Odyssey, part three
Meagan McGrath was lowering herself down a rope over a particularly steep slope, when she saw the other climber struggling up the mountain.
It was late in the day for a summit attempt – her first clue that something was amiss. Meagan noticed the young Nepalese girl didn’t have her gloves on the right hands and, much more serious, her carabiner wasn’t attached to the rope properly.
Meagan spoke to the climber, later identified as Usha Bista, but she was incoherent and disoriented.
Meagan’s sherpa guide disappeared down the mountain, possibly for help, leaving her alone on Mount Everest with a very sick climber.
Meagan knew cerebral edema – swelling in the brain from high altitudes – could be fatal. She continued chatting with Usha to keep her awake, and tried to help her down the rope. Eventually other climbers arrived and lent a hand to bring Usha to a rare flat spot. Meagan used a radio to call for assistance.
After half an hour of waiting for more rescuers, sharing her oxygen and body heat with Usha, Meagan had to decide what to do next.
“I’m realizing she’s getting worse,” she said. “She could actually die. I didn’t know what to do but I was going to do something.”
When a guide arrived, he administered oxygen to the injured climber and began dragging her down the mountain while Meagan carried their equipment.
By the time they reached Camp Four, Meagan had a chest infection from breathing from oxygen containers at such high altitudes for so long. The trek down to Base Camp should have been her best days of climbing, but she was so sick she could barely breathe. Through the haze of her descent, she learned Usha reached safety off the tallest mountain in the world. Now Meagan just had to do the same.
And so begins part three of the Odyssey series. You know you want to read the rest – go here.
I think this one was my favourite piece to write, though Ray’s trek across Antarctica was pretty inspiring as well. This was such a fun series to put together, from the intial phone calls to the finishing touches on layout. Click this to better appreciate the print version.
Here’s some photos of Meagan’s incredible accomplishment: summiting the highest mountains on all seven continents.
Meagan celebrates after summiting Vinson Massif in Antarctica, December 2004.
Meagan crosses a crevasse during her Everest climb.
An “elite mountaineer”.
On the top of the world.
Mexi-Canada bridge
Check out this story about a bridge spanning the U.S. to connect Canada and Mexico. Can you imagine? How hilarious would that be.
In addition to facilitating trade between Mexico and Canada, the overpass is expected to increase tourism in both nations by as much as 60 percent. Boasting hundreds of restaurants, gas stations, and hotels, the state-of-the-art overpass will render it unnecessary for Mexicans or Canadians ever to touch U.S. soil when traveling to and from their respective homelands.
Oh, I heart the Onion.
Side note: I apologize for my sporadic blogging lately, which will probably continue for about another week.
Life post-transit strike
If OC Transpo drivers aren’t calling out stops by the end of the month, they could face fines. It’s a good policy to have, especially for those visually impaired riders who count on the announcements to get to the right place.
I hopped on the 118 early last Monday morning on my journey home from Cornwall. The driver was fabulous.
His cheery good morning caught me off guard at first, I guess I’m not used to such vocal people at 8 a.m. He wasn’t just making comments on my luggage though, he chatted with everyone who climbed on board. He announced every single stop and provided commentary on most of them as well, like “Hey folks, next is the Tupper building. It may or may not have been named after the creator of Tupperware.” At times, it was like listening to the radio as he gave us the weather and news for the day and joked about his wife while steering along Baseline Road.
As we pulled into the station across from Algonquin College, he wished everyone a good day and thanked us for returning to public transit after the strike.
“It’s good to be back,” he said.
What about you?
Had any run-ins with drivers or angry riders? Or have your experiences been smooth and incident-free, like nothing ever happened?
Welcome, spring
Last year around this time we were looking for a snowfall record. I sincerely hope we don’t face the same scenerio in the next few weeks. Today is the first day of spring.
I haven’t worn my winter coat all week. I’m thoroughly enjoying the sunshine. The snow is melting, and despite the dirty sidewalks and litter-strewn parks it uncovers, I’m happy its happening. Soon, the world will be green again. We can come out of hibernation.
Ah, spring.
Odyssey, part two
The wind, the coldest he had ever felt, whipped around the hood of Ray Zahab’s parka.
It blew snow up from the glacier and the horizon disappeared into a grey world with no perspective, like a cloud was wrapped around Ray’s head.
He often stumbled on the rough terrain, weighed down by a sled filled with 77 kilograms of supplies and equipment strapped to his back. He was prepared to spend 40 days in Antarctica with his two fellow explorers, Richard Weber and Kevin Vallely.
They travelled on skis, but Ray relied on his boots and snowshoes to carry him across the 1,130-kilometre trek. They traversed icy crevasses and thick snowdrifts, beginning at sea level and going uphill to an elevation of 3,048 metres.
