Because it's there

Those famous words were coined by British mountaineer George Mallory in response to a New York Times reporter in 1923. He’d been asked why he was travelling to Nepal for the third time to try and reach the summit of Mount Everest. The comment seems pompous and arrogant, but there is a level of truth to it. These early journeymen and adventurers accomplished these great feats because they could because the challenge was there for the taking.

I read a fiction book last year that touched on high-altitude climbing. The main part of this book, The Girl Who Lived Twice by David Lagercrantz, wasn’t all that good but that’s for another time. The side-story, however, about a Nepalese Sherpa, Nima Rita, and his experience climbing Mount Everest were amazing. So much so that I wished more of the book was about him. Ever since then I’ve been reading and watching anything I can get my hands on about arctic expeditions, high-altitude climbing, circumnavigation, looking up statistics on who's done what, when they did it, and where and how long it took. But lately, I’ve been wondering...why? Why set out to accomplish, or at least try to accomplish, these things? Throughout the 1800s and into the 1900s, exploration of the polar regions was all the rage. These seemed like untouched, vast landscapes without any record of human presence. Early exploration often ended in immense human trials, often complete loss of life of entire expedition crews and an attempt that felt pointless in the end if the goal couldn’t be met. Not to mention the expense of such an attempt and the time needed; adventurers would spend years on planning and attempting to reach their goal. The attitude of many of these explorers was to get there or die trying. The effort or cost didn’t matter; it was the thrill of the adventure and desire to be the first that propelled them into the unknown. At the turn of the century, the new adventure was up.

When I first heard about George Mallory, I couldn’t figure out why he kept trying to get to the summit of Everest. The equipment used in the 1920s compared to today’s standards are appalling at best. How cold these climbers must have gotten. Peak climbing of Mount Everest takes place in the spring, March to May. The average temperature at Everest Base Camp (Southside in Nepal) is over five degrees Celsius in the evenings; however, temperatures will dip to as low as minus 10. The summit typically sits at minus seventeen in the spring and summer months and as low as minus thirty-seven in the winter. The summit of Everest sits in the jet stream, fast-flowing air currents, which drives the temperature lower and on some days risks blowing climbers off the mountain -- so the timing of a summit push is really important. Yet these early climbers, in their woollen layers, risked the cold, the wind and whatever else the mountain threw at them. And they certainly didn't have the modern technology used today, like weather radar equipment and radios.

(Alpine climbers in the 1920's. Woollen jackets and pants to ward off the cold.)

Their tents were flimsy canvas, their boots had nails driven out the soles to act as ice picks to give climbers stability on the steep slopes and ice sheets. Some gear had to be invented on the fly or, after an attempt failed, new equipment had to be designed and made. With climbing Everest however, climbers needed something else, something important to get them to the top: supplemental oxygen, or bottled oxygen.

1) Early bottled oxygen tank with mask. 2) Last photo of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine by their cloth tents in 1924. 3) Modern down-filled snowsuit, respirator, harness and nylon ropes.

Mount Everest sits at roughly 27,300 feet or 8,320 meters above sea level. Airplanes cruise at that height. Storms can come upon climbers quickly and ferociously and that ever-present jet stream can produce unpredictable wind gusts. To date, the mountain has claimed the lives of over three hundred people, including six Canadians. At 26,000 feet, climbers reach a place referred to as the Death Zone. Humans aren't meant to live and last long at this height. Our bodies require oxygen to live, and we just can't get enough of it at that altitude where it's only 32% of what is found at sea level. The longer a climber stays at this altitude the harder it is for the body to function and complete simple tasks. Just breathing and staying awake is difficult. Yet every climbing season more and more adventure-seekers set off to make this daring feat. Some have limited climbing experience, others hold a place of high-esteem, even legend to the industry. But the more I think about Everest and high-altitude climbing the more I ask myself...why? It can't just be because the mountain is there.

