Everest Dreams
As Lance Armstrong so eloquently put it 'It's Not About The Bike'. I would change it slightly, it's not only about the bike. It's also about a mountain and a dream. Following my cycling challenge to Dublin and back, I am joining Scope's Everest Trek in 2012. A chance to raise money for Scope combined with the opportunity to stand and gaze in awe at Mt Everest, Chomolungma, Goddess Mother of the Earth.
Mountains hold a fascination for me. They always have. It doesn't matter if they are 500 metres or 5,000 metres, there is a majesty, a magnificence in their dignified imposing silence. Looking up to jagged peaks, snow capped and wind swept I always think...'what if it were me'. Me standing up there, looking down on the world below, satisfied with a great climb and a sense of accomplishment.
But while mountains have a desirable 'come on then, climb me big boy' quality, the temptation to learn how to use pitons, carabiners, belays and harnesses sadly never took hold. It passed me by and now at 42 with a young family, it is not something I intend to take up to satiate my 'Mid Life Crisis'.
My aspirations and ambitions to climb the world's loftiest peaks, the Alps, the Andes, the Himalayas have remained contained within the pages of numerous books detailing the exploits and adventures, triumphs and tragedies of others.
But Everest has remained a slow burning ember of desire. I can trace every step, rock outcrop and rock face from both the South and North sides and can picture the infamous 2nd step, the Hilary step and the summit, festooned with prayer flags and strewn with brightly coloured climbers of every nationality, their down jackets, trousers and mountain boots giving the impression of a convention of Michelin Men on the roof of the world. I've read and watched just about everything I can on Everest, its conquest, its allure, its attraction and magnetism for all climbers, its deadly and unforgiving climate, its legacy of tragic deaths and the frozen graves of the ones who never made it, or if they did, never made it down.
Would I like to climb Everest? Yes. Would I like to put myself in the jaws of the crocodile and pray it doesn't snap shut at any moment? No. But it amounts to the same thing. It's a massive risk, a huge gamble, it's Russian Roulette, but out of the 10 pistols only one is unloaded.
Everest is not a gentle walk up fixed routes with a guide, 3 Sherpas and a stack of oxygen to send you merrily skipping to the summit.
It's 29,014ft / 8,850m. It's at cruising altitude for commercial airliners. Oxygen is so low that were you to be dropped on the summit from sea level, you'd pass out and be dead within 20 minutes. But still, what if....? Scrambling up the 2nd step, crampons scraping on the rock and flimsy ladder fixed to the 30 metre outcrop; a merciless drop of 3,000m to your right, which should you look close enough is spotted with colourful dots. 'Rainbow Alley' it's called...the dots are those of climbers who have fallen off the 2nd step and the summit ridge.
What if....? Every step closer to the summit feeling like the summit is moving further away, such is the effort needed. Breathing so hard it feels as if your heart will punch its way out of your chest and your lungs will burst.
But then, the summit is there. You've done it. Elation, emotion, the sheer effort of it comes out in a wave of relief...until it dawns on you...'I'm only half way'. Most deaths occur on the way down. The exhaustion, the lack of oxygen, the effects of altitude in rendering all cognitive processes at best disorganised, at worst delusional, hallucinations peppering thought, drifting in and out of reality and coherence. Life on the edge. Your choice, move and move fast or stay and die. It couldn't be clearer. Life and death. Your move and it's currently 'check' to Everest.
Reality Check
Would I like to climb Everest - yes. Will I ever attempt it - no. The pros are significantly lacking when compared to the cons.
Pros
I like Everest,I would enjoy it, I like mountains, I climbed Kilimanjaro
Cons
It's 8,850m
You don't have technical climbing experience
You don't have $50,000 to join a guided expedition 1 in 6 people die attempting to climb Everest
You don't like heights
You have a wife and 2 daughters
You get cold fingers and toes and frostbite isn't nice
For all my dreams, all the hours spent pouring over pictures, watching documentaries and reading the vast amount of literature on the world's highest and most famous mountain, I won't, unfortunately, be setting foot on the Khumbu icefall, climbing the Balcony, recovering a fresh bottle of O2 at the south Summit and taking that summit photo to top all summit photos. Statistics, inexperience, responsibility and financial reality mean I won't be having a crack at the big one.
Instead, I will be standing at a safe distance, from the lofty viewing perch of Kala Patthar (5,545m), craning my neck up to the summit of Everest. I am sure I will have a moment or two of, 'what if...could I...', but that will pass as soon as the next blast of icy wind hits me and turns my mind to those that have done it and those that have made the ultimate sacrifice in the name of climbing the mountain. The mountain which continues to fascinate, continues to pull in more and more dreamers eager to smell the rock, taste the summit and success.
I'll pay my respects to the memory of those that didn't make it and wish those that come to try, the strength and good fortune to make it halfway, but more importantly to make it back down.
I am raising money on behalf of SCOPE, the UK's Cerebral Palsy charity. My trip to Dublin and to Everest are personal goals, but my aim is to help Scope continue their excellent work improving the quality of life of people with cerebral palsy and to raise awareness of the disability.
Please donate online;
http://www.justgiving.com/tonyseverestchallenge
Thank you.
Tony Frobisher
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