Great
Mountains: Why Daring Men Climb Them?
Introduction:
Not everyone has thought or wondered and
asked himself, why some men climbed mountains while he has not. If one had
asked this question to himself, perhaps he has that love for mountains. It is not even necessary for him to be a mountain
climber or Alpinist, so long as he loves nature and appreciates the natural
sculpted wonder of mountains endlessly then no one knows, if circumstance would
permit someday he would be part of this few tough breed of men who since their
boyhoods days, or merely by association with some avid enthusiasts in the sport
have aspired much to climb mountains too.
A mountain in itself has a grandeur and
story to tell, and such perhaps could either beweird, or just too historical
that even time could never alter the fate it has undergone. Take for instance
the mountains in north Central America, they are great storybooks for
historians, geologists, anthropologists and by people who have fun of scaling
heights and accounting its tales.
In the Southern Mexican states of Chiapas,
Tabasco, and Yucatan Peninsula states of Quintana Roo, Campeche and Yucatan;
and along the northern Central region, to mention the present-day nations of
Guatemala, Belize, western Honduras and northern El Salvador, Mayan
civilization thrived there during 2000 years BC up to the coming of the Spanish
conquistadores (Cordoba in 1517, Grijalva in 1518 and Cortez in 1519),but the
Mayan civilization was not able to survive with time; and it was lost like in
the mist.[i]Its
civilization did reach its apex because splendidly it had
its own architecture, in fact, over
mountain tops cities were built, monuments erected projecting some symbol of mysticism
and superiority, comparable with civilization which existed in Europe and along
the Mediterranean pond. Who taught these people how to build palaces, gigantic
monuments and pyramids when the New World was discovered only by the
continentals at the close of the 15th century? How unbelievable that
the Mayas indeed had a superb civilization! How incredible were they?
A great mountain serves as a battleground,
a battleground maybe of one’s ability to be able to survive and be adopted with
its environs like the Mayan civilization, which thrived for some time in those
mountains peaks. In a military sense, choosing and dominating a higher ground
particularly a steep or large mound as a strategic post, is an advantage
against one’s enemies. That is probably why among other considerations the mechanized
Russian troops lost their prestige as an effective modern fighting unit over the
non-professional Mujahedeen Freedom Fighters of Afghanistan because a great
number of their tanks were nailed at the Tiber Pass, an important pass in the region,
where foot soldiers of this ragtag army - Afghans Mujahedeen were strategically
posted and they defended the pass well. The Russians were too bewildered, their
enemies had no heavy guns, except maybe for countless pieces of RFG’s, but they
were successful. Well, the Afghans maybe were exceptionally fortunate in that
guerrilla war to have been able to defeat a mighty army. But based on
speculations from people who knowingly had the biggest update of the former
Afghan-Russian war, the Mujahedeen were really fortunate because the enemy of their
enemy was their friend. There is an old Arab proverb, which runs something like
this, “the friend of my friend is my friend, and the enemy of my friend is my
enemy, but the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” Probably, the Russians failed
to understand this, and it might be one of the causes of its defeat. We just really
do not know if Russia too did not mind losing the war so long as their military
hardwares were tested thereat.
If the Russians were surprised of the
Afghans, perhaps that maybe too was the case of the Romans in ancient history
when Hannibal, the Carthaginian General; marched his army from successful
campaigns in Spain unexpectedly across the Pyrenees and the chilling Alps
Mountain in northwest Italy; to invade Rome during the second Punic War, in a
war of superiority between two feuding ancient rival cities, Carthage and Rome.[ii]
Events, circumstances and tales like that,
of course, make a mountain or a place a great storybook in itself.
Earliest Recorded
Mountaineering Endeavors in Misamis Oriental:
Climbing mountains and scaling its heights is
perhaps synonymous to scaling one’s ability to beat a mountain; and it is not a
new sport. In the early beginnings before even man considered mountain climbing
as a recreational sport, people used to climb mountains. Despite, it was
neither considered as a sport nor just done for the sake of vanity and caprices,
people may certainly have done it in a form of some religious activity or worship,
science and early research, and in military purposes.
In the local history of Cagayan de Misamis
where once the Island Paradise of Camiguin was under its political jurisdiction,
a group of researchers and explorers were on board the steamboat “Bolinao” that
sailed out from the Pasig River in the afternoon of 1 April 1889 bound for
Mindanao particularly in the mission areas of Cagayan de Misamis.[iii]Before
reaching the port of Cagayan, they spent a day in Camiguin and Don Jose Quadras,
one of the explorers with local guides climbed the volcano in Catarman, the one
that erupted in 1871(first recorded eruption) at the north-western side of the
island.[iv]Under
his command, they climbed the “Vulcan sa Bonbon” in Catarman now referred to as
the “Karaang Vulcan”; and collected a bagful of volcanic rocks and other specimens
on the 5th day of their journey from Manila, wherein Francisco de
Paula Sanchez said in his letter to the Rector of the Ateneo de Manila on 22
April 1889, “At sunrise of the 5th, we went ashore to celebrate the
Holy Eucharist and play our respects to the good Recollect Fray Domingo.”[v]
If the volcano in Camiguin named “Karaang
Vulcan” was climbed in 1889, we guess there is no reason why a mountain nearby
whose elevation is 9,692
feet and if converted into metric reading, is 2,954.1216
meters.
The one which is highest all over Luzon is Mt.
Pulag, 9,587 feet
or 2,922.1176 meters, but it is only the third highest next to Mount Dulang-dulang.[vi]Mt.
Pulag in the province of Benguet is seated on the crest in the Eastern
Cordillera, some 40
kilometers from Baguio City and across the Agno River.[vii]
The highest mountain in the archipelago
that we are referring to is Mt. Apo in Davao del Sur-Kidapawan, Cotabato
borders. It looms in majestic grandeur just southwest of Davao City. According
to geologist, Mt. Apo is a volcanic cone built up in Pleistocene period or in
“recent” geologic time. However, the
term recent in Geology does not exactly
mean as happening very recently, but it may denote some hundreds or thousands
of years ago. Geologists tell us that this mountain sits on another mountain
that is why it has obtained additional height. This mountain sits or buries
itself along the mountain range that stretches across the island of Mindanao
from north to south, or from the Diwata and Sipaca[viii]
Points in the north, to Sarangani Bay in the south.
Not far from Mt. Apo is Mt. Matutum in the
Cotabato’s and opposite it is Mt. Parker; however these two mountains are
unlike with the former because they do not bury or sit themselves on mountain
ranges or cordilleras and they have not risen directly out of the plains.
All these prominent mountains in the
archipelago including those which we have not mentioned yet may have been
conquered by climbers already, or would be just conquered by this tough breed
of men in an extreme sport they so much loved, where only a few men dare.
Expeditions to
Conquer Mount Apo:[ix]
Mount Apo was already conquered even long
before the sports of mountaineering gained much prominence in the mid 1950’s
and came to attract the sporting world as a consequence of Sir Erwin Hillary’s summit
success to the top of the world at Mount Everest in the Himalayas.[x]Apo’s
summit was conquered two decades before the close of the 19th
century.
However, as early as 1852 when the pueblo of today’s Davao is not called as
Davao yet, but Nueva Guipuzcoa, after the name of the hometown of its Spanish
colonizer and first governor, Jose de Oyanguren; an attempt was already made to
conquer it. Oyanguren who was given a shipping and trade contract by the
Spanish Colonial government to do business in Catanduanes, ventured to a more
challenging role and it was for the conquest and pacification of Davao. With
similar arrangements, he was given the exclusive trade monopoly and to exploits
its resources should he successfully be able to conquer Davao with his own army
and expenses, too.[xi]
He smartly did it in 1848 defeating the Muslim settlements along the gulf and
founded the city and province of Davao today. However, it took him another
three years to look into probabilities of exploring Mount Apo, which even in
1660 had invited already the attention of Jesuit Historian, Fr. Francisco Colin
when he scribbled in his writings saying that the volcano (Apo) was emitting
sulphur(Labor Evangelica).
After settling or attending first things
first either administratively or on military aspect in the newly occupied territory,
at last Oyanguren had now the luxury of time to think and indeed attempted to
explore this great mountain just southwest of Nueva Guipuzcoa. He organized an
expedition, it was more than a platoon size expedition, in fact maybe its size
is comparable to three platoons. He had sixty-seven strong men, thirty of which
were soldiers, twenty penal exiles, thirteen IP’s Bagogo, two Christian
civilians, and of course plus Governor Oyanguren, with two officers – an army
lieutenant and a naval officer.
The soldiers who inherently were tough men,
found the expedition too hard and frightening; despite maybe they were trained
to fight, but the mission they experienced had diversity and many hardships.
There was no established trail, they had to make their own trail yet, and in
fact they initially penetrated the base of Apo along the banks of Tagulaya
River and followed it upstream. Every step was a trudge of certainty. The dense
jungle was fierce to fight; nature indeed had made many obstacles to weaken
their wills to achieve their goals. They quitted and returned to the safety of
the plains. The expedition failed and it was a complete mess, twenty of the
sixty-seven men died shortly after they returned home. We have a good guess
that fatality was due to exhaustion – dehydration, long exposure to colds and
of course diseases contacted along the way either acquired through direct
contact, air-born or water-born such as drinking unsafe water, insect bites -
malaria and so on. Good for Oyanguren he survived, however he was replaced by
the new Governor General who did not believe in his capacity as a conquistadores, or as governor of Nueva
Giupuzcoa, or was not convinced of Oyanguren’s project. Governor General
Marquis de Solana nullified Oyanguren’s contract with the colonial government
entered into between him and Governor General Narciso Claveria. His
governorship was cancelled, so with his right to the trade monopoly. Oyanguren
died in Manila in 1859.
Despite Oyanguren’s expedition in 1852 was
a disastrous one, it did not discourage courageous men to organize subsequent
expeditions. In 1870, Real expedition was organized under the leadership of
Commander Real of the Davao District. This time the place was no longer called
as Nueva Guipuzcoa, but Davao as it is presently known. The exploring party was
practically half the size of the first expedition of Oyanguren; and composed
only of thirty sailors and one “patron”. But still it was a big crowd.
