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Garduce takes first step in Mt. Everest 'summit assault'


Mountaineer Romi Garduce left for Mt. Everest's Camp 2 on Monday, taking the first step in his "summit assault," the journey to reach the top of the world's highest mountain. Camp 2 is one of four camps on the way to the summit. Garduce left the Base Camp, along with expedition teams from other countries, after getting signs of good weather. But he had to leave before sunrise to avoid warmer weather that could melt portions of Khumbu Icefall. Despite the precaution, an avalanche took place at a section of the icefall minutes after Garduce left the camp. Fortunately, no one was hurt. GMA 7 reporter Jiggy Manicad, broadcasting live at 5 p.m. (6 p.m. in Nepal) from Mt. Everest's Base Camp, showed footage of the actual avalanche. Garduce has been preparing for the climb for three months now and had to go through acclimatization training for several weeks. He knows the peril of his mission even while he was still at the Base Camp. Asked if he was excited with the climb, he said: “Sa first part, hindi (pa excited) kasi trabaho ‘yon , mahirap, pero above Camp 3 siguro mas exciting kasi ang tawag ko diyan assaulting mystery. Dati nababasa mo lang ‘yong mga names, ngayon mabi-visit mo na, Geneva Spur, Hillary Step… Kailangan bumalik ng buhay," he said. He added: “Sabi nga ng ibang tao 'summiting is optional, going down is mandatory'." Several mountaineers who left Base Camp over the weekend in their attempt to reach the summit were reportedly stranded because of bad weather. The Sherpas and icefall doctors only started clearing the way to the summit Monday after the weather got better. Leo Oracion, member of the Philippine Everest Expedition, left the Base Camp on May 13. His colleague, Pastor Emata, followed the next day. Another Filipino mountaineer Dale Abenojar was seen climbing the mountain from the Tibet side. Manicad reported that Garduce, Oracion and Emata might meet at Camp 4 while waiting for the right weather to climb the summit. - GMANews.TV

Tags: garduce, everest
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