{"id":14414,"date":"2026-06-04T17:35:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T17:35:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=14414"},"modified":"2026-06-04T17:35:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T17:35:27","slug":"hillary-dawa-sherpa-survived-six-days-on-mount-everest-alone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildgreenquest.com\/?p=14414","title":{"rendered":"Hillary Dawa Sherpa Survived Six Days on Mount Everest Alone"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Published June 4, 2026 10:45AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The guiding community on Mount Everest has become transfixed by the incredible story of Hillary Dawa Sherpa, the Nepali guide who went missing on May 29 at 25,000 feet, only to reappear alive near Base Camp six days later.<\/p>\n

Hillary Dawa had no access to food or water, and he had to descend from 25,000 feet to 17,500 feet by himself. When rescuers located him at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall on June 4, he was reportedly suffering from extreme frostbite and exhaustion, and was crawling along rocks and ice.<\/p>\n

\u201cDawa\u2019s ability to self-rescue and get to safety is one of the most incredible things we\u2019ve ever seen on Mount Everest,\u201d said Lakpa Sherpa, the director of Nepali guiding company 8K Expeditions.<\/p>\n

The images showing Hillary Dawa Sherpa in Base Camp<\/span> (Photo: Pasang Dawa Sherpa\/Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His discovery sent shockwaves through the community of high-altitude climbers and guides.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic news,\u201d Norwegian climber Kristin Harila, who holds the record for ascending the world\u2019s 14 peaks above 8,000 meters, told Outside<\/em>. \u201cIt shows that we should never give up when we try to go for the rescues, and it shows that as long as there is hope, people manage to stay alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Billi Bierling, the director of The Himalayan Database, a website that chronicles ascents in Nepal\u2019s Himalayas, called the outcome a \u201cmiracle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that Hillary Dawa came down from wherever he was left is an absolute miracle,\u201d Bierling told\u00a0Outside. \u201c<\/em>He had no drink, no oxygen, and was probably completely out of steam.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Miracle at 25,000 Feet<\/h2>\n

On June 3,\u00a0Outside<\/em> reported on Hillary Dawa\u2019s disappearance during his descent from Mount Everest. The 52-year-old Sherpa from the town of Okhaldhunga was hiking down from Camp IV alongside British adventure Chris Thrall on May 29 when he stopped to rest on a rock.<\/p>\n

Hillary Dawa was working as a guide with the Nepali outfitter Himalayan Traverse Adventures. He had initially ascended the peak alongside a Polish client, but both turned back short of the summit.<\/p>\n

Thrall, a client of Himalayan Traverse, said Hillary Dawa told him to continue his descent after he sat down.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe sat down for a rest with his backpack. As you know, these guys carry huge loads,\u201d Thrall said. \u201cI turned to him and said, \u2018Hillary, are you OK, brother?\u2019 He said, \u2018Yes, yes, I\u2019m fine, Chris. Please go.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Hillary Dawa Sherpa disappeared just below Camp IV at 25,000 feet. He was discovered six days later near Base Camp at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall. <\/span> (Photo: Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thrall eventually linked up with the Polish climber. Thrall looked back up the peak and saw Hillary Dawa still resting on a rock. That was the last anyone saw of him.<\/p>\n

The two clients descended to Camp III at 23,300 feet and then Camp II at 21,000 feet with limited oxygen. The Polish climber was also struggling with severe frostbite on his hands. Once they reached Camp II, the clients informed Himalayan Traverse employees about Dawa\u2019s condition.<\/p>\n

On June 2, 8K Expeditions organized a helicopter flight to search for the stricken Sherpa, but they returned empty-handed.<\/p>\n

Then, on the morning of June 4, SPCC workers saw Hillary Dawa crawling out of the Khumbu Icefall at the foot of Everest. According to Everst Chronicle<\/a>, <\/em>he was given food and water. Photos and videos of him then appeared online, showing him still clad in the blue and yellow summit suit he was wearing at the time of his disappearance.<\/p>\n

According to Everest Chronicle, <\/em>officials helped Hillary Dawa to the nearby village of Gorak Shep, where a helicopter took him to the HAMS Hospital in Kathmandu.<\/p>\n

A Camp Cook Is Thrust into the Spotlight<\/h2>\n

While the Everest world is elated by Hillary Dawa\u2019s survival, guides and experts are also asking questions about why he was place in such a dangerous situation. Bierling and other climbers told Outside<\/em> they are unclear as to why Hillary Dawa was even on the peak\u2019s upper flanks to begin with.<\/p>\n

On June 4, website Everest Chronicle <\/em><\/a>reported that Hillary Dawa was originally employed as the cook at Camp II at 21,000 feet. Outside<\/em> confirmed this with Hillary Dawa\u2019s family members and also with 8K Expeditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cSherpas are strong, but this man was not supposed to be a climbing Sherpa; he was the Camp II cook,\u201d Bierling told\u00a0Outside.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Hillary Dawa was originally hired to be a cook in Camp II on Mount Everest<\/span> (Photo: LAKPA SHERPA\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hillary Dawa\u2019s employer, Himalayan Traverse Adventures, is one of the smaller outfitters on the peak. Himalayan Travers had contracted with Nepali guiding company 8K Expeditions to obtain its climbing licenses and insurance for the 2026 Everest season.<\/p>\n

How Hillary Dawa went from camp cook at 21,000 feet to working as a guide on the upper slopes of Mount Everest is not yet known.\u00a0Outside<\/em> has made repeated attempts to contact Himalayan Traverse Adventures, but the company has not responded to our requests.<\/p>\n

Bierling pointed out that at the time of his disappearance, Hillary Dawa was in charge of Thrall and the Polish climber\u2014neither of whom\u00a0had much experience on Himalayan peaks.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had to look after two pretty inexperienced climbers,\u201d Bierling said. \u201cI think that was a lot to ask from Hillary Dawa to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Feelings of Joy but Also Concern<\/h2>\n

In the wake of Hillary Dawa\u2019s rescue, officials within the Mount Everest guiding industry are also asking questions about why it took so long for officials to try to mount a rescue.<\/p>\n

Hillary Dawa vanished on May 29, and Thrall called Base Camp on May 30. But Lakpa Sherpa\u2019s helicopter recovery mission didn\u2019t take flight until June 2. Lakpa Sherpa told\u00a0Outside<\/em> that 8K Expeditions organized the rescue flight after Hillary Dawa\u2019s family reached out to the company.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe took the lead on the rescue efforts because it was the right thing to do, and we never gave up hope,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Lakpa Sherpa alleges hat nobody from Himalayan Traverse ever contacted his company to tell them that one of its employees was missing.<\/p>\n

Multiple Nepali sources wondered if the delay would have happened had the missing climber been an American or European.<\/p>\n

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