Chapter 386 Khumbu Glacier
In the afternoon, due to heavy snow and wind, everyone had to stop the training and return to the camp.
At six o'clock, it was already very cold outside the tent.
It was warm in the tent , and everyone gathered around the stove, eating dry food that was hard to swallow.
Wang Yongbo swallowed a mouthful of bread and his face suddenly turned red. Bifang handed him a bottle of mineral water. Wang Yongbo opened it and took two gulps before he recovered.
"This bread makes me choke. Hiccup."
"No choice, these are all we have on the mountain, so we have to make do with them."
Looking at the dry bread, Wang Yongbo, who was suffering from altitude sickness, had no appetite. He lifted the curtain beside him, and the wind and snow immediately poured in, freezing him so much that he quickly let go of the bread: "It's so windy outside, where is Yao Jun?"
"He's going to beg for money, right?" Bifang thought for a moment, "He's not the kind of person who doesn't know what's going on. He probably wants to buy something good to try."
Rob, who was standing by, hesitated after hearing this and said, "The supplies here are basically the same, unless you spend a lot of money..."
"Hey hey hey, chicken soup is here!"
The tent curtain was lifted, and Yao Jun strode in with a big pot in his hand. The wind and snow were blowing behind him, making everyone shiver.
"Pu, cough, cough."
Bifang spat out a mouthful of hot tea, took out a tissue to wipe it, and quickly stood up to lift the lid of the pot. Hot steam rose, and when the smoke completely dissipated, Bifang saw the whole chicken inside and instantly breathed a sigh of relief. It was an old domestic chicken.
"You almost scared me to death, I thought you really went to kill a Tibetan snow chicken!"
"How is that possible? I am a law-abiding citizen." Yao Jun grinned, picked up the pot and placed it on the oven, then opened the lid. Milky white steam rose up and the aroma of meat filled the air. Everyone smelled the fragrance and gathered around, swallowing their saliva unconsciously.
Rob chewed the dry bread in his hand and found it bitter and tasteless. He smacked his lips twice and couldn't help but come over and asked curiously, "Mr. Yao, where did you get this chicken?"
Yao Jun chuckled twice, took off his coat , sat cross-legged beside the grill, picked up the fire hook and poked the charcoal fire. Thin sparks floated up, and the person next to him blew gently, and they all flashed out in a mess. After pouring all the other ingredients into it, he explained, "I was so sleepy last night that I couldn't sleep anyway. I always felt that my mouth was bland, so I called my assistant. He helped me find a family to stew a pot of chicken soup. It can't be boiled in the mountains, so I started stewing it last night and has been stewing it until now, a day and a night, and it was brought directly to me. I thought I wouldn't be able to eat it today, hehe."
Wang Yongbo looked at the golden fat boiling in the pot, wiped his saliva, and asked without raising his head: "It's so troublesome, it must cost a lot of money, right?"
"Compared to the entrance fee, it's just a small amount of money. Since we're here, why don't we enjoy ourselves? Others go hiking while I go on vacation, others eat bread while I eat meat!" Yao Jun took out a small bowl and poured all the seasonings into it. "Come on, everyone, come and have a taste. This is a year-old hen, big and fat, with lots of oil. I've made an appointment for tomorrow. We'll have mutton offal soup, a big pot! Hot!"
Yao Jun picked up the chopsticks and greeted everyone. He picked up a piece of chicken leg, blew on it and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing it comfortably. He then placed the sauce on the table, nodded at everyone, and signaled them to start eating.
"The Sherpas don't know how to stew chicken, so I didn't let them add any seasoning, so the chicken has no flavor. You can adjust the flavor yourself."
Steam swirled inside the tent, quickly filling the small space.
Everyone looked at each other through the light mist, excitement flashed across their faces, and they all picked up chopsticks to scoop up the meat. Even the lord took a small spoon and joined in.
Rob also scooped up a small piece of meat and chewed it slowly. Perhaps because it had been so long, the chicken was very soft and tender. He looked at the lively crowd in front of him curiously, as he had never seen such a strange combination before.
This was not the only time I had led a team. There were bloated people, professional climbers, and families who came with them, as if they were traveling. They would take a photo every two steps and post it online. They would look bitter when they saw a road covered with cow and sheep feces. They would wipe the chopsticks handed to them by ordinary villagers several times, look sideways, and chew bread with difficulty with their fingers. Some people had very luxurious equipment, which cost tens of thousands of yuan, but they were exhausted after walking for an hour or two. Some were silent all the way, as if they regarded climbing as a task and would be scolded by their boss if they didn't complete it.
