Four Die on the Way Down Mount Everest

Four Die on the Way Down Mount Everest

The Wired Word for May 27, 2012

In the News

Mountaineers have a term for what happened on Mount Everest last week: "summit fever." And what happened is that four climbers of the highest peak in the world died while trying to get back down.

The dead include a 61-year-old German medical doctor, a 33-year-old Nepali-born Canadian woman, a 44-year-old man from South Korea and a 55-year-old man from China. Their demise brings to six the number who have died climbing up or down the mountain this year.

At 29,028 feet high, Everest's weather is seldom ideal for long, but the longest windows for ascent normally occur in the spring, from late March to the first week in June, which means that all those who want to climb the highest real estate on earth need to make their attempts within that time frame. This year, however, the season's first clear conditions for reaching the pinnacle occurred last Friday (the 18th), and many of the approximately 200 people waiting at base camp started upward.

The weather window closed the next day, however, due to high winds, and prudence dictated that those still ascending should turn back and wait for a later opportunity. Several climbers, however, kept moving upward, where they came to the bottleneck known as the Hillary Step, a rockface near the peak that climbers from the Nepal side of the mountain have to ascend and descend in single file with the help of ropes. The difficulty of the climb means that progress up the Step is slow -- and is slowed further by descending climbers -- meaning that the mountaineers sometimes have to wait for hours for their turn, using up their precious supply of bottled oxygen because of the thin air at that altitude and risking frostbite because of the forced inactivity.

The extended time near the summit also increases the likelihood that people will succumb to other maladies related to high altitude, such as cerebral edema, which is the reported cause of the death of the German climber.

When climbers are that near the peak -- and often have spent tens of thousands of dollars on the expedition -- some persist in their summit attempt despite the warnings of guides. They expend so much energy getting up that when conditions turn against them on the descent, they don't have enough energy to deal with getting down.

While there have been six deaths so far this year, it's not the worst on record. The most disastrous one to date was the 1996 climbing season when 15 people died on Everest, including eight caught in a fast-moving storm on May 10-11. Some of their bodies, along with others who perished in other years, are still up there.

The ill-fated 1996 expedition that resulted in the eight deaths has been documented by Jon Krakauer in his best-selling book Into Thin Air. Most of the climbers made it to the top, but only because they pushed on past the turn-around deadline of 2 p.m., a time that had been established through the collective wisdom of those who had made the assault on Everest over the years. If the summit was not reached by then, the climbers were to turn around and descend to camp.

Yet, some climbers, including experienced guides who knew better, pushed on to the summit anyway, some not arriving until as late as 4:30 p.m. They were hit by 70-knot winds and blinding snow on their descent. Krakauer, who was himself on the mountain that year, says that "over the previous month, [Rob Hall, leader of the expedition,] had lectured us repeatedly about the importance of having a predetermined turn-around time on our summit day -- in our case it would probably be 1 p.m. or 2 p.m. at the very latest -- and abiding by it no matter how close we were to the top. 'With enough determination, any bloody idiot can get up this hill,' Hall observed. 'The trick is to get back down alive.'" (Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air [New York: Anchor Books, 1997], 5, 190.) Ironically, and tragically, Hall apparently broke his own rules and paid the ultimate price.

That's summit fever. Although the tragedy has to be attributed to the storm, if the climbers had obeyed their own rules and turned back by 2 p.m. no matter how close they were to the summit, they'd have likely all been back in the relative safety of their tents and sleeping bags at Camp Four when the storm hit. But the top -- the goal -- was so close. It was within sight. The climbers who kept going upward past the deadline, made a decision to expend precious energy to get there, and then didn't have enough energy left, in the face of the weather change, to get back down.

Apparently something similar happened this year, resulting in more people dying on the way down.

