Expedition Update    

May 27th
First summit photos arrive!
Expedition Team members have become celebrities at home and abroad

Tom McMillan has been resting the past couple of days recovering from a mild lung ailment. After breathing the pure mountain air of the Khumbu region, his lungs apparently need to adjust to the thick air of the Kathmandu Valley.

But he sounds in good spirits, gets out around Kathmandu, and reported in by landline phone today. He said that the team has finally had time now to start reading their email messages and catching up with their friends and well-wishers. They have also sent me some of their images from summit day, two of which are shown here. Notice the crystal blue sky and lack of wind on their summit day. Remarkable and fortunate!

The expedition continues to attract a great deal of interest from the press. The image of Nawang on the left is from AFP, Agence France-Presse (AFP), one of the world's big three news agencies. See our Press Room page for a sampling of the reporting from around the world.

Tomorrow the team meets with the US Embassy officials in Kathmandu. Later that day, Tom will be interviewed "live" via telephone by one of North Carolina's major radio stations WBT-AM/FM in Tom's hometown of Charlotte (the radio station website offers streaming audio). The interview will be broadcast at 10am Eastern Daylight Time, in case you want to tune in.

    --Linda McMillan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Friendship Beyond Borders Team On The Summit !

The first summit photos were sent by the team today.
From left to right: Nawang Sherpa, Nima Gombu Sherpa,
Tom McMillan, and Nima Tashi Sherpa. Photo was taken
by their teammate Pem Dorjee Sherpa.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View continued press coverage of the expedition on Google News

At one of the many press conferences he attended, Nawang shows off the high-tech prosthetic leg and foot that helped him reach the summit of Mount Everest, courtesy of Tom Halvorson, The High Exposure Foundation, and sponsors.

The silk scarves draped around Nawang's neck are called KATAS. Whereas people from the lower altitude areas of Nepal might drape garlands of marigolds around a person's neck for welcoming, congratulating, greeting, saying goodbye, or otherwise wishing someone good luck, the traditional Sherpa way to achieve this is to use a silk kata. It's a beautiful tradition!