Unlike the former expedition which had
chosen the mouth of Tagulaya River as the entry point and tailing it upstream,
Real assaulted Mount Apo by way of Tabon. Nevertheless, they failed too, there
were always dangers and hardships along the way, and how sailors could cope
with this kind of discipline; they were not specially trained for jungle
survival, but as seamen – for survival at sea. So, their Commander called the
mission off and returned to their base defeated by the challenge of the mountain,
but at least there was no fatality.
Mount Apo proved impenetrable since 1852,
two expeditions had already failed, but we do not know if the IP’s or lumads had conquered it ahead than
anyone. However, it is a conservative guess that the IP’s were not able to do
it as well, for this great mountain to them is a taboo – a place where their
gods live (Mandarangan); and
certainly a holy place worthy of reverence.
Mount Apo Summited
in 1880:
After twenty-eight years of impregnability
even attempts were launched twice by brave men, at last it was summited on 10
October 1880 by Joaquin Rajal y Larre, Governor of Davao and Officer of the
Spanish Army; Dr. Joseph Montano, French national who was on a scientific
survey of Philippines and Malaysia; and by Fr. Mateo Gisbert, a Spanish Jesuit
who was freshly assigned to Mindanao in 1880. (All these gentlemen were in
their 30’s, Governor Rajal was 33 years old; Dr. Montano at 36; and Fr. Gisbert
was also 33 years old.)
They conquered the summit after leaving
Davao on 4 October 1880, enduring five or six long days of trekking and
maneuvering to get up there. Today’s summiteers may have similar number of days,
but that coversal ready a round trip journey to and fro their base camp. Really,
it all depends on what trail they would choose, the harder and difficult would
the route; the assault to the summit would certainly require a longer time.
This glory would have been not achieved by
Rajal, Montano and Gisberthad the Bagobo tribesmen did not assist them. At
first the tribal chief was so hesitant to extend help to Governor Rajal and Fr.
Gisbert, probably in an effort not to infuriate their gods Mandarangan. But there was nothing he could do to refuse them; he
was dealing with the highest official of the district, the Governor. So, he
cooperated however there were some set conditions that his people shall go with
the expedition as armed escorts and not as porters; and during the perilous
ascent they would not set or fix the ropes or led the climb, but just would
follow the lead scouts. Could it be that the Bagobos were more afraid than the
people who were certainly strangers to this mountain unlike them who were born nearby?
Maybe the thought of Mandarangan
haunted them.
What made the expedition more blissful was
the fact that the Bagobos did not make any recourse to offer a sacrifice –
human life to appease their gods. The presence of the priest may in some ways have
brought forth enlightenment to them. Indeed the success of the expedition did
not only give opportunities for the learned men to study and explore Mount Apo
of its wild life and flora endemic in the area. It as well opened the
intangible roads to the spread of evangelization in this mountain.
From the time Mt. Apo was tamed by them, it
attracted not only the Spanish colonizers in the archipelago - those in government
bureaucracy or in the church like the Jesuits, and the Filipinos (Christians
and Bagobos), but as well as foreigners such as the German Expedition in 1881
by Schaedenberg and Koch; American Expedition in 1902 by Phelps Whitmarsh, a Journalist
and Thomas (US Army Garrison in Davao); Walter Goodfellow, British
Ornithologist (bird collector) visited Apo in 1903 and 1905; Maj. Edgar
Alexander Mearns, bird collector 1904; Dr. E.B. Copeland of the Sierra Club of
California, reached the summit of Apo in 1904; John M. Garvan, ethnologist for
the Pacific-Panama Exposition in 1914; and so on.
Before the onset of the war in the
Philippines on December 8, 1941, Fr. Theodore E. Daigler, SJ and three students
of the Ateneo de Cagayan with Manobo guides climbed Mt. Apo in 1941 along the
Mua-an trail in the Cotabato side. From there on, the climbing activities
halted because of World War II.[xii]
It lately continued again in 1958. On 11 April 1958, a Friday on the week of Easter,
Jesuit priests namely: Miguel Bernad, Rodolfo
Malasmas, Rodolfo Villarica, and Thomas Fitzpatrick and another three more of
the fifteen-man expedition party reached the top of Mt. Apo on a three-day
trek. They indeed were able to
experience the hardships of the first Spanish Jesuit, Fr. Gisbert who made the
pioneering climb to the summit in 1880 with Rajal and Montano. At the
northeastern cluster of the peaks, they named one as “Gisbert Peak”.
On top of Mt. Apo, two holy masses were
offered by the priests commencing at 11:20 that morning. Fr. Bernad offered the
first mass ever made in that mountain and immediately following after it was
finished; Fr. Malasmas offered the second mass.[xiii]
In recent time in the closing days of 1999,
climbers from the mountaineering clubs of Davao City, and nearby cities of
Kidapawan and Cotabato; including some other clubs in the archipelago were on
the summit of Mount Apo. With the first burst of light of the early morning sun
on 1 January 2000, on top the Apo, they greeted everyone below them “Happy
Y2K”.[xiv]
From Mount Apo in the Philippines, let us
try to move westward to the Himalayas and focus on the highest mountain in the
world Mt. Everest, which is located in the border of Nepal and Tibet.
This colossal mountain is 29,020 feet or 8,848 meters above sea level
and it is the highest place in the world. Mt. Everest is every mountain climber’s
dream, many died attempting to
climb it while others died on their way back from the summit. Despite, its
notoriety climbers all over the world are attracted of it, those who tried and
failed keep on coming; and even those who have not dreamed of conquering the
mountain visited it. For about not more than 15 minutes in the summit, and
though how short would be that stay on the summit of the world, for a climber
that would Just be more than enough because it is already a
great fulfillment and achievement of his career as a mountaineer. For technical
reason, they are compelled to go down; their supply of bottled oxygen may run
low by that time, as well.
Mount
Everest:
But the question is; Mount
Everest is not that easy to conquer, one has to gamble his life, as well as the
life of his climbing partner usually a Sherpa and death is always imminent. Notwithstanding
all these, many still dare to do it just for once, no matter what it may cost.
Its
Location and Efforts to Scale:
Everest is located in the borders of Nepal and Tibet (an autonomous
region of China). In Nepal, it lies in the Sagarmatha Zone and in Tibet it is
at the Mahalangur Section all in the Himalayas. The international border between
Nepal and China runs across the precise
summit point. Its ridge includes neighboring peaks of Lhotse, 8,516 m (27,940
ft.); Nuptse, 7,855 m (25,771 ft.) and Changtse, 7,580 m (24,870 ft.). These
mountain peaks compose the so-called “The Seven Summits”, whom mountaineers desirably wish to
conquer too.
Early efforts were started by the British
in 1802 while conducting a trigonometric survey of India in order to determine
the location and to name the world’s greatest mountains. In 1830, they reached
the northernmost part of India near Nepal after starting from South.
However, Nepal and Tibet had closed their doors
for foreigners, so the British continued their works near the southernmost part
of Nepal but still within the territory of India in the north in a place called
Terai, which is parallel to the Himalayas.
In 1847, the British believed that Kangchenjunga
was the highest peak in the Himalayas, as observed some 230 kilometers away.
The studies went on, and they spotted something which is higher than Kanchenjunga.
So they scouted for a much nearer observation post, and established a post
about 174 kilometers nearer than the one at Terai. The observer named Nicholson
may have sufficient data because he withdrew later near the Ganges area and
made his calculations or computation thereat, but unfortunately he was ill of
malaria. Thus, his work was abandoned. However, Radhanath Sikdar, an Indian
Mathematician studied Nicholson’s work and identified that the mountain or peak
Nicholson was studying is indeed higher than Kangchenjunga.
Before such would be internationally
announced, Andrew Waugh, British Surveyor General of India studied Nicholson’s
work in 1854. It took another two years for him to confirm that it was indeed
higher than the known highest peak. The announcement was made in March 1856; he
declared that Kangchenjunga is 28,156 feet or 8,582 meters high, while the
newly discovered peak tagged as “Peak XV” is 29,002 feet or 8,840 meters. Peak
XV broke the record of Kangchenjunga; nevertheless, it has no name yet, which
he supplied later on, after his predecessor, Colonel Sir George Everest. Thus,
the name Everest was given to Peak XV though at first there were some
objections because others prefer to use a local name, which accordingly to
Waugh as nothing. It was finally accepted by the Royal Geographical Society in
1865.
In the meantime, the elevation of Everest
continued to be just a rounded estimate as 29,002 feet; and in 1955 Indian
surveyors re-studied it. They plotted it as 29,029 feet or 8,848 meters, which
today is still the prominence of Mt. Everest. Another study in 1975 was made by
the Chinese, while the Americans had their own study too in 1999.
There is one important thing to notate; the
Chinese protested that Everest was first discovered by the British. The Chinese
argued that they had mapped it at least in 1719 yet; and the mountain is known
to the Tibetans as well as by them as “Qomolangma”.
Early Obsession of
Mount Everest:
As early as 1888, sportsmen had wanted much
to climb the Everest, in fact a book entitled “Above the Snow Line” was written
by a mountain climber, Clinton Thomas Dent, President of the Alpine Club
suggesting that this great mountain could be climbed. Whether it was feasible
or not, or merely a work of fiction the world never know if it can be done
because no one dare yet to climb Mount Everest, not even the writer himself.
So, the book was just an obsession.
In 1921, the first European to set foot on
the northern approach of the mountain, were George Mallory and Guy Bullock who
both led the British Reconnaissance Expedition. Indeed, it was only an
exploratory expedition and never meant seriously to climb the peak of Everest.
They assaulted the mountain’s northern flanks or today’s more challenging route
through the North Col. Reaching an altitude of 7,005 meters or 22,982 feet,
they sighted a passable route on top the summit; and descended since it was an
exploratory climb only.
George Finch 1922 Climb with Bottled
Oxygen
and Subsequent Climbs before it was
Summited:
The following year (1922), another
British expedition returned to Everest, this time it was under George Finch.
