 Mt. Everest journal entry:
May 23, 2009
Summit Day Continues
“As we journey
out into the blackness of night, our
headlamps light up the sky like fireflies.
We trudge for hours in the dark terrain.
All through the night with very few stops,
we go, step ...breathe …breathe …breathe …step
…breathe …breathe …breathe …step …breathe …breathe
…breathe.
This snail’s pace is faster than the normal
crawl because we are aided by lungs full of
oxygen. My headlamp burns out early in
the night, and my Sherpa helps me change the
batteries. We head back up the
slippery slopes, but after the headlamp
adjustments we fall behind the group who
continued on. For hours upon hours we
creep up the face of Everest in the pitch of
darkness. Every few hours we stop for refueling.
Tshering would
open my jacket, delicately fish around in my
chest pocket for water and gel, open them,
then lift my mask to gently hold the water
to my lips. My goal was nourishment,
his was making sure I did not remove my
large down gloves and expose the delicate
tissue of my fingertips. Frostbite was
a constant threat, and frozen fingers would
end the climb in a matter of minutes. He was
assigned to ensure I returned in one piece
on this most important day, and he did not
take his job lightly. Sunrise came in
the wee hours and breathed new life into our
bodies and spirits. We were gifted
with the most amazingly breathtaking sunrise
I have ever seen. Warm hues in every
shade of pink you can imagine, peeked from
behind the jagged mountain pinnacles. These
warm glows were occasionally lit up by
bursts of heat lightening, adding a silver
lining to each distant cloud.” |
