← Against The Odds
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- [00:00]
Narrator
Wondery subscribers can listen to against the.
- [00:03]
Cassidy Depechel
Odds early and ad free right now. Join Wondery in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Beth Rodden jolts awake to the sound of a large boom echoing through the canyon below her. She's 1,000ft off the ground, camped in a portale, a portable sleeping platform hanging from the side of a cliff like a little cot dangling from the sky. Shafts of orange morning light pierce through the ridgeline of Kyrgyzstan's Pamir Alai Mountains. The air is fresh and damp with morning dew. Beth is a semi pro rock climber and is nearly two weeks into a six week climbing trip with her boyfriend Tommy Caldwell and two other friends, Jason Singer Smith and John Dickey. She turns in her sleeping bag, careful not to shake the portal edge, and looks at Tommy. He must have heard the sound too, because he's staring back at her, eyes wide. Probably a falling rock. At 20, Beth's the youngest and least traveled of the group, so she trusts Tommy's instincts. It did sort of sound like a piece of granite falling down the cliff. But then the next sound is unmistakable. A gunshot. Beth sits bolt upright and squeezes as close to the rock wall as possible. She's clipped into safety ropes, but the portaledge sways beneath her. It's open air and doesn't give her any cover, but she tries to duck out of sight anyway. Beth looks over at her friend Jason Singer Smith, who is sitting up in an adjoining platform, putting on his climb helmet to protect from falling rocks. Beth what the hell was that? We're being shot at. Who would shoot at us? That doesn't make any sense. It's probably just local hunters. Singer stops talking when a bullet hits the wall 20ft above them, shattering the rock face and covering them in dust. It's clear now they're being targeted. Beth and the others peek their heads over the edge of their sleeping platforms and pe a thousand feet below them. Beth sees three tiny figures standing at the wall's base. They're yelling something up at the climbers, but Beth can't tell what they're saying. She watches Singer as he grabs a camera and aims his telephoto lens down at the tiny figures. He squints through the viewfinder. One of them is waving at us. I think he's gesturing at us to come down. Beth stares in disbelief as John Dickey grabs his walkie Talk and pouch of tobacco. I'm the oldest. I'll go. John is only 25, only three years older than Tommy and Singer, but he's grown out his beard. Beth hopes it will make the shooters take him seriously, make them think they're not just kids. She watches as John clips into his harness and begins to slowly rappel down the wall. Some shepherds had come by their base camp earlier in the week and tried to steal their CD player. Maybe it's them, but why would they shoot? It doesn't make sense. It takes John half an hour to rappel down to the valley floor. Beth watches as Singer looks through the camera lens as John approaches the men. He narrates John's every move. John's offering them tobacco, but it looks like the guy doesn't want it. Then their walkie talkie buzzes, you all better come down. She can hear a quiver in John's voice she's never heard before. Whatever is about to happen, Beth knows she's not ready for it.