His climb was remarkable because he went to an altitude of 8,830 meters (27,300
feet). Nevertheless, such achievement was considered unsporting by the
mountaineering world since Finch used for the first time bottled oxygen. The
record set by him as the first to go beyond an altitude of 8,000 meters earned
not much recognition and what they remembered that the climb was being aided by
bottled oxygen. They did not know how hard it would be for anyone to climb the
Everest, with or without oxygen. But mountaineers had their own creed, and it
perhaps it was a taboo during those times to use bottled oxygen, so be it. But
such line of perception was drastically changed later because almost everyone
who had gone to the summit used bottled oxygen; and to go there without it is
considered superb athleticism and extra-ordinary stamina.
Mallory made his second attempt to Everest
with Felix Norton, a Colonel. But for the British mountaineering view, it was
the third expedition made by them. Through the North Col, Mallory and Norton
negotiated the climb, but there was an avalanche, seven men (local porters)
died instantly being swept away or buried alive by tons of white death – the
snow. Mallory too was even rescued and
they declared the expedition off. He was blamed for the tragic death of his
men, and the reasons was simply for failure to exercise extra-ordinary
diligence by placing the lives of his in jeopardy, indeed seven died. Well in an expedition such as this, danger is
always there and death may occur anytime either by accident, physical
incapability resulting to sickness or by acts of nature such as occurrence of
an avalanche.
In 1924 Mallory with another young
climber Andrew Irvine made their campaign on Everest. They took the North Col,
North Ridge and Northeast Ridge as routes to the summit, but sadly they did not
make it. They disappeared and no trace of them not until in 1999 when Mallory’s
preserved body was found and recovered by a research expedition filming the
Everest.
After the tragic deaths of known and
respected climbers like Mallory and Irvine, expeditions to Everest dwindled. In
1933 and 1936, two unsuccessful summit attempts via the North Face were done by
Hugh Ruttledge. From 1936 up to 1945, there seemed to be a truce between climbers
and the mountain, because there were no expeditions. The internal peace
situation of Europe was a factor to reckon because in late 1930’s war started
there and fully blown into a World War later until 1945.
When China invaded Tibet in 1950, the right
of passage through Tibet or on the North Col was closed, thus expeditions to
Everest made alternative route and they had their passage at the South in
Nepal. It was the route used by Bill Tilman and for the first time the South
route or through Nepal was opened. However, Tilman’s expedition was only
exploratory; it did not mean to conquer Everest. Today, the South route through
Nepal is the usual trail used by climbers.
There was another expedition in 1952 which
started from Nepal or from the south. It was a Swiss expedition under Edouard
Wyss-Dunant and they had established a different route route through the Khumba
Ice Fall before ascending the South Col. The highest altitude that they reached
was 26,201feet
or 7,986 meters .
(At the North Face the highest that the climbers reached was at 28,050 feet or 8,550 meters set by
Felix Norton (Norton-Somervell Expedition in 1924). They did it without oxygen
bottles.
If the Dunant Expedition established a
record high at 26,201 feet in the South Col route, such was broken not much
longer by Raymond Lambert and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa. They reached an
altitude of 28,199 feet or 8,595 meters on the Southeast Ridge, nevertheless
the summit was some 800 meters more away.
1953 Successful
Everest Expedition:
The British expedition which successfully
conquered Mount Everest in 1953 was headed by John Hunt. He tactically
organized the summiting group into two teams; the first team was with Tom
Bourdillon and Charles Evans, and the second team with Edmund Hillary andTenzing
Norgay, a Nepali Sherpa living in India.
The climb was made in summer through the
Southeast Ridgefrom Nepal. On May 26, 1953, Bourdillon and Evans were just 330
feet or 100 meters away from the summit; nevertheless, they pulled back because
of serious problem of their oxygen support equipment. They returned to their
base camp leaving some cache of oxygen bottles along the way for other
summiteers to use. Three days later the expedition second team composed of
Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay left for the summit; and they started earlier
ate dawn the usual time summiteers bid for glory. At 11:30 AM of 29 May 1953, Friday;
Hillary and Norgay reached the summit of Mount Everest where no one else had
gone. They were the first mountaineers to reach the highest place in the world,
one was a New Zealander – Hillary while the other a Nepali Sherpa Tenzing
Norgay. Staying not much longer on the summit of Everest, they took pictures
evidencing their successful climb and buried in its immaculate snowy fields
-maybe part of mountaineer’s unwritten traditions to leave something behind –
they placed some sweets (candies) and small cross underneath the snow before
descending.
The success of the expedition reached
London on 2 June 1953 during Queen Elizabeth’s coronation. As a result of that
significant endeavour, Edmund Hillary, a New Zealander and John Hunt, a Briton
or British, were knighted in the Order of the British Empire. Tenzing Norgay, a
Nepali Sherpa who lived and a citizen of India was awarded or granted by the
British Government the King George’s Medal. These climbers became intimate
friends. Hillary and Norgay had been given distinctive honors in Nepal; their
achievements are celebrated each year in schools and even in offices.
A difficult route which Hillary negotiated
with fixed ropes, which he laboriously worked, has been named after him. It is
an intriguing section of the climb before the summit, and now called as the
Hillary Steep.
Everest Two Main
Routes:
There are two main routes to the summit of
Everest, one is from the Southeast Ridge from Nepal and the other one is from
the Tibetan side of the Everest through the North Ridge. The standard route
most climbers used is the Southeast Ridge
because technically it is easier than the
North. The Southeast Ridge is frequently used by climbers because there was a
time when the North Ridge was inaccessible to them due to war in the 1950’s.
China invaded Tibet, the North Ridge was closed. So, there was no other way
better than the Southeast; henceforth, its use was attributed mainly to
political reasons than maybe by natural design of the mountain topographical
terrain.
Let us just say the North Ridge has a trail
of its own which the Southeast Ridge does not have and vice versa, but just the
same these two main routes are challenging, nerve-rocking, too exhausting, and
worst of all it may kill anyone anytime if not by an act of god like avalanche,
accident, exhaustion – mountain sickness (oedema, high altitude pulmonary
oedema, and cardio respiratory arrest). All these risks are known by veteran
climbers, or those who wish to just dare despite they do not have ample
mountain climbing experiences, or are just here off for a serious excursion
unexpectedly.
Summit attempts could not be done year
round; it is ideally good if tried in the month of May before the summer
monsoon approaches because the jet stream at this time drives north; and
therefore the average wind speed in the high mountains is somehow reduced. If
one misses the summer climbing season and could not wait for the upcoming
summer next year, the month of September or October could be tried inasmuch as
similarly like in May, these two months after the monsoon season, the jet
stream is pushed again temporarily northwards. However, as the monsoon season just
ended, it could be able to deposit heavier or additional layer of snow to accumulate
at the top of the mountains. Considering other factors such as the tail end of
the monsoon and the unpredictable or unstable weather patterns caused by global
warming, certainly it may make climbing during this time extremely difficult or
just merely more challenging for the braver ones.
a. Southeast Ridge Route from Nepal. Nepal’s capital is
Kathmandu and from there, climbers could have their last minute shopping in a bazaar
at Namche. The ascent through the southeast ridge begins in a long trek for six
to eight days for the Base Camp at
the south side of Mount Everest with has an altitude or elevation of 17,700
feet or 5,380 meters. Despite, the walk is too tedious for a week or more than
that, it helps the climbers to attain altitude acclimatization so altitude
sickness, an underlying cause to fatal High
Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) would be prevented.[xv]
At
the Base Camp, climbers will spend weeks in order to acclimatize themselves
with the environs. Meanwhile, the Sherpas, the able guides of the expedition
shall fix the ropes or ladder in strategic areas of the mountains like those at
the Khumbu Icefall, other areas between established camps, and ultimately
without missing it - at the Death Zone and at the Hillary Step, while their
guests are busy exercising or practicing in their bid for summit assault, which
would happen anytime sooner. Their provisions and equipment are carried by yaks
(beast of burden that endures high altitude) and by porters.
Camp I has an elevation of19,900 feet
(6,065 meters )
is located after the dreaded Khumbu Icefall, where accidents oftentimes happen
due to fall as there are crevasses, and blocks of ice are unstable and shifting
that is why climbers have to negotiate this area earlier or just after midnight
and not during dawn in order to ensure the stability of the blocks of ice,
which they would pass trudging and very cautiously. By daytime these blocks
would melt, thus stepping or passing on it would be dangerous. Between the Base
Camp and Camp I is 2,200 meters that separate them; nevertheless, it does not
mean that such distance would be just an easy stroll because it would take much
time to negotiate since the air is thinner than in the lowlands. This time,
they would not use supplemental oxygen yet, but only after they are in the altitude of 8,000 meters.
Camp I has an elevation of
Another
1,400 meters separate Camp I from Camp 2.
The latter has an altitude or elevation of 21,300 feet (6,500 meters). Camp 2 is otherwise known as Advance Base Camp or plainly as ABC. Before reaching ABC, climbers have
to do technical maneuvering with the Western Cvm up to the base of the Lhotse
Face.
Seemingly,
the Western Cvm is somehow a flatland, but it gently rises as a glacial valley
with big lateral crevasses at the center thereby preventing direct access with
the upper reaches of the Cvm. So, climbers would make a necessary traverse to
far right near the base of Nuptse. There is a small passage at the corner
towards the base, and climbers called the passage as “Nuptse Corner”. The
location of the Western Cvm is generally cut off from the winds of the climbing
route. Henceforth, the area is more or less not so windy, and hotter or warmer
as compared with the other areas of the climb. It is irritating because it is
hot, so the place had been named as the “Valley of Silence.”
Camp 3 is established on a small ledge at
an altitude of 24,500 feet
(7,470 meters). To get there is to climb the Lhotse Face with fixed
ropes. The arduous trek here is 3,200 feet from the Advance Base
Camp; it is a much longer walk between camps among the four
established camps i.e. from the Base Camp to Camp 1 and Camp 2-
Advance Base Camp.
(7,470 meters). To get there is to climb the Lhotse Face with fixed
ropes. The arduous trek here is 3,200 feet from the Advance Base
Camp; it is a much longer walk between camps among the four
established camps i.e. from the Base Camp to Camp 1 and Camp 2-
Advance Base Camp.
