|
Where it's at
The word Nepal conjures up an image of towering mountains
rising to the heavens, covered with layers of blue cold ice
and snow. In this landscape of giants lies the world's tallest
peak, Mount Everest. Situated at the edge of the Tibetan
Plateau (Qing Zang Gaoyuan), on the border of Nepal and
the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, Mount Everest was known
as Peak XV until 1856 when it was named after Sir
George Everest, the surveyor general of India from 1830
to 1843. The naming also coincided with an official announcement
of the mountain's height.
Located at a crossroad of cultures, Mt Everest, like the people
who inhabit its kingdom, has picked up many languages. Nepali
people refer to the mountain as Sagarmatha,
meaning "Forehead in the Sky." Tibetan and Sherpa
people of northern Nepal refer to the mountain as Chomolungma,
Tibetan for "Goddess Mother of the World."
Geology of Mount Everest
There are many legends and myths related to this mother of
all mountains but its origin, like the rest of the Himalayan
Mountains, are evident. Mount Everest rose from the floor
of the ancient Tethys Sea. The range was created when
the Eurasian continental plate collided with the Indian sub
continental plate about 30 to 50 million years ago. Eventually
the marine limestone was forced upward to become the characteristic
yellow band on the top of Mount Everest. Beneath the shallow
marine rock lies the highly metamorphosed black gneiss (foliated,
or layered, rock) of the Precambrian era, a remnant of the
original continental plates that collided and forced up the
Himalayas.
Mount Everest is covered with huge glaciers that descend from
the main peak and nearby peaks. The mountain itself is a pyramid-shaped
horn, sculpted by the erosive power of the glacial ice.
Worship and conquest
The traditional people who live near Mount Everest have worshipped
the Himalayas and imagined them as the homes of the gods.
Because the peaks were considered sacred, no local people
scaled them before the early 1900s. When foreign expeditions
started to bring tourist dollars and Western ideas to the
area, people of the Sherpa ethnic group began to serve
as high-altitude porters for them. Because Nepal had been
closed to foreigners since the early 1800s, all pre-World
War II Everest expeditions were forced to recruit Sherpa porters
from Darjiling (Darjeeling), India, then circle through Tibet
and approach Everest from the north.
Trekking safety
The difficulties while climbing Mount Everest are legendary.
Massive snow and ice avalanches are a constant threat to all
expeditions. Sometimes they bury valleys, glaciers, and climbing
routes. Camps are chosen to avoid known avalanche paths, and
climbers who make ascents through avalanche terrain try to
cross at times when the weather is most appropriate. Apart
from an avalanche, hurricane-force winds are a well-known
hazard on Everest, and many people are endangered or killed
when their tents collapse or are ripped to shreds by the gales.
A particularly hazardous spot is the famous Khumbu Icefall,
which is located not far above Base Camp and is caused by
the rapid movement of the Khumbu glacier over the steep rock
underneath. Another deathly risk is hypothermia, the
dramatic loss of body heat due to the invariably low temperatures.
Costs and practicalities
In spite of the hazards involved, a lot of tours companies
have included mountain trekking as part of their program.
While trekking to the summit of Everest might be a challenging
not to say expensive affair, trekking around the base camp
costs from around $1000 to $1500 per person.
Foreigners who wish to travel in semi-restricted areas have
to obtain a trekking permit from the Department of Immigration.
However this does not apply to the popular trekking regions
of Annapurna, Everest, and Langtang-Helambu.
Trekkers entering National Parks/ Conservation Areas must
pay applicable entry fees. Mostly the trekking permits and
the entry fees are included in the trek cost.
A lot of environmental issues and concerns are important to
consider while trekking in the Everest region. Some climbing
gear is recycled by local residents either for their own use
or for resale, it is estimated that more than fifty tons of
plastic, glass, and metal were dumped between 1953 and the
mid-1990s in what has been called "the world's highest
junkyard." Take all packaging and discarded items back
down with you, and remember that matter is slow to biodegrade
at this high altitude.
At the summit
Being able to climb all the way to the top of Mount Everest
is a near to impossible task, surely a cause for celebration
if anyone manages to do it. On May 29, 1953, under the tenth
British expedition flag and the leadership of John Hunt,
Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay
of Nepal successfully completed the first ascent of Mount
Everest via the South Col. May 2003 marked 50 years since
the first successful climb. In 1975 Junko Tabei of
Japan became the first woman to summit Mount Everest.
A mixed feeling of pride and respect collects as one realises
that man has been able to explore this god-like mountain peak,
a monument, a symbol of nature's magnificence to some and
of sacred worship to the others. |
|
|
|
|
