The rising number of death counts of the number of people who died climbing the Mount Everest this year proves that, at an altitude of 8,848 meters, the world’s tallest mountain is still the ultimate challenge for adventurers and climbers. The desire to stand at the pinnacle of the roof of the world is still one of life’s most rewarding experiences for some. Probably that is why, despite thousands of tragedies that have overcome the lives of so many mountaineers, climbing to the summit is still a place of appeal in the hearts of many. But here is one such man, whose unusual expedition story teaches humanity something the value of gold –
“Life’s expeditions should not be meant just for money, for selfish aggrandizement or for fame but for the attainment of all that a man can be.”
On May 2016, it was this extraordinary expedition to the Everest Summit and their encounter turned out to be life-changing for two climbers.
A Battle of Life and Death: the Extraordinary Encounter of Leslie John Binns and Sunita Hazra near Everest Summit
“Wake up…wake up” – it was all that the unconscious Sunita could hear. Someone was trying to wake her up from the abyss of deep sleep that she was into forever. Alas! The time of her departure from the face of the Earth was once again delayed for the third time.
Thrice she had encountered death on the Everest trail and thrice luck seemed to be on her side. Once in the year 2014, when an untimely departure saved her from the Kumbhu icefall tragedy that befell upon the lives of 16 Sherpas. The other time was during the 2015 Nepal earthquake tragedy when she saved herself from a rocky mountain slide by hiding behind a boulder. This time, however, luck came dressed in the guise of a man (or rather God according to her). And that’s the man whose incredible expedition story needs to be acclaimed worldwide.
Nothing much was known about the number of times this British citizen had encountered the Everest. However, one thing was sure that touching the Everest summit had been a dream of Leslie. Before embarking on an expedition to Everest, he was working in Private security firm headquartered in Iraq. In fact he lost one of his eyes in a landmine blast. In May, Leslie traveled to Kathmandu all the way from Iraq.
But what happened on that day? The day when instead of the clear blue sky and the warm sunlight, the weather grew worse and everything turned out to be extraordinary for the four mountaineers who went hiking to the Everest Summit.
The Descend from the Mount Everest Summit (As Narrated by Sunita Hazra)
After successfully reaching the summit, it was time to begin our journey downwards. Our team consisted of four members – Goutam Ghosh, Subhash Pal and Paresh Nath including me. We were also accompanied by four sherpas.
Image Source: bbc.com
Everest Chronicles of Sunita Hazra – the Journey down from Summit to Base Camp in a Timeline
- Friday, 7:30 PM – We took off from the camp no. 4 in the evening. Subhash and Paresh were already walking at a slow pace from the start. So I and Goutam decided to take the lead in order to give them some encouragement. We were left completely drained and exhausted by the time we had ascended up the steep slope. Our bodies could not meet the physical strength that was required anymore. I remember losing consciousness for once on coming very close to the summit. The Sherpa named Pasang, who was with me helped me gain consciousness by rubbing my hands and feeding me some water.
- Friday, 9:00 PM – The fear that we had finally became true. The weather started to grow worse on our way down. The wind velocity, though slow at first, gradually picked up speed later on. On reaching the balcony (a short distance down the summit where the slope was not so steep) I could feel that my body no longer had the strength to carry on. My head was swinging. I sat down. Goutam da must have walked a little bit far from us. Pasang was with me. About that time, an NCC group was descending after having touched the summit. Seeing me, they tried to motivate me repeatedly. I stood up. I could see Subhash from a great distance. He was very far behind us. But where is Paresh da? I was not yet aware about his whereabouts yet.
- Friday, 12:00 AM – The weather grew worse than before. My Sherpa and the one belonging to Subhash started to carry him down. I also descended along with them. There was not enough oxygen left. I have lost track of the time. I made up my mind to descend down the slope anyhow. But my body was not able to go further. I could not remember properly but there was one such moment when I was unable to move further and sat down. I lost consciousness. It was then that I suddenly heard the voice of someone trying to wake me up. It was that foreign climber.
Now that I think about it, it feels as if I have been given a third chance to live. The man came to my rescue like some God. He took out his oxygen cylinder and gave it to me. Again we started to descend. This time he was with me.
- Saturday, 10:00 PM – It was night by the time we managed to reach till camp four. The snow covered landscape made everything look absolutely stark white. It was hard to explain how much tired I was. Opening my gloves, I realized that my hand already was subjected to frost bite. The unknown traveler started nursing my hand with some warm water. He also gave me a pair of new gloves to wear. His Sherpa was also very helpful. Slipping into a sleeping bag, I sat down all curled up. The traveler and his Sherpa took their place on both sides.
- Sunday 9:00 AM – Getting up early in the morning, we searched for our tent first. Subhash and others were very much worried. They thought I could not make it down.
- Sunday 12:00 PM – The four of us again started to descend – me, Subhash and the other two Sherpa.
