A climber on Mount Everest was found alive after his family had been mistakenly informed of his death during his challenging ascent.
In 2006, Lincoln Hall was on a mission to conquer the world’s highest peak when he encountered severe difficulties, a common occurrence for many climbers.
The journey up Mount Everest is fraught with danger, and the mountain is notorious for the remains of climbers who tragically did not survive their expeditions.
Lincoln’s team had attempted to revive him for several hours; convinced he had passed away, they continued on their path.
At 50 years old, Lincoln was left behind on an exposed ridge of the mountain, with no apparent hope for rescue.
The following day, his family was devastated to learn that he had reportedly perished during his climb.
However, another climbing team, which included 45-year-old Dan Mazur, stumbled upon Lincoln and made a startling discovery.
On Everest, encountering bodies is sadly a common part of the climb, with some even serving as informal landmarks. But when Mazur and his team, which included a sherpa guide and two other climbers, found Lincoln, they realized he was still alive.
Mazur recalled their unexpected encounter with Lincoln.
“We came upon him suddenly,” Mazur shared with PEOPLE. “He was just sitting there on the brow of a ridge, with a cliff on one side that had a drop of about 8,000 feet.”
Alarmingly, they noticed that a significant amount of his gear was missing.
“He’s got his arms out of his down suit, wearing just a thin fleece top,” Mazur described. “He’s got no hat, no gloves and no goggles. There’s no oxygen. He’s got no equipment and he was just sitting there gaping.”
Mazur explained that Lincoln’s teammates had taken his gear, assuming he had no further need for it.
“He’d had three Sherpas, and I heard they were like poking fingers in his eyes and he wasn’t moving. They figured he was dead,” Mazur said.
“Maybe he was almost dead. A couple of people later told me they did everything they could.”
Lincoln was conscious, sitting up, and conversing with the group as they encountered him, prompting them to offer their assistance.
He was experiencing severe frostbite and hallucinations, believing himself to be on a boat.
Doctors later assessed him and discovered he was suffering from frostbite and brain swelling due to altitude sickness.
Thankfully, with the intervention of the climbers who found him, Lincoln was able to recover from his harrowing experience.