Peak (24 page)

600 feet...

Two football fields. At nearly 29,000 feet it felt more like twenty miles.

Three steps ... rest ... three steps ... rest ... two steps ... rest...

I discovered it was best to avoid looking up at the summit. Every time I peeked it appeared farther away, as if I were walking backward. Sun-jo, Yash, and Yogi were about a hundred feet behind me moving at the same snail's pace. I shot them for a couple minutes, then started out again.

100 feet...

90 feet...

I stopped and checked my Os, thinking the tank must be empty. It was half full, hissing out two liters per minute, which didn't seem nearly enough to keep me alive.

80 feet...

50 feet...

I looked at my watch. 1:09
P.M.
Twenty-six minutes to turnaround time. I stopped to rest. I was standing at 29,003 feet, higher than any other mountain on earth: 32 feet to go.

It was cold and windy, but the weather was rarely better at this altitude. I could see for hundreds of miles in every direction. "Beautiful" doesn't describe the view, nor does "majestic." The closest word I could think of was "divine," but even that fell short of what it was like.

Sun-jo had made up some time. He was less than twenty feet away from me. Yogi and Yash were walking on either side of him. I wanted to turn around and finish the climb, but instead I took out the camera and recorded my team coming up. I could see now that Sun-jo was struggling and Yash and Yogi were actually helping him along. It was 1:19 by the time they reached me. Sun-jo fell down on his knees and was having difficulty breathing. I checked his oxygen tank gauge and saw they had already cranked it up to four liters per minute.

I gave him some time to rest, then squatted next to him. "You can do this, Sun-jo. It's only about thirty feet away. Look!" I pointed to the ridge pole.

He gazed up at the colorful prayer flags snapping in the wind and gave a dull nod, but he didn't move.

"After you touch the pole," I said, "it's all downhill."

Sun-jo shook his head. "I don't think I can do it."

"You have to do it! For your sisters. For yourself."

He continued to shake his head. I looked at Yogi and Yash. They were in as bad a shape as Sun-jo. Getting Sun-jo this far had nearly done them in. I looked at my watch. Twelve minutes to turnaround time. Even if we left right that second, I wasn't sure we would make the summit by 1:35.

"You go," Sun-jo said weakly. "I'll start back down."

"You can't go down the north side. The Chinese are waiting for you."

"I will get around them."

He and I both knew this wasn't true. I looked down the mountain. Two other climbing parties had topped the third step and were winding their way up the dragon's tail. They must have gotten a late start or had run into problems along the way. If the weather held they might be okay.

You can never tell who the mountain will allow and who it will not.... Sun-jo will not reach the summit without your help....

"Let's go." I pulled Sun-jo to his feet. We started back up and with each little step, Sun-jo seemed to gain strength.
25 feet ... 20 ... 17 feet ...

10 feet...

I stopped and stared up at the summit pole, then turned around and looked below.

"What's the matter?" Sun-jo asked.

I looked back up at the summit pole, then pulled my goggles down and looked at Sun-jo. "Do you know the date?"

He shook his head.

"May thirtieth," I said.

"So?"

"I think this is as far as I'm going."

"What are you talking about? The summit is only a few steps away. What does the date have to—"

"Tomorrow's your birthday. You have a reason to be here, Sun-jo. An important reason. Your future and your sisters' future. I don't have a reason for being here. I'm heading back down the north side."

Sun-jo stared at me like I was crazy, and maybe I was at that moment, but the decision I had made during the last few feet felt right. I didn't want to be the youngest person to summit Everest. Sun-jo's father died saving my father. Reaching the top would save Sun-jo and his sisters. With the money from the equipment endorsements he would receive they would all be able to go back to school.

"It is too much," Sun-jo said.

"It's nothing."

"Come with us down the south side into Nepal."

I shook my head. "If I climb down the south side everyone will know that I reached the summit. The only way down for me is the way I came up. But I do have a favor to ask." I took off my pack and found the Moleskine. The yellow prayer flag with the blue mountain was hidden in a pocket in the back of the journal. I took it out and handed it to him. "When you get to the top tie this on the pole."

