by R Arundel
Sarah blinks against the cold. “That was inspiring.”
Larry outlines the plan to reach the summit and then descend to Michael’s cabin. He brings out a climber’s sketch map. “Here’s the topos.”
Matthew says, “This map is beautiful.”
Sarah agrees. “The detail is amazing. The letters are so ornate.”
“I try to draw all my maps with this calligraphy and detail. I love doing the fancy letters. It makes it look like the maps for the European explorers who set sail to discover other lands.”
“Did you draw it on leather?”
“No, it’s paper, but it simulates leather. It’s extra thick and waterproof.”
Sarah rubs the map. “I love the feel of this. We’re on a quest to find the ancient treasure. You’re a real artist, Larry.”
Matthew asks, “The thick metal ring on the end keeps you from losing the map?”
“It’s a security clasp. Now let’s review the climb on the map.”
Sarah says, “Sure, boss.”
“The first part is a leisurely hike along a winding dirt trail. Then we are high up.” Larry points to the map showing the route along the side of a mountain.
Sarah points to a trail high above. “Is that where we are heading?”
“Precisely, we will be on that path that curves around the mountain. We will have a great view of the trees and area below. Not as leisurely; a bit more difficult,” says Larry.
Matthew touches the next segment. “Then we’re in the higher altitudes.”
“Correct, the weather is more severe, and we will encounter ice and snow. This is where the sheer cliffs and deep crevasses lay.”
“Then the famous sheer climb,” says Sarah.
Larry has been training them for this. It is the most technical part of the climb and the one area where a mistake will be fatal.
“This is the technical vertical ascent. We will climb vertically for sixteen hours straight up the rock face.” Larry points on the map.
Oscar barks. Larry has outlined this part of the climb many times. “We’ll climb eight hours and then bolt a sac to the rock and sleep for eight hours. We’ll be hanging over twenty-three thousand feet in the air.”
Matthew asks, “Remind me why we’re doing this madness again?”
Sarah is quick to answer. “You didn’t want to take the usual route. This saves us three days.”
Larry adds, “We can easily go the other route. It adds three days, but you’re not sleeping on the side of a mountain, twenty-three thousand feet in the air.”
“No, we need to make up the time.”
“Okay. After we finish this vertical ascent, it is a relatively short hike to the summit. This is in the death zone. Just remember in the death zone: keep putting one foot in front of the other. And don’t stop or lie down.” Larry puts the map in an inside pocket of his jacket. He clasps the large metal ring to his jacket.
Matthew is most concerned about their time in the death zone. It is well named. They will be well above twenty-six thousand feet. At that altitude the human body begins to shut down. The oxygen is insufficient for human life, and breathing will be very difficult. The lungs can bleed. The brain can swell. If the weather gets rough and slows their progression, they will all die. All other aspects of the climb are in their control. As long as they are careful, it will be hard, but they will not die. In the death zone it is different. Their lives will be in the hands of fate. Luck will play a role in surviving the death zone, and so far Matthew hasn’t had much. Maybe he is due.
Larry says, “Remember, thinking in the death zone is impaired. Just keep walking. We will then come to the summit. We are not here for the view. Go over the summit and then follow the Bhuitan Pass downward. No stopping. No admiring the view, there will be no time to pat ourselves on the back. You can do that when you get home. The Bhuitan Pass will lead to the cabin.”
Larry puts his finger on the cabin. They all look at the beautifully drawn cabin. “Everybody clear?”
“Crystal,” says Sarah.
Matthew asks, “How about the descent?”
“We don’t need to review that again. You guys know the way down. Remember . . .”
Sarah finishes Larry’s sentence, copying his voice, “More people die on the descent; be careful, your life descends on it.”
“You can start a second career as an impersonator,” says Larry.
“The way things are going, I’m going to need a second career.”
“How about me?” says Matthew.
