Miracle on Mount Everest

In Australia, Lincoln Hall’s wife Barbara had spent the last 20 hours mourning his death on Mount Everest.  She had no idea of his  astonishing survival and rescue until one of her sons read about it on the Internet and called out to her.

Barbara Hall: “Mom, you’ve gotta come and have a look at this.”  And he was really elated and I looked at it disbelieving.  I still felt some doubt, in fact.

She had more doubts a day later when the phone rang and the caller said he was her husband.

Barbara Hall: It didn’t sound at all like Lincoln. I had said several times, “Is it really you?”  And he finally heard that and said—“It is me—it is me.  And I really hope you haven’t started looking for another husband yet.”  And then I said “That’s him.”

Matt Lauer, NBC News: It must have been just the most extraordinary moment.

Barbara Hall: It was.  I just felt such a relief that, in fact, the person that I knew and loved was there. 

Lincoln Hall was soon back in Nepal, getting treatment for his fingertips and toes, which he may lose to frostbite.

He also thanked the man who made the decision to save his life.

Days earlier, Everest guide Dan Mazur and his two clients had been standing just two hours away from the top of the world, the prize after  years of hard work, risk and hope.  But they gave it up to save Lincoln Hall.

Lauer: He needed looking after, Dan, but there are some people who would have been in your shoes who would have  given him a couple Snickers bars, a bottle of water and left him with the oxygen and gone for the Summit.  Because you don’t get many chances.

Dan Mazur:  Well that’s true but, you know, I’ve been to the summit of Everest.  I was very lucky.  And so for me, it wasn’t so bad to not go there.

But Mazur was not climbing alone.  He was guiding two men who had never climbed Everest before.  Men who’d paid him more than 20,000 dollars apiece to get to the top.

Lauer: Dan, you’re being paid by these two guys to get them to the top of Everest.

Mazur:  There’s a chance they could have another opportunity but you know Lincoln Hall—I mean you only have one life. That’s it, you know.

Lauer: But you know what, you could say, “There’s some people who were meant to summit Mount Everest and make it back down alive.  And there’s some people who aren’t.  And you know we passed some of those bodies on the way up and maybe this guy’s just not meant to live.”

Mazur: Well all I can say is "God rests their souls" too.  You know, because I wasn’t brought up that way. I don’t remember ever thinking like, “Should we help this guy or not?”

A no-brainer for Mazur, but not for every climber on the mountain that day.

Lauer: Well, I have to tell you, some people passed you by. 

Hall: Mt. Everest is a peculiar mountain because it’s gotta an importance beyond itself.  I mean it’s the world’s highest mountain.  It’s a magnificent peak.  But it’s such a symbol of adventure that  people are prepared to perhaps sacrifice everything to climb it.

Lauer: Including their ethics and their morals?

Hall: Yeah.

Lauer: Dan and his group had the summit in their sight. They could have walked right past you. But they didn’t.  How do you feel about that?

Hall: Extraordinarily grateful is an understatement because the chances are that had they not been there, I would have died. But people who are sort of committed mountaineers, those people know that the summit isn’t the most important thing. And  getting down alive is the most important thing.  And that includes getting other people down alive as well.

Lauer: You were lucky that the guy who came across you was a mountaineer at heart.

Hall: Yeah. Sure. Absolutely.

Lauer: Dan Mazur has the summit in sight and made a decision to stop and help your husband, and gave up a chance to summit.  What do you say about that?

Barbara Hall: Well, there’s one amazing human being.  And the other men with him.  And the world needs more people like that. (tearing up)

Lincoln Hall, brought back from the dead by the selflessness of others... and by his own determination to return to his family.  He remembers calling his wife—the moment he knew he was saved.

Hall: I think I was probably in tears. I said, “Look, I might be missing some bits by the time I get there.”  And she said, “It doesn’t matter what you come back with, we’ll always love you.”

Lauer: Happy ending.  She's a strong lady.

Hall: Yeah.  (laughs) Yep.  Strong kids.

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