Hope cleared her throat. “From here to Lhonak is an increase in altitude of a little over a thousand meters. That’s going to be difficult.”
We all knew this would be difficult,” Marquis said. “You all knew the risks. If anyone wants to turn back, he’s welcome. I for one am going on. Who’s going with me?”
No one said anything until Bond raised his hand. “The way I see it, there’s altitude sickness, HACE, HAPE, avalanches, frostbite, snow blindness, and dozens of other catastrophes that could happen. What’s a little gunfire aimed in our direction?”
A few people snickered. Chandra spoke up then. “In the Gurkha forces, we have a saying in Gurkhali: Kaphar hunu banda, marnu raamro. It’s our motto. It means ‘It’s better to die than be a coward.’ I shall go with you and Commander Bond.”
“Me, too,” Hope Kendall said. “Besides, I have a feeling you’ll need a good doctor up there.”
Paul Baack shrugged. “Hell, I’ve come this far. Why not?”
The others ultimately agreed. Only Otto Schrenk was silent. They all looked at him, waiting for an answer. Finally, he said, “I’m in.”
Keeping the murder from the Ghunsa police proved to be easier than they expected. Hope Kendall submitted a death certificate claiming that David Black had received a “puncture wound” when he fell on some equipment. Luckily, the police were accustomed to dealing with accident-prone westerners and allowed the team to take care of the matter without their interference. Permits were checked and the team were cleared to move on.
The Liaison Officer volunteered to take David Black’s body to Kathmandu and attend to the appropriate bureaucracy involved. After he left with the corpse on a wagon, the Sherpas performed a token prayer service for the dead climber.
As night fell, the entire team went to their tents in silence. They attempted to put the events of the day behind them, but there was no escaping the feeling that impending disaster was just around the comer.
The trek grew more difficult after the overnight stop in Lhonak. Everyone on the team was feeling poorly. The ascent was overly ambitious, and even Roland Marquis was coughing and breathing heavily when they finally reached Base Camp, six days after leaving Kathmandu.
It was located on the north side of the great mountain at 5,140 meters. Remnants of past expeditions were still there—broken tents, rubbish, puja shrines, and, most conspicuous, a few gravestones that had been placed to honor those who had perished on Kangchenjunga
The peak itself was massive, extending up into the clouds. It was a spectacular behemoth of rock, ice, and snow. Winds dangerously whipped around it. Billows of what appeared to be white “smoke” occasionally exploded off the upper regions. This was really snow and ice being thrown about by the high winds. From the base of the mountain, this phenomenon was beautiful to look at; but to be up there in it would be extremely hazardous. There, it would be a terrible blizzard. It was no wonder, Bond thought, that the Nepalese believed the gods lived at the top. The sight was so overpowering that his first instinct was to bow to it, proclaim himself unworthy to be in its vicinity, and then turn around and go home. The facts were well known to him—the mountain is eight miles in length and five in width, and its main summit is at 8,598 meters, or 28,208 feet, making it the third-highest peak in the world. Although Everest receives most of the attention in the Himalayas, Kangchenjunga is considered more difficult and “mightier.” Many people have attempted to summit the Kanch from the north side. It wasn’t until 1979 that three men made it to the top via the “north ridge,” bypassing the lower glacial shelves. The Japanese were the first to summit via the north face in 1980.
“All in all,” Marquis said as they approached the Base Camp, ‘there have been over twenty-five expeditions up this mountain, using seventeen possible routes. I’ve never tried the Kanch. I’ve always wanted to.”
“We’re not here to summit,” Bond reminded him.
“If we get our job done and there’s time, I’m bloody well going to do it,” Marquis said with finality in his voice. “And you can’t stop me, Bond.”
“Some of the Sherpas might.”
“Besides, I’d like to see Hope get to the top. Not many women have done it.”
Dr. Kendall overheard this and said, “Unh-unh. As much as I’d like
Mr. Bond is right. We’re not here to set world records.”
Marquis looked at them both with disgust and walked away from them.
In three hours the camp was set up and operational. Ang Tshering organized it quickly and efficiently. A tent was erected for Girmi to store the food supplies and cooking equipment. Paul Baack was in charge of expedition HQ, which consisted of all his various communications devices, cots, lamps, and other supplies. A portable satellite dish was constructed just outside the HQ tent, and it wasn’t long before he was in communication with the outside world.
Nearly everyone was wheezing and coughing. As the altitude change was now quite serious, people retired to their tents immediately after dinner. Most of them weren’t very hungry and had to force themselves to eat something.
The temperature was another factor that affected the team. At the Base Camp it was below freezing, and the windchill made it even worse. At subzero temperatures, Bond would wear a Marmot 8000 Meter down parka and trousers. Equipment and clothing weight is always something to consider, and Bond had chosen the parka because it weighed around one kilogram. His hands were kept covered by OR Promodular gloves, which were very strong, supple, and warm. Even inside the Marmot sleeping bag, he was constantly aware of the chill.
The next morning Bond felt better and found that others did, too. He was eager to get up the side of the mountain, but he knew that a week had to be spent at the Base Camp so that the body could properly acclimatize. He joined the others for the traditional puja ceremony in which the Sherpas and Chandra built a small shrine out of rocks and hung prayer scarves on it. Prayers were said, as it was believed that they had to ask permission to climb the mountain. They made offerings, and a live chicken that Girmi had brought along in a wooden cage was sacrificed for just this purpose. Supposedly, this would appease the gods at the top, and the climbers would be looked upon favorably.
“It is important not to take the climb lightly,” Chandra told everyone. “Always respect the mountain. The mountain is far more powerful than you will ever be. The gods don’t like men to be overconfident. They despise anyone who thinks he can get the better of the mountain. Misfortune will most certainly fall upon anyone who believes they can ‘trick’ the mountain.”
Everyone listened attentively, but Bond noticed Marquis holding back a snicker. He whispered to Bond, “You don’t believe that mumbo jumbo, do you, Bond?”
“It’s not a question of belief, Roland, it’s a question of respect.”
Marquis shook his head. “You always liked playing by the rules, didn’t you“
Afterward, Marquis addressed the group. “Right. I hope you all had a good night’s sleep. I know I didn’t. But as our bodies acclimatize, the sleeping will improve, isn’t that right, doctor?”
Hope said, “Well, for most people it should. Sleeping is automatically impaired at high altitudes. That’s why it’s important to take frequent rests. I should also remind you to drink lots of fluids.”
“Now,” Marquis continued, “all this week we’ll spend the time doing just that. However, beginning the day after tomorrow, some of us will commence short excursions up the face. Each day we’ll climb a little higher and return to Base Camp the same day. I’ll be watching you all to see how you do, and on that basis I’ll select those climbers who will accompany me in the Lead Team.” The Lead Team was the group that had the most difficult job. They had to install the hardware that helped other climbers get up the mountain—ropes, anchors, ice screws, pitons, carabiners, runners, and the like.