THE FINAL DESTINATION — Our Unawareness

THE FINAL DESTINATION Our Unawareness M T. Everest is the highest peak in the world. It is 29,028 feet or 8848 metres high. One of the first people to try to ascend this peak was a British man called Maurice Wilson. This was in 1934. But what he thought would be the climax of his life turned out to be an enormous anti-climax. Maurice had been a soldier in the First World War. He was so keen on climbing the highest peak in the world that for this sake he gave up his successful family business He spent all his money on buying a secondhand aircraft, which he flew, over a distance of some 6000 miles, from England to India, and landed at Purnea, in Bihar. He did not get permission to fly further on, and so he sold it. After this, he set off on his journey to Mt. Everest through Darjeeling and Tibet. Finally, all that he had left with him was a small tent, some rice, a camera and a few other things. He began his ascent of the mountain, and managed to climb till a height of around 19000 feet. The 21st of April 1934 was to be his 36th birthday, and he hoped to celebrate that day atop Mt. Everest. A few days prior to that, he had written in his diary: Only 13,000 feet more to go. I have the distinct feeling that I’ll reach the summit on April 21. But shortly after writing these lines with such evident confidence, a fierce Himalayan storm broke out. The severe weather conditions put an end to his plans of going further up the mountain, and he was compelled to go down. And so, he descended to a lower level. But after this, it was not in his fate to be able to move up the mountain again. No PHOTO: PAVEL NOVAK