More on this story can be found at these links:

Four Die on Mount Everest. CNN
Everest "Overcrowding" Warning After Four Die. NY Daily News
Is Mount Everest Like "a Morgue"? CNN

The Big Questions

1. What human values are in play when we take significant risks to succeed at something? In what activities of life are you driven by some form of "summit fever"? Does fulfilling personal goals have a place within the larger life of faith?

2. Some people who break the rules on Everest do get to the top and back down alive. What does our faith say about such pushing beyond boundaries of common sense the wisdom of those who've preceded us? How do the concepts of reward and risk enter into these decisions? Do you find it easier to give advice on setting limits than to actually follow them yourself? Why?

3. Is "counting the cost" a faith-practice? Why or why not? When have you achieved something through great effort or expense but later decided that the cost was too high? What was the cost?

4. Sometimes our push to achieve a goal is likely to impose a significant burden on others, or leave a mess for others to clean up. Are some goals so important that we should proceed anyway? How do we decide?

5. What are the arguments in favor of high-risk sports? Is it appropriate for religion to give its blessing for such endeavors? Since most things in life involve risk -- marriage, family, business, career -- who can decide on the appropriateness of such a blessing? Is this even a function or purpose of the Christian religion?

Confronting the News with Scripture
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:

1 Kings 12:13
"The king answered the people harshly. He disregarded the advice that the older men had given him ..." (For context, read 12:1-19.)

When you choose to not abide by the advice of those in a position to know how to proceed, it's good to make sure your chosen path is likely to not make things worse. Rehoboam, the son of King Solomon of Israel, found this out the hard way. After Solomon died, Rehoboam presented himself for coronation in his father's stead, but before crowning him, the tribal leaders asked him to lighten the hard service Solomon had demanded from the people. Rehoboam sought advice from the wise men of his father's court, who recommended lessening the demands on the people. His buddies, however, told him to make even more demands! Sadly, Rehoboam listened to his inexperienced friends and quickly lost a major chunk of his realm. Ten of the 12 tribes withdrew from his leadership and formed their own nation, crowning another man king.

Questions: What measures do you use to evaluate the advice others give you? Do you ever ask advice only from those likely to tell you what you want to hear? If so, what is the outcome? When has someone asked your advice and ignored it? What was the result? When have you sought out a consultant of some sort with regards to your financial, medical, or recreational plans? What did you decide?

1 Kings 19:4
"But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a solitary broom tree. He asked that he might die: 'It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.'" (For context, read 18:17--19:18.)

Here's a case of the prophet Elijah "dying" on the way down. He had just had a major success. In a confrontation with some 450 prophets of the god Baal and 400 prophets of the goddess Asherah, Elijah, alone representing God, proved that his God was the only one with power. That's recorded in 1 Kings 18. But in chapter 19, Elijah is anything but pumped up from his resounding triumph. Hearing that Israel's queen, Jezebel, is after him, Elijah hightails it out of the area. Then, when he is safely away, all his energy leaves him, and he begins to feel sorry for himself. He has had it with being a prophet, and he wants to resign his commission. He is burned out, as evidenced by his words quoted above.

God is not about to let Elijah give up, however. The prophet goes to sleep, but God twice sends an angel to wake Elijah and give him food -- nourishment for what is to come. And then God directs Elijah to make a forced march to Mount Horeb, where God gives him more work to do: anoint new kings for Aram and Israel, and begin schooling a new prophet who will eventually be Elijah's successor. God doesn't sound very sympathetic, but what God orders Elijah to do works. God tells Elijah to get back to work, and Elijah does it. He goes on to labor successfully for God right up through his final hours on earth.

Questions: How do you tap into God's resources when your energy is low and your motivation nil? How do you discern the appropriateness of continuing? Is God more or less present, in your experience, in the "downhill" climb of your experiences? When things seem emptiest, does it even occur to you that God is present? Are you one to reach out to God in all seasons of life? Only when things are going well? Only when things are going poorly?

Luke 10:40
"But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, 'Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.'" (For context, read 10:38-42.)