Larry looks at the altimeter and the clouds. “Keep your day job.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The slowest person sets the pace. Matthew works hard to keep them moving quickly. He likes being at the front. The sun is warm on his face. They move along a rarely used dirt path with sparse vegetation. Matthew can see the dense trees below. He thinks he can see the lovely golden yellow millet field they had seen earlier, now only a dot far below. After the meandering trail ends, the terrain changes. The ground is gravelly and there is little grass or shrubs. They are exposed on the side of the mountain, looking at the valley below. The trail curves upward sharply. Oscar utters a low growl. Matthew does not like heights. He avoids looking over the side at the ground far below.
Matthew hears a loud pop, right behind his ear. He falls to the ground and looks behind him. Sarah and Larry are down on the ground as well. Where did the bullet come from? Oscar barks loudly. Larry points.
Far below from within a group of thick trees, they see some motion. It is a clump of trees a good distance away. Matthew nods. They are now motionless. Matthew raises his head to see where the shot came from. Another bullet just misses his right shoulder. He flattens his body to the ground. Oscar is safely behind a rock farther along the path and barking continuously.
Larry says, “We’re too high up. As long as we stay on the ground and crawl, they can’t hit us.”
Matthew says, “Right.”
Sarah, Matthew, and Larry begin crawling quickly to the large rock twenty feet away. The shooter senses their movement and lets off a volley of shots. The shots are random and in desperation. The shooter has no chance. They are too low to the ground and the rocks provide good protection. The shooter is persistent, firing off a few more rounds. They all reach the larger rocks safely. From here the path is no longer exposed. Oscar rubs Matthew’s leg while Matthew strokes his ear.
Larry says, “Kofi warned me this might happen. When I get to base camp, I’ll text Alice to double my fee.”
“We have to keep moving. If we get back alive, don’t worry. I’ll triple your fee.”
“I don’t think the shooter will follow us. The climbing is steep and the temperature will begin to drop rapidly. There is no cover to hide up here,” says Larry.
It is six hours of hard hiking. Larry does not break into a sweat. His sinewy legs and arms move as if they just started. They pitch a tent as night falls. One small tent. They all fit, but it is snug. They have a dinner of lentil soup, canned chicken, and freeze-dried carrots. For dessert they have applesauce. They curl up tightly in their sleeping bags, all were wondering if the night will bring any surprises.
Oscar stands guard outside. Matthew cannot sleep. He listens to Sarah’s regular breathing beside him. Larry has his eyes closed, but he is also awake.
***
The morning is cold. The clear blue sky does not have a cloud. Matthew looks at his watch. It is much more rugged than he would have expected. The face and the band do not seem to scratch. He will never have a face transplant again, but he still wears the watch. He looks at the temperature: ten degrees Fahrenheit.
It is time to say goodbye to Oscar. They are now entering the more difficult phase of the climb. After Oscar finishes his breakfast, it is time to leave.
Matthew says, “Go back.” Matthew gives him a big hug and points down the path. Oscar trots away. Matthew is surprised Oscar does not even look back. Maybe he’s the smartest one in t
he group.
Matthew feels like a zombie. He has only slept briefly in fits. Larry looks tired, too. He did not sleep and his eyes are puffy. He is moving a little slower than usual.
“Let’s rope up,” says Larry.
Each person is connected to the rope. Larry takes the lead. Matthew looks at the small crystals of snow on the ground and the ice pellets. There are thirty-foot jagged peaks all around. The mist is starting to rise.
Larry skillfully avoids the deep crevasses. He stops the group and moves left. As Matthew goes by, he sees a crevasse about six feet wide and over two hundred feet deep. Larry keeps the pace moving. He stops every once in a while to check his compass or altimeter, but they keep heading higher. They are climbing the north face of the mountain.
The visibility drops steadily. At first it is about ten feet. As the day progresses, it decreases to three feet. The thick mist is like white cotton; it envelopes everything. Matthew hears a loud, regular huffing sound. It is his own breathing. They are stopping every few steps. Larry looks at his compass obsessively and navigates around deep crevasses.
