Death Incomprehensible

I should apologize to the readers and, if any, the followers of this blog for not writing up for a long time.  It is due, among many others, to a serious psychological attack that this fieldwork has delivered to me.  One event that I might choose from those in the fieldwork was a death incident occurred during my last Everest expedition.

It was 11:15 AM 20 May, 2013, that I got from my radio the deteriorated voice from my fellow climber, Seong-Ho Seo, as he had just got on the top of Mt. Everest.  I was relaxing in the fourth and last camp of Mt. Lhotse, the fourth highest mountain in the world and the elevation of which is 27,940 ft, and preparing for the summit assault for the mountain planned to begin late in the evening.  The camp is not far from the last camp of Mt. Everest in the South Col, the elevation of which is 25,938 ft--although it may be reachable within one hour from either direction in good condition of everything, in Himalayan standard the one-hour gap can always be completely impossible to cross over.  His voice was so weird as you possibly imagine how his mouth and somehow his brain, too, were frozen.  And, it was no more three hours later when I got another message from his accompanied Sherpa guide Ngaa Tenji Sherpa, saying "We need rescue ... Seo dai (brother) has no energy ... so slow."

I briefly contacted with other Sherpas in each of Base Camp and South Col via different radio frequency.  As the Nepalese company has dispatched more than one hundred "members" (as they called the clients on Himalayan mountain ordinarily) and the more Nepalese staff members, it was the plan to set "extra Sherpa" on the last camp during the summit assault for any probable emergency.  "We're seeing climbers coming down from the Balcony ... we will send Sherpas."  After exchanging further conversation in Sherpa language via the radio, Karma Sherpa, the guide of a British woman Melissa for Lhotse and occupying the same tent here in the Camp Four, told me: "They sent Sherpas to rescue.  We don't need to worry, and you should go Lhotse with us."  I had planned to climb the peak without supplemental oxygen, and a plan was made two days ago with him and his client that we start climb to the top together that night.

However, I could not trust what the Sherpas said: They might not dispatch any further Sherpas to rescue the people struggling over the highest place, at least now.  This was only a moment's decision: I should go, not to Lhotse, but to Everest.  Climbing Lhotse did not anymore appeal to me; it was too easy, easier than to meet up Seo as soon as possible, to see if I can rescue him down, to prove if I can overcome what might be called death-doom.  Packing up everything again, I began to plunge the snow gully between the two camps.

Just as my presumption nobody was dispatched up, and even no such an idea for "rescue".  Rim, a cameraman who was waiting for the summit party at the martian place, looked surprised to my upcoming--he even did not know of Seo's struggle, for anyway he did not have a radio.  I was quick to prepare to start a rescue and ask for two sets of oxygen to Sherpa guide.  And I was told, "five hundred each," for the oxygen tank.  It was not why they did not send up any Sherpa to try rescue, why they made a lie to me, or to what extent the debilitated party may struggle now, that struck to me on the spot.  It was rather why the canister should be so expensive here than Base camp where one is only three hundred dollars.

It was 10:30 PM when I finally came back to the camp with Seo, after six hours I left up to the mountain.  He was alive, at least until that midnight.  I, too, was sure of my life, that even though it was too difficult to asleep and to breathe without oxygen gas in the camp during that night.  I had to wake up frequently suffering suffocation, and the day's summitter Seok-Ju Woo who was sharing the tent with me needed to take care of me.  And, it was early in the next morning that I awoke by a tearful scream Chiyoung An from the next tent.  We had tried belated effort to wake him up, give him a new life.  To me, however, Seo's death was not anymore shocking.  The next day, I just had packed him up within his sleeping back, roped him up, attached to a sled-like rescue tap, and brought him down with other 'rescuers' to the foot of the Lhotse Face.

Sadness?  Not clear.  Yes, I did cried a lot.  But I do not know the tears I made were to prove any sorrow of his death.  Almost a year passed from since.  And yet I do not know how I can register the meaning of his death into my life.  It pretty much looks like he may live somewhere else on this earth.  Or, I cannot see any difference of his absence from any other's absence: As he is not here right now, you, the admirable reader of this blog, and other beloved friends of mine who may be busy to make their own lives somewhere in the world are, too, not here in front of me right now.

