Mike's Music Land: July 2024

Thursday, July 18, 2024

Please do not rush through this post. There is a message--several, in fact--that are deeper and more haunting than you may have expected. This is one of the stories of the men and women who will never come back from their attempt to climb Mt. Everest.

A wonderful travel journalist, Peter Jenkins, wrote about his trip to China and eventually, Tibet, where he climbed Mt. Everest. Not to the top--it was not his goal. It was to see how it felt to be on a team that was trying that effort. Along the way, he learned of several stories--including the fate of a woman, Marty Hoey, who was a casualty when she leaned back on her harness--and the knot came undone and she plunged to her death. Her teammates, who were now climbing with Jenkins, could do nothing to save her--and a new knot was later established and named in tribute to her.

I heard this song played by the musician featured here, Danny O'Keefe--and it put a lump in my throat at the show because I remember when the body of Englishman George Leigh Mallory was found. That is his remains face-down in the rocks at 1:49; it was later removed for a proper burial. There are others still on the mountain who remain as horrific reminders of the dangers of trying to reach the summit. This is the story of one of them, and I remember when he died. Thankfully, his body was recovered. Rest in Peace, Rob Hall, now and forever, a Ghost of the Ascent. The lesson(s) are many, but perhaps consider "Just because something can be done may mean it should NOT be done."