Time was against us; the mountain season was coming to a close.
I snapped. “You know what? You guys are too happy to work in your comfort zones. We need to move faster.” Settled in at base camp, I noticed that a storm seemed to be brewing. But it was of little worry; my team had the assets to overcome any looming dangers. After all, extreme altitude climbing was a mind game as much as a physical endeavor. “This is yours, Nims. This is where you come alive,” I told myself.
As we waited in base camp, a battle plan was set. GII was very much the smaller frog, and we intended to take it at a relatively leisurely pace, resting in some of the lower camps as we climbed. But GI was the bigger, uglier test, so I wanted to take it first with Mingma and Geljen—in one hit, we hoped.
To forge ahead in the dark was potentially suicidal. We weren’t entirely sure of where the summit was, there wasn’t a route marker in sight, and we could easily become disorientated figuring the precise route up, even with our GPS technology. Tragedy wasn’t hard to envision: One of us could become confused and fall into a crevasse or off a cliff edge.
Our only respite from the biting cold was to huddle together, our body heat saving us from the plummeting temperatures. At 3 a.m., too cold to sleep, we roused ourselves for the summit push. It took 90 minutes for everyone to get the kit together. We were exhausted. Seeing the Himalaya stretching out before me, the top of GI had a similar effect. Our struggles felt distant, from another lifetime—especially now, with the mountaintops glowing, clouds around them burning away. A new day was kicking off; everything was going to be alright.The fear struck me as soon as we began our descent. When I looked down, the ground seemed to rush up at me as the memory of my tumble on Nanga Parbat flashed in my mind.
Then I remembered the sporting greats I loved: The mark of a true champion was the way they reacted to a fall or defeat. Muhammad Ali was knocked down many times before fighting to victory. Usain Bolt had false-started or been beaten in smaller championships before taking gold at the Olympics.
kristenworley Amazing accomplishment! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Watched it enjoyed it ☺️
Fabulous inspiring film ! These guys, what an incredible bunch of lovely people.
Muantap
Truly fantastic feat and so inspirational, didn't get the amount of attention it deserves compared to what would've happened if this had been done by a white fellow. Also the movie 14peaks. Must watch.
nimsdai 😊🙏👍
Unreal!
There's a movie about it, you guys should check it out.
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