- [04:24]
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Cassidy Depechel
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- [06:06]
Cassidy Depechel
From wondery I'm Cassidy Depechel and this is against the Odds on August on August 12, 2004, American rock climbers who were camping in the Karasu region of Kyrgyzstan were woken up by a series of gunshots. They hadn't looked too closely at the US State Department's bulletins that warned of military and insurgent activity near the Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan border, and when they landed, they didn't register with the US Embassy. They unwittingly stumbled into a war zone. Two weeks into their six week stay, the group of young Americans was kidnapped by militants from the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. Forced to hide during the day and walk at night, the climbers didn't know if they would ever make it home alive. This is the story of the lengths they went to to survive. This is Episode one Welcome to Paradise Beth Rodin stares out the window of a Russian military helicopter as they approach the sharp ridges of the Karovshin Mountains. The engine roars and the air smells like kerosene. It's July 27, 2000 and Beth has endured a delayed flight from San Francisco, an emergency landing in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital. Plus they lost a duffel bag full of climbing equipment on one of their connecting flights. But finally she's feeling a bit of relief. She and her three climbing companions are on the last leg of their journey to the promised land. For rock climbers, the Karasu Valley is called the Yosemite of the East. It's in a remote region of Kyrgyzstan between Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It's so remote that trekking in by mule would take multiple days, but thankfully a helicopter ride is only a few hours. The cliff walls surrounding them are dramatic and have rarely been climbed or even even photographed. In fact, there are few maps that exist of the territory and hand drawn charts are often traded between foreign climbing groups. The helicopter rises through a cloud and over a ridge and Beth presses her forehead to the glass. A massive canyon sprawls beneath them with sleek granite walls, clean glacier carved faces of stone, steep and solid. This is exactly why she traveled all the way from California. Beth wipes at the fogged up glass so she can get a better look at the massive formations below. Until recently, most of the climbing Beth had been doing had been in indoor gyms, but she was starting to outgrow them. Her first international trip had only been a year ago to Madagascar. After that she was inspired to take time off of college and start climbing full time. Now she's proud to be the youngest woman to have climbed a pitch rated a 5.14, just one point below the highest rating of rock climbing difficulty. Beth met her boyfriend Tommy Caldwell in junior climbing school. But they really started dating during a month long stay at the base of El Capitan in Yosemite, working on climbing a route called Lurking Fear. Yosemite is where she also became friends with Singer and John and where she fell in love with big wall climbing. And now she's a semi pro with a sponsorship from the North Face. Beth and Singer had pitched this trip to the apparel company who agreed to fund it. In return, the brand will use the photos that John Dickey will take in an advertising campaign. Beth can't think of another group of climbers she'd rather be here with. The travel agent accompanying the group to the drop off point shouts over the roaring engine to point out some of the sights. Look, that's the Pirae Dalny Peak. He points to an imposing mountain dusted in white snow towering in the distance. It's the highest mountain in the range and marks the Tajik Kyrgyz border. The pilot flicks some of the switches and pulls a lever and the helicopter begins a sharp descent through the clouds. Beth's stomach drops like she's on an amusement park ride. They finally land with a jolt on a flat clearing covered in pebbles by a roaring river. The chopper's doors open and across the river they see a towering granite wall that glints in the sun. The travel agent leans out the door and points. That's the yellow Wall. Beth knows this wall is famous, a favorite by many a established climbers. 2500ft of sheer granite rising into the sky. It's the first of many climbs she's planning in this paradise of Central Asia, so far from civilization. She and the others begin to unload their luggage and Beth hears Singer confirming plans with the agent. The helicopter will be back to get them in six weeks at the end of August. Until then, they'll basically be cut off from the outside world. As far as they know, it's only them and a few local shepherds for hundreds of miles. Jason Singer Smith brushes his shaggy blonde hair out of his face face and hammers a steel tent stake into the warm earth. He's anchoring the group's high tech dome tent at what will be their base camp, the spot from which they'll set out on their expeditions. Tables and chairs made of stacked stone surround them on the shores of the Karasu river, all left by previous adventurers. In the distance, rocky outcroppings jut from