Whiteout II: 10 (The Ice Fall)

10. The Ice Fall

     The Vikram wall is so named for one of the many explorers that have lost their lives to it. The terrain is as unforgiving as they come. Just below The Death Zone, the Vikram Wall stands a solid sheet of ice that must be scaled in order to reach the next leg of the journey. Throughout the day it cracks and shifts, sometimes sending entire sections of ice crashing down. People say that when you climb it you put your life in the hands of the mountain. Looking at it below brought all of the truth to those statements.

     One side was an icy waterfall, frozen for too many years for anyone to know. The other was a series of treacherous steps, switch-backing their way up to the top of the falls and into the start of The Dead Zone. Our team of 8 stood at the base mid-morning, all completely silent. The cracks of the ice shifting were deafening. The sunlight reflected off of the deadly beauty, enticing us to climb, and masking the dangers that lay just below his surface.

     “Well I hope you’ve got a way to kill it Mr. Ventner. A hasty descent down this mountain would not be kind to any of us. There will be no running once we scale the wall.” He was right. Coming down the mountain was a slow affair, and we would not make it if we were chased. It wasn’t even a matter of odds. If we had to descend quickly, we were all going to die.

     Well I guess our fate rests on that little bottle of liquid. Please old man; tell me you didn’t screw us over. I don’t put much stock in the honesty of the elderly, I’ve been cheated on one too many bridge games. “I’ve got a way. I’d say we’ve got about a fifty-fifty shot of making it back down. I’m game if you are.” The real odds might have been much worse, but I’m not very good at spot statistical calculations. If only we had a protocol droid…

     “No sense wasting time then. Alright men, on your way up.” Manchester said motioning his team to secure the route. They would put all of the ropes in place to make our journey a little safer. I walked over to Lopsang who was staring at Manchester’s climbing team nervously.

     “What’s the matter?”

     “I do not trust their abilities. They do not look like mountain climbers.”

     “Don’t you know the old saying never judge a book by its cover?”

     “We have one like that. If it doesn’t look like a goat, it’s probably not one…”

     Ooh, finely some sarcasm from the demi-god. “Couldn’t you use your powers to get us up there somehow?” He tilted his head at me angrily.

     “I have climbed this mountain for years without ever once using my abilities. They are not some cheap party trick. I only use them in situations where it is life or death, that was the deal I made. I’ve never broken it, and I don’t intend to now.”

     “Then what do you suggest we do about this?”

     “Just make sure Manchester goes first. I will climb after him and check all the ropes to make sure that it is safe for our ascent.” Lopsang was really starting to grow on me. He always had a plan and was pretty useful in tight pinches. That coupled with the fact that he had a good soul made him one of the most useful team members I had ever had. James would rage if he heard me say that, but alas, I don’t sense that he’s listening right now.

     “Not a problem by me. I just promised to do him no harm, I never said anything about letting harm come to him. If he wants to fall on the account of his shoddy mountain guides, we should ablige him.” As the crew set up the trail for us I could not help but be awe-struck by the top of the mountain above us. The summit looked so attainable from down there. Part of me began to understand the drive that climbers felt to continue through such adversity. It would have been one hell of a view up there. A view from the top of the world is something worth dying for. I thought. I’m not sure if it was the altitude or a genuine change, but I believed it.

     We sat and waited, conserving our strength for the task ahead. Climbing was no easy task that high up. Muscles became sluggish and reaction time was almost non-existent. The ascent might not have been so bad at a lower altitude, but here it was all I could do to keep breathing. The thin air cuts into your lungs, taking away precious oxygen, and plaguing you with constant headaches. In my skull there was a dull thrum as it begged me for more oxygen. Not today my friend, but soon.

     I could only hope that Shangri-La had its own altitude, disobeying the physics of its location. Stranger things have happened, and it can never hurt to have hope. It only hurts after that hope is taken away, but looking up at those deadly slopes required inspiration.

     A few hours passed and the ropes were set for our ascent. Manchester began to climb up and Lopsang followed in a line shortly after. We waited a few minutes and then continued up as well. I could hear James panting behind me the whole way, gasping for air as the physical exertion took a tole on his body. One quarter of the way to the top I stopped and rested with him.

