Sagarmatha (Mount Everest)

Kiri looks over her shoulder, the sky, once a pale white has darkened. The summit is now distinguishable but is still too far. It looks impossibly high, the one mountain peak she’s dreamed about reaching her entire life; and it is just beyond their reach. The bad weather is closing in, clouding their judgement and halting their progress. With the month of May coming to an end, there won’t be another opportunity this year. May is the only time to climb Everest, because the weather is favourable compared to other months. Along with the Sherpas, they will have to seek shelter and then head back down to sea level and safely off the mountain. An unexpected storm has ended this attempt. But there is no alternative. As they all know, they cannot fight the conditions. The Sherpas are signalling with their hands which direction they should walk as the wind begins to howl. “Quick!” Kiri says, shielding her face and ducking down. Kiri looks back towards her friend and hiking partner Noah. He is clambering through the snow towards her.

“We can’t stay here; we need to take cover,” Noah says.

“We’re in the Death Zone,” Kiri replies.

“Wow, that’s encouraging, I wonder how it got that title,” Noah remarks. “We must head back down the mountain and make camp.” Kiri struggles to look at her altitude watch.

“If our position is here,” she says, pointing, “Then, we might be able to reach this Camp 4.” Wading through snow up to their knees, they blindly navigate. Their faces are exposed to the elements, forcing them to squint. Another huge gust and blast of snow and they can’t see their Sherpa guides anymore. Their path is blocked. Kiri and Noah grip to a rock-face. They desperately pull themselves onto level ground and shelter inside a small cave, the howling wind is increasing and getting louder outside.

“We’re going to have to get naked and cuddle up to get warm, hey Kiri?”

“Don’t be vulgar Noah, you have a wife.”

“Not after my divorce papers process through the courts.”

“Anyway, undressing and nestling together is a myth, you know that.”

They both sit and wait-out the conditions. They had hoped to see the Sherpas find the cave as well, but they didn’t. They huddle together and neither of them sleep. By the next day they are reunited with the Sherpa guides, who said they waited until morning to try and locate Kiri and Noah. They start the descent together.

The Sherpas are leading the way with Kiri frequently checking her altitude watch, and keeping track of their progress down the mountain. The Sherpas are even deeper in the snow, up to their waists. The Sherpa guides not only have to safely navigate, but are also carrying their supplies, bags laden with bottles, food, clothes and oxygen tanks. So, this increases their body weight. The first sign of the Camp 4 appears after a while. Noah pushes their tent open, and they all fall in. They use this opportunity to regain their strength. They eat and drink. In the coming days, they make their way further down Mount Everet, before reaching Base Camp 1. After that they travel further down and reach sea level and the safety of breathable air on the ground. So ended Kiri’s Mount Everest dream. She finds it painfully frustrating, as she’s been involved with mountaineering and going on outdoor adventures since she was young.

3 years later

Kiri had found her life growing increasingly complicated over these few years. While she was pursuing her passion for the outdoors; she was also battling her responsibilities as a parent of her now teenage children. To add to that, she’d woken one morning, to find her partner of 13 years had gone, coldly texting her later on that same day, stating,

“I’m leaving you: I can’t put up with you anymore.”

She’d been in and out of relationships for most of her adult life, few had been long-term. This one had lasted the longest. They had some issues but because they’d had kids together, they tried to make it work.

Still, this did allow her some freedom now, to chase her dream of conquering the Mount Everest summit. Her boyfriend hadn’t liked her going off on wilderness treks and climbs for weeks on end, leaving him solely to care for the children. Kiri had kept contact with her friend Noah, and they were planning a new Everest expedition. She’d seen a recent advert in her local café, it said,

World renowned Mountaineer and Mount Everest Expert Sandy Mallory will be appearing at the Outdoor and Leisure Centre one night only. Here he will discuss many aspects of Mount Everest topics. Limited tickets available. A Q&A will conclude the night.

Kiri and Noah had purchased tickets. And waited for the night of the talk. Now it had arrived.