mountains nearby. This is a climber's paradise. Once Singer finishes staking the tent, he wipes his hands and admires the meadow they're in. The grass is lush and wildflowers dot the landscape. Juniper and pine trees make for a fairy tale setting. His friend John Dickey is setting up his own tent nearby, while Beth Rawden and her boyfriend Tommy Caldwell are setting up another that they'll share. They've all arranged their sleeping quarters around the big dome tent that's going to be their dining area. Singer eyes the bright yellow fabric of their sleek, expensive tents and realizes it makes them look like they've come from another world. Their gear seems so futuristic in the middle of this untouched landscape. In the distance, Singer spots a man walking towards them from across the meadow. He gives the group a big smile and waves. From his previous climbing experiences in remote regions of the world, Singer knew that the locals would be curious about four Americans posting up in the valley. He's excited to meet their first visitor. He grabs his Russian phrasebook and walks to greet the man. He's younger than Singer expected, and he's surprised when the man bows. Singer bows in return and then opens his phrase book. The two men start pointing to words in it, and quickly Singer learns that the man is a yak herder who lives across the valley with his family. But he tells Singer that soon he plans to leave the valley to study English. Singer's thrilled to have already made a friend. It's part of why he loves to travel. The next couple days are spent setting up camp with Singer as the lead organizer. The yak herder and his family return often and bring gifts of goat milk and flatbread. And soon other locals start to show up to meet the American climbers. Beth even starts to take Polaroids of the children and give them out as gifts to the visitors. On their third day of setup, when the young yak herder returns, Singer shares his headphones with him and watches the man's eyes light up. It's Black Sabbath, man. Cool, right? John Dickey interrupts their fun and gestures for Singer to come to the common tent. He's been cataloging all of their gear and he looks worried. Singer There was a lot of stuff in the missing duffel bag. One of their bags of equipment got lost during a layover before the flight to Kyrgyzstan, and they decided not to wait to get it back because they were running so late to the helicopter. Singer looks at the piles of tools John has laid out in the tent. Okay, so what are we missing? Two climbing harnesses, a rope, a water filter, my rock shoes, a sleeping bag, a rain jacket, most of our bivy sacks. But the one I'm really worried about is the second fuel bottle for the stoves. Singer knows it's a big problem that they're missing the kerosene for the second stove. Without it, they won't be able to split up into different climbing groups. They'll all need to use the the stove to boil water and cook meals. If they can get in touch with their travel agency, maybe they can have the bag sent to them on the next bus to a neighboring village. But they'll have to find a way to call them first. Singer and John jog back over to where the herder's watching his children play. John takes Singer's phrase book and thumbs through it, then asks in halting Russian where the nearest telephone is. The shepherd nods and explains the nearest one is in a neighboring village. Singer asks how far? And the herder thinks for a moment, then points down the river and says 30 km. Singer looks over at John. They're going to have to hike if they want to get their gear back, but Singer's up for an adventure. With any luck, they'll find a phone and be back in a day or so. Though out here in a massive landscape they've never set foot in, who knows how long it will take? Beth stands in front of the yellow wall, studying the surface of rock through a spotting scope. It's been three days since their climbing partners set out in search of a phone, and they haven't returned. It feels odd to be preparing for the climb without them, But Beth knows that unexpected stuff comes up when you travel, so she tries to push it out of her mind and not worry. She wants to stay focused on anchoring climbing ropes to the wall for when they return, so then they can begin their ascent in earnest. Through the scope, Beth spots a series of splits in the stone at the center of the cliff and points them out to Tommy. That's the route I want to take, Tommy. They'll start by climbing a few hundred feet up the granite face. Then they'll fix and leave a chain of rope so they can efficiently move up and down to explore different pitches to climb. Planning the route feels like solving a really satisfying puzzle. Beth dips her hands into a bag of climbers, chalk hanging from her waist, and approaches the wall. She pulls herself up onto the near vertical rock face and begins to climb the rock is smooth and cool to the touch. In places it's covered in rough patches of lime green lichen. Beth only weighs 95 pounds and her small size works to her advantage. She's able to use her finger holds for leverage in a way that heavier climbers can't. She knows Tommy will help her with the heavy work of hauling all their bivouac gear, food, water, which altogether weighs a