I really hate making these posts and I had actually started to believe we were past them for the Spring season, but it seems there is more sad news today, this time from Kathmandu, where Explorer’s Web is reporting that Australian climber Mick Parker has been found dead by his landlord. He was 36 years old.
Mick had recently returned from a successful summit on Makalu, earning his 5th 8000 meter peak, adding it to Cho Oyu, Broad Peak, Manaslu and Gasherbrum I. The preliminary autopsy indicates that he died of a combination of exhaustion, the lingering effects of altitude sickness, and alcohol. His body was discovered in his apartment last Thursday.
Add this to the reports of the bodies of Jonathan Copp and Wade Johnson being discovered in the remains of an avalanche on E Gongga in Western Sichuan, China over the weekend, and we’ve had a particularly tragic and grim end of the season. Overall, it had been a relatively good year in the mountain. As usual, there were a few lives lost, but thankfully there weren’t any major accidents that claimed multiple people. Lets hope there aren’t any more late season tragedies to add to these
Once again, my condolences to Mick’s friends and family, and to the everyone who has lost a loved one in the Himalaya this year.
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So sad. He finally reaches his ultimate goal and then succumbs to the pressures of life. Perhaps that is the biggest climb.
So true. 🙁
I saw the death zone last month, there is lot to be done in the region. You can check and vote for my presentation on the same topic: Himalayan Spring 2009 http://tinyurl.com/l2by4r
Wish you a great day!