Mount Everest is 8848 meters high, which makes it the highest mountain in the world. Before you decide to climb this mountain, you should be able how difficult it is and how unfriendly the peak is.
I would like to tell you the story of some daredevils who wanted to reach Mount Everest.
There were three teams of adventurers who started their trip in March 1996 in the north part of India. There were two guides: Frank Hall and Henry Fischer. They agreed to lead these 16 people to the top of Mont Everest. It cost the fortune. On 16 March the climbers set up their first camp on the height of 5364 meters. It was at the foot of western side of Mount Everest.
For some weeks climbers were getting used to the high altitude and tried to breathe the rarefied air.
On 10 may 1996 they set up the third camp. Once one of them - a Chinese climber named Cho Ming fell down to the crack. The other climbers found him dead.
That evening the teams arrived at South Pass. Some of climbers climbed very slowly. A porter was going carrying the satellite phone, which weighted over 35 kg.
13 may 1996. About 6.00 pm
The weather was clean and sunny. Some climbers were tired and needed to rest, but one of them Robert Hall insisted on further climbing and said to the group: "Come on! We can do it! Let's reach a few meters and then we take a rest."
15 may 1996. They were still on their way to the top.
The next night wasn't very cold. The weather was favourable. Every mountaineer was carrying a big oxygen bottles which weighed over 3 kilograms. One of the climbers became blind as a result of the whiteness of surrounding snow.
One of porters was ill. He was sitting on the white ice and he started vomiting. He was too weak to go further.
17 may 1996. About 2,15pm they reached the summit of Mount Everest.
Two of them found themselves on the top as first and shouted: "We are on the top of the world!!! It is so beautiful!" While they were going down, a Russian traveller Anatolij Dukriejew broke his foot. He cried as a child: "I can't go down! Go down and bring me back. Please."
They swore to come back and they went down to the next camp.
18 may 1996. About 3.10 pm in the camp on the height of 7994 meters.
When theses two travellers arrived at the seventh camp Fischer, they started organizing "rescue team" to go for Anatolij.
19 may 1996. About 4pm Place of Dukriejew
When they arrived at place where they had left Dukrijew, they found him dead. They agreed to go down to the camp. Suddenly a strong snowstorm started. They lost their way, but they found a shelter in a big snow hole. The other members started looking for them, but unfortunately when they find them, they were frozen.
20 may 1996. Camp on the heigh of 7994 meters
When the snowstorm ended, the rest of climbers started going down. When they went down the balance of victims were sad:
Henry Fischer - died
Anatolij Dukriejew - died
Cho Ming - died
Australian climber - blind
One of the porters - serious disease of internal organs
3 porters - died
They reached the highest mountain in the world and proof their courageous. They are known as heroes.
