Chapter One
Snickers and Tea
I had just sat down to take off my crampons, because the traverse across the rock
band ahead would be easier without them. I drank some fluid — a carbohydrate drink I
keep in my water bottle — and sucked a cough drop. At that altitude, it's essential
to keep your throat lubricated.
I looked out over this vast expanse. To the south and west, I could see into Nepal,
with jagged peaks ranging toward the horizon. In front of me on the north stretched
the great Tibetan plateau, brown and corrugated as it dwindled into the distance. The
wind was picking up, and small clouds were forming below, on the lee side of some of
the smaller peaks.
All of a sudden, a strong feeling came over me that something was going to happen.
Something good. I usually feel content when the climb I'm on is going well, but this
was different. I felt positive, happy. I was in a good place.
It was 11:45 a.m. on May 1. We were just below 27,000 feet on the north face of Mount
Everest. The other four guys were fanned out above me and to the east. They were in
sight, but too far away to holler to. We had to use our radios to co ... read full excerpt from: The Lost Explorer: Finding Mallory on Mount Everest ebook
