Scottsdale climber safely at Everest base camp after Nepal quake; Florence couple gets news of daughter

Haley Ercanbrack of Scottsdale and the rest of her group attempting to reach the summit of Mount Everest have been safely evacuated to the mountain's base camp, according to a post on the website of the Seattle expedition company that arranged the trip.

Ercanbrack, 32, was among those stranded in Nepal after Saturday's 7.8-magnitude earthquake and its aftershocks caused severe avalanches on Everest, the world's tallest mountain. The group was headed Monday from base camp to Gorak Shep, a small mountaineering village two hours down the mountain.

Meanwhile, a Florence couple have been unable to get information on the whereabouts of their daughter, Jennifer Young of Glendale, Calif.

Armand Young said he has repeatedly contacted Himalayan Experience, the British tour company that arranged his daughter's trip.

"One of our friends has gotten a message saying that they thought her group was all OK, but our real problem is, that was about people from base camp on," Armand Young said. He said his daughter's tour was going to base camp and not beyond.

"They could be on the trail somewhere or in one of these remote villages," he said, "and if they don't get lifted out of there or get supplies, they're going to be in huge trouble."

Young said he and his wife, Kathy, have called and e-mailed Himalayan Experience and have received no reply. The Arizona Republic also could not reach the company.

Florence parents talk about daughter, Everest drama:

"As the days go by, I get more worried and more worried because the weather isn't good," he said.

Young said he also reached out to Arizona Sen. John McCain and Rep. Paul Gosar. Staff from both were in contact with the family Monday.

Gosar said that he had not yet been able to learn the whereabouts of Jennifer Young, but he and McCain were working with the State Department, the U.S. Embassy in Nepal, the White House and medical personnel in Nepal to coordinate efforts to "make sure everybody is accounted for over there."

Young said his daughter is not an experienced climber.

"These are just tours that go up over a period of days and do about 3 or 4 miles a day to get used to altitude as they go up. They spend a couple of days at base camp and then go back," he said. "None of them are experienced climbers that go to the top of Mount Everest. They're amateurs."

The avalanches killed 18 climbers on Mount Everest and trapped several others. The death toll in Nepal is 4,000 and rising, and thousands more have been injured or displaced. International relief agencies are racing to reach the devastated region; several Arizonans are part of that effort.

Garrett Madison of Madison Mountaineering, with whom Ercanbrack was climbing, spoke to NBC on Monday. A transcript posted online described how the group made its way down the mountain, met a helicopter and returned to camp:

"We got down to Base Camp and were able to sort through what was left of our camp after the wind blast from the landslide triggered by the earthquake. ... It was a very sobering couple of hours sorting through the rubble of what was left of our camp.

"Now we are on our way down the valley. All team members are doing well."

Ercanbrack's group had been stuck at an elevation of 21,000 feet, according to her friend Pamela Hobbs of Scottsdale.

Hobbs said Monday she was relieved to see the report of the group getting to base camp, but she had not been able to contact Ercanbrack or her father, Randall Ercanbrack, of Utah, who was reported safe at Gorak Shep.

"Everything for any kind of communication got wiped out at base camp," Hobbs said. "Usually she writes me on Facebook Messenger, but I still haven't heard from her or her father."

Hobbs knew that her friend had survived the avalanche, but she also believed Ercanbrack was far from safe.

The team's doctor, Eve Girawong, was at base camp when an avalanche hit and was critically injured, the website said. She later died of her injuries.

Relief crews are racing to Nepal to find survivors and render assistance.

Arizonans who are part of that effort include Glen and Julie Bradley, retired telecommunications experts who live in Pinetop-Lakeside.

They prepared Sunday to leave for Nepal's capital, Katmandu, to help establish communications systems. The couple said they expect to stay in the region for a month.

The couple have volunteered with the Red Cross since the days after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when their own experience as disaster survivors inspired them to volunteer for the organization.

The Bradleys will be part of a small international team establishing satellite connections for radio towers and Internet access to aid recovery efforts.

Hobbs said she will continue to keep tabs on Ercanbrack but knows her friend will be crestfallen that she wasn't able to reach the summit.

"She has climbed to the highest camps before, but this time she was going to the summit for the first time," she said

Hobbs said she has no doubt Ercanbrack will attempt the climb again.

"That's my worst fear," she said. "We know she's going to go right back as soon as they tell her she can."