This verse is from a "dying-on-the-way-down" story. Jesus was in the home of Mary and Martha, two sisters. Martha, wanting to be a good hostess, was going all out with "many tasks" to make the visit special for Jesus. But, the Bible says, she was "distracted" (the Greek word is perispao -- literally "dragged around") by these tasks. Here is the Son of God visiting in her home and she's worrying about whether she's put out enough towels! She expends her energy on the wrong things. Mary, however, recognized the priceless opportunity and sat at Jesus' feet, listening to what he had to say.

Martha, in her drive to be a good host, actually fails at it -- dies on the way down, if you will -- because she ends up snapping at her guest, "Don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself?" She also insults her sister in the process. We may be inclined to have sympathy for Martha; she's the one expending all the energy. But Mary is the one who is aware of the importance of the moment, makes the right choice and acts accordingly.

One of the lessons of Martha's story is the value of recognizing when, during preparation for anything -- from having house guests to cramming for an exam -- its time to say, "I've done all I can. It will have to suffice," and move on. "I could expend more energy and reach some kind of personal summit, but then not have enough personal resources left for the important things after that." Reserving some of our energy to spend on people is almost always a wiser move than expending it all on preparation or things or tasks. (On the other hand, spending time on things or tasks is often how we spend time in service to others.)

Question: Where has your life gotten out of balance in a way similar to how Martha's had? Was there someone available to help you prioritize the most needful things? Did you appreciate such help? Martha evidently took the advice of Jesus because when her brother Lazarus died, she made one of the strongest confessions of faith in Jesus found in Scripture (See John 11:27). What lessons have you learned on the "downward" journey that have strengthened your witness?

Luke 14:28
"For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it?" (For context, read 14:25-33.)

Jesus asked this rhetorical question in the context of a discussion about the cost of discipleship. He wanted people to follow him, but he also wanted them to have some realization of what they were getting into. Thus he used the metaphor of not building a tower without first "counting the cost." He used another metaphor about the wisdom of a king suing for peace when he realizes that he doesn't have sufficient armed might to wage war against an enemy.

Questions: Suing for peace is the equivalent of turning around on Everest and heading back down when the conditions make pressing upward foolhardy. In what situations have you counted the cost and then "sued for peace," turned back from a summit or revised your goals downward because of adverse conditions? What helped you decide that such was the right move?

1 Peter 1:24-25
"All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord endures forever." (For context, read 1:13-25.)

So much of the challenge of life presents itself to us in terms of immediacy. Live for the day; carpe diem. And yet the Scriptures teach a different reality -- live for eternity -- and the lines above from Peter contrast the two.

Questions: In what ways does your involvement with the matters of daily living seem like climbing a mountain "because it is there"? Does working toward your goals ever interfere with your eternal commitments? How can you re-balance your life? Should the fact that life is transitory encourage one to take risks? Discourage you from doing so?

For Further Discussion

1. Do you have a "bucket list" of things you want to accomplish? What price are you willing to pay in terms of relationships and risk in order to accomplish some of these things? How long have you waited to accomplish these goals?

2. Respond to this: Beck Weathers was one of the climbers who survived that tragic 1996 climb up Everest, but just barely. Not too far from the top, but well above the last camp, Weathers' eyesight began to blur, an effect of the thin air and high altitude. He decided to stop where he was so as not to keep his comrades from summiting, and then have them pick him up on the way down. The problem, however, was that the storm arose in the meantime, delaying the group and killing some of those who were to come for him. Weathers got colder and colder, finally falling into a near-death coma. When someone did finally locate him, he was considered too far gone to help and simply left where he was. It was noted that one of his gloves was missing and that his hand and arm were frozen solid. His face was also horribly frostbitten. The attention was given to others who were deemed to have a chance at survival.