But the group of people in front of him are completely different: a 90-year-old senior elder, a middle-aged vice president of a large company, a young and playful rich second generation, and a big anchor whose main job is live streaming.
They looked like the least likely group of people to climb mountains, but they successfully reached the base camp. The anchor, who looked the least like a leader and the least suitable to be the leader, was the backbone of everyone. He could calmly swallow the dry bread, drink the noodles cooked by the villagers, walk with big strides, and never worry about whether his hiking shoes would be stained with cow dung. He seemed like a Sherpa who had lived here since childhood. He didn't need to adapt to the training and could start training directly. He could climb rocks at 6,000 meters with his bare hands by throwing away his gloves. When he was happy, his brows flew up as if they were sharper than a sword, as if nothing could stop him from moving forward.
Every time I go to a place, I can adapt to the rules with ease, enjoy it, and even bring the people around me to enjoy the experience together.
It's like... a born adventurer.
Early the next morning.
Rob walked out of the tent, picked up some garbage on the ground, looked at the tent beside him, squinted his eyes and smiled.
"For those who haven't used crampons before, make sure to read the left and right signs and insert them into the slots accurately. It's very simple. First..."
Ten minutes later, Fisher breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his team members putting on crampons, and then he also saw Rob standing beside them.
Rob looked at the players behind Fisher and shook his head: "Unbelievable."
Fisher took off his hat and patted Rob on the chest: "There is no other way. The company needs to make money, I need to make money, you need to make money, everyone wants to make money, the times are changing, as long as everyone feels that they can climb Mount Everest, there will be more money to be made. I heard that you brought inexperienced climbers this time, didn't you?"
"I thought so at first, but there was a guy who gave me a very different feeling. He just came here the day before yesterday. Guess what he did? He climbed a rock wall of more than ten meters with his bare hands, and then rescued a guy on the ice slope. My God, I was stunned at the time, you know? If he didn't need a permit, I doubt he would even need a guide!"
Fisher raised his eyebrows and took a sip of coffee: "This kind of person has no mountaineering record? Are you kidding?"
"I think so too, but this is true. I don't have any mountaineering certification. Judging from my resume, I'm a complete newbie."
Fisher wrinkled his nose, looked at the sun and nodded.
Rob knew the other party didn't believe him, but he didn't explain anything. He could only change the subject: "I heard that you have already gone to the front to clean up the icicles?"
"Yes, it's even worse this year. The old icicles are quite large, and we had to set up four or five ladders to get over them."
Just as Fisher was about to say something, he suddenly put on his sunglasses and patted Rob on the shoulder: "Your team member."
Rob looked up and saw Bifang, who had already put on his equipment, and he couldn't help laughing.
…
Bifang starts live broadcast.
[What the hell! Live streaming in the middle of the night? ]
[Are we starting to climb the mountain? Didn’t you say last time that we would start in the early morning? ]
[Oh my god, isn't this too early? I haven't even slept yet, and suddenly I got a notification that the show is starting.]
[Shocked, two live broadcasts in one day]
[Are we going to Camp C2 today? ]
[Climbing without oxygen, go for it! ]
"To be precise, we are not going to Camp C2, but preparing to climb the summit. To reach the best condition for the summit, we need to conduct three adaptive summit trainings and then return to the camp, either to Camp C2 or Camp C1. It is now past one in the morning, but we must quickly put on all kinds of equipment and prepare to set off. We need to take advantage of the lowest temperature and the relative stability of the glacier to pass the Khumbu Glacier, known as the 'terrifying glacier' at an altitude of 5,700 meters as soon as possible."
"The Khumbu Glacier is crisscrossed with cracks of all sizes, and the towering hanging glaciers may fall at any time. There is also the risk of avalanches on the Nuptse Peak and the huge Mount Everest on both sides of the glacier. It is a checkpoint with a very high mortality rate when climbing Mount Everest, and we must be absolutely sure. Yesterday we went to the pass, not the route to the summit of Mount Everest, and did not encounter the Khumbu Glacier, but today, it will be our only way."
Bifang placed all the tools on the ground and stuffed them into the bag one by one, making sure nothing was missed.
