On Higher Strata

I fully agree that life is full of coincidences; however I was not prepared for the one that happened to me recently. I enjoy reading fiction and I have a set of authors, whose works I try never to miss. Jeffrey Archer belongs to that genre and I am on to his latest novel “The Paths of Glory”. The protagonist of the novel is a mountaineer and the story I believe is loosely based on the life of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first white man to conquer Chomolungma the Tibetan name for Mt. Everest. The novel was a sure page turner and I got immersed in the character of the hero George Mallory whose mission in life was to only conquer heights both natural and man made. This was the first time that I was reading about man’s passion for heights and his pursuit of the same. Since Jeffrey Archer is a writer who can span the divide between fiction and real life with accuracy and authenticity, the novel gave an insight into the travails, sacrifices and happiness that makes up the life of a mountaineer. I wanted to know more and hence was determined to move from fiction to real life and read the Biography of a mountaineer.
Little did I realize then that I would within a fortnight be meeting a mountaineer/summiteer in flesh and blood. This truly seemed a coincidence for a mountaineer does not belong to that category of people whom we meet on a daily basis. He or she belongs to an exclusive club by virtue of there being very few pursuers and achievers. The person I met belonged to the elite of the group for he had just climbed a peak which stood above the 8000 metres mark. The number of peaks belonging to this group is few and almost all of them are situated in the Himalayan Range. His latest in a string of achievements was reaching the summit of Cho Oyu 8201m-the sixth highest peak. This I learnt was a prelude to the Mt. Everest expedition which he proposes to undertake in March/April of 2010.
So here was Sandhosh all of 28 set to conquer the highest peak on Earth and I for one was baffled. I had known him as the son of a friend and had earlier met him while he was pursuing his engineering at NUS in Singapore. He seemed then like all lads of his age, with the usual interests. Here I was seeing him in a different light. He had achieved something which the majority of us could not even dream off. He had beyond doubt become a hero. I had a thousand questions to ask him and considered this a godsend opportunity. My age came as an advantage, for I cornered Sandhosh with a barrage of intelligent/stupid questions, and he answered all of them patiently.
I came to know that his introduction to heights was through trekking a pass time he undertook while holidaying in Indonesia. He told me as to how he had no clue about the physical fitness level required for climbing and as to how once he started enjoying his treks/climbs, he decided to tone his body and mind. He told me all about the faux pas of his initial climbs, as to how he was caught on the mountains poorly clad and of the various stumbling blocks he had to overcome before claiming any success. Once he had decided to pursue it as a hobby, he realized the cost involved as the gears used were world class and each expedition was undertaken under the expertise of an established company and a substantial amount had to be paid to them for their guidance and groundwork. He told me that his job in the United Kingdom helped him meet with most of these expenses. Being posted in the UK also made it convenient for him to access the Alps and thus he has to his credit Mont Blanc (4410mts) and other lesser peaks. He also told me that once the urge had set in, there was no looking back and that he did not miss out on any given opportunity or to put it better, he made sure that he was always presented with an opportunity. He enlightened me on his achievements and I came to learn that he had reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro (5895 m), Mount Kota Kinabalu (4095m) and of course his most recent summit Cho Oyu at 8201m. No mean achievement considering that all this has been done in a span of eighteen months.
I learnt from him as to how the group works. He told me that there was always a leader who would have done the peak earlier and that the group normally consisted of 6-7 climbers and an equal number of Sherpas. He told me of how a base camp is set up at a height of 5000m and as to how there are three other camps set of at different levels. It amazed me to learn that the requirements are first carried from the base to the various camps in the order of their heights. He said that the climb from the base to Camps 1, 2 and 3 in that order was more like a reconnaissance mission. He told me as to how there was one Sherpa who played the role of a cook and as to how he made something special at the end of each of their climbs. I was impressed to see the pictures of the food available at the base camp. The climb to the three camps before the final push was also a test in endurance and physical fitness. I learnt a lot that day which also included trivial things taken for granted in most instances like the shower arrangement at the base camp, the special stove that would burn at 5000m and above, the time taken for water to boil and of the first aid available.
The Cho Oyu summit was a must for Sandhosh for without it he would not have been included in the Everest expedition for it is mandatory by the professionals guiding the Everest expedition that the participant have to his credit a summit over 8000m. I was told that the final push is always done at night because the snow is hardest then. Thus he reached the peak of Cho Oyu at around 4 am in total darkness only surrounded by the white expanses of snow. That must have truly been an awesome sight. He told me as to how his camera froze at that height and that he was dependent on his coclimber who had a camera for the weather to take the pictures. I must have seen at least 200 pictures of the expedition. This definitely gave me an idea as to how a mission of this magnitude operated.
I wish Sandhosh the very best for his Mt. Everest expedition. What makes it special is the fact that he is doing the climb for Awareness of Child Abuse and plans to leave behind on the peak a special banner relating to the cause. I wish him all success in his future endeavours, which also includes the Seven Summits. I see in him that burning light which I hope will continue to burn and blaze. I wish to see his name splashed in the papers and I wish to see him recognized as the best in his field. When all these recognitions are his, may be I can sit back and say that the little I know about reaching a summit is whatever I learnt from the master.