Evening star., 1953-06-18

and disappeared into the night.
I was not long in following, my
eyes still heavy with sleep.
We were all heavily laden with
equipment for three camps and
several days food. The Sherpas
would carry the loads up as high
as they could and then go back
to the base camp as quickly
as possible so as not to use up
the high-altitude provisions.
It was daylight when we
reached the snow-it was hard,
but my soles held nicely. Our
progress was slow and somewhat
labored, but we gained height
steadily.
Savage and DesOIate.
We were in a savage and DESC
late cirque of mountains never
before seen by man. No animal
or plant could exist here. In
the pure morning light this
absence of all life, this utter deS-
titution of nature. seemed only
to intensity our own strength.
How could we expect any one
else to understand the peculiar
exhilaration that we drew from
this barrenness, when mans
natural tendency is to be attract
ed to everything in nature that
Is lush and fruitful?
We were nearly as high as
Mont Blanc and it was extremely
cold. Everybody was out OF
breath and labored at his own
pace. When we reached the sad
die the sun had risen, and where
as a moment ago those Stupen-
dous wall shad been dark and
ominous now they glowed with
light.
We took the ropes out Of our
sacks and tied on. The previous
days party had left a rope fixed
here, all ready for us, and we
started climbing up rock which,
though limestone. was relatively
firm. Sarki was on my rope; Re-
buffat followed with Adjiba, Ter
ray with ALA and Schatz.
Speed Essential.
II tho solution of the problem
lay up the spur, We must reach
1t quickly, and we determined
to 20 all-out. The plan was that
as soon as the ground became
too difficult for the Sherpas they
would put down their loads and
90 down again, while the four
sahibs would go on and pitch a
tent as high as possible; there
Rebuffat and I would sleep.
Terray and Schatz would go
back to the shoulder, where
Lachenal would join Terray in
the evening, after resting from
his climb of the day before. AS
for Schatz, he would return to
base camp and come up again
the following day with Couzy,
and so make a third assault
party; they would organize their
camp on the shoulder.
The first step was soon accom-
plished: We sent back the sher-
pas. After they had gone we
gained height rapidly; We sur
veyed, as from an airplane, the
continuation of our spur, which
from here looked rather attrac-
tive. We could also see the gla-
ciers flowing down on both sides
of our ridge. The clouds, as US
ual, were low down, obScuring
any view of the mountains
around us.
Soon it became very cold and
started to snow; we were GER
tainly above $4,000 feet. I looked
up to the ridge and tried to spot
q site for the tent. For the mo-
ment we could see nothing but
some treacherous-l looking ledges,
and these were few and far be-
tween.
Threatening Weather.
The weather was threatening
and we had to come to some de-
ciSion, particularly as it was get
ting late and Schatz and Terray
wanted to go back.
We were holding on with our
hands to blade-thin little rock
ridge, while our feet dangled
against the rock. The feeling of
space was considerable I
couldn't remember anything
quite so steep in the Alps. The
few rocks sticking out from the
slope were covered with ice. I
could not understand how snow
could ever lie on these slopes
and I realized why avalanches
were so frequent.
After this delicate crossing we
came to small triangular
snow covered shelf. The weather
had now turned really bad, and
at once we decided to pitch our
tent here. Setting to work
quickly, we hurled the snow off
each side of the ridge, starting
avalancheS. Ice-covered rocks
went the same way. But even
after this clearing of the decks
there was hardly room for two
of us to sit down.
We tried to pry up some rocks
embedded in the ice. hacking
away in turn. or using our axes
as levers. The site now looked
more promising, and Terray and
Schatz could leave us.
Dangerous Work.
In five minutes they had dis
appeared from sight. I was wor-
ried about them-climbing at
this height in fresh snow is
highly dangerous.
Rebuffat and I were now alone.
We went on working away at
our emplacement for all we were
worth-at least as quickly as our
want of breath would allow us.
We pried up an enormous stone