Mount Everest

On May 18, 2012, after spending six weeks on the mountain, my brother, Tom Burton climbed to the top of Mount Everest.   This had been a lifetime dream for Tom and it became a reality as he turned 50 years old, on the mountain.  We hung Tibetan prayer flags, like this, on our house, our doors and our windows in an effort to send best wishes and positive karma to Tom and his climbing buddies on the mountain.

                                                                                            (This is Tom preparing for the climb)

(This is Tom and  his climbing buddy, Will Calton).

On the day we heard they were going to make a bid for the summit we prayed and sent our best wishes toward the mountain.  We heard that they had summited on May 18, 2012.  We cheered and cried and celebrated!  We also knew that the most dangerous time on the mountain is after climbers get to the top.  We waited and waited to hear that they were safe.

I read blogs from the mountain and saw photos like these that scared me to death. Several people posted that the mountain was extremely crowded and there were just too many people on it.  We received news that six climbers had died on the mountain that night, after they had summited to the top, as they made their way down the mountain.  It was being called the most deadly night since 1996, when eight climbers died on the mountain and the book "Into Thin Air" was written.  

Finally after 24 hours, we received word that the entire team was safe and that Tom and Will were in Kathmandu.  We heard  that Tom's climbing partner, Will Calton, had fallen coming down the mountain and he was severely hurt.  Tom "short-roped" Will to himself (tied a rope from himself to Will) and got them both down the mountain from Camp IV to Camp II. 

Prior to this year, air rescue helicopters could only fly up to base camp (about 17,500 feet) on Mount Everest.  This year a new helicopter was purchased that could go higher than base camp.  Will was in very bad shape and needed to get to a hospital quickly.  Both Will  and Tom were air rescued from up above Camp II (about 22,000 feet)  - the highest elevation air rescue recorded in history. 

When Will arrived at the hospital he had frostbite, a concussion, cerebral edema, pulmonary edema, two broken ribs and a bloody face.  He had short-term memory loss and couldn't remember much of what had happened on the mountain. 

This is Tom's summit photo.  When we asked what he was thinking when he stood on the top of the world, he said that he stood on the mountain "and realized what is important."

Will is recovering from the accident.  His memories are slowly coming back to him.  He still is dealing with very bad frostbite on his toes, but is happy to be alive after the crazy ordeal.

 

I am trying to remember "what is important" as we start another crazy school year and as chaos from my family life tries to overtake me.  

Thanks for all you do each day and for taking care of the important things in life!