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Equipped with satellite communication tools, the team is sending dispatches
and photos back to this Web site. You’re invited to follow the climb
through written accounts and digital images. 
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May 15, 2001
Hello. This is Walter Keller of the British American Expedition. First
on a good note, yesterday I went up to about 7,800 meters, maybe even
8,050 meters, and established a camp at about 7,700 meters, which is about
25,000 feet. All went well. I returned to ABC.
Unfortunately upon returning to ABC, that’s where quite a number
of problems occurred. First off, my arrangements to stay longer apparently
were not made properly by the outgoing part of the expedition. And I don’t
have a place to eat or sleep on the mountain at ABC or at Base Camp.
In addition to that, the Sirdar I was supposed to be eating with took
offensive to the fact that I said that a trade had been made for kerosene
and food for me to eat, and he actually assaulted me with a pipe. For
everybody back at home, it’s no big deal, just a couple of minor
bruises. But it’s obviously kind of a traumatic experience when you
come down off the mountain and are pretty fatigued from 25,000 feet.
I also heard that for some reason the liaison officer believes that
I should also leave. So it doesn’t look that promising. I’m
going to try to make arrangements to stay, but it appears that probably
I will be departing the mountain as well.
For everybody back at home, I’m safe. Everything is OK, but it
appears that I will probably not be able to stay on the mountain for the
remainder of the Spring to put in the attempt that I had hoped.
Walter Keller
2001 British American Lightweight Everest Expedition
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