Chapter 2 Prologue: Mountains Untouched

1 June 8, 1924 at twelve fifty 7,900 meters above sea level * It was a black stone the size of a fist, with beautiful horizontal lines engraved on it. It is the fossil of a trilobite. It is heavy in the hand and full of weight.I took off my right glove and tried to touch it with my fingertips.The fingers were as numb as if they were frozen, and the touch of the texture was not transmitted to the brain. Although I didn't climb the peak of 8, 848 meters, but this trilobite fossil is my trophy. Could this be, no, indeed a fossil found in the highest place on earth. I glanced at the altimeter, and the pointer was pointing at 25,900 feet, about 7,800 meters.

For those who joined the expedition as geological surveyors, it may be more meaningful to get this fossil than to climb to the top of Mount Everest. Trilobites appeared on this earth during the Cambrian Period of the Paleozoic Era, and multiplied from the Cambrian Period to the Ordovician Period about 590 million to 438 million years ago. A long time beyond human imagination It turns out that the highest place on earth was once the bottom of the sea. What kind of force is it that makes the seabed rise to such a sky-like height? Why is this creature buried in rock at this height? In addition to trilobites, fossils of nautiluses and the like have also been found in various parts of the Himalayas.

What kind of will and strength is it that transports a life to such a height? I put on gloves before my fingers froze, unloaded my hiking pack, and stowed the trilobite fossils. Picking up the hiking backpack again, I suddenly felt that the weight had increased a lot just by adding more trilobite fossils. Even so, it was better than that useless oxygen tank. It has been more than three months since he left Liverpool on February 29th. I raised my eyes and looked in the direction of the summit of Notre Dame. The high altitude is covered with thick misty clouds, and the peak and the northeast ridge that stretches to the peak cannot be seen.

Two nights ago, the temperature in the 4th Battalion dropped to minus thirty degrees. Now, the temperature should not be much different. There appears to be a parting of the clouds somewhere above, with patches of cloud here and there becoming brighter. The wind is light, with only sporadic snowfall from time to time. If the sun rises above the ridgeline, the wind of this degree is not considered bad in terms of mountaineering conditions.If Mallory and Irwin set out from the Sixth Battalion in the morning as planned, it would not be surprising that by this time they would be already climbing the wall of the final cone on the last stretch of the road to the summit.

Note ① George.thunder.Mallory George Herbert Leigh Mallory, 1886.6︱1924.6, British explorer, died while trying to climb Mount Everest.When he was asked why he wanted to climb Mount Everest, he replied: Beacuse it's there. It has become a famous saying that people often quote today. Note ② Andrew.Andrew Irvine, 1902.4︱1924.6, a member of the British mountaineering team, climbed Everest with Mallory, and disappeared while using an oxygen supply device to climb to the summit. I began to walk slowly up the frozen expanse of rocky slopes. Although I was out of breath, I knew I still had strength.Acclimatization went more smoothly than expected.

When I was not used to it, I was unable to sleep continuously for ten minutes because of nausea and headache. Thinking that the oxygen here is only one-third of the level, I feel that my body can be said to be very adapted to this harsh environment. Even Norden, the captain of the third British expedition, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't walk more than thirteen consecutive steps at this height.Every time you take a step, every time you take a foot, you have to take a few breaths, but if you use that method, at least you can continue to perform the same movement. At the age of thirty-five, I may be particularly suitable for mountaineering in this extreme environment.If it is a climbing method that is full of confidence in physical strength like a young man in his twenties, it will be dangerous in this kind of place.

Now that there is enough food, I always feel that I can even climb all the way to the top of Notre Dame alone. However In fact, I know I can't.Because the previous 3,000 feet and the next 3,000 feet to the peak, the degree of difficulty cannot be compared.No matter how much food there is, it is impossible for one person to do this. Even if it is just for a moment, if the thought that maybe this can be done comes to mind, maybe the brain has lost the ability to think normally due to altitude sickness. Because since leaving the fifth battalion this morning, it has only risen a mere 200 meters.

