"The team ahead of us had just jumped over the crevasse," Sheedy said. "I jumped over and when I landed on the other side, it gave way. I fell in over my head."
Leum, who was roped to Sheedy, also began going toward the edge.
"Mike stopped my fall," Sheedy said.
"I anchored my rope and drove my ax into the ice," Leum said. "I wrapped my rope around my boot."
"I was able to get my ice ax out and secure it in the snow," Sheedy said. "The walls were close enough for me [to secure myself]. It was like a chimney effect."
Sheedy then planted his feet on one side and pressed against the other with his back as one of the guides pulled him up.
"He was hanging there like Superman for a while," Leum said. "He had a great view."
"I did have a great view. I was able to see where the best place was to cross the crevasse," Sheedy remembered.
In addition to the fundraising, they also took Tibetan prayer flags with them to place on the summit. The flags had the names of individuals or families who donated.
"We had dozens of them. I had no idea they would be so popular," Leum said. "The belief is that every time the wind blows a prayer is said. At 40 miles per hour, there were a lot of prayers."
The teams made it back to base camp, happy and tired. "The exhilaration you feel is usually after you are down, back at base camp," said Rodarte.
After a few days of rest at home, they are back planning next year's climb. They hope to get more Montrose Search & Rescue team members to join them on their next trip. When asked where the next adventure may take them Rodarte said, "It is hard to say. Mike and I have been talking about some volcanoes in Mexico. About 18,000 feet."
While they contemplate, donations are still being accepted at www.fhcrc.org.