Camp 4
is on the South Col and not far from Camp 3; it is just 500 meters away. It is located at an elevation of 26,000 feet
(7,920 meters). But within this 500 meter
distance,two fearsome challenges await tough climbers.
(1)The Geneva Spur is
a black rock shaped like an anvil. The Swiss Expedition in 1952 gave this name.
(Edouard Wyss-Dunant, the only recorded Swiss expedition in 1952 that assaulted
Everest on the Southeast Ridge from Nepal, perhaps they gave the name Geneva
Spur). This difficult snow covered area could only be traversed with the use of
fixed ropes.
(2)Yellow Band is an
interlayered section of marble, phyllite and semischist (foliated metamorphic
and sedimentary rocks). It requires fixed ropes of 100 meters to traverse it.
How awful the climb would be, with a 100 meter rope.
The Death Zone. When climbers enter, or are on the South
Col, they now are in a death trap – the Death
Zone. The Death Zone is an area where man’s level of adaptation reaches its
limits. This area has an altitude of 8,000 meters or 26,000 feet above sea
level. It is here where no human body can acclimatize, if one stays there
longer and without supplemental oxygen that would be the end of everything
because loss of vital functions would certainly happen. There is not enough
high oxygen to sustain human life. In an environment like this, oxygen is much
thinner at 356 millibars of atmospheric pressure unlike when one is at sea
level where body performs well because oxygen is sufficient at 1,013.25
millibars.[xvi]
Though how
acclimatized are the climbers maybe having stayed in the Base Camp for 40 to 60
days before summit attempts would be finally done, still they only have two to
three days stay at the Death Zone; and whether they had summited or not, or the
weather would be fair for summit bid, yet they must descend to lower altitude
preferably at the Base Camp in order not to contract serious illness or death
for having stayed too long in the Death Zone. Even with the aid of supplemental
oxygen, the human body cannot be able to acclimatize in the environs of the
Death Zone.
Usually climbers’ push
to the summit begins early midnight or little bit off it, but never be made
late at dawn because the arduous trek and maneuver shall take ten to twelve
hours yet to negotiate the penultimate distance of 1,000 meters from Camp
4before summiting successfully. In an
ultra-fatiguing trudge, they would reach first the so-called “balcony”, which
marks now an altitude of 27,600 feet or 8,400 meters. Reaching the “balcony” is
indeed self-rewarding because on a small platform for which it has been called
as a “balcony”, they could rest for a while and lazily gaze to either south or
east where monumental peaks tower over them as they could see them in the early
light of dawn.
Slowly and
cautiously they would continue trudging on the ridge; imposing rocks could be
seen and those rocks would block every step they make, thus making their
progress really slower. So, they would change course a little bit slightly to
the east, passing on a waist-deep snow, which is a good recipe for some serious
avalanche; and if it happens, they would just pray harder and closed their eyes
voluntarily. What would follow is beyond everyone’s control as tons and tons of
snow and ice races down in fury and in a great hurry as to who would kiss first
the grounds or floors below.
Not much longer, the
South Summit could be reached and it is naturally distinguishable by a small
table-sized dome of ice and snow. The South Summit has an elevation of 28,700 feet or 8,750 meters . From the
South Summit, a much dreadful trek would be done on a knife-edge on the
southeast ridge, the most exposed section of the climb. Climbers shall follow
this route cautiously because a misstep to the left or right will send the
helpless one to the welcoming precipice below. If one falls to the left side of
the “Cornice Traverse” the Southwest Face of Everest would be his resting
place. The fall would be 2,400
meter or 8,000 feet below. But if it happens on the
opposite side – to the immediate right, the Kangshung Face would grasped him in
tight embrace for plummeting 3,050 meters or 10,000 feet and the
inertia of the fall would touch down in just a few seconds after the mishap. Too
scary, but climbers always dare.
After going through
the “Cornice Traverse”, an imposing rock wall of 40 feet or 12 meters blocks
the climbers’ way to the summit. The
first summiteers in 1953 used traditional climbing tools like ropes, masks,
oxygen bottle, camera for documentation, ice axe, climbing shoes with iron
clinger for better snow or ice grip, and a 100% bunch of courage. Hillary and
Norgay did it in 1953. Today’s climbers similarly or on more sophisticated
equipment and gear face the same challenge, but they are shielded well by
modern technology, climbing suits – waterproof and with insulated fabric or
linen, GPS, energy bars and rehydrating liquids; they are indeed fully armed to
the teeth. Nevertheless, what they have not eliminated is danger although they
are using fixed ropes on traversing the 40 feet of rock wall, which is known to
the mountaineering world as the “Hillary Peak”. The Hillary Peak proudly blocks
the climbers’ way to the summit of Everest where it stands at an altitude of
28,740 feet or 8,760 meters above sea level. Sensibly, the rock wall is a difficult barrier
that separates the climbers from the summit. Without it, probably the last 289
feet, would just be a leisurely stroll on loose and rocky section before the summit.
But there is this obstacle that challenges climbers, thus making the summit not
just an easy place to reach. Of course, the rock wall could be conquered
because if the climbers have reached the Hillary Step, there are no reasons why
they could not traverse the latter because earlier, they had suffered much
bigger difficulty or similarly like that such as traversing the Cornice
Traverse, or getting through the challenges of Geneva Spur, the Yellow Band,
Nupste Corner, Balcony, Khumbu Icefall,
an avalanche alley; and other fearsome difficulties, which indeed are the
nature of the sports that could bring to them. The Hillary Peak is one last
obstacle of nature that guards the summit.
Once at the summit,
climbers would loss not lose precious time, the most time they could have there
is not more than 30 minutes. Within that time, one may have already planted his
personal confetti or emblem, or the colors of his country so it may wave up
high into the thin air of Everest. For a climber, the first and the last thing,
which he would do is to thank God that he finally been able to conquer this
summit; and ask favours that he would be safe in going down, for accidents
happen similarly during descends.
With all those
things made and completed on the top of the world – like taking the monumental
pose of a lifetime with some eight-thousander (mountains whose altitude are
more than 8,000 meters
above sea level also) in the background with a digital, or steel camera,
climbers would begin to retrace their footsteps back to the Base Camp to return
while there is sufficient daylight yet.[xvii]
This is how
tormenting the Southeast Ridge route from Nepal is. We would try to tackle the
North Ridge route from Tibet, which certainly is more difficult than the
latter.
b.
The North Ridge
Route from Tibet: Summiting
Everest through the North Ridge Route requires extra courage and more on
everything (except maybe for expenses because it is not so expensive here than
the Southeast Ridge) because by degree of difficulty this route is indeed
gruelling and terrifying, having more than five camps before the final push to
the summit.
Whether the climb originates from the
North Ridge, Southeast Ridge, East Rongbuk Glacier, or from any point around Everest,
climbers would hit one summit only, the
point where Planet Earth reaches its greatest height from its surface and above sea level.
Camp I or Base Camp. Mountaineers
arriving at Lhasa shall hike to Rongbuk Glacier area where they have to fix
tent if their hired Sherpas have not yet installed it at the gravel area below
the glacier. Temporary shelters are established in bivouac fashion, after all
this is a company of all boy scouts unafraid of the unknown; and never in time
had their own shadows scared them.
This Base Camp has an elevation of 16,990 feet or 5,180 meters . In
comparison with the Southeast Ridge, the one at Rongbuk Glacier is lower
because the former is 17,700
feet .
Camp 2. From Base Camp, climbers shall navigate
the climb passing to the glacial deposits or medial moraine of the east Rongbuk
Glacier up to the base of the Changtse. The trek is more than 3,000 feet for
Camp 2 is established at an altitude of 6,100 meters or 20,000 feet.
Camp 3 or Advance Base Camp is
just below the North Col at an altitude of 6,500 meters or 21,300 feet. Both
ABC’s for the North Ridge and Southeast Ridge are similarly established not
only physically because these are two different routes; however their
similarities are on their altitudes or elevations, which are fixed at 6,500 meters respectively.
Camp 4. The next established camp is at the North
Col, climbers have to climb the glaciers towards the foot of the col; and from
there, they would maneuver with the used of fixed ropes to climb and reach the
North Col, which is 7,010 meters or 23,000 feet in elevation.
Camp
5. From an elevation of 23,000 feet at the North Col, climbers have to
negotiate the ascend of another 2,500 feet along the rocky North Ridge to set
up Camp 5 on an altitude of 7,775 meters or 25,500 feet. The Death Zone is just
some 200 meters away.
Camp 6. The route changes and it would cross now the North Face. Climbers have to climb diagonally from the north face up to the base of the Yellow Band. Thus, after successfully negotiating the traverse, an elevation now of 8,230 meters or 27,000 feet is reached. Climbers have entered now the Death Zone.
It is here in Camp 6 where decisions are considered finally whether to bid for the final push or abandons one dream to summit. If the weather is permissible, then one’s dream of reaching the summit would be getting clearer and real. So, to begin the final assault, climbers face a treacherous traverse from the base of The First Step. The ascend from is 8,501 meters or 27,890 feet to 8,534 meters or 28,000 feet, the climbers are barely moving, making only a progress of some 33 meters to the heart of the climb.
The Second Step: Ascending from 8,577 meters (28,140 ft.) to 8,626 meters (28,300 ft.), climbers’ progress are indeed slow because they are too cautious and the terrain is getting too scary, if they would be scared. It is in this section where they navigate as climbing aid a “Chinese Ladder”. A party of Chinese climbers in 1975 placed a metal ladder temporarily, however up to these days everyone using the north ridge has used this ladder; and seemingly it is a semi-permanent structure placed in the highest altitude in the world at 28,300 feet. Since it was placed there in 1975, its vulnerability is oftentimes a mind-twisting question to climbers who would pass it. But such would just be left to fade away in the human mind more so when there is no option, it is either that one shall bravely pass on it, or return to where he started.
Camp 6. The route changes and it would cross now the North Face. Climbers have to climb diagonally from the north face up to the base of the Yellow Band. Thus, after successfully negotiating the traverse, an elevation now of 8,230 meters or 27,000 feet is reached. Climbers have entered now the Death Zone.
