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Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory & Irvine PDF

216 Pages·1999·22.522 MB·English
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vc c' • • V. \ , .. x* . EXCLUSIVE TEAM STORY ♦ STARTLING DISCOVERIES THE SEARCH FOR MALLORY & IRVINE Adventure Narrative coming i defeated. George Leigh Mallory JL or three quarters or a century, this is all that has been known with any certainty: Just after dawn on June 6, 1924, two members of the 1924 British Everest Expedition crawled out of their tents on the North Col, a wind-savaged 23,180-foot-high saddle of snow, ice, and rock between theh^ang mass of Everest itself and its lesser northern neighbor, Changtse, and began a long walk into history. At 12:50 P.M., two days later, they were seen high on the mountain’s Northeast Ridge “going strong for the top.” never retijirned, Until now, clues about what happened to these two Everest pioneers had been scant and misleading. Until now, no one has known whether they reached the summit. Until now, no one has known where or how they perished Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory & Irvine is a detective story of the first order. It is the story not just of Mallory and Irvine’s last climb, but of the team of climbers and Continued on back flap GHOSTS of EVEREST GHOSTS of EVEREST THE SEARCH FOR MALLORY & IRVINE FROM THE EXPEDITION THAT DISCOVERED MALLORY’S BODY R. JOCHEN HEMMLEB ♦ LARRY A. JOHNSON ♦ ERIC SIMONSON William E. Nothdurft as told to M THE MOUMTAINEE R S BOOKS Published by The Mountaineers Books M 1001 SW Klickitat Way, Suite 201 Seattle, WA 98134 © 1999 by Jochen Hemmleb, Larry A. Johnson, Eric R. Simonson All rights reserved First edition, 1999 No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, without permission in writing from the publisher. Published simultaneously in Great Britain by Macmillan, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Ltd. Manufactured in the United States of America by R.R. Donnelley & Sons Editor-in-Chief: Margaret Foster Edited by Kris Fulsaas All chapter opening photographs by Jim Fagiolo. © Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition Historical Photo Research: Margaret K. Sullivan Production Director: Helen Cherullo Cover design by Jennifer LaRock Shontz Book design and layout by Jennifer LaRock Shontz Cover photographs: Mallory and Irvine setting off for their final climb from the North Col, June 6, 1924 (Photo by Noel Odell. © Royal Geographical Society, London) Inset: Mallory’s note to John Noel, sent down with porters from Camp VI on June 7, 1924 (© John Noel Photographic Collection) Frontispiece: Pioneers of Everest—George Leigh Mallory and Andrew Comyn Irvine (© Royal Geographical Society, London. © The Sandy Irvine Trust) Collage by Jennifer LaRock Shontz Photographers and Picture Sources: We gratefully acknowledge all those who provided pictures for use in this book. We have made every attempt to trace copyright holders and gain permission for such use and apologize for any errors or omissions. Library of Congress Catalogmg-in-Publication Data Hemmleb, Jochen, 1971- Ghosts of Everest : the search for Mallory and Irvine / by Jochen Hemmleb, Larry A. Johnson, and Eric R. Simonson of the expedition team that found Mallory on Everest as told to William E. Nothdurft.— 1st ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-89886-669-5 (cloth) 1. Mountaineering—Everest, Mount (China and Nepal) 2. Leigh-Mallory, George Herbert, 1886-1924. 3. Irvine, Andrew, 1902-1924. 4. Mountaineers—Great Britain—Biography. 