“We are almost too exhausted to be excited,” Musey said by satellite phone, the fatigue evident in his voice, after returning to the 23,500-foot level at Camp 3. “The main thing is that everyone is safe. I have some frostbitten toes but otherwise am doing very well.”
Musey, a widely-respected securities analyst in the telecommunications and satellite industries, reported later that conditions coming back down the mountain were treacherous, with melting ice loosening ropes and ladders that had been secure on the ascent. When the team arrived back at base camp on May 25th, they finally held a celebration of their achievement. They were in good company, as more than a dozen other expeditions which had been forced to wait at Base Camp. The Musey team is now trekking back to Katmandu, Nepal, and expects to arrive there by May 31.
Musey set out to climb Mt. Everest to both fulfill a personal goal and to raise funds for the American Red Cross’ International Relief Fund (IRF). Communicating regularly via satellite telephone and email while at lower altitudes, Musey had maintained steady contact to update his blog and actively pursue more donations for the IRF.