The dried meat, chocolate, bacon and Gatorade bouncing behind him was essential to survive the expedition – which some considered impossible – but the other gear was nearly as vital for Ray. The team tucked their satellite phones in their sleds during the day and their sleeping bags at night to prevent them from freezing.
The phones, and solar panels to power them, were used to communicate with not only family and friends back home, but also hundreds of students who followed their world-record-breaking attempt to the South Pole.
Ray answered questions from classrooms across North America, and the responses were posted on the team’s website. Almost daily the trekkers sent video, photos and blogs home to keep the young fans updated on their progress.
“What is your strongest motivation for doing this trip?” asked Gabrielle Vincent, a Grade 11 student at Nepean’s Sir Guy Carleton Secondary School, during the first few days of the expedition.
“All of us have similar and different reasons for doing this trip,” blogged Ray in response. “For me, it is to hopefully inspire people like you, who are obviously already inspired, to reach for the biggest goals that you think are impossible in your life and make them possible.”
It’s a lesson Ray hopes others will learn from his experiences; it took him the first few decades of his life to make the same discovery.
That’s just the beginning of the second installment of Odyssey, the Kourier-Standard’s feature series that began last week. You can read Ray’s whole story here. Next Thursday, come back to check out Meagan McGrath’s climb up Mount Everest.
Here’s some more photos of Ray’s expeditions.
Man … I want to go to Antarctica.
Guilty verdict
Josef Fritzl was found guilty on all counts today after a four-day trial and was sentenced to life in a mental institution. He said he won’t appeal the decision. If he receives treatment and it looks like he’s “cured”, he could spend up to 15 years in a regular prison before being eligible for release. I hope his family can somehow get on with their lives now that this is over.
Changing pleas
I’m not attempting to glorify Josef Fritzl’s circumstances in the least, but I have been watching his trial and his family’s ordeal since the story broke months ago, so I thought I’d continue blogging updates. I promise I’ll have something more cheerful for you to read tomorrow.
Today, after watching his daughter’s taped testimony, Fritzl changed his mind and pleaded guilty on all counts – including murder (Elisabeth’s son) and enslavement. That’s a good sign; maybe he’s not completely insensitive. He still faces life in prison or a mental institution; the sentence could come down tomorrow.
Fritzl’s trial
Josef Fritzl’s trial began today.
He has been charged with rape, incest, imprisonment and enslavery after it was discovered he kept his daughter in a cellar for over two decades. Fritzl claims he had an abusive childhood and horrible relationship with his mother, which, if true, obviously had some impact on his later decisions. Not that it’s an excuse; he’s already pled guilty to most of the charges except murder and enslavement. The prosecuter is hoping to send him to a centre for the criminally insane – for life.
A verdict is expected on Friday, after Fritzl’s daughter Elisabeth’s statement is shown: 11 hours of taped testimony.
I can’t imagine being involved in this trial. There is so much media covering every little disturbing detail. Being an impartial juror would be incredibly difficult. The only thing harder, I think, would be defending the Austrian.
Kili
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro has been on my list of things to do in life for quite some time. Just recently, I realized how entirely possible this goal is.
I’ve interviewed a couple people who have been to the mountain in Tanzania, Africa, who make it sound competely doable. It’s not Everest, but that’s exactly what I want. It takes about a week from arrival to departure. You don’t need climbing gear, just a lot of water and suitable clothing. The altitude sickness scares me a little, but I absolutely think I could do this. I don’t have any desire to tempt death on Everest; Kili seems like exactly the right challenge for me. I couldn’t go tomorrow or anything cause I probably would keel over. I should get in some semblence of shape first.
Now, who wants to sponsor me? A package trip is over a $1,000, plus I’ll need airfare to get there. I need to make some rich friends.
Odyssey, part one
Part one of a special feature series, Odyssey, was published in the Kanata Kourier-Standard today. This week’s story, by Blair Edwards, is about Barry and Chris Finlay who conquer Mount Kilimanjaro to celebrate Barry’s 60th birthday. It’s a sweet read, check it out here.
The next two weeks will feature profiles written by yours truly. On March 19, come right here to follow Ray Zahab’s trip to the South Pole. And on March 26, climb to new heights with Meagan McGrath as she summits Mount Everest.
These were some of the funnest pieces I’ve ever gotten to write. Difficult at times, because there’s so many neat ancedotes and interesting information to pack into just a couple thousands words. But it’s so inspiring to spend a couple of hours with these super accomplished athletes. As a wannabe explorer myself, it’s motivating.
Cheryl