5. Everest, Mount (China and Nepal)—Description and travel. I. Johnson, Larry A., 1946- II. Simonson, Eric R. III. Title. GV199.44.E85H46 1999 796.52'2'0922—dc21 [B] 99-6818 CIP CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ■ 6 FOREWORD ■ 7 A NOTE TO READERS ■ 9 LAST ATTEMPT ■ ll PROLOGUE THE DETECTIVE AND THE MYSTERY CHAPTER 1 MORE LIKE WAR THAN ADVENTURE CHAPTER 2 ABOUT TO WALK OFF THE MAP - CHAPTER 3 THE WHOLE E>ANDOE>AST CHAPTER 4 • 71 AN INFERNAL MOUNTAIN CHAPTER 5 • 91 THE “ENGLISH DEAD” CHAPTER 6 ■ 109 THE FINAL PYRAMID CHAPTER 7 - 131 NOTES ON AN ENVELOPE CHAPTER 8 • 159 BECAUSE IT’S THERE ■EPILOGUE ■ 181 NOTES • 185 EVEREST NORTH SIDE: RESOLVED AND APPENDIX 1 UNRESOLVED MYSTERIES • 191 MALLORY & IRVINE RESEARCH EXPEDITION APPENDIX 2 STATISTICS • 195 SELECTED REFERENCES ■ 199 INDEX 203 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The 1999 Mallory & Irvine Research Expedition would not State Historical Museum; archaeologist Dr. Rick Reanier; have been successful without the hard work and support oi many coroner Donald T. Reay, M.D. individuals, organizations, and companies in the United States, Clare Millikan and John Mallory and their families. Britain, Nepal, China, and Tibet. For making this book into a reality and this event into an For their pioneering work into the mystery of Mallory and engaging, authentic story: writer Bill Nothdurft along with Irvine, we are indebted to Tom Holzel and Audrey Salkeld. Margaret Foster, Art Freeman, and the staff at The Mountaineers For their expert mountaineering skills, team spirit, and Books. enthusiasm for this project, we thank the entire expedition team and the Sherpa, who took this dream into the real world and In addition: became a part of a historic event. Jochen Hemmleb would like to thank Larry Johnson for For her hard work in helping to manage and organize his unrelenting support and loyalty, and Eric Simonson for every phase of the expedition and well beyond, we are indebted organizing and leading the expedition to a successful conclusion. to Erin Copland. The following individuals helped in the course of the research We thank our media partners: Chuck Gottschalk, Peter for this book: Dr. Gerhard Bax, Gay Blanchard at Barnard Castle Potterfield, and Anya Zolotusky at MountainZone.com'-, Liesl School, Russell Brice, the late Mai Duff, Kiyoshi Furuno, Harry Clark, David Breashears, and Paula Apsell at WGBH/AY9U4; Hett, Maohai Huang, Tim Macartney-Snape, Colin Monteath, Graham Hoyland, Peter Firstbrook, and Kate Slattery at BBC; Sandra Noel, Joanna Scadden at the Royal Geographical Society, Nate Simmons, Lisa Raleigh, and Penn Newhart at Backbone Marc Small, Mike Smith, Julie Summers at the Sandy Irvine Media. Trust, Swiss Airphoto & Survey, Jon Tinker, Brad Washburn, For their special assistance during the course of the expe¬ Thomas Wetter, and Professor Zhou Zheng. And finally, he dition, we thank old friends and new, including: Mr. Ying wishes to thank his family and friends for their love and support Daoshui at China-Tibet Mountaineering Association; Liu Feng, over the years. Zhao Lin Lin, and Renchin Phinjo, our Everest 1999 Rongbuk Larry Johnson would like to thank Jochen Hemmleb for Liaison Officers; Xu Chuan, interpreter; Sonam Gyalpo and Ang the inspiration to become involved in this grand adventure and Jangbo of Great Escapes Trekking in Kathmandu. Eric Simonson who made the expedition happen. No less impor¬ For their invaluable expertise and assistance with the artifacts: tant, his wife, Dottie, who has stood by with love and support, Schelleen Scott and Heather Macdonald; Larry Huntington, and his children for their help and encouragement. Dan Mann, and Charlie Peck of the American Foundation for Eric Simonson would like to thank his parents, Hal and International Mountaineering, Exploration, and Research; Carolyn Simonson, and his friends, clients, and fellow guides for Patricia Blankenship and Lynn Anderson of the Washington their ongoing support and encouragement. 6

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