The Summit of Courage by Sean G.

The adrenalin was flowing through my body as I awoke at 4:00 a.m. and reached over to awaken the rest of my six-member expedition team. In one short hour, we would begin the final leg of our ascent of Mt. Everest, the world’s tallest and most formidable peak. It would take another seventeen grueling hours to climb the final 5,000 feet to plant the United States flag atop the 29,028-foot summit. The only communication throughout our ascent was with a team located 15,000 feet up the mountain who would relay information to us as we battled the elements and confronted the challenging terrain.

We gathered at the edge of our camp and set out ten minutes ahead of schedule. I placed my oxygen mask up to my face and began the climb. The first 400 feet were easy, but the next section was notoriously dangerous. There was a 3,000-foot vertical drop below the rock face. This area was the most widely known spot in the world for climbs that turned for the worst.

I trudged along leading our team to the base of the ledge. Despite being an expert climber, my palms were sweating and my hands were shaking as we approached this area. For safety reasons, we decided to ascend this section together. Being the leader, I was the first to climb the ladder that was already attached to the face along with safety cables and pulleys. Twenty-five exhausting minutes later, I reached the top and waited for the rest of my team. I sat upright, excitedly waiting for the next climber to peek above the ledge and join me. After approximately five minutes, my intuition told me something was wrong because no one else was in sight. I peered cautiously down the rocky ledge to see what happened.

To my amazement, I saw that the ladder had cracked about two-thirds of the way up and was beginning to be covered in a thin sheet of ice that would be treacherous for the climbers. My team was stranded. If the ladder snapped into two, only two safety cords would suspend the climbers. I yelled down the ledge telling my friends to hold on tightly and that I would have help on its way soon. I could tell they were panicking, but if my life was in danger I would be nervous too. I needed to act quickly. I could not bear to watch my friends hang onto life by two small pieces of rope. I attempted to use my radio to contact Russell, our go-to person back at camp, but it was to no avail. The radio would not work. I was in a terrible situation. My only option was to go back to camp for help, but I had no route down the ledge because I could not use the ladder. If I waited, we would have all died of oxygen deprivation eventually.

I had no choice but to use pegs I carried in my backpack and scale the rock face with no safety equipment. One slip and I would have died along with my friends who I would have left stranded on the mountain. I cautiously began my descent. I drove each peg carefully into the rock to make sure everything was solid to keep my footing. About halfway down, my left foot slipped and I felt a sudden jolt of fear ripple through my body. Knowing that there was a short way to go, I regained my composure and maintained my focus. As my feet finally touched the ground, I felt a wave of relief. I made it. Now I had to make the jaunt back to camp to have my team rescued.

I told Russell that the ladder cracked at the first ledge on the way to the summit and the rest of the team was stuck on the ladder. Having been in similar emergency situations, Russell summoned a helicopter rescue team. I could only hope and pray that my team members would survive. As thirty minutes passed, my thoughts were nervously racing as I awaited the fate of my friends. Russell finally received word and approached me with an apprehensive look. In his soft and controlling manner, Russell said that although the rescue was challenging, it was successful. He told me the entire story with all of the details about how the helicopter lowered itself next to the icy mountain and used a basket and pulley to rescue the stranded climbers. I was so relieved. I had feared the worst. My team members were saved! I realized that my natural instincts and courage helped to save other human lives.