It is here in Camp 6 where decisions are considered finally whether to bid for the final push or abandons one dream to summit. If the weather is permissible, then one’s dream of reaching the summit would be getting clearer and real. So, to begin the final assault, climbers face a treacherous traverse from the base of The First Step. The ascend from is 8,501 meters or 27,890 feet to 8,534 meters or 28,000 feet, the climbers are barely moving, making only a progress of some 33 meters to the heart of the climb.
The Second Step: Ascending from 8,577 meters (28,140 ft.) to 8,626 meters (28,300 ft.), climbers’ progress are indeed slow because they are too cautious and the terrain is getting too scary, if they would be scared. It is in this section where they navigate as climbing aid a “Chinese Ladder”. A party of Chinese climbers in 1975 placed a metal ladder temporarily, however up to these days everyone using the north ridge has used this ladder; and seemingly it is a semi-permanent structure placed in the highest altitude in the world at 28,300 feet. Since it was placed there in 1975, its vulnerability is oftentimes a mind-twisting question to climbers who would pass it. But such would just be left to fade away in the human mind more so when there is no option, it is either that one shall bravely pass on it, or return to where he started.
Despite, it is a lengthy time the ladder
has been there, it has served its purpose well. However, rightly the
mountaineering world would try to look into this matter, for it would be too
late if someone would die first because of this simple omission.
The
Third Step:
From 8,690 meters (28,510 ft.) climbers shall continue ascending to 8,800
meters (28,870 ft.) and on this altitude the summit pyramid is climbed by a
snow slope of 50 degrees.
Finally,
the summit ridge is reached and a climber is on top of the world, a fulfillment
of dream. Nevertheless, this is not the culmination of everything; the descent
is perilous just as the ascent had been and many died while descending, for
death haunts anyone in Everest, a simple mistake could end up one’s dream, or
achievement. During the descent, one is already tired, hungry and usually the
human mind is disorientated because the brain is starved of oxygen. One’s
supply of oxygen is barely enough to carry him to a camp lower than 8,000
meters in elevation.
Mountaineering Directly Related Fatalities:
Mountaineering Directly Related Fatalities:
Mount
Apo:
The expedition in 1852 to Mount Apo
was headed by Jose de Oyanguren with sixty- seven men. They bid for the summit, but they
failed and it was a costly expedition with
twenty deaths. This happened after the expedition was called off and primarily the causes of deaths were due to
malaria and other insect bites, including of course post climb conditions such
as extreme fatigue, which led to serious illness.[xviii]
In recent times when fatalities began to
be documented by Philippine Mountaineers beginning in the year 1970, Mt. Apo
has one fatality and it was related to hiking. The mountaineer from Davao was
drowned at Lake Venado. Others believed that it was a case of hypothermia.[xix]
Mountains in the Philippines do not
exceed 8,000 meters in altitude unlike those in the Himalayas, Latin America,
in Europe and Africa. In Southeast Asia, Mt. Kinabalo in Borneo is regarded as
the highest in the region.It is much higher than Mt. Apo, but still it does not tower to an altitude of more than 8,000
meters. So, mountaineering fatalities that happened in the Philippines do not
certainly include or is not associated with
Mountain Sickness (AMC) because they had gone never beyond the altitude of 8,000
meters or 26,000 feet where oxygen level is not sufficient to sustain human
life.
In local mountaineering history, the
worst accident happened in 2002 at Mt. Romelo. Six hikers or mountaineers
drowned for they were carried away by flash floods at the height of the fury of
typhoon Siniang. The mountaineers had set their
tents near the river. When the river
became swollen, they met their deaths through drowning.[xx]
Drowning accident in local
mountaineering ranks first as the cause of deaths, hypothermia such as having
been exposed to extreme cold follows just followed. The unusual accident was
during the eruption of Mt. Kansan in Negros in 1996, three mountaineers died while on their way to
the summit. They did not expect that there would be an eruption. The fatalities
were two local hikers and one British; and they all sustained head injuries as a consequence of the eruption
because rocks rolling down from the
crater hit them.
Mt. Apo is not merely one-third of the altitude
of Mt. Everest. If our three highest mountains namely: Apo, Dulang-dulang and
Pulag are placed one after the other, still Mt. Everest would tower over them.
Let us try to know it more.
Mount Everest: This Mountain is
29,029 feet above sea level or 8,848 meters. Getting there would mean entering or passing the 8,000 meters mark where
there is no enough oxygen to breathe.
As standard procedures, climbers do not right away
bid for the summit upon arrival at the staging area.
They have to acclimatize first on these strange
environs and have to stay to about 40
or more days. However, when one enters the Death Zone, or an altitude of 8,000 meters and above, no human could acclimatize on
that altitude. If he stays there, he should
be there not more than three days. As such, when the weather would not be fine while they are there, they must postpone
their bid to the summit and must hurry to descent;
otherwise the human system would collapse if they stay there longer than three days.
In an attempt to climb Mount Everest,
the first disaster was in 1922 when seven Indian Mountaineers and Porters died
due to avalanche. George Mallory headed this expedition and they were heading
towards the North Col when the avalanche rolled down; and he was blamed for the
deaths of the seven brave men. What his critics did not know that in every climbing
season there would be always deaths; and this is how costly the summit of this
great mountain to achieve.
So far the worst disaster in the bid for
the summit happened in 1996, fifteen climbers died.
Six died on single day (May 11) due to extreme exposure and frostbites. Among them were two respective Mountain Climbers,
Rob Hall, who died for exposure and frostbites
(a New Zealander and successful Expedition Leader for so many times of his climbing team Adventure Consultants). The
other was Scott Fisher, also an experienced Expedition
Leader of the Mountain Madness team. He died of exposure and frostbite.[xxi]
A day before, six climbers died on May 11,
two climbers from Adventure Consultants died,
too. They were Andrew Harris (New Zealand) died due to fall while Doug Hansen’s
(USA) case was from exposure and frostbites.
On 19 May, Reinhard Wlasich (Austria) died of HAPE-High Altitude Pulmonary Edema
and HACE-High Altitude Cerebral Edema. Six days later or on 25 May, Bruce Herrod
(UK) died and the cause of death is undetermined.
To complete the list of fatalities in
1996 that occurred before the summer monsoon season approaches, on 6 June 1996 Ngawang
Topche, a Sherpa from Nepal died because of HAPE (Sherpa serves as Expedition
Guide or Climbing Buddy).
During post monsoon season or in late September 1996 (25 September) three more deaths occurred due to avalanche, which included two Sherpas died (Lopsang Jangbu and Dawafrom Nepal) and Ives Bouchon from France. Just how unpredictable and unforgiving is the mountain, even the cream of the group expedition leaders and highly experienced guides-Sherpas died. Oh! What a sports.
During post monsoon season or in late September 1996 (25 September) three more deaths occurred due to avalanche, which included two Sherpas died (Lopsang Jangbu and Dawafrom Nepal) and Ives Bouchon from France. Just how unpredictable and unforgiving is the mountain, even the cream of the group expedition leaders and highly experienced guides-Sherpas died. Oh! What a sports.
As said earlier, every climbing season
there would be always deaths. Death trails everyone
in that mountain. Before maybe ending this essay on fatalities, which in some
respect would be irritating for others, permit me however to discuss two or
three more climbing seasons because these are indeed important to
mountaineering story in the Philippines.
In 2006, despite there were eleven
deaths in this climbing season, as a country we are glad that four Filipino climbers reached the summit of Everest and
safely returned home. The first
Filipino to summit Mount Everest via North Col on May 15, 2006 at 10:45 AM
Beijing Time, was Dale Abenojar born in Manila on 27 April 1963. The authenticity of summit achievement is
certified by China-Tibet Mountaineering Association on May 20. 2006. He was the
2614th summiteer of Mount Everest.
Other Filipino summiteers were Leo Oracion
(2740th); he followed Abenojar on May 17, 2006 climbing from the Southeast Ridge. A day after Oraccion
reached the summit, Erwin Pastour Emata likewise summited on the same route;
and a day later, Romi Garduce
reached the summit of Everest too. There were four Filipino summiteers in 2006; at last the Philippine Flag was
planted on that ever freezing ground and waved proudly in the summit of the
world.
Deaths in the
Everest:
Since the summit bid started in 1922, many died in doing it before even it was summated by Hillary and Tenzig in 1953. In 1922 seven Indian British India climbers or acting as support climbers died in an avalanche in the North Col. It was George Mallory who led the expedition and he would have died had he not been pulled from the snow. But in 1924, when he was back again Everest with his climbing partner Andrew Irvine they died and their bodies were luckily recovered 29 years later still intact or preserved. The cause of death was due to fall. Earlier before the disappearance accident of Mallory and Irvine on June 8, 1924, two climbers from Nepal died on 13 and 25 May 1924, thus four climbers died in that year. Two more deaths happened in 1934 and 1952 respectively, before the summit was reached.
Since the summit bid started in 1922, many died in doing it before even it was summated by Hillary and Tenzig in 1953. In 1922 seven Indian British India climbers or acting as support climbers died in an avalanche in the North Col. It was George Mallory who led the expedition and he would have died had he not been pulled from the snow. But in 1924, when he was back again Everest with his climbing partner Andrew Irvine they died and their bodies were luckily recovered 29 years later still intact or preserved. The cause of death was due to fall. Earlier before the disappearance accident of Mallory and Irvine on June 8, 1924, two climbers from Nepal died on 13 and 25 May 1924, thus four climbers died in that year. Two more deaths happened in 1934 and 1952 respectively, before the summit was reached.
At the start of the summer climbing
season this year or as of 3 June 2013, nine (9) climbers lost their lives (deaths because of summit bids
recorded to have started on 7 April yet - 2 Russians, a Malaysian, Bangladeshi,
South Korean and 4 Nepalese Sherpas as
support climbers).
Leading cause of death is avalanche, if
there is one occurring during the climb and it heads
to the direction of the climbers, surely those climbers would be carried away
and buried in that white death of snow covers. Second cause why death is
inevitable in Everest, are because of accidents. A simple misstep or missing an
exact maneuver during diagonal or traversing climb means fall; and if one
misses a good grip of the lines or if the lines give way, what follows is
always not good. Other causes of deaths aside from
acts of gods such as being caught by storms or blizzards during the climb, a climber
must beat his own self. He must be
well-prepared for the climb. Forty or sixty days of acclimatization at the base camp or more days in the Advance
Base Camp are not however exact
guarantees of survival, but at least a climber has an edge over one who is
ill-prepared physically and emotionally during the climb.
