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Bolivia Expedition Dispatch

May 15, 2019 – Summit Day Recap!

Wally Berg Voice Dispatch Part 1

Great news! We have summit success at 8:10am this morning.

Tim and Zack, climbers members of our team, and 4 Berg Adventures guides, stood on the very summit of Illimani, the highest peak of the Majestic Cordillera Real Range, which sprawled above La Paz and Lake Titicaca. One of the great challenge mountains of all the entire Andean range.

Now this day started with 4 climbing members, beside those 2, we had Phil and Anthony take off from high camp also with climbing guides. The entire crew left at 2am this morning, believe it or not, and the conditions were not easy on the high mountain, as we heard from the team that turned back before without reaching the top. The snow was deep and we had more snow accumulation on the recent days and also very high winds.

So the conditions were grueling, the summit climbers telling me Wow! That’s a different kind of way to have fun. I know it is, but they stuck with it and those 6 members made it to the top.

Now if you are wondering about everyone else, I will fill you in. Well, first of all Frank Giustra yesterday had a really heart breaking incident, a silly little slip, he had the double boots on, we were wondering around base camp, getting ready to go to high camp and just a wrong kind of movement put him down on his legs.

Anthony, our top notch physical therapist, confirmed what we really knew. Frank had severely strained his hamstrings.

So I saw a man with eyes towards the high mountains sat here with great disappointment yesterday as he waited for Eddy, our fantastic four wheel driver, to get in here and begin the trip down to La Paz.

Audio of Wally's call Listen to Wally's call

Wally Berg Voice Dispatch Part 2

Real acute disappointment in Frank’s face, but as we all know, the mountain gets the last word. We will be back, it is always here, strong, massive, powerful, uncaring about us really. But, a great place for us to come test ourselves and be inspired by the power of nature.

So Frank is down in La Paz, we had Brian and Scott, also succumb to the challenges of getting well at altitude. They are strong men, they each went down on their own way and we got them back down to La Paz.

And as I said, earlier today on that summit attempt, first Phil with extreme cold feet, we don’t want to risk frostbite, and he had to do the wise thing and turned back. And Anthony, somewhere higher he felt that he had given out in terms of his proper reserves he needed to climb higher safely, so he returned to high camp and waited for the summit climbers to come down.

We have Kyle here, our non-climbing member, he has been off with his own goals, he reached 5200 meters yesterday with Luis, one of our guides, and went off hiking today off base camp.

So we are in three locations, at high camp, about to descend, we are at base camp, and we are in La Paz. The whole team will be together tomorrow. Thanks everyone for the support and the care back home. Frank G. for the inspiration as always, Berg Adventures guides who did a fantastic job, with support and really where it came down to the business of climbing today, amazing skills and amazing strength to conquer one of the true giants of the Andes. Congratulations to everyone.

Audio of Wally's call Listen to Wally's call

Some of the locals from the village below stay at base camp to give us support

Some of the locals from the village below stay at base camp to give us support

Berg Adventures Illimani Base Camp

Berg Adventures Illimani Base Camp

Team leaving to high camp

Team leaving to high camp

Frank Giustra and Scott Walker together with Wendy back in La Paz

Frank Giustra and Scott Walker together with Wendy back in La Paz

Osvaldo - Berg Adventures Illimani climbing leader

Osvaldo - Berg Adventures Illimani climbing leader

Tim Young at base camp after his successful summit

Tim Young at base camp after his successful summit

Zack was the first to arrive back at base camp at 2:45pm still wearing his headlamp!

Zack was the first to arrive back at base camp at 2:45pm still wearing his headlamp!

Kyle welcomes Zack back at base camp after Zack’s successful summit

Kyle welcomes Zack back at base camp after Zack’s successful summit

Long day for Tony – now back at base camp

Long day for Tony – now back at base camp

Phil back at base camp

Phil back at base camp