But then again, what's with this endless rocky slope? No slopes of this size can be found despite traveling all over the European Alps. I am like a bug or garbage attached to a part of this huge rock plate. Even a bug like a drop in the ocean can stand on that peak I felt a sudden surge of heat from my body. It turned out that there were still such abundant emotions in my heart. I thought that emotion had been worn away by the strenuous exercise and the effects of the height. a painful, sad, unspeakable emotion I see I was aware of that feeling that existed deep within me. I really want to use my own legs to set foot on that unique place on earth

The summit of the highest mountain in the world. If Mallory had named me his mate instead of Irwin, maybe that wouldn't have happened I'm better at the height than Irwin.Mallory should know this too. But instead of me, Mallory chose Irwin, and I was in charge of supporting them both. Yesterday Mallory's letter was delivered by porters from the Sixth Battalion to me in the Fifth Battalion.I remembered the contents of that letter. □□□ Dear O'Dell: We are truly sorry for leaving the camp in such a mess.Because when we were about to start, the gas stove rolled down the slope.We want to retreat before dark, so I hope you will be back in the 4th Battalion by then tomorrow.We seem to have left the compass in the tent, please find it.We stay here because we don't have a compass.We were here in two days at ninety barometric pressure, so we were going to summit with two oxygen tanks.Having said that, oxygen tanks are in the way for climbing.However, the weather was ideal.

mallory According to the content of the letter, Mallory went to the Sixth Battalion and used ninety atmospheres of oxygen.In other words, during the two days from the fourth camp to the sixth camp, Mallory used about three quarters of the oxygen in the oxygen cylinder. Mallory believed in the effects of oxygen. However, I have my doubts about the effectiveness of oxygen.Because I tried to use it once, and it was the same as not using it.Even if it is slightly easier, the effect is equal to canceling out because the heavy oxygen cylinder must be carried on the back.Wouldn't it be a hindrance to carry extra things on your back?