couple hundred pounds. She's proud of Tommy. He's one of the strongest climbers on the semi pro circuit. Hour after hour, she and Tommy extend the ropes higher up the sheer face. Behind them, they leave a safety path of ropes connected to gears that they've wedged into the cracks of the wall. It's time consuming work and at the end of the day they're sweat soaked and exhausted. But they've already laid out a route several hundred vertical feet up. Beth makes her way slowly down, thankful for the safety lines they've installed. Her arms are weak with exhaustion. She's glad that it's time to make their way back to camp. When they reach solid ground, Beth takes the lead and ambles through the field of wildflowers back toward the Karasu River. They'll have to cross on a small rope bridge to get back to their home base. Beth takes a step onto the single strand bridge and then immediately startles when their walkie talkie crackles to life. Beth hears a voice crooning a few bars of Bohemian Rhapsody from the other end. She grins. It's Singer. Hey, Singer. We've been really worried. Did you find a phone? Over. We walked for a few miles but never found one. Tried to go to a village called Batkin, but it's way too far. Instead, we got to bunk up with some Kyrgyz soldiers for a couple nights. So many guns down there, but we'll be back in base camp tonight. Over. Finally, Beth thinks she's so glad they're safe. Sure, they won't have any extra fuel for a second stove, but maybe it will be better if they don't split up again anymore. Beth and Tommy make it over the river and unclip themselves from the bridge, but it still takes them another half hour to hike back to base camp. When they arrive, they find three Kyrgyz soldiers with a German shepherd waiting for them. The dog plods around the camp, sniffing at their tents. Beth's instinct is to reach out and pet it, but then she thinks better of it and keeps her hands at her sides. One of the soldiers gestures for their passports. Beth hands their paperwork over and she and Tommy wait as he logs their information in a notebook. It appears to be a routine checkup by the soldiers. Beth reminds herself that they're near a border to two different countries, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Tommy told her that there were lots of passport checks in any border region. As they wait, she eyes a soldier's rifles and thinks about Singer's offhand comment, so many guns here. The soldier hands back their passports, nods, and sets off. Beth and Tommy climb into their tent and play cards while they wait for John and Singer to make it back. They'll all be able to eat dinner together tonight and tomorrow. Their climb will, after nearly a week, truly begin.
- [22:36]
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Cassidy Depechel
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Cassidy Depechel
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Cassidy Depechel
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Cassidy Depechel
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- [23:36]
In the first half of the 20th century, one woman changed adoption in America. What was once associated with the shame of unmarried mothers became not only acceptable, but fashionable. But Georgia Tann didn't help families find new homes out of the goodness of her heart, she was stealing babies from happy families and selling them for profit. Hi, I'm Lindsey Graham, host of wondery show American Scandal. We bring to life some of the biggest controversies in US History. Presidential lies, environmental disasters, corporate fraud and in our latest series, a young adoption worker moves to Memphis, Tennessee and becomes one of the most powerful women in the city. By the time her crimes are exposed decades later, she's made a fortune and destroyed hundreds of families along the way. Follow American Scandal on the Wonder App or wherever you get your podcasts. Experience all episodes ad free and be the first to binge the newest season only on Wondery. Wondery plus in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial today.
- [24:40]
Cassidy Depechel
John Dicke packs his camera bag, double checking that the last of his telephoto lenses are secure. He's finally ready to head out with Singer for their first climb. Yesterday he and Singer spent the day resting. Their knees ache after walking over 60 miles to try and find a phone. But now they don't want to waste any more time sitting around. It's already August 5th, nine days since they arrived in Kyrgyzstan. John knows that Beth and Tommy set out early this morning to continue establishing the route up the Yellow Wall. So. So he and Singer are going to scope out the rock face of Assam, a smaller mountain upriver. They have a quick breakfast of oatmeal and power bars and then it's time to head out. John stands and swings his backpack over his shoulder, ready to begin the trek. Then in the distance, he sees a woman walking on a small trail past their camp. She's dressed like a climber and wearing a backpack, saddled with ropes. John gives her a friendly wave as she turns toward their camp. When she approaches, she smiles and explains she's an Australian rock climber. She's been in the Karasu Valley with a group of other climbers