In modern-day climbing, it takes over a month to conquer Everest. The average cost of travel, lodging, supplies and equipment is $30,000 US. You risk falls, avalanches, high-altitude sickness, frostbite, exposure and quite literally getting lost and never being found. So it would seem that the benefits are greatly outweighed by the risks. Why risk your life and limb to climb this mountain? It won't show you any mercy. George Mallory and climbing partner Andrew "Sandy" Irvine made one last attempt to be the first to reach the summit in June 1924. George died in a fall, and Andrew was never seen again. It's unlikely that the pair made it to the top, which would knock out Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay as the official record holders. There is no proof that the pair made it despite efforts to find out whether the duo made it. Everest enthusiasts and climbers have enjoyed the mystery. I like to think George and Andrew made it to the top. To stand somewhere no one else has ever been. To hear only the sound of the mountain, the wind and each other's elation to meeting the challenge and reaching their goal.

George Mallory's hasty response to that New York Times reporter was later clarified. He summed up in quite a beautiful sentiment why he was trying to meet this impossible task for the third time.

"If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go. What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to live. That is what life means and what life is for."

(Photo of Andrew "Sandy" Irvine, left, and George Mallory, right, at Everest Base Camp, June 1924.)

I think George's comment explains why adventure-seekers do what they do: joy and the pursuit of it. Our joy doesn't have to be, and shouldn't be, connected to the things we have; it's the people in our lives and the things we do to connect with the world and those in it we love.

To learn more about Mount Everest and the brave adventurers who have faced the mountain, I've compiled a list of just some of the great reads you can find at the Essa Public Library.

The July 2020 edition of National Geographic

Follow National Geographic researchers and explorers as they try to uncover what happened to George Mallory and Andrew "Sandy" Irvine during the June 1924 climb.

Learn about early climbs, the gear these men used, and what's happening to the mountain now.

Everest : Mountain Without Mercy by Broughton Coburn

Follow David Breashears on an expedition organized by large-format motion picture producer MacGillivray Freeman Films as they set out to create an IMAX motion production of the summit of Everest. A stunningly illustrated portrait of life and death in a hostile, high-altitude environment. Everest invites you to join Breashears, his climbers, and his crew as they make photographic history. Coburn traces each step of the team's progress toward a rendezvous with history - and suddenly you're on the scene of a disaster that riveted the world's attention. Everest incorporates a first-person account of the most tragic event in the mountain's history: The May 10, 1996, blizzard that claimed eight lives. It is a chronicle of the courage and cooperation that resulted in the rescue of several men and women who were trapped on the lethal, windswept slopes. Everest is also a tale of triumph. In a struggle to overcome both the physical and emotional effects of the disaster on Everest.

The Family that Conquered Everest by Alan Mallory

In 2008, Alan Mallory and his family took on the challenge and became the first family of four to set foot on the summit of the world’s highest peak. It was a two-month journey filled with emotion, loyalty, adventure and terror. From staggering across ladders spanning seemingly bottomless crevasses and fighting exhausting bouts of altitude-related sickness to climbing through a blizzard in the dead of night and almost losing two family members’ lives, every segment of the climb was an exhilarating and unforgettable challenge.

Everest the motion picture by Universal Studios

Follow the theatrical story of New Zealand's Robert "Rob" Edwin Hall, who on May 10, 1996, together with American Scott Fischer, teamed up on a joint expedition to ascend Mount Everest.

Based on the true story of the 1996 Everest disaster.

The Last Viking: The Life of Roald Amundsen by Stephen R. Brown

Unravel the life of the man who stands head and shoulders above all those who raced to map the last corners of the world. In 1900, the four great geographical mysteries—the Northwest Passage, the Northeast Passage, the South Pole, and the North Pole—remained blank spots on the globe. Within twenty years, Roald Amundsen would claim all four prizes. Renowned for his determination and technical skills, both feared and beloved by his men, Amundsen is a legend of the heroic age of exploration.

If you're looking to get outdoors and find joy in the spaces around you, I recommend the free app AllTrails. This app is available for both Apple and Android platforms and helps you navigate the many trails we have in our area. Filter local trails by length, difficulty and whether they are dog-approved.

#GetItAtYourLibrary, #EPLcollection #FindJoy, #MountEverest #adventure

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