Despite, certainly, the human body could
not acclimatize in an environment at 8,000 meters
or 26,000 feet above sea level for a longer time (the most is three days), physically
condition is aptly important. Others die because of sickness caused by merely of
altitude or environment where he is in. We have cases of HACE High Altitude Cerebral
Edema or edema; HAPE High Altitude Pulomary Edema; CVA Cardio Vascular Accidents- Stroke; Exposure/Frostbite and
Hypothermia; and Exhaustion Even how prepared would be one for the summit, and the weather is not with him, one
would just set his summit attempt
next time. Bad weather will certainly end all his quests even his life. If one
is on his way down from the summit and
the weather is no longer fair, one shall have to reach the nearest shelter or camp.
Every climber is aware that accidents do
happen even in a fine weather during descents. The human body had exerted a
superb effort commencing early after midnight before. So, one has been on the trail walking or trudging for more than ten
exhausting hours.
Disorientation and incorrect decisions
are oftentimes made when one is on the stage or exhaustion, hunger, thirst and
is within the confines of the Death Zone, where there is not much oxygen to sustain human life.
The brain is starved of oxygen, so there is a need
for supplemental oxygen in bottle.
Nevertheless, there are exceptional
climbers who reached the summit without supplemental oxygen like Reinhold
Messner and Peter Habeler in 1978. He and his climbing
partner used the southeast route. In 1980 Messner made it without bottled oxygen again, and this time without any
climbing partner or a guide; he assaulted the northeast
side of Everest. His critics were silent, after all Messner was indeed telling the
truth that it can be done, but by extra-ordinary
athletes alone who made similar successful
summits.
What
is There, Why Mountains are Climbed:
Is there anything
especial on top of mountains, some gold or riches maybe that really turned man
to climb and explore though how difficulty the climb would be? Could it be that
mountains have to be climbed because they are just there and too alluring of their
shapes, contours and sceneries? But every mountain adventure does not at all time
guarantee fun; in some respects it even brings regrets.
A mountain whose
altitude is lower than 8,000 meters is a non-risk of high altitude sickness like
all the mountains here in the Philippines. Mt. Apo is not a risk factor for AMS
(acute mountain sickness) because it merely reaches 3,000 meters above sea
level and to be exact it is 2,954.12 meters or 9,692 feet; and not even Mount
Kinabalu of North Borneo at 4,095m or Puncak Jaya in Papua Island under the
territorial jurisdiction of Indonesia at 4,884 meters or 16,024 feet, and
considered as the highest peak in Indonesia and in Papua Island including
Australia, could neither be regarded as one.[xxii]
Despite those mountains
are not eight-thousanders, it does not suggest that climbers are safe of
accidents or deaths and they just could have their leisurely strolls, or aparade
in review in the summit. Nobody is ever considered safe in an adventure like in
mountaineering. Mountains that have snows -icecaps on the summit or glacier
fields have to be climbed cautiously, because hypothermia secondary to exposure
and frostbites could happen.
Why do climbers persist
on taking risks which in a sense could be avoided by not minding it? Well,
maybe having or taking some risks in life is something worthy of accepting a
challenge. Indeed, it is a challenge and since it is a challenge one would make
ways how to beat or accomplish it. In life’s drama
what satisfies others may not be true to others. So, if there are men who are
mindless of how high are mountains, there are also those who maybe could not keep
themselves at ease until they could scale the mountain’s height because for
them, it is a worthy challenge to summit or conquer such mountain.
Seemingly, it is
maybe why as early 1786 men tried to summit prominent mountain such as the Mont
Blanc in the borders of Italy and France, in Aosta Valley and Haute Savoie;
respectively. Jacques Balmat and Dr. Michael Paccard summited Mont Blancon 8
August 1786; and this is considered as the birth of the sports of modern mountaineering.[xxiii]
Regardless of
imminent death either through accident or illness, climbers are unmindful of
these risks because a life time obsession has been there to conquer the summit
of their dreams at any cause. That is why many climbers died trying to fulfil their
life time dreams; and leading this list are those that died in the Everest at
the main route along the Northern Ridge. The other main climbing route is the
Southeast Ridge. Two other routes are used aside from the main routes, the
Southwest Face and the North Face, and all these routes hosted several deaths aside
from the other eleven routes, which occasionally are used. In other words, whatever
route the climbers would use, death looms behind them always; hence, any route
is unsafe whether less or mainly used.
Yet, they would be
back on another season if they failed or missed the season and if they reach
the summit like reaching Everest, they even would perhaps begin thinking of summiting
the so-called Seven Summits or seven highest peaks from seven continents of planet
Earth. Though they know that in each climb one would die, they seemed not to be
afraid for they are responsible of their actions and decisions. The truth maybe
is; they are scared because they are humans like us, too. But the only
difference is that they are ready to die for their dreams and sports. They knew
death would come anytime despite how careful and cautious they maybe. An act of
god is beyond someone’s control and when it happens, and one is caught by a snow
storm or blizzard, or the better part of it, an avalanche occurs; it would not
matter whether one is cautious or not, it would carry or bury anyone across its
path.
These are breed of
men that despite of the coldness of the mountain atmosphere, frostbites, hunger,
SOB-shortness of breath, and weariness because of extreme use of physical force
in diagonal or vertical climbs, could still always manage to show a smile than
a grimace because no one told them to be in that sport, but they chose it themselves.
So there are no complains, but probably a phrase would fit to describe one’s
mind would wish to say, “I have come this far and I can make it.”
Thinking of making
it through is a nice attitude more so in work, but in reality drama like in
mountaineering, forcing oneself beyond his physical limit may often lead to accident
or injury. But there were times too when this maxim brought good results, take
the case of Mark Inglis, he was a double-amputee with special fabricated pair
of legs, physically it seems that he could not make it to the summit, but he
did.
There were those
who made the summit and we could hardly believe if they indeed were able to
summit and successfully descended. In 2001, a blind climber reach the summit,
his name is Erik Weihenmayer; Jordan Romeo, a 13-yr. old boy reached the summit
in 2010; in 2012 Tamae Watanabe 73 yr. old female and Yuichiro Miura, 80 yr. old
male in 2013, summited Mount Everest (all Japanese, we guess so.) But
statistics says many died of CVA Cardio vascular accident – stroke occurs
because of too much physical exertion as well as mental.
Thus, physical
conditioning is extremely necessary preparatory for any bigger climb.
Some Reflections:
Expectedly, there
is no gold or riches up high in the mountains where climbers desirously and
busily go to climb. The higher is the mountain a climber would choose to climb
like an eight-thousander, the thicker would be the snow or ice, and its glacier
fields. If snow-ice and glaciers could just only turn into gold, then alpinists
would all be millionaires’ or even billionaires, because this is what they
would always physically see or contact during the climbs or on mountain’s
summit.
Reaching a summit
is accomplishing something great since not others could do what one had just
done. In a summit, a climber communes himself with nature and, he would fully
and deeply appreciate Creation. Being there would not make him think how big he
is now or would he be later on for achieving something, but humbly maybe he would
thank God for safely carrying him there and prays further that he would be safe
in the descent. So, he learns to humble himself and recognizes the Grace and
presence of Someone who is Omnipotent.
Oftentimes, a
summit is a place associated with the presence of an Almighty, as Exodus3.1,
4-5 says “Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of
Midian; and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the
mountain of God, even to Horeb.” “… God called unto him out
of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses.” “… Put off thy shoes from
off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”
We know from that
reading as well as from our early catechism that Moses was on the summit or on
a peak of a mountain called Horeb in the Sinai, and God talked to him about the
deliverance of His people from bondage of Egypt. Certainly, the place was a mountain
and below it was a pastureland where Moses used to feed his flock.
In Greek mythology,
Mount Olympus is considered to be the home of Twelve Olympian gods of the
ancient Greek world. Indeed, it is the highest mountain in Greece and has52
peaks of which Mytikas is the highest at 2,917 m or 9,570 ft. Olympus is likely
similar in elevation with the top three highest mountains in the Philippines:
Mount Apo, Dulang-dulang and Pulag. There is no wonder why Mount Olympus is the
focal point ofGreek mythological stories because oddly it has 52 peaks. Perhaps
Homer in the epic poems Iliad and Odyssey set his stories most on that
setting – starting from the quarrel of goddesses at Mount Olympus – Athena,
Hera and Aprhodite after they received a golden apple from Eris, then the
Trojan War came in.
Again, the mountain
was a part of the mythological stories being the abode of the goddesses.
Locally, in
northern Mindanao alone, in the Balatukan Mountain Range which stretches from
the towns of Balingasag, Claveria, Lagonglong, Salay, Talisayan, Medina and the
city of Gingoog (Misamis Oriental), it was the belief of early Higaonons and Manobos
that when death comes, the soul would be on a long journey to the highest peak
of Balatukan between Jasaan and Lagonglong. As soon as he reaches the highest
peak, the dead rises to heaven by jumping. If his life is good, he would remain
in the heavens forever.[xxiv]
In the successful
climb to Mount Apo by Rajal in 1880 together with Fr. Gisbert and Dr.Montano,
the late scholar Fr. Miguel A. Bernad, SJ said, “… Manig (Bagobo Chief) yielded
to the insistence of both Governor Rajal and Fr. Gisbert. He agreed to go on
the expedition without making a human sacrifice to appease the god
Mandarangan.”[xxv]
The Bagobos of Davao during the initial phase of the negotiation of the Apo
climb insisted that a sacrifice be done to appease their god who resided in
that mountain; nonetheless, such was not followed.
Obviously, the
Bagobos, Higaonons and Manobos, and even ancient Greeks believed or revered
mountains as places where deities or demigods lived. It was only Moses that knew
his God well, despite he had talked with him in Mount Horeb; he knew He does not
live there, but is just right everywhere. So, Moses had always called Him
anywhere as He would certainly hear his pleadings.
