Creating a Mood

At 20,000 feet, the view of Nepal was breathtaking. Our group had just started setting off on the small hike so that we could get used to our new extreme elevation. I had been worried before the trip, but everything had gone smoothly. We had only been in two white-outs, but the safety chord that kept us all from getting separated had eliminated all element of panic. Most of the group had acclimated to the altitude well, too.
The path that was supposed to take us to the next resting spot was clear. When I glanced up, I saw the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen. The scraggly face of Mount Everest towered above me and to my left, away from the trail. Minuscule little peaks protruded from the cliff and were topped with snow. The point of the small “mountain on a mountain” had disappeared into the clouds far above.
30 minutes later my head felt like a balloon being thumped against a wall again and again. I called on the guides to stop so that we could have a break for water. We got going again and that’s when the panic started. The guides had stopped. My friend Grant looked annoyed. “Maybe they lost the path”, I said doubtfully, “I thought we hired professional Sherpas, though”.

We all seemed to feel it at once.

The deep rumbling that seemed to scream danger into your face. The rumbling that felt like it came from the heart of the mountain itself. The same rumbling that spelled certain doom for our entire party of 9. As I looked up the mountain I saw the crystal white slope break off from the mountain, and the 20 foot wall of swirling ice and snow hurtling down towards us at 80 miles an hour.