Nepalese call it. I recently heard the name and story of George Mallory. George was an English mountain climber who, when asked why he desired to climb Everest, said, "Because it is there." He had attempted Everest on two different occasions, both falling well short of the summit. In 1924, he joined his third expedition, and was paired with Andrew Irvine. They made the ascent using supplemental oxygen bottles, which was a new innovation at the time.
There are two ascent routes for Everest: the southeastern ridge and the northeastern ridge. The south route is considered to technically be the easiest route, and is the most frequently attempted of the two. It is also the most politically accessible. The southeastern ridge is accessible from Nepal, the northeastern from Tibet. Tibet, under the control of Communist China, has made access to the northeastern route difficult since the 1950's.
Mallory and Irvine made their ascent on June 8, 1924, up the northeastern ridge. They were last seen by Noel Odell, a geologist who was assisting them on the climb, ascending the Second Step, a hazardous outcropping just above the 28,000 foot mark.
At 12:50, just after I had emerged from a state of jubilation at finding the first definite fossils on Everest, there was a sudden clearing of the atmosphere, and the entire summit ridge and final peak of Everest were unveiled. My eyes became fixed on one tiny black spot silhouetted on a small snow-crest beneath a rock-step in the ridge; the black spot moved. Another black spot became apparent and moved up the snow to join the other on the crest. The first then approached the great rock-step and shortly emerged at the top; the second did likewise. Then the whole fascinating vision vanished, enveloped in cloud once more.
That was the last sighting of the pair on that day. For the next 75 years, it was assumed that they had succumbed to the same fate as so many others had on Everest. It is estimated that there are nearly 150 bodies of climbers still on the mountain. Most who die there remain there, as the recovery of the body is too hazardous for the reasonable to attempt. Those who climb this mountain assume its risks.
In May of 1999, a group sponsored by the public television show Nova and the BBC, set out on an expedition to look for the remains of Irvine and Mallory. In 1986, a Chinese climber had reported to his tentmate that he had discovered what he referred to as "an English dead" at 26,570 feet when he had been climbing back in 1975. This fueled interest in discovering what they assumed to be the remains of Irvine (An ice axe belonging to Irvine had been discovered in 1933, approximately 800 feet above where the body had been sighted).
On May 1, 1999, the Mallory-Irvine Research Expedition ascended the northeast face in an attempt to locate the body of Irvine and/or Mallory. At around 10:45 that morning, after an already exhaustive search, they found a body which was assumed to be Andrew Irvine. The team, scattered across the face of the mountain in an intensive search, were called together at the location of the find using code words. It was widely known that the radio frequencies they were using would be monitored by others and definitely would be monitored by the Chinese. In investigating the body and the area directly around it, the group was surprised to find that the remains, given 75 years of exposure to the harsh elements, had been rather well preserved in the dry, alpine air. They found goggles in a jacket pocket, leading them to assume that the climber had died in the night. Checking the clothing, they found a label which read, "G. Mallory." The crew was blown away. In thinking they would find the remains of Andrew Irvine, they instead found the body of George Mallory.
After gathering samples of the garments and gathering DNA samples, the group "buried" the body and held a short, Anglican committal service for George Mallory. In a transcript of the Nova video, Andy Politz, a member of the search party, says:
We're not worthy for this. We do this out of respect for this man. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy. Slow to anger and of great goodness. As a father is tender towards his children, so is the Lord tender to those that fear, for he knows of what we are made. He remembers that we are made of barefoot dust. He flourishes like a flower of the field. When the wind goes over it, it's gone.
Here's some links to my reading:
Article on Mallory: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mallory
Article on the Expedition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallory_and_Irvine_Research_Expedition
NOVA - "Lost on Everest": http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/lost/
Article on Mount Everest: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest
Images of the Find: http://mountainworldphoto.com/IF_Pro/cgi-bin/ImageFolio31/imageFolio.cgi?direct=George%20Leigh%20Mallory%20Discovery
