost power in his legs, but he managed to leave C4 at 8:15 am of the 26th after consuming some food and water. (One Sherpa, Temba Bhote, was with him this day). He was now 19.5 hours out of BC, and still not on the summit. His legs continued to move slowly.

At 2:30 pm on the 26th, Kellogg stopped. He as at 8650m at some rock steps above the Balcony, more than 90 meters below the South Summit. It had taken him more than an hour to climb from 8000 to 8650m. He had simply exhausted his strength -- had "run of gas." He turned around and descended to C4. He was now, for the first time during the climb, using oxygen to enable him to recover his strength. He was down in BC on the 27th and the climb was over.

Sherpa:
Temba Bhote, 5/12/73 (20/8/2030), Hatiya-3, Makalu