Mountaineering is a
challenging sport, it exposes one to extreme danger and when one is used to
situations like this, he could rightly understand how breakable or weak he is against
nature. However, it also enables him to learn how to act prudently, be stronger
and calmer amidst crisis even in his day to day dealings in life.
Mountaineers or
alpinists may have a common idea of death in the fields, and if it is so written
that they die attempting to fulfil their summit dreams like at Everest, they
say, “let it be and so be it,” they would accept it openly. Anyway, nobody
stays physically forever, everyone has his own time when to go, and if it
happens during the climb, at least they knew that their names, nationalities,
when death occurred, and other circumstances could be remembered by those who would
follow them in the sports they loved so much.[xxvi]
A good name is
better than riches, a line from Proverbs twenty-two says. If it is their fates to
hibernate timelessly beneath those whiten mountain snows forever, may the snow
and icy winds preserve them and their memories.[xxvii]
Those who died there, lifeless as they are now, we are certain that they had indeed
done something good in their own time, and worthy of remembering. Thus, they
will live forever in the memories of those who knew them, and even those who have
only followed them recently through the power of the pen. Their lives are short
for they died at younger ages, but life is not measured how young or old one
dies. Its true measure is on the question on how one had spent his life. Had it
been spent wisely so others may live, then the summit of his dreams must nearer
to the heavens.
It is a wish that may
someday one of the summiteers would be capable a of offering a Holy Mass - an ecumenical prayer in Everest to commemorate
the demise of all fallen climbers regardless of who they were or what creed
they professed. As of to date, deaths in
the Everest or in the areas of the Himalayas are now more than 200 and still counting
each summit season.
Mount Apo had its
first mass in 1958 when the Jesuits summited it. May Mount Everest could have
its own too one day; and it could be done so long as we have this tough breed
of men, who wish to climb mountains. Why do they climb them, could it be just simply
for reasons that “because it is there” as Mallory said, or is it not that the
place is too reflecting how frail life is. The answer is left for them to
ponder on.
O0O
Contributed by:
Rex R.
Valmores
Remarks: A considerable part of the literature of Everest is derived
from the Wikipedia, Discovery’s Beyond the Limit articles, and so on. The
undersigned acknowledges it respectfully that indeed it has greatly contributed
to the completion of this work.
This paper is dedicated to
the memory of those who died during the climbs in all mountains of the world.
September each year is the beginning of the post-monsoon season climb in the
Himalayas: Everest, K2, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Manaslu, Dhaulagiri and so on,
and maybe in all summits in the different continents - Elbrus in Russia
Caucasus Mountains; Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa; Puncak Jaya in West Papua
Island in Indonesia; St. Elias Mountains in Western Alaska; Mt. Logan in
Canada; Aconcagua in Argentina, South America; and the rest of the summits
personally known by mountaineers alone.
May every climbing season would always be fine with the blessings of
God.
(At the start of 2014 Climbing
Session, Everest has already claimed 11 Sherpa lives in April 2014and four of
them are still not recovered. There was an ice avalanche at the Icefall Area
and the Sherpas were on their way fixing the ropes along the extremely
difficult technical climbing routes, so they were unfortunately caught by this
unpredictable phenomena that only nature knows when to happen. These
indispensible aides had to do these difficult works aside from transporting the
climbing supplies to the Base Camp or at the Advance Base Camp. Their most
monumental job is to take non-Sherpan climbers to the summit and back safely in
the descent.
Many Sherpas died working for the
climbers, as climbing is their way of life and out of that endeavors they
are paid commensurately of the risks they gambled.
Death in every climb is always
imminent and though how scary life would end up in the cool mountains, they
never would think on how they are going to die. What matters to them is the
thought that if they die at least they know that they died doing good to fulfill their spiritually duty in life to serve or assist other people in the climbs.)
ooo
NOTES FOR ARTICLE THE MOUNTAINS
(i) Wikipedia
Internet retrieved 20 August 2013.
(ii) Barca invaded Rome. He
crossed the Pyrenees and Alps Mountains and defeated the Roman Army in three
major battles in Italy. For 15 years he was considered as a threat to the Roman
Empire and not until Scipio Africanus (son of Publius Cornelius Scipio
commander of the defeated Roman Legion in the Battle of Trebia) had studied
Hannibal’s tactics and while Hannibal was in Italy in his newly won areas,
Scipio brought the war to Carthage when he invaded it. Thus, Hannibal was
forced to go home to defend the homeland, but was defeated by Scipio in the
battle of Zama sometimes in 206. The Roman cavalry was superior over the
Carthaginian Infantry despite the latter was greater in number and had 80
African war elephants. __ See Wikipedia Internet, Retrieved 20 August 2013.
(iii)
The party
includes: Francisco de Paula Sanchez, SJ (Society of Jesus), a trained
scientist He arrived in the Philippines in 1872 and stayed for six years,
teaching at Ateneo Municipal. In 1878 he went back to Spain for theological
studies and ordination. He returned to the Philippines in 1881. Fr. Sanchez and
Jose Rizal were the best of friends. He was even assigned by the Jesuit Mission
Superior in Dapitan while Rizal was exiled in thereat to look for the spiritual
needs of Rizal because during this time the latter was no longer a
non-practicing Catholic, in fact already a Mason. Jose Maria Clotet, SJ was in the Philippines in 1881 yet and taught
at the Ateneo Municipal and Normal School in Manila. He returned to Spain for
theological studies and ordination; and in 1897 returned back to the
Philippines. He was assigned at the Jesuit Weather Observatory in Manila. Jose de Quadras, Assistant Secretary of
the Bureau of Mountains and Agrege in Botanical Studiers. Francisco Nebot, SJ arrived in the Philippines in 1888. He was
assigned at the Jesuit Normal School in Manila, and after that he was assigned
to Butuan and Talacogon. But in 1899 he was sent to Barcelona, Spain as
representative of the Philippines at the Provincial Congregation in Barcelona.
He was back again to the Philippines and was assigned in the missions of
Butuan, Talacogon, and Cagayan de Misamis (Cagayan de Oro City). _ See Fr. JS
Arcilla, SJ Jesuit Missionary Letters from Mindanao, Vol. IV Dapitan-Balingasag
Misssion, pp. 324 & 330.
(iv)
Ibid., p.330 _
Camiguin has five municipalities with Mambajao as the capital town. Formerly,
it was a sub-province of Misamis Oriental and on 7 February 1968, it was made
as a separate province. All the towns are along the coastline and connected by
a 65km paved-road and a total area of 30,800 hectares. The island is famous of
its tourism: the old volcano is an attraction; hot spring at the foot of the
volcano; Catibawasan Falls in Mambajao; soda spring in Catarman; sunken
cemetery and ruined old stone church in Bonbon; the cool springs in Catarman;
the old Moro Fort in Guinsiliban; and the invigorating beaches around the
island. Notwithstanding all of these, the volcano Hibok-hibok is an active one;
its latest eruption was in 1951, and previous to that was in 1949. According to
this government agency taking charge of the study, there are still 5 other
volcanoes which they keep on monitoring. Nonetheless, there is no cause of
great alarm as they have been inactive for quite a long time. (Annotation mine.)
(vi)
Mt. Dulang-dulang is
one of the high elevation peaks in the Kitanglad Mountain Range. It is located
in the north central area of Bukidnon, near the town of Lantapan. Mt.
Dulang-dulang is 9,639 feet above sea level or 2,938 meters; and with this
elevation is considered the second highest mountain in the Philippines. __
Wikipedia Internet Retrieved 27 August 2013. (If the Himalayas has the K-2,
Dulang-dulang is dubbed by Philippine mountaineers as “D2” probably because of
its name which has two “D’s”.)
(vii)
AJ Aluit, Galleon
Guide Book, the Philippines, 1990 Manila, pp. 217-218. __ The Agno River is the
source of the Ambuklao Hydro-Electric Dam. It was modestly claimed by us before
that the Ambuklao was the highest power dam in Asia. It is no longer now; the
construction of an engineering marvel in the 21st century is the
project named Three Gorges Dam in China which would impound the three
tributaries of the Great Mekong River to solve China’s want of energy. Since
the Mekong River is main shipping lanes of ocean going boats and river boat
from the China Sea to the Upper Mekong, navigation on these waters shall not be
impede because along with the side of the dam, a great canal with high-tech
locking system has been constructed and due to finish soon. __ Information had
been taken from Discovery Channel Asia through Parasat Cable TV, Balingasag,
Misamis Oriental, July 2013 programs.
(viii)
Diwata Point is in
Agusan del Norte, while Sipaca is located in Talisayan, Misamis Oriental. It
seems to be an island in the old days because whenever it is high tide bancas
can cross the silanga (canal) around
the mountain, where it is a safe shortcut to sail into Talisayan. During low
tides, the silanga or canal could not be navigated so one would have to sail
around the Sipaca Point. This is taken from the account of Jose Maria Clotet,
SJ in his letter to the Rector of Ateneo de Manila, written in Gingoog on 15
May 1889. He climbed Sipaca Peak (240 meters above sea level per his barometer)
together with four others on 13 May 1889. __ Fr. JS Arcilla, SJ, Jesuit
Missionary Letters from Mindanao, Vol. IV Balingasag Mission, p. 392-393.
(Sipaca today could no longer be accessed through the silanga (canal) even during high tides because there is already an
all-weather road from the national highway up to the Sipaca Peak. The place is
a popular trekking destination of people during Holy Week. The Local Government
of Talisayan promoted it too for tourism purposes, thus medical and protective
support including even free packed lunch are extended to trekkers or penitents
during Holy Thursday and Good Friday.) (Annotation mine.)
(ix)
Mount Apo is the
highest mountain in the Philippines. It is a stratovolcano just 40 kilometers
northeast of Davao City; 25 km. southeast of Digos; and 20 km. west of
Kidapawan City in North Cotabato province.
__ Literature about the conquest and other earlier climbs to Mount Apo
is taken from the works of Fr. Miguel A. Bernad, SJ (one time summiteer to
Mount Apo) The Great Island: Studies in the Exploration and Evangelization of
Mindanao, ADM University Press, 2004.