A small group of like-minded adventurers are gathered outside the doors. Kiri overhears one of them.

“No, my parents never supported my hobby. Because it involved climbing the highest mountains, too risky they thought.”

“Ah, sorry for eves-dropping, but I couldn’t help overhearing,” Kiri says. “My dad has always been very supportive of me, as he is an accomplished Norwegian mountaineer.”

“Norway! Now that is full of mountains. But you’ve got a Kiwi accent.”

“Yes! I grew up in Auckland. My mother was Māori. But she passed away when I was very young. You know, the first person to successfully complete an Everest expedition was from New Zealand.”

“Yeah, that’s right. Edmund Hilary, in 1953.”

“My dad had a book on him. I used to look at the pictures a lot,” Kiri says.

“Where in Australia are you guys from?” Noah asks.

“We’re Queenslanders. I see you’re an Aussie too.”

The doors open and they all walk in and sit at the auditorium. Kiri takes her seat. Noah sits with the Aussies in a row in front of her and on her left. The talk begins.

“This discussion is for mountaineers like myself, academics, or anyone captivated by Mount Everest, known as Sagarmatha in Nepalese. Whether you are seasoned climbers or just starting out. Maybe you’ve attempted to summit Everest but haven’t yet, and you’re looking at achieving it one day.” Noah looks around and nods at Kiri. “This past Everest season has been the busiest yet. There’s been talk of traffic jams, at the famous land mark, the Hilary Step. Climbers have been waiting for hours in queues up the mountain, to get their time at the summit. This also raises ethical and environmental concerns. Such as exploiting the Indigenous Sherpa group. But also, the impacts of all those people on the mountain at the same time. And the human waste, as well as garbage that is left on the mountain, after they have completed their expedition.” Murmurs are in the audience. Sandy speaks about his own experiences of the climb and his successful attempt 16 years ago.

Mallory accompanies his talk with a slideshow, showing various photographs of Mount Everest, as well as photos from the Summit. Some are his own photos. He also shows Sherpas, discarded food and drink containers, and lines of people on their way up to the Summit.

The talk progresses and he reaches the Q&A.

“Now I’ll be taking questions anyone has. Is there any subject I haven’t covered? Or any additional information that you could get from what I have spoken about?” Noah raises his hand and looks back at Kiri.

“We’ve climbed high mountains before and we’re very used to using oxygen tanks at high altitudes. Is there anything more challenging with Mount Everest?”

“Well, the height for starters.” The crowd laughs. “Mount Everest is more than 8,500 meters, or that’s 29,000 feet if you use that measurement. Supplemental oxygen is a recommendation, even if you have it packed only as a backup.” Mallory answers, with a sense of rehearsed routine.

“What are the pros and cons, for using or not using oxygen tanks?” Kiri asks.

“You don’t have to use oxygen at all, which people have done: but it is a lot riskier. By not using oxygen, it can affect your judgements, make you dizzy, and you can get headaches. Decisions you’d easily make sitting in this auditorium, become extremely clouded and difficult at that altitude. Anything can happen up there. Storms, stuck queuing up for a long time, or losing your chance because it’s getting dark. You’re far safer if you use oxygen. With the unpredictable conditions, it is better to have it. Hope that answers your questions. Does anyone else have questions?” Mallory asks.

At the conclusion of the Q&A, Kiri and Noah swap contact details with the Australians they met. The agree to meet up at a café in Auckland in a couple of weekends time.

2 weeks later

Scott’s Bakery is bustling on a Saturday morning when Kiri and Noah are awaiting the arrival of the Australian couple they met at the talk. They recognise Kath and Darren when they walk in and wave them over.

“So, what brings you to Auckland?” Noah asks the couple.

“We are on a road trip for a month. Exploring as we go. Hiking, camping and climbing of course,” Darren answers.

“So have you always been interested in the outdoors?” Kath says while Darren peruses the menu.

“Oh yeah, ever since I was young, I’ve been going on trips. When my dad first took me to the Whakarewarewa Forest in Rotorua, I was hooked,” Kiri says.