A boulder lays in their path. Larry tries to go around on each side, but large crevasses make this impossible. They hammer bolts into the rock to allow them to climb over it and continue the relentless climb, always upward. The mist begins to lift, and visibility improves to about five feet. Matthew begins to relax; he can see Sarah in front of him. He still cannot see Larry, who is in the lead.
Disaster strikes. Larry stops to avoid a crevasse and puts his compass in his pocket. He starts off quickly. Sarah feels the rope suddenly go very tight. She immediately falls to the ground. Matthew also feels the rope tighten and falls to the ground.
She cannot see Larry. He had been right in front of her. Within a split second, he just disappeared. Sarah yells, “Larry!”
Matthew can see Sarah, but visibility is such that the mist will not let him see any farther. He takes out a hammer from his backpack and nails a bolt into the ground where he lays. He secures the rope to this area.
Sarah calls again, “Larry!”
She hears a murmur.
Finally, Larry responds, “Don’t move, I’m off the mountain. Secure the rope”
Larry has walked off the mountain. He is dangling twenty thousand feet in the air.
“I have anchored the rope,” yells Matthew.
Larry bobs on the rope below like a yo-yo. He can be seen in between the mist.
Larry yells up, “Be careful near the edge. The rock gives way.”
Sarah says, “Thanks, but it’s a little late for that.”
Matthew keeps a few feet back. “Are you hurt?”
“No, a little bruised.” Larry is so far down they lose some of his words as he yells up.
Matthew and Sarah pull on the rope. Larry moves a few feet up. He uses his legs to walk up the side of the mountain.
Sarah says, “This is very slow.”
Larry tries to be encouraging. “Not really, you’re both doing well.”
“You’re a lot heavier than you look.”
“The rope is anchored at two points?”
“Just like you showed us.”
“Then don’t worry, just keep pulling me up slowly. I’m using my legs, so it’s a lot easier than it might have been.”
Matthew yells, “You want to come up here and try?”
“Would you like to change positions with me?”
Matthew is lost in thought. They only have one map. Although Larry carefully outlined the route with both he and Sarah, Matthew is sure that they could not find their way back. All had assumed if anyone was lost or injured, it would be either Sarah or Matthew. If Larry doesn’t make it, there is no chance Matthew and Sarah can ascend the summit and get to Michael’s cabin without the map. If Sarah and Matthew cannot pull Larry up, the plan is over. Matthew’s pretty sure they can’t even retrace their steps back to get off the mountain.
Larry says, “Take a break. You’re both doing great.”
Matthew and Sarah pant and lie on the ground. The muscles in their legs burn. Matthew has to arch his back to relieve the spasms of his abdominal muscles.
Larry says, “There is only one map.” He carefully takes the map out of his pocket and clips it to the rope as high as he can above him. “If you can’t pull me up, there’s a large wire loop on the map. See.”
Sarah sees a metal ring dangling from the map, which is now on the rope about 2 feet above Larry’s head. The mist makes it hard to see.
“I see it.”
“Good. In each of your backpacks, I placed a long pole. It is telescopic and will extend out. There is a hook on the end. It will grasp this loop. When you clip the loops together, the map will come free and you can bring it up.”
“We won’t need it. We doing good—you’ll be up soon.”
“I agree, but if you need it, you use it.”
Matthew says, “Thanks.” He still does not like his chances if anything happens to Larry, but at least they will have a map. Without the map, they will have no chance to get off the mountain. Matthew decides that if they do need to retrieve the map on their own, they will not try to scale Karakatura and get to Michael’s cabin. Larry’s training is good and most of the climb is a difficult hike, but it makes sense to just go back the way they came and maybe get a new guide before trying again.
Matthew says, “Let’s start pulling.”
