-
DAY THREE -
Accept
the challenges so that
you may feel the exhilaration of victory.
Gen. George S. Patton.
No rain
on day three, but it did begin to sleet and then to snow at
roughly 12,500 feet.
We were
to camp at the Lava Tower that night, and as we set out we had
a very difficult walk ahead of us, about four hours, straight
up, over steep, rocky trails. Because it was colder, I started
the morning wearing more layers of clothing. Soon I was too
warm and breathing hard.
|
Harry
strikes a bargain or two over Safari beer at Kaida trailhead.
Dr. Wallfisch was our most enthusiastic souvenir hunter.
|
|
|
|
Once during
this day, we got out of our usual order of march. Part of the
group forged ahead, leaving Harry, Tom and me behind. I whistled
once, and the lead group slowed for a while, then surged ahead
again.
Later, the
lead group took a rest stop, and we caught up. Tom Kimbrough
made an observation that changed things.
Hey,
he said, we need to decide now whether were going
to make this climb as a group or not.
Good point,
we all agreed, so we put Harry back at the head of the column
and adjusted our pace so the group stayed together. It was a
better climb after that, and we stayed close together until
after we got to the top all of us and started
down again.
During that
day, we increased our elevation by roughly 2,500 feet over 3.5
miles of rugged terrain. There were no exposed points as there
had been the day before, but the cold made up for that.
As we rested
later in the day, we are passed by two young women from England
and their porters. Wed seen them earlier, lower on the
mountain, and debated whether they were British or Aussies.
Do
you ladies mind if I ask where youre from? I asked.
England,
one of them said brightly.
England,
of course, I said, but what part?
Bath.
See,
I said to my guys, I told you they were from Bath.
Hes
something of an expert on accents, you see, one of our
group deadpanned.
Did
he really say we were from Bath? one of the women said.
She seemed amazed.
Well,
not exactly, Richard Henderson said. But he did
say you looked like you needed a bath.
To their
credit, they laughed. At that point, of course, we all needed
a bath.
We reached
the Lava Tower at mid-afternoon. It is appropriately named
a rocky, rough campsite where a sheer tower of congealed volcanic
lava looms over 200 feet above the tents. Eligius climbed the
tower, apparently for fun, and hailed us from the top. He seemed
only a speck up there.
As we made
our way up to the tower, it began to sleet and then to snow.
By the time we made it to camp, it was snowing hard, the flakes
blowing parallel to the ground across the rocky plateau. We
sought shelter behind rough boulders while our crew pitched
tents.
I took a
photo of Harry, huddled behind a huge boulder as the storm blew.
Imaginary caption: We think Dr. Wallfisch was still alive
when this last photo was taken. Well, we laughed at the
time.
For the
first and only time on the trip, the porters served us tea and
later supper in our tents. The weather was too bad to come out.
We hunkered down, trying to stay both warm and dry.
At Lava
Tower camp, we were at just below 15,000 feet. We were all very
tired from our days of trekking uphill. It was at this point
that we began to suffer symptoms of altitude sickness. Most
of us had headaches, and we were all short of breath. Richard
was coughing hard and sleeping fitfully. We all lost appetite,
but we tried to make ourselves eat to maintain energy.
At Lava
Tower, we stumble upon the one great wisdom of the mountain.
Harry says
the next morning, after a long, cold night, that he had talked
with Eligius the day before. He asked the question we all have
at the back of our minds, Do you think Ill make
it to the top?
Harry says
Eligius just smiled and spoke four words.
Just
walk. Dont think.
The phrase
was almost perfect advice for Harry, the most obsessive member
of our group. In fact, however, the phrase becomes a mantra
for all of us, because it neatly sums up what the climb becomes,
and it applies to all.
As we move
closer to the peak, we must each focus on the next step, step
after step, and only the next step. If the mind strays to worries
beyond the next step, well, the results are bad.
Just walk.
Dont think.
At Lava
Tower camp, our group is alone. The other groups marching beside
us have vanished as if by magic. We ask Eligius about this,
and he says theyve headed up easier routes.
For we have
chosen the Western Breach. It is, he explains, the most difficult
approach to the peak. The scores of people marching by our side
have left, and were alone, moving upward toward the Western
Breach. We can see it, and it is forbidding.
Next >>