I get a lot of my worldly information from the Yahoo homepage. I was attracted to an article about a 13 year-old boy who is attempting to climb Mount Everest. After reading this article, and feeling somewhat inspired, I watched a special/documentary on Everest. Now, I know that is the tallest mountain above sea level and people die trying to scale it every year but I was intrigued because there is very little I know about the mountain!
This documentary, which will I will not name because I am going to be criticizing it and I feel it's wrong to criticize something which I will never attempt, came on at 1 in the morning. From the information, I am providing it is possible for readers to find out the name if they want. I figured a nature show will help me sleep. Boy, was I wrong.
I knew I should have turned the TV off as soon as they started talking about how most of the people who die on Mount Everest never have their bodies recovered...they are left there as frozen monuments of failure.
Actualdead bodies
on Everest!
on Everest!
(There are other, more disturbing pics but you can find those yourself! These are NOT scenes from the documentary!)
Now, on the ascent to the top, a team of climbers came across a gentleman named "James Blunt" (an alias I will be using). Mr. Blunt attempted a solo climb, no radio and no bottled oxygen so it was his own fault that when trouble hit he was unprepared. The team filming the documentary, during their ascent, said that they had seen Mr. Blunt contacting them for help, but made no effort to try to help him as it would have been "useless". Over 40 people passed by without making any effort to save him and continued on their way. The video shows and describes Mr. Blunt's demise, including using the description of "watching his legs and feet curl from frostbite." Most of the documentary team and others doing that trek made it to the summit. During a decent, a group that failed to make it to the top attempted to help Mr. Blunt but it was too late and he was left to perish.
I didn't fall asleep until about 4 am because I was that affected by witnessing this.
But then I woke up a few hours later to get ready for work, and after shaking out the images still stuck in my head, I began to get a little upset by the whole fact.
Even though some reasons for not attempting to help Mr. Blunt were due to it weather and the difficulties of a nighttime rescue, I began to question where has the human compassion gone? I know the incredible challenge that awaits those brave enough to attempt this feat, but are we becoming so selfish that we forget about other human life and not even attempting to try to help! What disturbs me the most is that the climbers felt that since it was a feeble attempt they might as well continue their assent and see if they can reach the top.
To those out there who are into this kind of stuff, more power to you! But do people truly believe that making it to the the top is more important than the value of another human life? I hope I'll never have to be in a position like that (and from the safety of my room, I don't think I will ever have to!)
It's probably the fact that it is a feeble attempt coupled with it being extraordinarily expensive to even be there, have a permit, and be in the process of climbing.
ReplyDeleteEssentially, you're saying that they should say, "Oh, a guy is dying...we can't help him, but we should stop our own climb out of respect."
Now, I'm not condoning anything...I agree, people should have tried to help to the best of their ability, but it depends on the extent of the problem.
Can you say what exactly was wrong with the guy?
Well, I did some research and found some stuff on the guy who you didn't name, here. I agree with your viewpoint more fully, now, that people should have helped, seeing as people attempted to assist him as they were descending. Now, those who did try said it was entirely too difficult to help him down, and there were three of them...were the same conditions present with the people ascending? It's a dangerous place for yourself, let alone having to carry someone else down.
ReplyDeleteThis was David S. Fact is, at that altitude, if you cannot get the climber up on his own two feet and moving - with assist - but on his feet, it is hopeless. A Korean team of fourteen returned to that altitude to bring down the body of one of their lost team members, same season. It was total failure and they almost died themselves trying. It is not possible. It disturbed everyone who witnessed it, it was traumatizing, especially when he was able to speak his name and state what expedition comp he was with, which was a joke by the way..he was on his own actually. He chose to solo with little of nothing, one bottle of O2, it was his belief that it was all he needed. However, by time the new groups of climbers were passing him, he was already in the condition of his extremities frozen in place, it is like trying to move a man made of pure lead, and it was in an area where no one could carry him, he had to motivate on his own. And another fact, they found dex in his backpack when they returned to get things to return to his family. He never even tried to use the dex for himself. It is sad, really sad, but anyone who faces off with Everest knows the risks, and big lesson here should be that if you have to do it, do not skimp on expenses, do not solo, pay the price for the safe excursions.
ReplyDeleteFolks read of situations like this and the only thing they can relate to is their local hill or even Whitney. No so. I'd say unless you have tried to take a breath and move at 20k feet or above, which I am sure the author of this article has not, you could not possibly even begin to imagine what it is all about. May all of Everest's permanent residents rest in peace.
ReplyDelete