“Okay, let me get my feet set.”
Visibility improves as the mist lifts. Larry slowly moves upward.
Larry calls out, “Can you still hear me?”
Sarah yells back, “The wind’s picking up, but we can hear.”
“There is another attachment for the telescoping pole. It snaps onto the end. You remove the loop that I put on your poles and put the knife on it.”
“We don’t need a knife.”
Matthew wonders what else he put in their packs.
“If you can’t get me up and you have trouble getting the map, use the knife.”
“No.”
“You attach the knife and use it to cut the rope below the map and above me.”
“We’re not doing that.”
“The mountain is no place for sentiment.”
“We’re not going to cut you from the rope.”
Matthew thinks it makes sense. If they aren’t skilled enough to use the loop to retrieve the map, they will have to cut the rope. At the distance Larry is below them and with the wind picking up, it may not be possible to use the loop. Let Larry fall and then it will be easy to pull the rope up with the map at the end.
Matthew looks over the edge. It is a twenty-thousand-foot drop. He begins to pull.
Sarah and Matthew slowly raise Larry.
Sarah says, “You’re doing good. It’s this wind that is slowing us now.”
Larry is pushing his legs hard to help them bring him up, but progress is slow.
Larry says, “The wind is likely to get stronger. We need to increase the pace.”
Larry loses his footing and drops. The increase in weight pulls Sarah and Matthew to the edge. The softer rock at the edge gives way. Heavy pieces of rock the size of grapefruits pour over the side of the mountain. The wind howls and the dust makes it impossible to see down the mountain. Sarah and Matthew are on their backs.
Matthew says, “Sarah, you okay?”
“I may have twisted my ankle, but I think it’s no big deal. You?”
“My wrist hurts.”
Sarah yells, “Larry?”
Slowly the dust and rock settle. Larry dangles from the rope, motionless. Matthew takes out his hammer and puts the two anchor stakes more deeply into the ground. He then crawls on his belly over the edge to get a better look. Sarah is beside him.
Matthew says, “He’s dead.”
“Larry.”
There is no reply. Larry’s limp body slowly bobs up and down on the rope. He head lolls backward.
Matthew says, “Look at his head.”
“He’s sustained a head injury. One of the boulders hit him.”
Matthew says again, “He’s dead.”
Sarah feels her tears freezing on her face. “At least it was quick.”
“Do you think you remember the way back?”
“We have no choice. We have to try to make our way back down.”
“With the wind picking up and the dust, it’s hard to see where we came from.”
“I don’t like our chances, but we have to make our way back.”
Matthew goes to his backpack. He takes out the telescopic pole with the loop on the end. “We need to get the map.”
“Just be gentle. If you knock that map off and it goes flying, we’ve got no chance of getting out of here.”
“Understood.”
Matthew carefully uses the loop to try to get the map. The wind has picked up even more and the map blows around at the end of the rope. Matthew cannot get the loop to attach. The two metal rings occasionally touch but he cannot get it to fasten.
“Let me try.” Sarah puts her body a little farther over the edge. The trees look like little green dots below. She vomits.
“We need to get this done before we lose the light.”
“Give me a minute. I’ll get it.”
Sarah slowly dangles the telescopic pole over the map. A few times she is very close, but the distance is too great with the wind. “It’s not going to work. It’s too windy and we’re losing the light.”
She crawls back to the backpack. She snaps off the loop attachment and attaches the knife.
Sarah and Matthew are on the edge looking at Larry’s limp body.
Matthew says, “I don’t feel good about this.”
“He gave us the instructions for just this scenario.”
“You’re right.”
“I don’t like it either. He was good to us.”
“If we cut him from the rope, there will be no body to give to his relatives.”
“We’re losing the light. We can survive a night on this ridge and start back down at first light, but we need the map. We can’t pull him up. We’re exhausted.”
“Should we set up camp here and try to pull him up tomorrow, when we have more energy?”