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UP above the world so HIGH
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On Everest Day today, BHUMIKA K. checks out Bangaloreans who have trekked the Himalayas. Prakash had the nightmarish experience being lost in snowfall for four hours, not knowing where he was going and mistaking every boulder for a hut
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HIMALAYAS. THE very name inspires awe, respect, and fear of a greater force beyond our realm. And the prized treasure of the range has always been the 8,850-metre Mount Everest. It was a revered legend till Tensing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reached its summit in 1953, opening the world's eyes to possibilities of the human spirit.
But to bring you down to a thud from those heady heights, making it to the acme is not all that easy. Howling winds, sub-zero temperatures, snow and frost, icefalls, snow avalanches, earthquakes, and a thin film of oxygen to breathe from, make the climb to the tip of the highest peak in the world infernally difficult. And that's what makes heroes and heroines.
But another factor, and a large one at that, which keeps many Indians away from the summit, is the astronomical cost to "book the peak". Yes, that's right. One has to shell out US$ 70,000 to the Nepalese government to climb the Everest! And it is already booked for at least two years right now. Moreover, the sophisticated equipment and climbing gear required run into lakhs again. That has kept many Indians away from the peak. Most of the Indian climbers have been from the Indian Army or climbing instructors. So the next best bet for avid climbers is Everest Base Camp.
Bangalore is home to many avid trekkers and climbers who have the benefit of being situated close to the Western Ghats and other mountain ranges within Karnataka to climb regularly. An average of 15 Bangaloreans make it to the base camp every year. That's as far as most people get with limited resources and a chance to peek at the Mount Everest, from a nearby peak. The latest attempt was by a motley group aged between 16 and 54, comprising a judge, a school student, a photographer, businessman, government employees, and four women, who made it to Everest Base Camp at 17,250 feet and to the nearby Kaala Paththar at 18,433 feet, from where the Mount Everest peak is clearly visible.
B.V. Prakash, a former bank employee, who has led nine other expeditions, led the 14-member pack. While the actual trek to the base camp begins at a spot called Jiri, Lukla in Nepal is the preferred starting point to save a week's trek and also avoid areas of terrorist activity. The second camp is Namche Bazaar where the team camped for two days to acclimatise. "Acclimatisation is very important as the atmospheric oxygen and pressure are very low. Breathing requires more effort as you need to take in more oxygen," says the 50-year-old Prakash, who has been trekking for the last 35 years. If not, trekkers can develop acute mountain sickness that can lead to pulmonary or cerebral oedema (with fatal consequences). Mild headaches are common. After two other camps comes Pheriche.
Base camp does not mean you don't get a taste of the Himalayan hardship. Day temperatures on the trek in April-May can be around three to five degrees. Sleeping bags, trekking shoes that cover the ankle, and feather jackets are a must. Nausea, extreme fatigue, and irritability are common. The last camp on the route is Gorak Shep.
Prakash admits that the Everest Base Camp route or Kaala Paththar route is easy — maps are available in Nepal, there are teashops and boarding houses all along the route, so you don't have to carry tents or food. Sherpas of Solu Khumbhu, considered the backbone of the expeditions, help with heavier luggage. The entire trip cost them Rs. 20,000 per head.
Dhriti Chandrashekar, a Class XI student from the city, was prompted by her aunt to join the group, when she saw their ad in the papers. "We had the enthu to come back soon. So we completed the entire climb in 11 days when it actually takes 12 days and more," she says excitedly. "The experience was wonderful and the place is just the opposite of Bangalore," says the girl who bunked a week of Class 12 and returned from the trek this May 10. "In summer you don't get snow in the region; but we got to climb on snow for two days at 14,000 feet."
Prakash shares the sense of awe he experienced on his earlier trek in the Garhwal Himalayas when one of his friends got lost: "In the vastness, we are just specks." He has also gone solo on this route but took a detour Gokyo Valley route, only to have a nightmarish experience being lost in snowfall alone for four hours, not knowing where he was going and mistaking every boulder for a hut!
Though first-timers can attempt the Everest Base Camp, it is better if they have done at least one Himalayan trek in the 10,000 to 15,000 feet range. Those who want to take a shot at it may contact B.V. Prakash at 98453-29317.
Interesting firsts
1953: Tensing Norgay and Sir Edmund Percival Hillary (New Zealand) reached the summit on May 29 via the South-East Ridge Route.
1965: Nawang Gombu Sherpa became the first person to summit Everest twice.
1975: Junko Tabei of Japan became the first woman to reach the summit.
1978: First ascent without bottled oxygen: Peter Habeler (Austria) and Reinhold Messner (Italy).
1984: First Indian woman to climb Mount Everest was Bachendri Pal.
1990: First married couple to summit together: Andrej and Marija Stremfelj (Slovenia)
1990: First son of a summiter to summit Everest: Peter Hillary (New Zealand).
1990: First father and son to summit together: Jean Noel Roche and Roche Bertrand aka Zebulon. They flew together on a tandem paraglider. Roche Bertrand was 17 at the time.
1992: First case of two brothers to reach the summit together: Alberto and Felix Inurrategui.
1999: Babu becomes the first and only climber to sleep on the summit. He spent over 21 hours there.
2000: Nazir Sabir: First Pakistani to summit the Everest.
2001: Roche Bertrand and wife Claire Bernier Roche flew together on a tandem paraglider from the North side summit, the first couple to do so.
2001: Marco Siffredi completed the first-ever descent of Everest on a snowboard from the summit.
2001: American Erik Weihenmayer becomes the first ever visually challenged person to summit Everest.
2003: Yuichiro Miura, at 70, to become the oldest man to reach the summit. He had son Gota Miura for company.
2003: American Gary Guller was the first person with a single arm to summit the Everest.
(Source: everestfirsts.com)
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