(x)It
was the climb to the summit of Mont Blanc in 1786 when the modern sports of
mountaineering took off. Jacques Balmat and Dr. Michael Paccard summited Mont
Blanc on 8 August 1786, a prominent mountain located in the borders of Italy
and France, in Aosta Valley and Haute-Savoie; respectively. Horace-Benedict de
Saussure initiated the climb and gave rewards for the successful climber or
climbers. _ Wikipedia Internet accessed 25 September 2013.
(xii) Bishop Francisco Claver, DD, SJ, then
Bishop of the Diocese of Malaybalay City and
later Bishop of Bontoc (he is from Mt. Province) climbed Mount Apo three times in different
routes during the post war. He was a versatile climber, whose agility ad speed in climbing
matched or even excelled the abilities of their Bagobo guides. ___ Fr. MA Bernad, SJ. The Great
Island, p. 282
(xiii)Fr. Miguel Bernad, SJ., The Great Island, Studies in the Exploration and Evangelizarion of Mindanao, pp. 281-282.
later Bishop of Bontoc (he is from Mt. Province) climbed Mount Apo three times in different
routes during the post war. He was a versatile climber, whose agility ad speed in climbing
matched or even excelled the abilities of their Bagobo guides. ___ Fr. MA Bernad, SJ. The Great
Island, p. 282
(xiii)Fr. Miguel Bernad, SJ., The Great Island, Studies in the Exploration and Evangelizarion of Mindanao, pp. 281-282.
(xv)Is the result of swelling of brain tissue from fluid leakage and almost
always begins as acute mountain sickness (AMS).[2] Symptoms therefore usually
include those of AMS (nausea/vomiting, insomnia, weakness, and/or dizziness)
plus headache, loss of coordination (ataxia), and decreasing levels of
consciousness including disorientation, loss of memory, hallucinations,
irrational behavior, and coma.[1][2][3] In the presence of language barriers,
HACE can be assessed by asking (or gesturing) for the climber to walk along a
straight line. __ Wikipedia Internet accessed 11 September 2013.
(xvi)But there are people about 140 million who lived above an altitude of 2,500 meters or 8,200 feet , like those
living in the highlands of the Andes (South America) and in the Himalayas
(Asia). They breathe enough oxygen even on those altitudes; and they live
longer just as those people living at sea level, as well. Scientific studies
discovered these people have natural ways of compensating for the lower oxygen
levels. They have better oxygenation at birth meaning they possessed enlarged
lung volumes. Their cerebral blood flow is sustained despite they lived in high
altitudes; and they do not contract or susceptible to chronic mountain
sickness. Such is of course attributed due to their longer history of living in
high altitude. __ Wikipedia Internet Retrieved 11 September 2013.
(xvii)Summit attempt is cut-off at 2:00PM. The Hillary Step is the bottleneck
of the climb. Climbers below this section waited their turn for the final
summit. Whether one is already on the rope line for the traverse of Hillary
Step and time is officially declared off, summit bid is postponed and would be
set to the following day, or some other time. Having started at midnight,
climber’s supplemental oxygen at 2pm more or less on the following day is quite
low and barely enough to usher them back to the base camp before the oxygen
tank’s regulator registers back to a zero mark. While there is still oxygen and
daylight, it is ideal to return to base camp to avoid accidents during the
descent. Usually in the afternoon weather changes past from good to only fair,
or perhaps to blizzards or snowstorm, so it is important to think safe always;
despite there is a station at the South Col monitoring the weather within the
environs of the Himalayas.
(xviii)Usually insect bites or stings from wasps, bees and hornets are painful
unlike from mosquitoes and fleas which are itchy and not painful. For a high
risk person, insect bites and stings may stimulate dangerous allergic reaction
called anaphylaxis where blood pressure goes down really low; and there would
be swelling of the throat and some of the main vessels where air flows to and
fro the lungs thus creating difficulty or shortness of breathing. In extreme
cases and if unattended medically, it may lead to morbidity. __ Wikipedia
Internet accessed 20 September 2013.
(xx)Those who died mountaineers: Noel Trajeco and Neil Perez of Negros
Mountaineering Club, Inc. and a British medical student Julian Green, 21. These
three fatalities were not only the ones who were at the site when the 20-minute
eruption took place. Several local mountaineers and some foreigners were there
too. They were just fortunate to descend immediately and scamper to safety. __
PinoyMountaineers, accessed on 2 September 2013.
(xxi)Rob Hall and
Scott Fischer were two respected mountaineers andthey had a legitimate mountaineering guided tour services named Adventure Consultants and Mountain
Madness, respectively. They were experienced expedition leaders and for
countless times summited Everest with their clients. In 2006 summer climbing
season, as Expedition Leaders, they
headed their group to the summit of Everest. At the Hillary Peak, there was a traffic jam
because a great number of climbers (33 in all) were gathered below Hillary Peak at 150 meter
interval. It was a traffic jam. These climbers patiently waited for their turn to summit with a
single line of rope that will guide them along the Hillary Peak. It was already 2:00 PM the
supposed time for “turnaround”. But too anxious to finish the summit – their dreams, they were
unmindful of the dangers of late summit bid. Supposedly at 2:00 PM they would have
turnaround already even if they have not summited yet, so they may reach the nearest camps at
daylight yet. Nonetheless, they continued bravely but stubbornly. The worst thing happened, the
weather in Everest is unpredictable and there was an incoming storm. Hall and Fischer, and their
climbers were caught by the storm while descending from the summit. This blunder caused two
climbers to die on 10 May 1996, while six other others on 11 May 1996, including Hall and
Fisher. But before Hall expired, he was able to contact their base camp through radio and
requested them to contact his wife, Jan Arnold on satellite phone. Rob Hall and his wife talked,
chilling and dying he said his parting words and reassuringly told his wife that he was
comfortable. He said, “Sleep well my sweetheart. Please don’t worry too much”. Shortly
thereafter, Rob Hall died but prior to this 1996 tragedy, he indeed had successfully guided 39
clients to the summit of Everest and back to the Base Camp. Hall died of exposure and frostbite
(hypothermia) so with Scott Fischer and the other climbers, excluding Andrew Harris who died
on 10 May due to fall. Among those who survived the climb were Jon Krakauer and a 16-year
old teenager, Mark Pfetzer. Krakauer is a journalist for Outsider Magazine and he wrote his
story, “Into the Thin Air.” Pfetzer had his own accounts too entitled, “Within Reach: My
Everest Story”. These two thrillers became bestsellers.
headed their group to the summit of Everest. At the Hillary Peak, there was a traffic jam
because a great number of climbers (33 in all) were gathered below Hillary Peak at 150 meter
interval. It was a traffic jam. These climbers patiently waited for their turn to summit with a
single line of rope that will guide them along the Hillary Peak. It was already 2:00 PM the
supposed time for “turnaround”. But too anxious to finish the summit – their dreams, they were
unmindful of the dangers of late summit bid. Supposedly at 2:00 PM they would have
turnaround already even if they have not summited yet, so they may reach the nearest camps at
daylight yet. Nonetheless, they continued bravely but stubbornly. The worst thing happened, the
weather in Everest is unpredictable and there was an incoming storm. Hall and Fischer, and their
climbers were caught by the storm while descending from the summit. This blunder caused two
climbers to die on 10 May 1996, while six other others on 11 May 1996, including Hall and
Fisher. But before Hall expired, he was able to contact their base camp through radio and
requested them to contact his wife, Jan Arnold on satellite phone. Rob Hall and his wife talked,
chilling and dying he said his parting words and reassuringly told his wife that he was
comfortable. He said, “Sleep well my sweetheart. Please don’t worry too much”. Shortly
thereafter, Rob Hall died but prior to this 1996 tragedy, he indeed had successfully guided 39
clients to the summit of Everest and back to the Base Camp. Hall died of exposure and frostbite
(hypothermia) so with Scott Fischer and the other climbers, excluding Andrew Harris who died
on 10 May due to fall. Among those who survived the climb were Jon Krakauer and a 16-year
old teenager, Mark Pfetzer. Krakauer is a journalist for Outsider Magazine and he wrote his
story, “Into the Thin Air.” Pfetzer had his own accounts too entitled, “Within Reach: My
Everest Story”. These two thrillers became bestsellers.
(xxii)Hugh Low, the British Administrator of North Borneo was the
first to reach the summit plateau of Kinabalu in March1851. However, the
highest point of Mount Kinabalu was reached by John Whitehead, a zoologist.
Moreover, in 2013, our good friend Erwin Pastour Emata guiding a squad of
Filipino mountain climbing enthusiasts summited Mount Kinabalu. (We got this
info from his cousin Darwin I. Emata, a competitive Mountain Biker of our bike
club Bullets. He is an Outdoor Enthusiast too.) His cousin Erwin Emata is an
accomplished mountaineer and summited Mount Everest twice, first in 2006 at the
Southeast Ridge and on the Northeast Ridge, the following year. Aside from that
he sailed aboard the Butuan boats in the seas of Southeast Asia in 2009 with his
Everest Team’s, Expedition Leader, Sir Art Valdez and Co-Expedition Leader was Ted “Doc Everest” Esguerra. Recently,
in a FB link (20 December in the morning), Doc Ted is in the Himalayas in
preparation for a bigger climb above 8,000 meters
mountains. When one is in the altitude of 8,000 meter , one is
certainly in the death zone. It is really terrifying for us non-mountaineers,
but for mountaineers they know what to do in order to acclimatize.
On the other hand, Puncak Jaya is the highest mountain in Indonesia, the highest on
the island of New Guinea - Indonesian West Papua and also the
highest mountain in the Australian continent.
It is 4,884 meters or 16,024 feet above sea level. _ Wikipedia Internet
accessed 25 September 2013.
(xxvii)Otzi, the Iceman believed to be the oldest mummy in the Neolithic
era, possessed flint stone, bow and
arrows with flint stone arrowheads, and a copper axe when he was accidentally
discovered by mountaineers in the Eastern Alps of Europe. This discovery was in
1991, and from then on the Iceman or Otzi has been the center of archaeological
study, in fact scientist knew that the body was there buried in ice for the
last 8000 years ago. __ From DW German Network “In Focus, Otzi,” 25 August
2012.
OOO
No comments:
Post a Comment