Now I am back in Riverside, California, about to start to write my PhD dissertation based on the two years of fieldwork in Nepal, Korea, and the mountains incomprehensible.  Perhaps I would write a paper murmuring sort of philosophy.  I would pencil a sketch on the indescribable, as it is the task any writers supposed to do.  Or rather, I may forgive myself to escape from this befouling work.

"Windy Couloir", First Ascent of Amphu 1

I and my two Korean friends made first ascent on Amphu I in Makalu-Barun National Park in Eastern Nepal.  Here I note the climbing trip.

Route map of "Windy Couloir" on the south-west face of Amphu 1

“Amphu 1” that we aimed is the name given by the Nepalese government to the peak east of Amphu Laptsa pass and west of Baruntse.  The height is Nepal-officially known 6840m as HMG-MT and Schneider map describe so, while sometimes referred 6740m as HMG-Finn map does.  As we acknowledged, previously only once a permit for intending the peak was issued to a four-member Japanese team in the late Autumn 2012.  Also, we found two teams—one German and one Spanish—tried what they call “Amphu” in 2008.  However, we believe we have climbed a different one.  The Japanese recalled that they approached their peak through Chukung glacier, which lies south of Chukung, east of Ama Dablam, and north of Ombigaichan, while from the north of Amphu I flows Imja glacier and Amphu Lapcha glacier.  Therefore, we guess they actually tried to climb P6402, northeast of Ombigaichan, or another in the area.  At November 2012 they climbed the north face but retreated due to avalanche danger.

Also, in Spring 2008, five Germans have reported to summit P 6238m (Schneider map) from its north ridge, and they called the peak “Amphu middle” since it has two neighbor near.   Again in the Autumn of the year, a Spanish climber Jordi Tozas solo-climbed what he called “Amphu South” (6146m) and “Amphu Middle” via new route.  

It is true that the name “Amphu” is frequently used to refer the peaks and pass in the area, by the maps and probably by the locals.  However, the highest one is Amphu I, between Amphu Laptsa and Baruntse, and we think it is a bit awkward to call lower peaks of other group “Amphu middle” or “South” and so on, since they are rather quite afar from Amphu I, the main peak of, if any, Amphu group.  

On 19^th Sep., we fled over to Lukla.  The trek to the objected peak was planned through two high passes of Zatra la (4610m) and Mera la (5415m).  In addition to that, we firstly included to our acclimatization trip to climb Mera (6461m).  Because we had no climbing Sherpa we did not know the route.  We mistakenly climbed through not-normal route, north-east of the normal route.  However, there were heavy snows which have induced snow avalanche that resisted us to climb only up to 6200m.  Indeed, the snow of the late monsoon in the Eastern Nepal continued up until in the early October. 

Arrived at the Amphu I Base Camp at 27^th Sep.  The elevation of which was 5250m, near the highest pokhari (lake), which we called “Nilo Pokhari” (blue lake) in the “Panch Pokhari” area.  The leader An Chi-young had visited this area a month earlier to reconnoiter, and by which it was easy all for us to set the camp at a best place. 

We three have all climbed and got to the top of Mt. Everest in different years.  An has climbed many Himalayan peaks including Himjung of first ascent the year before.  Kim Young-mi has also climbed numerous peaks in Himalaya and other region.  I myself also have similar mountaineering experience.

After twice of reconnoiter climb up to the 500m-long glacier, we started to climb 8^th Oct. as we got a good weather window after twelve days of stay in the B.C.  The route in the glacier was a bit complex but without serious danger, and we fixed ropes a few meters in order to rappelling down.  We planned to climb the south-west face of the peak through a deep couloir left in the wall, taking one of the numerous and various wrinkles, climbing over to the west ridge after exiting out through a ramp.  At the foot of the glacier, 5480m, however, we have to have spent hours to recover our gears we deposited days ago, finding some broken: my helmet and Kim’s crampon.  Hers was usable, although mine was not.  So I climbed the face without it.