for weeks now. John offers her a bit of water and asks her about what she's done in her time here. Does she have any advice for them? He listens as she suggests a few good climbs in the area. Then she explains that she was going to try and climb a sand today too. She wants to fit in one more good climb before she and her group have to leave on August 7th in a few days. After a few minutes of chit chat, John starts to tell her about his own adventures the last few days as they tried to track down a phone to retrieve their lost bag. Then he starts to list all the gear that they're missing. The woman empathizes and tells him that thieves had come to their camp downstream and stolen some of their belongings. It's part of the experience, she tells him. But John feels himself getting just a little anxious. They've got so much gear at base camp, they'd be totally unprepared to stop anyone from taking it. But then she pulls him from that train of thought with some good news. She thinks she can help John and Singer. We're camped down the river a few kilometers from here. We have an extra fuel bottle. We can sell it to you. Someone from your group can come by our camp before we leave town. You've got a couple days. That's great. Thank you. One of us will come by tomorrow. Where exactly are you all camped? John is thrilled. Now he and Singer don't have to be tied to Beth and Tommy for the stove. That means they'll have more freedom to travel as they please. They can give the lovebirds their privacy, and he and Singer can explore the other climes. The woman goes on to explain simple directions to her group's campsite downriver, and John takes notes in his notebook. With any luck, he can continue convince Beth to get the fuel bottle while he and Singer get an early start climbing tomorrow. Beth and Tommy have already had a couple of extra days on the wall anyway. John had been so discouraged by the days they'd spent hiking around the countryside looking for a phone, but now it looks like they'll be able to make up for lost time. Beth looks at the piece of paper John gave her with directions to the Australian climbers camp. Then she looks over to Tommy and shrugs. They followed the notes exactly, but she doesn't see a camp. And she was so psyched to meet another woman climber out here in the wilds. Not to mention getting another fuel bottle for their stove. But then Beth notices the telltale patches of yellow grass where tents recently stood.
- [28:49]
Advertiser
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- [28:50]
Cassidy Depechel
It was only yesterday that the woman told John they should come by. Beth thought they weren't even supposed to leave for a few more days. Why would they have left in such a hurry? Beth scans the area slowly one last time, and then Tommy calls out to her.
- [29:08]
Advertiser
Look.
- [29:08]
Cassidy Depechel
There's some tents downriver. In the far distance, she spots some other tents, like specks on the shoreline. So she and Tommy make the walk, only to find a group of climbers speaking German. Beth asks one of them if they know what happened to the Australian climbers at the camp upriver, and is thankful when a tall blond man responds in English. It was very strange. The soldiers took them away. Beth looks over at Tommy. That's unsettling. Then she looks back to the German. Do you know why? He shrugs.
- [29:47]
Advertiser
Nobody knows.
- [29:49]
Cassidy Depechel
Unsure of what else to do, they thank the Germans and begin to walk back to their base camp. It's clear they won't be getting the fuel bottle or any answers. On a small trail that runs along the river back to camp, Beth sees someone walking towards them. When the person gets closer, she can see that it's a shepherd. He has tan, leathery skin and doesn't smile as he approaches. They'd met a lot of locals in the valley, but they'd never seen him before. The man makes intense eye contact and then hisses, cuidado. Then the man keeps walking past. Beth looks at Tommy, confused. Did he say cuidado? Spanish for be careful. And why is he speaking Spanish? Tommy has no idea, but it leaves them both feeling unnerved. They walk in silence, the sun setting behind them. She can tell from from the way Tommy is staying quiet that he's concerned. When they get back to camp, Beth and Tommy fill the others in on the disappointing news about the fuel bottle. And then at dinner, Beth tells them about the warning on the path. John and Singer just laugh it off, but as she makes her way back to her tent and lies down to fall asleep, she can't stop thinking about it. Cuidado. Be careful. Of what? The next morning, Beth spends a few hours battening down their camp to hide their valuables from any potential thieves. She thinks it's a good use of her time. But then, just as she's ready to head out for the day's climb, a rainstorm rolls in and delays them from climbing for another entire day. All they can do is read and play cards in their tent. Finally, when the sun reappears, Beth and Tommy keep laying rope on the Yellow Wall while John and Singer spend a day exploring Asan. She can't believe how much time they've all wasted not rock climbing. So when they all come come together for dinner, she brings it up to the group. After a little bit