Around 9:30 am, Ang Dorje, the climbing sirdar, sets out with his assistant to rescue Hall. The rescue mission is extremely dangerous—Dorje is risking his own life by venturing out so late in the day, especially with the strong winds blowing. Around the same time, two Sherpas from Fischer’s team, Tashi Tshering and Ngawang Sya Kya, and a third Sherpa from the Taiwanese team, Tenzing Nuri, set out to rescue Fischer and Lopsang. Ngawang Sya Kya is Lopsang’s father. After climbing for a few hours, the three Sherpas find the incapacitated climbers that Lopsang was forced to abandon, including Gau and Fischer. Fischer is still alive, but he’s barely breathing; thus, the Sherpas make the difficult decision to leave Fischer and take Gau back to Camp Four. Meanwhile, Ang Dorje and his assistant search for Hall on the South Summit, but after the storm worsens, they decide to turn back. Hall radios Cotter, and asks if anyone is coming for him; Cotter delicately tells him that the rescue mission has turned back, and urges him to try to descend alone. Later, Cotter calls Hall’s partner, Jan Arnold, and connects her to Hall. Hall tries to sound cheerful, and tells Jan that he’ll be fine. He tells Jan, “I love you”—the last words anyone hears him speak. Twelve days later, rescuers find Hall’s body, buried in the snow.
While the May 10 disaster shows the disorganization of many Everest expeditions, it’s also a testament to the incredible bravery of some of the climbers. Many of the Sherpas risk their lives to help other mountaineers make their way back to Camp Four. But the rescue procedure is also morally challenging, because it forces the rescue team to make some difficult decisions—they choose to leave Fischer in the snow and carry Gau back to Camp Four, for example, a tough, pragmatic decision that saves Gau’s life but surely contributes to Fischer’s death. Tragically, Hall continues to use his radio to communicate with Cotter, only to be told that no help is on its way. Hall is blessed with the opportunity to say goodbye to his beloved partner, Jan Arnold, at least, and he tries to sound happy so as not to cause Arnold more grief. Hall’s death is one of the saddest points in the book—Krakauer clearly has a lot of respect for Hall, and emphasizes the bravery that he displayed up until the very end.