Everest 2004: Mallory and Irvine The Final Chapter: Getting Served Notice/Timing of the "looks"

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 Getting Served Notice

We were served notice by at least one person who claimed to be a member of one of the families. It was interesting that they were claiming ownership of "any unexposed film." We assume because they obviously could not claim intellectual property rights of any taken (exposed) photos, since any reasonable person or court would surely conclude that Sandy Irvine owned the intellectual property of any photos he took. Unless of course the photo was of Sandy taken therefore by George!

Notices like this clearly show the interest in this mystery to some: "money". Sad, in our opinion... This should not be about money.

Timing of the "looks"

Our plan was to wait. We were in no hurry. We would go up the mountain, when we considered it very safe. Failure, to us, was not defined as not finding Sandy; failure to us was defined as having a climber not come back from Everest. Safety was our number one concern, all the time.

Once up the mountain, our plan was not to rush to one of the 3 location but to go a different way first and film first. With our equipment, we could see a long way. We shared our ostensible plans with many.

Our "private" group—the B-Team--went completely unnoticed.  No one seemed to dream that we really had a second team. Even though we talked with several people about planting climbers on a second team, surely no one expected that we would actually do it. The private group was free to tour the mountain, without people asking them "have you found Sandy today?". That was nice... Tom's A-team, we are told was watched, but we really doubt anyone  knows half the places they went either. The next time up the mountain for the A-team it was snowing!

While the plan of teams to wait until the end of the season was risky, during the last several spring seasons on Everest there was good weather at the end of the season.  Our plan was based on the assumption that good weather would once again occur at the end of the season. Also, waiting until the end of the season, after which everyone had shot his bolt, would be the ONLY way we could accomplish our mission to the Irvine family. By the end of the season, most would be done, either having summited or headed home waiting for another year. The mountain would be ours and it was...

Next: What was found

We went to Mount Everest in search of an answer.

Dispatches

 

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