of discussion, everyone agrees they've got to use the couple weeks they have left wisely. They decide to begin their ascent of the yellow wall, all four of them together. Tommy Caldwell uncoils 240ft of rope and latches it to a haul bag full of their supplies for the next three days. Below him, the earth seems very far away, their camp a distant speck. They've been climbing vertically for seven hours, and his hands are exhausted and cramping. He's been winching their heavy bags of gear up the final pitch using a pulley and ratchet stick system and a lot of brute force. Now he's dangling a thousand feet up in the air from a web of rope slings that are attached to steel wedges anchored into the rock. The sun is beginning to set and it's time to set up their sleeping portal edges. He switches on his headlamp. In the fading light above them, a slab of granite projects out from the wall like a roof, which will be good to protect them from any loose or falling rocks. Tommy unzips the hull bag and pulls out the portal edge. He and Beth will Sleep on. Beth hangs from the ropes nearby, helping him lay the safety ropes. The metal frames snap in place and he connects it to the ropes fixed on the wall. The portal edge is about the shape and size of a twin bed, but amounts to little more than a taut hammock. But still he's excited how many people get to sleep in the clouds. He scans the area below him before dropping his gear tow lines and sees that Singer and John have found a spot on the wall to the left of them. They're setting up their portaledge and he can hear them cranking up the music. Tommy's furious singer is polluting this beautiful night by blasting the heavy metal band Megadeth. Tommy thinks back to a few days ago when some locals try to walk off with their CD player. For a moment Tommy wishes they had then he'd be able to enjoy this beautiful night in peace. It's around midnight when Tommy and his group are fully set up on the wall, munching on their freeze dried dinners. They were going to have cheese and tortillas, but the other day a group of marauding donkeys had eaten all of them. Oh well, he knows he's still so lucky to be where he is with his girlfriend at his side. Tommy smiles when Beth leans into him and tells him to close his eyes. She. She says she has a surprise for him. When he does as he's told, he hears the flick of a lighter. Okay, you can open them now. Tommy opens his eyes to see that Beth's holding a cup of instant chocolate pudding with a candle burning in it. Happy birthday. Make a wish. Tommy had almost forgotten he was turning 22. The last few few weeks he's been so immersed in nature and so removed from his life back home that he hasn't been keeping track. He blows out the candle and jokingly makes a wish that Singer will stop blasting heavy metal. And he's floored when Singer actually turns off the music. Now the splotch of candlelight is gone and the stars come into focus. Millions of pinpricks of light glowing brightly in the pristine and unpolluted sky. What a birthday. Tommy can sense that he's exactly where he's supposed to be, surrounded by some of the most spectacular peaks on earth. He kisses Beth and shares his chocolate pudding with her as they look up into the deep blue blue shadows of the valley. Then he curls up in his sleeping bag and clutches Beth's hand. He's cozy, a thousand feet off the ground and away from all his worries. Tomorrow is going to be a great day of climbing. Even higher up the yellow wall, they'll get a view of the valley that few people have ever seen. He falls asleep with smile on his face. But the next morning, Tommy wakes up to gunfire. He doesn't want to believe it at first, but by the third shot, it's undeniable. Beth crouches beside him, pressing her body against the rock face and shaking. When John volunteers to rappel down to talk to the shooters, Tommy wants to reassure Beth that everything is going to be okay. But the truth is, he's just as scared as she is.
- [37:34]
Narrator
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. Recipients have done the improbable, showing immense bravery and sacrifice in the name of something much bigger than themselves.
- [37:45]
Cassidy Depechel
This medal is for the men who went down that day. It's for the families of those who didn't make it.
- [37:52]
Narrator
I'm J.R. martinez. I'm a U.S. army veteran myself, and I'm honored to tell you the stories of these heroes on the new season of Medal of Stories of Courage from Pushkin Industries and I Heart Podcast. From Bud Day, who survived more than 2. Five years in a Vietnamese prison, to Alvin York, the most famous soldier of World War I, these are stories about people who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor, going above and beyond the call of duty. You'll hear about what they did, what it meant, and what their stories tell us about the nature of courage and sacrifice. Listen to Medal of Honor wherever you get your podcast. Every big moment starts with a big dream. But what happens when that big dream turns out to be a big flop? From Wondery and Ill Media, I'm Misha Brown, and this is the Big Flop. Every week, comedians join me to chronicle the biggest flubs, fails and blunders of all time. Like Quibi, it's kind of like when.
