Keith touched his grown-up son's face and walked out of the house with a smile.
This year’s climbing season is here. As the leader of the Sherpa team, Keith has climbed to the top of Mount Everest five times since the first time in the millennium. This is an achievement that few people have achieved. Even in the village, everyone
Consider Gith a hero.
Behind him, a thirteen-year-old boy frowned and looked at his father's back with a serious expression. Sometimes they would cry, wondering if their father would come back. The boy lost their uncle last year.
——He died on Mount Everest.
Then, my father never came back.
A huge avalanche, without warning, caused 14,000 tons of ice and snow to collapse on the main climbing route. People were completely unable to withstand it, and the only ones climbing at the moment were Sherpas.
People were buried instantly, fell, bloodstains, wreckage, backpacks and shoes scattered all over the ground. Their faces were so scarred that they were indistinguishable, including the boy's father.
It's time to go down the mountain.
Tenzin at Camp 1 thought to himself that the climbing season was cancelled.
Tenzin was not very happy. The avalanche reminded him of his father, his mother, and that sunny day that seemed to be covered with gray fog.
It was a very bad day. Everyone was calling for help and the walkie-talkies kept blaring.
13 people died and 3 people were missing, all Sherpas. This was the largest casualty record on Mount Everest in one day. Before the missing people were found, the government announced the suspension of search and rescue.
Some people were buried forever in the ice falls. No funeral can be held for those buried in the ice falls. In the Buddhist belief of the Sherpa people, this means that they will not be reincarnated and their souls will never rest in peace.
Tenzin didn't see his father that day, but he knew he would never see him again.
Nepal's tourism industry makes a profit of US$360 million a year, but the government's pension to each victim family is only US$400, which is less than a quarter of a novice Sherpa guide's income in a mountaineering season.
There is not enough for the funeral.
Tenzin's mother took the lead in protesting: "We must respect the dead. That road has become a cemetery. Everyone should respect our brave old friends and keep them in mind. How can we step on their corpses?"
All the Sherpas raised their hands and shouted together: "Respect the dead! Respect the dead..."
The Sherpas, who have been swallowing their anger, want to be respected. They call on Nepalese and foreign climbers not to climb to the summit again this year.
The Sherpas hoped that the mountaineering company would speak out, but the boss just said: "...but we must move forward, otherwise you will have no income to support your family."
It was not until the sixth day after the avalanche that, at the request of the association, officials took a helicopter to the base camp to meet with the Sherpas.
The Sherpas hope that the government will uphold justice and cancel this season’s climbing, while the mountaineering companies hope that the government will agree to the Sherpas’ demands so that the climbing season can continue.
The official position has not been clear, nor has it been decided to close the mountain, leaving the Sherpas in a dilemma.
The Sherpas have been patient for decades, and this time they decided to roar. Too many friends have died on the mountain. They want to live, and they have families to look after. Even if they have to pay the price - losing a year's income.
Only after all the Sherpas went on strike did Nepal understand what the Sherpas meant to them and what they represented.
All routes have lost their maintenance, and only the best climbers can climb them. The money of the rich has lost its meaning. They wave their banknotes to express their anger at not being able to climb the mountain.
Eventually, the climbing season was cancelled, and from then on, commemoration became the default rule in every disaster.
The sun seemed to be covered by clouds and mist, and everyone was burning pine trees to pray for blessings and relieve fear.
Tenzin stood on the edge of the field, watching his mother holding her newborn brother with her back to the sunshine outside the window. Her mother was not happy about the victory. There were no tears on her face, but her eyes seemed to be lost and motionless.
.
In the past, villagers cultivated potatoes for a living and depended on the weather for food. Now everyone climbs mountains. Why?
Looking at his young brother and his mother who had gone through many vicissitudes of life, Tenzin, who was thirteen years old and had never been to school, ignorantly understood the reason.
The climbing season was cancelled, and the Sherpas gained respect but did not improve their lives.
His mother is getting older, and his younger brother needs money to study abroad. This is not a good thing for Tenzin, but for his own people, this is a matter of dignity and cannot be blasphemed.
"It's a pity. Bifang may really be able to reach the summit and make history." Attenborough sighed. The climbing season was cancelled. It didn't matter to him. He was satisfied just to get to Camp No. 1 and go up.
, he has no ability either.
"Making history? How could it be possible? Has anyone ever climbed to the summit without oxygen?" Tenzin smiled, not quite understanding what Attenborough meant.
Although he didn't have a good impression of those climbers, Tenzin had a different kind of impression of the current team for the first time, not just because Mr. Bi Fang saved his life.
It's also because this mountaineering team is very different, different from any team he has led before.
Mr. Attenborough, Sir, is obviously a ninety-year-old man in front of him, but during the mountaineering process, whenever he sees rubbish, he will try his best to take it with him and pick it up, carefully, as if he is caring for gems.
With the same care, they removed the "dirt" on Mount Everest bit by bit, and they cared more about the beauty of Mount Everest than the "natives" like them.
Before this, Tenzin had never seen anyone do this. Maybe some people did not throw away the garbage, and some people picked up the garbage casually, but it was absolutely impossible to leave the team for a short distance, use trekking poles to pick up the plastic bags on the cliff, and stuff them into
own pocket.
Mr. Yao Jun is very rich. Tenzin drank hot chicken soup for the first time at the base camp. He is also a very nice person. He can speak English and tell jokes, which is very interesting.
Mr. Wang is fat, but he is very friendly. The way he looks at him is completely different from that of other rich people. It does not give him that aloof feeling, but he is not in good health.
Of course, there is also Mr. Bi. Every time he looks up at the mountain, Tenzin seems to be able to see the fire-like enthusiasm in his eyes. No matter how tired he is, he will not let the porters help him carry his luggage. He will walk while walking
As the last one, he protects everyone as much as possible. When crossing a crack, he will also rush forward and be the first to make sure the aluminum bridge is strong and stable.
Even when encountering an avalanche, the first thing you do is not escape alone. The avalanche is right in front of you, and you have to carry Mr. Attenborough on your back and hold you tightly.
Tenzin was very grateful to Mr. Bi Fang, who saved everyone's lives. If he comes again next time, he is willing to be his guide for free.
"Don't you know?" Attenborough was a little surprised, and then he suddenly thought of something and explained, "Bifang is from China, but no one in China has ever climbed to the top without oxygen, never."
Tenzin was stunned: "But he never said that! This is a huge honor!"
"Yes, it is a huge honor." Attenborough nodded, "But that's why he doesn't want to publicize it, he just wants to prove it. He climbs mountains not for fame and fortune, and he doesn't even want to mention it. He and
I also yearn for the beauty of nature, Bifang just wants to prove that the Chinese people have this ability, remember what I said before?"
Tenzin silently said: "Adventure does not mean being reckless and out of control, nor does it mean simply seeking death to find excitement. It means challenging the limits of human beings and doing great things that no one dares to do."
Attenborough smiled and nodded.
“But the climbing season is cancelled!”
"Yes, so I said it's a pity, he could have made history. Uh, what's wrong with you?" Attenborough looked at Tenzin who suddenly stood up in shock.
"No, we can't just give up."
Tenzin clenched his fists and suddenly ran down the mountain.