     “I don’t think I can do it. It’s too much. I’ll go back to the marker and wait for you. I can’t go on like this.” Lack of mountaineering training was taking its toll on both of us, but I needed him in order to continue. There was no journey without both of us. I did not work well alone, and facing the yeti with an unfamiliar team did not bode well for me.

     “You can do this James. I need you up there. You’re the only one who’s got my back. You’re stronger than you know. Dig deep down and find that strength. Look at the top of that mountain and let it pull you up. Take your energy from the fire burning into your limbs and turn it into motion. One foot after the other.” Slowly we began to move again, stopping every once and a while for water and to rest. As the sun drew closer to the top of the mountain, we too came to the top of the wall.

     The constant cracking did not yield any ice-falls on that day. At least we have some luck with us up here. Climbing the wall was surprisingly hot. Outside my suit the air was cold enough to bite, but inside it felt like the surface of the sun. I could feel the sweat dripping out of every pore while my body screamed at me to stop. When I finally clambered over the edge I felt that there was nothing left in me. The mountain had taken everything that compelled me to keep on living and drained it into the very ground I walked on.

     I rolled over the edge and stared up at the quickly darkening sky. Only it wasn’t the sky that was darkening. My vision had grown to a small tunnel that was narrowing fast to a pinpoint. The last thing I saw was Lopsang above me dragging me away from the edge. I hope James made it over. Was my last thought before I passed out.

     When I came to there was an oxygen mask on my face and it was warm. I tried to sit but found the pace too dizzying and resolved to stay on my back a bit longer. The next thing I saw was Lopsang’s smiling face. “What are you so giddy about?” I asked him through the mask, muffled and weak.

     “We found a marker. Tonight we are safe.” I rolled over to see that we had dug a small snow cave in the side of the mountain to put our tents. Just outside of it was a small obelisk, carved with ancient Tibetan writing.

     “Where are the flags?”

     “They are not needed here. They likely were here at one point, but the wind is strong. It is the intention from when they are placed that matters.”

     “Oh, good.” I said, feeling like I might’ve passed out again.

     “Dr. Ventner, you need to drink. I’m going to move you to the tent now.” Lopsang heaved under my shoulders and pulled my into the bright orange canvas. Inside James was resting in a corner, clutching a cup of something hot. He smiled when he saw me awake.

     “One foot in front of the other right?” He laughed, which quickly turned into a cough. I tried to laugh, but the wheezing of the air hurt my lungs more. My head felt like a kettle drum, constantly pounding. Lopsang put me in a sitting position and handed me a cup of sweet-smelling broth.

     “Drink this. It will help with your headache and nourish you. Most climbers forget the calories they expend on a daily basis. Mal-nourishment can lead to heavier muscle fatigue up here. Drink as much as you can.” Outside the slopes glowed red as the sun disappeared. I drank the broth and felt the warmth spread through every bone in my body almost instantly. A wave of relief coated my head and the pain was but a distant memory.

     “Good soup right?” Said James, laughing more carefully.

     I took the oxygen mask off and switched off the tank. There was no reason to waste it before we needed it. The Death Zone would require it to proceed. “Absolutely. I feel alive again, although I’m not sure if my body gets the message.” We both laughed at that and continued to sip away. The tent was warmed by a solar powered heater that we carried on our backs during the day. It was the little things that felt like godsends up there.

     There was no howling that night other than that of the wind. We were the only people on the mountain, and we were untouchable. As we fought of the temperatures in our tent we watched the tracking screen. The creature did not move. It could sense that there was nothing for it on the mountain but ice. I had a feeling I had killed the only other living species on the mountain when I took down those wargs.

     The green dot glowed warmly on the computer screen, beeping softly every two seconds to let us know that it was still there. “How long until we go after it?” Asked James.

     “We will head out early in the morning, just before first light. The creature is somewhere just above us on the other side of the face. It is not a well-traveled climbing route and will take more time for us to traverse. Once above this point there are many risks. Get your rest and drink up. Tomorrow is going to be one of the longest days of your life.”