The first day of climbing, a quite strong wind swept up.  At the base camp, we heard later, tents were damaged due to the gale.  Snow showers and falling icicles bothered us to climb on.  The first nine pitches which I leaded were relatively easy, although the other two have been attacked by falling huge icicles.  The wall became steeper and steeper as we progressed.  The ninth pitch was all blue ice, could be graded WI5 and 80°.

Myself leading the lower part of the face

Getting dark soon.  However, it proved almost impossible to find a bivouac place on the ice wall.  I felt quite tired and Kim took the lead.  Two more pitches were climbed in the night and at 20:30 when, suddenly and fortunately, we found an ideal place to spend the night: by all means a-small-tent size, with ice-clawed its upside, for which we call the place “Alligator’s Mouth”.  We have had a good night, and decided to left all the camping gears there and lightly go to the top and return the next day.

We started 8:30 in the morning.  Kim leaded again.  Two more pitches brought us just below a ramp to the west ridge.  However, it was now almost vertical in soft snow!  An took the lead.  The last ten meters were quite tough, and finally we got up on the ridge.  We found that, to the contrary to our expectation, the ridge was quite sharp with soft snow.  Snow-bars sometimes upheld no security.  The first three pitches on the ridge necessitated quite delicate climbing.  The angle became low; long traverses continued and the wind, too.  Finally we got up the summit at 3pm. 

An leading the summit ridge

at the top of Amphu 1

After some rituals on the summit we hurriedly got down.  At the dreadful ridge, where no protection would work, we belayed each other to climb down carefully.  We have arrived back the Alligator’s Mouth, looking at sunset.

Kim descending down

Descending down the next day was not difficult.  We had to leave our gears on the wall for the rappel protection since V-thread did not work well on the snow-ice mixed ground.  We could safely come back to the base camp and have lunch.  We call the route name “Windy Couloir” (AI5 WI4 XI ED2, 1800m (incl. glacier 500m)).

Everest: Toilet for lust

"Everest is a jumbo toilet, toilet for lust." - by Rim, a filmmaker.

at the everest base camp.

Whose Choice?

I was the person in the position in between the expedition members and the Sherpas.  However, it is quite subtle affair who would choose Sherpas for a team.  If a member chooses, responsibility for the Sherpa's demeanor to be to the members.  But still, there are "good" Sherpas as well as "no-good" Sherpas, not only for members but Sherpa themselves.

Ngaa Tenji Sherpa, who was supposed to be a team guide (sirdir) for my team has told me twice that Sanu Sherpa would not come with us.  I replied to him, firstly, "year, okay," and secondly, "would I call him; how could he come with us?"

He did not replied "yes," in words; however, his face told more.

Nature for writer

You need to continue to write on, in order to live out the world as accepting one's life as of pleasure, even though evident is you'll be faded out from the world.

- at an airplane to KTM

Time to Leave

"Sunrise is for today, sunset is for tomorrow," Mr. Kim, a fourteen eight-thousanders summitter says.

We live today because of tomorrow we wait for.  Time to leave to the mountain.  

at Mingma's house

Group vs. Mass

Group (or aggregation) necessitates multiplicity constituted by properties of each individual in the group, where the priority of "I" has no privilege.  On the other hand, mass (or crowd) designated, being an object of an observer, as opposite of "I" or "my" part, exists firstly with its category as the Other.

The former -- group -- focuses on the multiplicity itself, formed by many-ness, not by individual subjectivities themselves.  Many-ness is to pay attention on the relation between individuals or individual subjectivities, not just to recognize its plenty.

Although identical in terms of quantity, the concept of the latter -- mass -- is founded on assumed hierarchical, qualitative difference in properties of each individual.

Are they 'mass' or 'group'?

Hundreds of climbers on the sheer Lhotse face to climb Mt. Everest, May 18th, 2012.