"Of course, but—"

"You need to go."

Sun-jo put his thick gloves together in the Buddhist way and bowed. "Thank you, Peak. I will not forget this."

"We're running out of time. I'll tape you getting to the top so there's a record of the climb."

Sun-jo quickly explained what I was doing to Yogi and Yash. At first they looked shocked, then they both broke into broad smiles and clapped me on the back.

"Yogi is coming with you," Sun-jo said.

"I'll be all right."

"He insists," Sun-jo said, "and so do I."

"Fine."

We all shook hands and hugged, then I recorded Sun-jo and Yash taking those last ten steps. When they reached the summit of the highest mountain in the world they took off their masks and smiled and waved for the camera.

Sun-jo tied my yellow flag to the pole, then he and Yash crossed into Nepal.

DOWN THE MOUNTAINSIDE

I DON'T REMEMBER MUCH
about the trip back to Camp Six. We stumbled into camp well after dark. I vaguely remember Yogi hooking up a fresh oxygen tank to my mask, but after that it's a blank. I didn't have any trouble sleeping. I know that. And I didn't have any regrets about not reaching the summit.

I woke up with spit frozen all over my face and the worst headache of my life. The oxygen tank was empty. I grabbed another one and cranked it up to six for a few minutes. That got rid of most of the headache.

Yogi and I were eager to get down and check on Zopa. We bypassed Camp Five and went directly to Camp Four. As soon as we stepped into camp we were confronted by one of the Chinese soldiers. He was dressed like a climber, except for the pistol strapped around his waist. In pretty good English he asked who we were and what we were doing.

"My name is Peak Marcello and this is Yogi Sherpa," I said. "We took supplies up to Camp Five and we're headed back down to Base Camp."

He called Captain Shek on the radio and they had a long conversation in Chinese.

"The captain wants to talk to you," the soldier said and handed me the radio.

"This is Peak Marcello," I said.

"Joshua Wood's son?"

"Right."

"What you doing on mountain?"

"Like I told your officer, I helped take some supplies to Camp Five. Josh is taking a climbing party up tomorrow."

"But you leave mountain!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked, enjoying myself immensely. "I'm up at Camp Four."

"You have big argument with you father."

"Oh that. He told me that he wasn't going to let me try for the summit. It made me mad, but at least he let me get as far as Camp Five."

"What about other boy?"

"What other boy?"

"Sun-jo!"

"Oh him," I said. "He's in Nepal." Which was the absolute truth.

"I don't believe. I have soldier bring you and Sherpa back to Base Camp."

"Whatever," I said and handed the radio back to the soldier.

They had another long conversation in Chinese, but I knew what this one was about. The other soldiers had gathered around the radio and were listening intently. The one with the radio finally signed off and shook his head with resignation.

"You don't have to escort us down," I said.

"We have orders," he said.

"That's fine with me, but we're going to Base Camp. Where else would we go?"

About that time Josh came on the radio asking for me. The soldier handed me his radio again.

"Is everything okay, Peak?"

"I guess. What's the matter with that captain?"

"I don't know. Anyway, we're headed up to ABC tomorrow, so I guess we'll see you on your way to Base Camp. Thanks for helping Yogi get those supplies up to Five."

I could see him and the others gathered at HQ monitoring the call from Captain Shek.

"No problem," I said. "Is there any way you'd reconsider giving me a shot at the summit?"

"We already talked about that, Peak. The answer is no. Maybe next year, or the year after, when you're a little older. You're not ready."

"Out." I handed the radio back, trying to look disappointed.

The soldier looked at me for a moment. "Do I have your word that you are going down to Base Camp?"

I held up my right hand. "You have my word. All I want to do right now is crawl into my tent and go to sleep."

He nodded.

Yogi and I headed over to Zopa's tent not sure what we would find. What we found was a note.

Peak,
I left Camp Four yesterday. All is well. I will see you on the road.

