Ascent

The Ascent

Bag, check, rope, check, ice axe, check; as I look at all of the equipment scattered across my floor, I am overwhelmed with excitement and also fear. In three days I am going with a team of six to climb to the tallest point on earth, Mount Everest. Many adventurers and thrill seekers only dream of one day climbing the mountain, but my dream has become reality. It is horrifying to think I will be climbing where many people have died. People who worked and prepared for the climb who only wanted to do it for fun, instead it cost them their life. I have spent many months training for this climb. I have climb Mount Rainier several times carrying an 80 pound bag, taken avalanche classes, and got worst case scenario training from Everest guides. I did a lot of research on what route I should take. I have decided to take the route which Sir Edmund Hillary used in his climb to become the first man to summit Everest.

The day has finally come; I am on my way to the airport to fly to Nepal which is where the basecamp is for all of the climbers. As I wait in the airplane I brought a couple of books on Mount Everest. One of which is a national geographic which tells the stories of the Sherpa’s. Sherpa’s are Nepais people who work for climbers as if they were pack mules. They often get treated the same way too. Climbers can rent sherpas to carry their gear up the mountain but not to the top. Many of them die and climbers just report it as a minor setback in the days climb. As helpful as they are I couldn’t live with myself if one died trying to help us, so I decided not to hire one.

The next morning I meet my group which is filled with both men and women from all over the world. Next our guide teaches us how to use the oxygen tanks which will be necessary after a certain point of altitude. At 9800 feet there’s is only 2/3 of the oxygen in the air. At the peak there’s only a third of oxygen left in the air. Later I go over my gear, make sure...