Sacred, beautiful, killer mountain
- Source: Global Times
- [21:43 August 05 2009]
- Comments
More than 20 people have gone missing on Sichuan’s highest mountain between 1957 and 1999. Photo: CFP
By Wang Weilan
A public memorial service was held in Boulder, Colorado of the United States for three local alpinists last month.
Two died, one was left missing on Mount Edgar of Sichuan Province, Southwest China in late May.
“Holy Minya Konka, holy Mount Edgar, you are the symbol of sanctity and beauty and we admire you so much.”
“The inadvertent offense made you furious incidentally. But the climbers meant no offense to you. All we have toward you is awe and worship.”
“We hope you treat succeeding climbers with kindness and generosity, just the way you treat everything on the mountain.”
The words were uttered in Chinese by a member of the Sichuan Mountaineering Association, representing all the Chinese and American rescuers in a simple but solemn farewell ceremony on Mount Edgar before the bodies were moved and transported down the mountain to be cremated.
Minya Konka is a renowned mountain in Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture. Some say it belongs to the Great Snowy Mountain Range.
The bodies of Jonathan Copp, 35, and Wade Johnson, 24, were found and identified under an avalanche on Mount Edgar (6,610 meters) on June 6 and 8. The search for the other climber, Micah Dash, 32, was called off and delayed probably until September because of bad weather.
All were experienced alpinists from the US. Copp and Dash were on the expedition to ascend to the peak, but Johnson was to film the adventure. For each of them, it was their first climbing attempt in China, under the sponsorship of the American Alpine Club.
They were registered to stay in the mountainous area from May 1 to 28, and started climbing from the base camp on May 20, but lost contact.
“Most probably they met a severe avalanche,” said Lin Li, head of the association and responsible for the rescue effort that began June 4.
The two climbers were found at an altitude of 4,000 meters, about three hours’ walk from the base camp. “The bodies stretched out and lay on the sides on the snowfield, with no trace of struggle.
“So we can guess that they were killed suddenly,” said one of the rescuers.
According to Lin, there was nothing in the video or photographs after May 20 in the filming equipment carried by Johnson and later recovered by the rescue team.
It is possible the avalanche roared down right after they started off from the base camp.
Expressing awe toward nature and blessings toward the climbers, the rescuers couldn’t help breaking into tears.
“The spirit of the mountain does not want to be disturbed,” said a local villager named Song Qiang. Legend has it that five fairies have lived in Mount Qomolangma (Mount Everest) for thousands of years, while their beautiful aunt is the goddess of Minya Konka.