One of the reasons Mallory chose Irwin as his partner was that Irwin was good at handling equipment like oxygen respirators.At this altitude, Irwin must have been quicker than anyone to fix a broken oxygen rebreather. Now that Mallory has decided to use oxygen, Irwin is naturally the best choice for his partner. It is my duty to provide comprehensive assistance. Next, I had to climb to the 6th Battalion, check the tents, observe the weather conditions, and then follow the instructions in the letter and descend to the 4th Battalion before dark. As Mallory and Irwin descended, given time, they should have passed the Sixth Battalion and returned to the Fifth Battalion.It would be bad if I was still in the 5th Battalion by then.Because there is only one tent and it is very small, it cannot accommodate three people at the same time. In short, I must go to the Sixth Battalion while it is still daylight. I climbed nearly a hundred feet of rock and stood on it. at this time Suddenly, a corner of the cloud that originally covered my head split, and I was able to peek into that small corner of the sky.Seeing the blue sky gradually expand, the peak of Everest shows her dazzling figure. It was nothing short of a miracle. I forgot to move and stared at the dreamlike scene. The roof of the world formed by rocky mountains and white snow stretches from the northeast ridge to the main ridge. A corner of the sky opened a window, and showed me a unique place in the world to me who was eagerly looking forward to seeing it. Oh how lucky I am. In one's life, there will always be such a moment. Then, I saw a scene I will never forget. My eyes stopped on the snow on a rocky step on the ridgeline.A black spot was moving across the snow. are people. Someone climbed the snow-covered steps.I watched for a while, and then another black-dotted figure appeared from below, and he followed the first person, climbing up the snow. It's Mallory and Irwin. It was so far away that I couldn't tell which was Mallory and which was Irving, but there was no way anyone could be at that height but them. but Are they a little slow? Such a question popped up in my mind. If the two set off in the morning according to the scheduled itinerary, they should be further ahead by this time. At this time, even if they are approaching the peak, it is not surprising that they are only one step away. Could something be wrong, causing them to delay their departure? Perhaps the oxygen respirator did not work smoothly just before departure or during mountain climbing, or the cylinder valve connecting the respirator and the oxygen cylinder was frozen due to snow.Most likely it took time to fix it.Depending on the situation, one or both of them may move without oxygen cylinders. Maybe it was on the way to climb, I encountered a tricky place, and it took a lot of time to break through. A few rocks near the ridge were covered with fresh snow. If small rocks are stacked on a sloping rock slope and there is fresh snow on them, they will be quite dangerous opponents. Maybe it was a delay to avoid it. In addition, it is also possible that all of these reasons occurred. But having said that, it still does not change the fact that the two are significantly behind the scheduled schedule. Even if the journey goes smoothly, it may be difficult to climb to the summit and return before dark The leading shadow climbed onto the snow, approaching the large rocky steps, and his shadow appeared on the rock a short time later. The second shadow followed the first figure and gradually climbed up the rock. then Thick clouds covered the scene again, gradually covering up the figures of the two. That was the last time I saw them both. 2 November 7, 1995 at 23:25 7,900 meters above sea level * can't sleep. Even though I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep, the eyeballs moved around under my eyelids, and I didn't feel sleepy at all. The snow that hit the outer tent was like frozen stone.The voice was endless. Although it is sleep, it is not ordinary sleep. Even though I fell into a drowsy sleep, I suddenly glanced at my watch, but I fell asleep for less than five minutes; then, I fell asleep again unknowingly; I opened my eyes and looked at the watch, knowing that only three minutes had passed, And felt stunned.This situation keeps repeating. It's been three nights since I couldn't move here. How many times do I have to repeat the same thing in this place? I stay in a small tent. The water vapor emitted from the body condensed into hard thin ice inside the tent.As soon as the tent was shaken, the thin ice flaked off the surface of the tent. Looking at the thermometer during the day, it was minus twenty-eight degrees in the tent.I'm not interested in checking the temperature right now, it probably dropped below minus 30 degrees.As for the temperature outside, I don't even bother to imagine. Something touched the cheek. I know what that is. Tent cloth. The tent sags far inward, and the frozen fabric touches the face. Snow accumulated on the outer tent covering the tent, and the weight of the snow caused the outer tent to sink inward, and the tent cloth was also sunken inward due to the pressure of the outer tent. I move my hands in the sleeping bag, looking for the headlamp. The gloved hand touched something hard.It is a knife.Next came the gas bottle.Almost all the necessities were put in sleeping bags, otherwise they would freeze and be unusable. The same goes for hiking boots. It takes a fair amount of courage to put on freezing hiking boots when you're out and about. Although it is a small amount of snow, as long as there is snow running into the boots and walking for a long time, the part that touches the snow will definitely suffer from frostbite.No matter how troublesome it is, only the maintenance of hiking boots cannot be sloppy. However Most people probably can't imagine how exhausting it is at a height of 8,000 meters to put on and take off hiking boots just for the sake of urination. In contrast, how easy it is to climb the stairs to the fifth floor of a building while carrying a 70-kilogram load on flat ground. If I could choose one of the two, I would probably choose to climb the stairs with a 70-kilogram load without hesitation. I found the headlamp and lit it in the sleeping bag. The blue light came on with a bump around the belly, and I saw the light from the headlamp piercing the blue camping bag. I unzip the zipper with gloved hands and remove the headlamp from the sleeping bag. The light was too strong for eyes accustomed to darkness. The inside of the frozen tent glistens. After looking at it, I found that the inside of the camping bag was also snow-white due to frost.The warm and humid air emitted by the body penetrates the sleeping bag cloth and rises, touches the cold surface of the sleeping bag, and freezes there. The part of the sleeping bag near the face also turned snow white due to the freezing of the moisture contained in the exhaled breath. I sat up a little and hit the tent up with my fist a few times.The thin ice that was originally stuck to the roof of the tent fell down with a splash. Outside the tent, the snow accumulated on the outer tent slid down, and the sound of snow falling from the sky hitting the tent suddenly became