- [39:00]
Advertiser
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- [39:04]
Narrator
And the 2019 movie adaptation of Cats.
- [39:07]
Cassidy Depechel
Like, if I'm watching the dancing and I'm noticing the feet aren't touching the ground, there's something wrong with the movie.
- [39:13]
Narrator
Find out what happens when massive hype turns into major fiasco. Enjoy the Big Flop on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to the Big Flop early and ad free on Wondery. Get started with your free trial@wondery.com plus.
- [39:41]
Cassidy Depechel
John Dickey lets his hands slide slowly over the rope as he rappels down the yellow wall below. He can see the three men staring up at him. John volunteered to come down off the cliff cliff to talk to the men. But the closer he gets to the ground, the more nervous he is. The whole trip down the wall, John has been trying to convince himself that this is all a misunderstanding. It's something he can definitely handle. He's been all over the world. He knows how to handle people. But when he finally makes it to the floor and disconnects from the rope, he looks up and sees the three men frowning at him, deadly serious, and he loses his sense of confidence. The automatic weapons don't help. All of the men have long beards and are oddly dressed in a mix of shabby army camo and shiny new Columbia and North Face jackets. It's clear they've robbed other climbers before. Maybe they'll demand a few articles of clothing and be on their way. What would they do with climbing gear anyway? John takes a slow breath and walks towards them, trying to appear calm. He speaks slowly and clearly. Good morning. My name is John. The shorter man with a bushy beard and narrow waist steps forward. The pockets of his his camo vest bulge with ammunition. He has a pistol and a hand grenade clipped on his belt and a long knife hanging across his chest. In his arms he's cradling a rifle. The man reaches forward and shakes John's hand with a death grip. Then he introduces himself. Abdul. John nods politely and then shakes another man's hand. This man introduces himself as Obed. Obed lowers his Oakley sunglasses and pantomimes shooting up at the portaledges. He looks proud of his marksmanship. John isn't sure how he's supposed to react. About 20ft behind the two men stands another man, his hand on his gun. John doesn't attempt to address him, trying to appear calm and friendly. John offers the men some tobacco, something he's been doing to ingratiate himself with the Kyrgyz soldiers, but Abdul sweeps it aside and shakes his head like he's been offended. John's attempt at a friendly gesture has backfired. Abdul points up at the portal edges and holds up four fingers. Are there four climbers total? He seems to be asking. John nods. Then he gestures with his hands lewdly to indicate a figure of a woman's body, an hourglass, and breasts. John stares back at him blankly.
- [42:48]
Advertiser
Woman?