None of us were in better health. The icefall, the strenuous walk in the dark, lack of oxygen and no food for the last three days – all these had an impact on the strength. Every one of us suffered from frostbite. Even the Sherpas were exhausted. Holding on to the rope, we descended amidst the strong wind that was frequently getting stronger.
- Sunday 2:00 PM – Subhash was walking at a very slow pace. Somehow reaching the Yellow Band (yellow portion of the rock that was near rock four), Subhash sat down. I could not let him sit down like this. I decided to motivate him to start walking again. “Let’s go Subhash, just a little bit more…come.” At the same time, I was also motivating myself – I had to keep on walking. The weather was getting worst. Everything around us was becoming white from the snow storm. Subhash’s eyelids became drowsy. I could understand what it meant to sit down here like this. Will he no more be able to continue?
- Sunday 4:00 PM – I was feeling very helpless. I had no idea about the time of the day. My right hand was paining very badly. I had to take a decision. I decided to continue alone. I could not see the Sherpas. I do not have any words to explain the two hour long journey from Yellow Band to Camp Three. I knew only one thing – I had to get down. I had to return from Camp Three. The thought of my son (Arya) and that of my husband (Sudeb) kept on hitting me.
- Sunday, 6:00 PM – After sometime, the weather became better, though the wind was blowing very high. I could see the lights coming out from the tents at a distance. Camp Three!! Putting one foot at a time, I stepped forward, while telling myself, “go Suni go…just a little bit more…!”
- Sunday, 7:00 PM – Coming closer, I noticed Bishu and Pasang coming forward – the two sherpas. They were the ones to tell me that they were able to contact for help. The helicopter was ready. I just had to get down a little bit more. They told me that Goutam da and Paresh da could not be traced. The bad weather separated them from the group. Subhash also stayed back.
- Sunday 8:30 PM – My heart cried out for Sudeb. I wanted to listen to his voice. We got up on the helicopter from Camp Two. I walked on foot to the helipad. After getting down at Luklai, I called Sudeb. He was unable to speak. Even my voice was getting suppressed. Somehow I managed to say, “how can I die tell me?”
Sunita after the Rescue from a Hospital in Kathmandu
…I didn’t know from where he came from. I might not get the chance to meet him again. Like me he must have also got stuck because of the bad weather. But whatever it is, I am alive only because of him.
So far, all that we could know was one part of the story. Despite the fact that Sunita had been optimistic about meet her savior again, thanks to Tiyash Mukhopadhyay of Bengali daily online publication journal, Ananda Bazaar Patrika, she could finally get to thank Leslie in person.
And it was all possible thanks to Lindsey Empringham, the loving wife of Leslie John Binns.
Somewhere in Yorkshire
- 22 May, Saturday, after 10:00 PM – Some 8000 feet above the sea level, the British climber Leslie John Binns spoke with his wife via satellite call. He spoke about his failure to complete the expedition and about how he rescued an Indian woman whose right hand was left frost bitten. But the satellite connection got disconnected leaving the telephonic conversation between the two incomplete. Lindsey wanted to tell her husband how proud she felt what Leslie had done.
- Sunday, 9:00 AM – The next day, she tried to find more about her husband’s whereabouts from the associated tourism website. She came across a picture that showed Leslie’s group had successfully reached the summit. This confused Lindsey. She was unable to place the puzzles in order. She finally decided to look up the internet for any piece of information that she could refer to. Suddenly she comes across a page link with the picture of a woman. The ice burnt bandage, the frost bitten right hand…everything matched the description as was given by Leslie. The article was written in Bengali, so she took the content and got it translated by Google Translator. Lindsey could finally place the pieces of the puzzles in order.
- Wednesday, 10:00 PM – On reaching the Basecamp, Leslie contacted his wife again. On being asked about the rescue once more, Leslie explains how he separated himself from the group. Lindsey informed him how she had come across the picture of a woman on the internet that matches the description given by Leslie. Even the British climber got surprised when he identified the picture of Sunita – “This is that girl! Sunita!” And Leslie remembered her name too.
- Thursday, 9:00 PM – Leslie urges his wife to ask after Sunita’s health. Lindsey takes resort of the internet once more to find out information about Sunita’s present address – the Narvik International Hospital. She calls up the hospital on the same day; however, she could not get to talk to the patient because it was already too late in the night when the patient was sleeping. This surprised many of Lindsey’s family members.
- Friday, 10:00 AM – Sunita’s family members contacts Lindsey back. Sunita and Leslie finally got to talk to each other. Their conversation was filled with gratitude and acknowledgement.
Internet: The Pinnacle of Search
The internet played a very important role in helping Lindsey join the puzzles that helped Leslie to get in touch with Sunita. It played a pivotal role in both of their lives just as the thirst for adventure to conquer the Everest summit made them cross each others path.