"Because we are climbing without oxygen, the equipment must be lightweight. There are almost no spare tools. I am going to bring a small safety belt. You should have seen it. It is the one I used to save someone the day before yesterday. It is strong and durable and is used for rappelling. Trekking poles, small ice axe, gloves, sunglasses, down jacket, pants, a soft water bag. There are many water sources in the mountain, so I only need a soft water bag to carry water on the ridge. Oh, and some energy gels and energy bars."
Bifang took out a bunch of "chocolate bars" from his spare bag and showed them to everyone. The energy bars were very ordinary, similar to chocolate bars, while the energy gels were a bit disgusting and looked a bit like snot.
Then he grabbed a handful and stuffed it into his bag. This was Bifang's mountain climbing fuel. Combined with his strong digestive ability, it would definitely work wonders.
"Energy bars and energy gels can be eaten directly to replenish energy. Although energy bars and chocolate bars look the same and taste similar, chocolate contains 30 to 32 grams of fat per 100 grams, and the fat component is mainly saturated fatty acids. Therefore, chocolate is just a food that pleases the taste buds, and regular consumption of chocolate is not healthy. Energy bars limit fat intake while ensuring energy intake. Generally, one sports energy bar is used one hour before exercise. After exercise, use one bar within 30-60 minutes to increase glycogen storage and relieve muscle soreness."
At this point, Bifang tore open an energy bar and started chewing it: "This is my breakfast."
[Is this really enough? ]
[Isn't this too little? ]
When we walked out of the camp, the wind and snow had long stopped. It was still pitch black outside, but many people had already stood up and started to move.
The sound of ice avalanches from the Khumbu Glacier rumbles from time to time...
"If you stay in this kind of 'desert' for a long time, you will suddenly lose track of where you are. If it weren't for the wifi connection, I might have thought I was living on an alien planet. You can hear those thunder-like sounds, which are actually the sound of glaciers breaking, and coughing, which is caused by pneumonia and 'kelp cough' caused by the dryness and coldness in the mountains."
Bifang was simply doing warm-up exercises. Every time he approached a tent, the audience could hear a cough, which went on and on in the camp, like maggots clinging to bones. Coupled with the pitch-black environment, it was just like a horror movie.
Stretching all the muscles in his body, Bifang began to jog. He always believed in one sentence.
Don't fantasize about achieving success overnight. Every step you take before reaching your goal counts.
Take one step, then another.
How difficult is it to wait for Mount Everest?
In the long struggle, if you don’t give up training because of laziness, don’t dare to try because of fear, don’t stop because of opposition from relatives and friends, don’t sigh in vain because of insufficient time or money, don’t ignore climbing knowledge because of blind self-confidence, don’t despise professional equipment because of ignorance, and don’t fail in a training session because of bad luck...
Only then will you have a chance to become the one in a million who reaches the summit.
Soon, Bifang, who had warmed up last night, found Rob. At this time, Yao Jun, Sir Alex and others were also ready, not to mention the Sherpas, who were generally veterans who had experienced many battles.
Attenborough walked out of the tent and the cold air poured into his lungs, causing him to cough twice.
Bifang came to Atenburg and asked nervously , "Sir, how are you? Are you feeling well? Are you feeling unwell? If you are, please let me know as soon as possible."
Atenburg waved his hand: "It's okay, I was stimulated by the cold air, I feel fine."
"If you have any questions, please tell me immediately."
Attenborough nodded, indicating that he had no problem.
At this time, Rob had prepared everything and started to move towards the snow peak with everyone: "It will take about an hour to walk from the center of the base camp to the edge of the Khumbu Glacier, and then we will start to put on the ascenders and climb up. You must follow me closely and move forward according to my steps. Don't leave the team. Even if you are a few meters away, you may encounter a sudden glacier. Once you fall into it, it is almost a death sentence."
"There are countless one- or two-story-high seracs on the edge of the Khumbu Glacier. When you pass through them in the dark, you may occasionally hear loud 'cracks' from the layers of the seracs. That's the sound of the ice cracking. Don't panic if you hear it, don't run around, and don't shout loudly, because in the dark you can't tell where the sound is coming from. Once you go in the wrong direction, it's almost impossible to get back, so you must follow me closely, observe the situation, and pass quickly when there is nothing serious."
At this point, Rob suddenly paused, looked at Bi Fang, and added: "Or follow Mr. Bi closely."
Hearing this, Bifang scratched his head.
Why do I always feel that Rob's attitude towards him is a little different?
