All night everybody at the basecamp2 could see a beam of light probably from a torch at an altitude of around 7000-8000m, SW face. The unusual thing was that the shaft of light remained still all night. The only rational I could come up with was that somebody must have dropped the torch. But my assumption was unfortunately wrong.

Later I found out that the victims were two professional South Koreans trekkers, Oh Hee-joon, 37, and Lee Hyun-jo, 35 , attempting to conquer Everest. The two were among the best trekkers South Korea had ever produced and were the privileged few who had the skill and courage of concurring most of the mountains above 8000m. Mr. Park, Korean team leader, requested me, including several Sherpas, to embark on a rescue mission. I agreed to lend a hand not only because it’s a part of my job but also I have had an opportunity of meeting them two months earlier.

We headed out in the dark, cold, and mushy weather. The team of 16 left the camp at 2 in the morning. Along the way I found out from some Sherpas that the Korean expedition was suppose to be assisted by some Sherpas. But due to the disagreement between the Korean team and the Sherpas about the timing of the expedition, the Sherpas left the team. The incongruity began when some Sherpas had a bad dream the night before. The superstitious Sherpas persisted upon the idea of postponing the mission for several days but the Korean team was so determined that they made up their minds on setting off on their own, which unfortunately led to their demise.

We reached the tragic site which was at approximately 7500m, at around 7am and found the bodies without any difficulty. Looking at the condition of the corpses, one could figure out fierceness of mother nature. The debris of stone collected by avalanche must have swept them from a high altitude. One corpse had an arm missing and the other’s head was crushed to the extent that it was unrecognizable. We fixed them on stretchers and began descending at 9am. The pace was slower than usual as it is very difficult to bring bodies from the top. The weather was closing in, so we decided on leaving the bodies at the point called Dham, and return the next morning to bring them back. So we returned to basecamp leaving the bodies at the mercy of mother Chongolongma, Mount Everest. They were brought back the following morning with the help of 14 people. A helicopter flew them to Kathmandu for the necessary preparation to send them to their family and friends back in South Korea.

The number of climbers is in the rise every year and so are the accidents. It sends a chill in my spin every time I hear news about such incidents. Not that I am afraid or something but god forbid, if anything should happen to me, being the sole bread earner of my family, they would be the one who would loose everything. After the mission, it kept me thinking a lot about the situation I am in. There is a thin line between being brave and being stupid. So, I have promised myself and my family that I will take every precaution (even Spiritual) before I take on a challenge.