Zopa

I was glad to hear he was okay, but the note freaked me out. It was addressed to me! The plan had been for me to top the mountain with Sun-jo and cross into Nepal. How could Zopa possibly have known what I was planning to do?
I
didn't know what I was planning to do until I was ten feet away from the summit!

YOGI AND I WOKE UP
early and left Camp Four before anyone was awake. I wanted to give the soldiers an out so they could tell the captain that we had left before they were up.

When we got to ABC we were met by more soldiers. They were in uniform and looked uncomfortably cold. Once again I was given a radio with a very angry Captain Shek on the other end.

"You leave Camp Four!"

"Right."

"Without soldiers!"

"We left before light. We didn't want to wake them. Besides, we know our way down to Base Camp. We don't need an escort."

"Soldiers at ABC escort you!"

"Fine."

The two soldiers picked for the duty were delighted to be leaving ABC.

We ran into Josh and his clients just as they were arriving at Camp Two. They must have left Base Camp early, because they had made good time. Josh took me to the side out of earshot of the Chinese soldiers.

"Did you make the summit?" he asked quietly.

"No."

"What happened?"

"Ran out of steam."

"No worries," he said. "What about Zopa, Sun-jo, and Yash?"

"Zopa got sick and didn't get past Camp Four. I don't know where he is now. I was hoping that you'd seen him."

Josh shook his head. "I'm sure he's fine. He probably slipped into the porter camp at night and is laying low."

"I hope so."

"And Sun-jo and Yash?" he asked. "As far as I know they're in Nepal."

"What?"

I told him about Zopa's plan.

He broke into a broad grin. "That son of a ... Captain Shek is going to flip when he finds out. Topping the mountain." He shook his head, then turned a little more serious.

"How far did you make it?"

"Above Camp Six."

"Well, you made it a lot farther than most people. I'll take you next year or the year after. We'll go up on the Nepal side. After Shek finds out about Sun-jo I'll never get a permit to climb on this side again. When did Sun-jo summit?"

"One thirty-two
P.M.
May thirtieth. A day before his fifteenth birthday."

He put his hand on my shoulder. "I wish it could have been you."

"No worries," I said.

"We go!" one of the soldiers said.

"In a minute!" Josh said, then turned back to me. "Shek is going to detain you when you get to Base Camp and ask you some questions. Thaddeus will be there with you. In real life Thaddeus is a lawyer and is fluent in Chinese and Chinese law. You'll be okay."

I
was
going to be okay, but not for the reason he thought. And I was not going to join him on another Everest climb. I'd had enough of 8,000-meter peaks littered with corpses.

"I'm going home," I said.

"What do you mean?"

"Back to New York."

"We'll talk about that when I get back down."

"I won't be there when you get down," I said.

"What's the hurry?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

"Okay. I want to be home for the twins' birthday."

By the look on his face I was right. He didn't understand.

"I haven't missed one yet," I said.

Josh stared at me for a moment. "Well, I guess Thaddeus can get you a ride to Kathmandu."

"We go now!" the Chinese soldier shouted.

"We're just about finished," Josh said irritably.

"I guess I'd better go."

"Yeah ... well ... Sorry it didn't work out." Josh put out his hand.

"Actually, it did work out," I said, shaking his hand. "I'll see you around."

I started following the soldiers and Yogi, then turned back and shouted, "Write when you get a chance."

Josh looked at me and grinned. "I might just do that."

WE GOT TO BASE CAMP
about five o'clock. Captain Shek, several soldiers, and Thaddeus Bowen were waiting for me. They weren't interested in Yogi and let him go into camp.

When we got to Shek's headquarters, the first thing he did was to dump everything in my pack onto a large table. Then (just like my New York detective a century ago) he examined the contents item by item.

He found nothing of interest except for the digital camera Josh had gotten for me, JR's video camera, and my Moleskine. He flipped through the Moleskine, found mostly blank pages, and put it back down. The cameras he pushed to the side of the table.