- [42:49]
Cassidy Depechel
Abdul asks. John does not like where this is going at all, but he gives a small nod. Then Abdul points to the walkie talkie sticking out of John's pocket. He wants him to tell the others that they need to come down. A chill passes over John's body. Goosebumps, raising on his arms. His mouth feels dry. He shakes his head and lies. It will be too difficult for them to come down. Abdul stares at him blankly. Either he doesn't doesn't understand or he doesn't care. He points at the walkie talkie again. Radio. Now. John tries to think of another way to stall. Why? Abdul gestures toward their base camp and pantomimes eating food. Maybe all they want is a meal. John mulls this over. Maybe his fear is overblown. Maybe he's overreacting. He switches on the walkie talkie and his voice betrays him. It shakes when he speaks. These guys just want some breakfast at our camp. You guys need to come down. Please. John knows how improbable it sounds, but maybe it is all that they want. But as he watches his friends begin to climb down, John's stomach ties itself in knots. He knows these men are not going to leave easily, and he knows they're entirely at their mercy. Tommy and his fellow climbers stand amid the ruins of their base camp, surveying the damage. In the last few hours, since they climbed down from the safety of their portal edge, they've been forced to sit and watch as Abdul and Obed slashed open their tents and devour their food. Abdul snorts like a pig and points to one of the cans. Tommy realizes he's asking if the can has pork in it, so Tommy looks at the ingredients Shakespeare his head no and hands it back. Abdul immediately opens it and begins to eat. Tommy watches as Obed gorges himself and then runs nearby to vomit. The third man paces at the back of the camp, sifting through all of their tents. Tommy realizes quickly that he's already wearing Tommy's shoes, gloves, and hat. Unlike like the other two men, this man is clean shaven with a huge mole in the corner of his mouth. Abdul sees Tommy staring at the third man and introduces him as Sue. Sue stares at the Americans with a look of a hungry wolf. He does not offer to shake their hands as the other men had. Singer turns to Tommy and the others and mutters under his breath. This guy is just scary. For once, Singer isn't joking. Tommy feels it too. There's a coldness in Sue's gaze. Sue approaches the climbers and herds the group over to sit on a tree stump. Tommy realizes there is another man here, seated on the log. A man in fatigue. Tommy sits down and notices the man is covered in blood. When he looks up at the man's face, he realizes that he's seen him before. He tugs on Beth's sleeve and whispers, this guy checked our passports at camp the other day. He was there with two other Kyrgyz soldiers. They had the dog, remember? The German shepherd? Tommy watches Beth examine the man and then slowly nods as the men with the guns continue looting their base camp. The soldier turns to Tommy and whispers an introduction. He doesn't speak English, but introduces himself as Turat Osmanov. It's clear he's also been held prisoner. Making sure that the men are not watching him, Osmanov shows Tommy three fingers and makes jabbing motions, pointing to the blood on his pants. Tommy thinks he's saying that three friends were killed in front of him, that he is still alive only to guide these men through the mountains. Osmanov gestures subtly to one of the broken metal tent poles, suggesting Tommy should use it as a weapon to attack the armed men. He looks nervously over at the men with guns. Tommy's thankful that they're too busy tearing apart the camp to see the exchange. Tommy's not going to attack men with guns using a tent pole. That's idiotic. They'd just shoot him. Probably his friends too. Besides, he can't imagine hurting another person on purpose anyway. It's just not who he is. He's gentle to a fault. He reaches out to hold Beth's hand. She whispers to him. What do they want? What are they going to do to us? Tommy rubs her back, but she can barely catch a breath. Don't worry, Beth. I'm not going to let you out of my sight. I promise. Tommy turns as Osmanov starts to whisper to him and begins to pantomine. He's trying to reassure Tommy that Americans are worth ransom money. Nobody will hurt them. But then Osmanov suddenly stops talking and stares at the ground. Tommy looks up to see what's happened. Abdul is marching back over to them, gun in hand. He gestures for Tommy and his fellow climbers to get ready to move out. Tommy stands and looks over at his friends. He has to stop himself from saying aloud the terrible thing. He has just realized they've been taken hostage. He doesn't know who these men are or what they want exactly, but he does know that right now there's no way out.
- [49:27]
Advertiser
If you like, against the odds, you can binge all episodes early and ad free right now by joining Wondery plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music. And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey@wondery.com survey.
- [49:46]
Cassidy Depechel
This is episode one of our four part series Rock Climbers Abducted. A quick note about our scenes in most cases we can't know exactly what was said, but everything is based on historical research. If you'd like to learn more about this event, we highly recommend the book over the Edge by Greg Child. I'm your host Cassie Depechel. Katia Apakina wrote this episode. Our editors are Matt Wise and Maura Waltz. Our consultant is Greg Childs. Our associate producer is Brian White. Our audio engineer is Sergio Enriquez. Sound design is by Joe Richardson. Our senior producer is Andy Herman. Our executive producers are Stephanie Jens and Marshall Louie. For wondering.
- [50:40]
Narrator
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