“What’s so special about that place? Rotorua stinks,” Darren says.

“Yes, the town does smell, it is because it was built on a volcanic crater, and the town smells of the sulphur. Those Redwoods, I know they are not native to New Zealand but they are just majestic and tall.”

“What hikes have you been on? I’m sure New Zealand has loads of mountains?” Kath asks.

“Mount Cook is the biggest one I’ve done in New Zealand. I’ve even done Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.”

“We did,” Noah corrects.

“Yeah of course. How about you two?” Kiri asks.

“Mount Kosciuszko in Australia,” Darren answers.

“We’d like to settle down and raise a family,” Kath says. “But we want to go on one big adventure before that.” Darren nods in agreement.

They continue chatting about the wilderness and the common Australian link between Darren, Kath and Noah.

They keep in contact with each other, and one year later they decide to plan a trip together, the four of them, to summit Mount Everest. Together with two Sherpa guides they would attempt to complete a Mount Everest expedition.

South Base Camp Mount Everest (5,364 meters above sea level)

They had all been climbing for eight days with their Sherpa guides, averaging five to eight hours of walking a day. Pausing every day to rest and acclimatise to the changing altitudes. They are arriving at the lowest Base Camp. Kiri checks her altitude watch; it reads 5,364 meters above sea level.

Three tents are set up for the night.

“How are you guys travelling?” Noah asks the Australians that they are with.

“It’s a lot higher than Kosciuszko,” Darren says.

“We both feel light headed, I think Base Camp is still about 3,000 meters higher than the whole of Kosciuszko,” Kath adds.

“That’s okay, it’s normal to feel like that. You’ll have the night to acclimatise,” Kiri says.

In the coming days, they continue climbing and adjusting to the changing altitudes. The Sherpa guides are encouraging and are very knowledgeable. Due to the Australian couple’s inexperience, they fall behind Kiri and Noah at about 7,000 meters above sea level. One Sherpa guide stays behind with the Australians while one goes with Kiri and Noah.

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8,000 meters above Sea level

It is 11 pm, Kiri is leading the way out of Camp 4. At the current rate, they’re making good time. They should reach the summit by early the next day, if all goes to plan. They are now in what is known as the Death Zone.

It’s been several hours climbing, the Sherpa is looking concerned, watching the sky. Noah looks as well. Clouds roll and are darkening. They have just got to the South Summit, at 8am. Exhausted, they take a break, their feet and fingers numbed, despite the layers of clothing and strong boots. Their oxygen tanks are running low. Kiri is concerned that if they don’t make it to the summit by noon, they won’t have enough oxygen in their tanks to make another attempt in the coming days.

A small avalanche appears and is heading towards them. They see their Sherpa signalling with his hands where they should stand. A howling wind is picking up as the snow is tumbling closer. They hope that they are out of the way. Noah looks over at Kiri. Kiri mutters, “Not again, I’m not missing out another time, I’m going to the Summit.”

A residue snow blast knocks them off their feet. They are laying on the freezing snow now.

“You know I’ve always admired you,” Noah tells Kiri.

“I can’t think about starting another relationship, not currently anyway,” she replies with a sympathetic look. The Sherpa helps them up, and they recommence their ascent, but with that delay; time is running out.

It is 12.30pm now. Their window of opportunity to reach the summit is over. That avalanche cost them too much time. The Sherpa insist they turn around. Noah heeds that advice.

“We can’t do it Kiri, we haven’t made it in time.”

“No, no way. I’m not going back. I’ve come too far now.”

“Listen to our Sherpa, that’s why he’s with us. We need to leave the summit by 2PM, you know that’s the turnaround time. It’s 12.30PM and we are not even there yet.”

“I’m not missing out again. You can go back, I’m going.”

“We can pick it up again tomorrow.”

Kiri starts climbing again. She does look back though and say, “I’m sorry Noah. And thank you Sherpa.”

“Kiri!” Noah shouts after her. He sees her disappear beyond his sight, as he and the Sherpa descend.