Weathers lay in the snow for hours like that, and then, surprisingly, he awoke, somehow got to his feet and staggered into Camp Four with the uncovered hand and arm frozen into a grotesque, raised position. From the camp, others who survived were able to eventually get him off the mountain. But he paid an awful price. The frozen hand and arm, as well as his frostbitten nose and the fingers of his other hand, had to be amputated. He's had a new nose constructed from flesh elsewhere on his body, but his hands are gone for good.

Interviewed much later, Weathers says that had he made it to the top and then safely back down, he would have probably lost his marriage and family. He had been so "summit-driven" in many areas of his life that he had stomped all over his personal relationships in the process. Had the climb been successful, he'd have probably kept going like that. But not making it to the summit and suffering the consequences he did caused him to re-evaluate what was going on in his life, and he has now put new energy into his personal relationships. He says that in a sense, he traded his fingers for his family but, on balance, thinks he got the better part of the bargain.

Responding to the News

This is a good time to watch for certain danger signs in our relationships: When we start treating those we love with a disregard or discourtesy we would never show to strangers, there's a good chance we are in a "dying-on-the-way-down" mode. Or when we repeatedly shunt their needs aside, it's likely we've got "summit fever."


Other News This Week

The World Watches Rare Annular Eclipse in Wonder

Millions around the world marveled at the images broadcast across the sky and the Internet last Sunday during a rare annular eclipse. (Annulus is Latin for "ring," which describes the circle of fire seen when the moon passes between the sun and the earth.) Experts say it will be 2071 before earthlings are treated to another solar eclipse this spectacular. Earlier this month a Super Moon, another unusual phenomenon in the heavens, appeared. Visions of such events capture the imagination and are fodder for both the scientist and the mystic. What do they mean for the Christian today?

For more, see:

Solar Eclipse Video. ABCNews
Annular Solar Eclipse Creates Ring of Fire. Wired
Supermoon Seen Behind Christ the Redeemer Statue. Yahoo! News

Psalm 104:19, 24
"You have made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. ... O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all." (For context, read all of Psalm 104.)
Colossians 2:16-17
"Therefore do not let anyone condemn you in matters of food and drink or of observing festivals, new moons, or sabbaths. These are only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." (No broader context needed.)

Questions: When you view the sun and moon, stars and planets, do you tend to focus on creation, or on the Creator? In what sense do heavenly bodies serve as signs to point to something or someone beyond themselves?

Deuteronomy 4:19
"And when you look up to the heavens and see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, do not be led astray and bow down to them and serve them, things that the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples everywhere under heaven." (For context, read 4:15-20.)

Questions: Is it appropriate for Christians to join with non-Christians in observing events such as the solar annular eclipse or the rising of a super moon? When might such observances dishonor God? How could they bring glory to God? How do such natural events differ from other common observances (e.g., Super Bowl, parades, etc.)?

James 1:17
"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." (No broader context needed.)

Questions: What can bodies and events in the heavens teach us about ourselves? About God and God’s ways?

Song of Solomon 6:10
"Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession?" (No broader context needed.)
Isaiah 60:19-20
"The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you by night; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory. Your sun shall no more go down, or your moon withdraw itself; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your days of mourning shall be ended." (For context, read 60:18-22.)

Questions: How would you answer the question posed by Song 6:10? What does it mean to you that “the Lord will be your everlasting light”?

Luke 21:25-28
"There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in a cloud' with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (No broader context needed.)

Questions: Do signs in the heavens above strike fear in your heart, or bring you hope? Why can the believer stand in hope when viewing such amazing things above? How can you bear witness to hope to those in the world who feel anxiety and fear about these events?

You may wish to worship the Creator by singing a hymn such as "All Creatures of Our God and King," "Fairest Lord Jesus" ("Beautiful Savior") or "Earth and All Stars."

Closing Prayer

O God, help us in this life to benefit from the wisdom of those who have navigated the rough places. Help us as we work toward our goals to not mix up our priorities and miss the greater gifts of life, of time and of eternity. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Copyright 2012 Communication Resources