louder. After the snow fell, it hit the cloth of the outer tent directly.The tent had previously sagged inwards due to the weight of the snow, but after I propped the top up, the space inside the tent became larger.On the contrary, this time I switched to the tent cloth and pressed my body from left to right. The snow that I hit around the tent thickened, pressing the bottom of the tent from left to right. I had to go out and move the snow. On a night like this, it takes a lot of willpower to get out of the outdoors at an altitude of nearly 8,000 meters. Even if it is defecation, it can only be settled in a plastic bag in the tent, and then the plastic bag is thrown out of the tent afterwards.In fact, I've been using this method since yesterday. However, for the snow outside the tent, I can only go out by myself and move it away with an ice stick. I have done this a few times so far, this should be the fifth or sixth time. No matter how troublesome it is, this matter is at stake. What a lot of work it would be to put up the tent again if it collapsed under these conditions.Depending on the situation, sometimes it is necessary to move the luggage out of the tent before setting up the tent. Even if you can barely get a bent tent pole back into shape, if it snaps, there's no way to fix it. Besides, in such a strong wind, it may be impossible to move the luggage in and out while pitching the tent alone. All in all, if this tent were to fall, death would creep up on me with a rather real touch. Even now, death stands near the tent's entrance. I made up my mind to straighten my upper body and put on my frozen down jacket. It took a long time to put on shoes and headlamps to climb out of the tent. The strong wind and snow hit the down jacket, and I immediately felt the cold wind gradually taking away my body temperature. It was cold. Cold wind below minus forty degrees. The body temperature is still lower than that kind of cold, it should have reached minus 50 degrees. Even wearing a down jacket, there is still a tactile feeling of being directly rubbed against the body with frozen sandpaper. Under the light of the headlights, the snow flew away from the atmosphere in front of him almost sideways. I scraped through the snow with my ice stick and my portable shovel.The surrounding snow was already almost as high as the tent, or even taller, so I picked it up with a portable shovel and threw it up. Breathing becomes heavy immediately. I should have set up my tent in the middle of the huge slope of Mount Everest (also known as Mount Everest), but now I can't see the slope of the rock plate. If the weather is fine and the moon is out, you should be able to see the steep rock ditch and the summit of Notre Dame. Now, however, all he could see was gray straight lines of slanted and galloping snow. I went back to the tent and tucked my lower body into the sleeping bag. Within minutes of just going out to shovel snow, the inside of the sleeping bag froze. I carefully shake the snow off my hiking boots and tuck them back into my sleeping bag. There is no heater in this place. Here, the warmest thing is your own body temperature. The so-called heating is basically trying to keep your body temperature from running out of the tent. I lit the candle I had brought, placed it on the upside-down pot, and turned off the headlamp. Candles flickered in the tent.This way, the temperature inside the tent should rise slightly. After entering and exiting only once, the heating inside the tent, although it is heating, is colder than the freezer of any kind of household refrigerator, and it seems that all of them have run out. The icy cold air hit me in bursts, entangled me in the sleeping bag. I could have boiled hot water to drive away the cold, but I couldn't bring myself to do that. The aluminum water bottle that accidentally took out the sleeping bag two days ago should be somewhere in the tent by now.However, the water contained in it must have frozen completely and become harder than any kind of stone. I have to use a universal pot to get the snow outside the tent, heat it with a gas stove, wait until the hot water boils at more than 70 degrees, add honey to make it fully dissolve in the water, and then squeeze a lemon and drink it.In any case, you have to drink four liters of water a day. Otherwise, just because the body's moisture is taken away by the dry air, the blood will become dark and thick. How much food is left? I lay in my sleeping bag and tried to think about it many times. Three slices of chocolate. Three packs of dried vegetables. The honey in the plastic container still has about 100 CC. granulated sugar No matter how many times I think about it, my thoughts can only be maintained here. If I continue to think about it, I will forget the part I remembered at the beginning. Then, do it all over again. I have to confirm and grasp the remaining few days of food.Because if there is no food, even if this blizzard stops, I will surely die. I've already consumed three days' worth of food here.However, it is not exactly three days, because I started to reduce my food intake halfway, so I probably only ate more than two days' worth of food. But then again, why does this blizzard keep going?This period should have been several consecutive days of sunny days from morning to night. The sudden change of weather is unbelievable. As soon as I saw it was snowing, I set up a tent here, and kept thinking: It should stop tomorrow, it should stop tomorrow.However, four days and three nights have passed. The tent overhead was billowing with the wind.The sound of the snow hitting the tent suddenly changed, and there was a slamming sound, and the tent was blown up and down by the wind, as if the blizzard was also breathing. Some winds made whistling sounds similar to the sound of flutes, blowing over the top or sides of the tent; Maybe oxygen is really needed. Perhaps death had crept into the tent. die Gradually, these two words began to become more colorful, lingering in my mind. I can't die. How can I die?Even if you have this feeling, if you don't condense it into shape with strong willpower, it will not turn into actual strength. Mixed with the sound of wind and snow, it seems that from time to time, the low sound of jets can be heard coming from the snow in the distance.The voice came from behind me. The sound of an avalanche.That burst of low and murky sound came from up, down, left, and right of the tent.As the snow continued to fall, the interval between avalanches gradually shortened. Sooner or later the tent will be swept away by the avalanche, which is quite likely. A sense of fear welled up in my heart bit by bit. I took the hard little stone out of my pocket and held it tightly in the palm of my hand. Blue turquoise with a beautiful luster. Holding it calms my mind a little. Why on earth is he in this kind of place, and still alone? Why did you come to such a place? Well, don't worry, I know why. Because I want to see him. Because I want to meet that guy. I still remember the day I met that guy and what happened that day.Even if I wanted to, I could never get the events of that day out of my mind. I will never forget that the first time I met Joji Hanyu was the year before last. June 1993 The location is Kathmandu, Nepal.