|
Even
though the highest mountain in the world has been
conquered many times ever since its first conquest in
1953 by Sir E. Hillary & Tenzing Norgay, Everest is
still as mysterious, beguiling and magnificent as
ever. Standing incredibly tall silhouetted against the
shared sky of Nepal and Tibet, this mountain has many
names: Chomolungma, Sagarmatha, Qomolungma or Mt.
Everest. Which ever name one chooses, its mystery
still lives on...
Perhaps
the most colorful story about the early attempts on
Everest is the one involving Captain J. Noel and his
native companions. He disguised himself as a
Mohammedan and made a journey from Darjeeling through
Northwest Sikkim and round the north of Kanchenjunga
in an attempt to reach Everest. Unfortunately, he had
to retreat back short of just sixty five kms from
Everest when a posse of Tibetan soldiers forced them
to turn back.
Although there are a dozen or so routes on Mt.
Everest, we follow the classical route, traditionally
the most reliable way to the summit
|
