DONEGAL mountaineer Jason Black has spoken for the first time of his incredible journey to the top of the world.
In a blog sent overnight, the Letterkenny man speaks passionately about his incredible weekend feat in reaching the summit of Mount Everest.
He speaks of his feelings as he reached the top – and the thoughts that went through his head.
“I sat down in awe of where I was; all my childhood dreams have come true. Then a moment of weakness as today I stand closer to my mother and brother who both passed from this world and today for a brief moment I felt so reconnected,” he writes.
“Proudly getting out my Donegal and Irish flags Nima snaps a few pics as a lifetime Reminder of this wonderful moment in my life.
“Nima taps my shoulder saying we gotta get moving, taking my final look around and been so proud to be from Donegal and standing on top of the world.”
He also says: “Tonight my focus is clearly to get home safely to my wonderful county Donegal and take my Mt Everest Donegal flag back to the most beautiful mountain in the world the Summit of Mt Errigal and I hope you all can join me that day.”
Here’s his blog in full. It’s a story you must read.
BLOOD SWEAT & TEARS to the TOP OF. THE WORLD .. Mt EVEREST
Posted on May 22, 2013
Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes…
I have done it I have reached the TOP OF THE WORLD, with my donegal flag, Irish flag and my emotions are in free fall.
So let me share with you, the journey to the top of the world – Mt Everest.
It all started after spending a month and half acclimatising and climbing up to advance base camp located at 21.000ft on the edge of the Rombu glacier. After careful planning and many discussions with the weather station based in Switzerland, we looked at the jet stream movement, the winds speeds and directions, the temps expected on the summit at 29.028 ft. So Nima and myself set our summit date based on the information we had for the 19th May.
Preparations now were in full swing everything from our technical high altitude down clothing and boots to my high altitude food, from the Irish army which proved a huge success on the summit, small high altitude gas cookers to heat and boil the snow ice, tents and sleeping kit.
So on the 17th may heavily loaded with equipment and with a real sense of – this is it I’m on my way to the summit of the world, we set off and I knew it was going to be the toughest physical, mental and emotional battle I was ever about to endure, the fear that there was absolutely no rescue and no room for error as margins are so small.
Climbing that day was tough with sometimes a vertical climb to the north column and camp one. From there looking up the north ridge with Mt Everest summit sitting high in the stratosphere we settled down for the night at 23.300ft, my food this night was made up from high alt ration packs of chicken casserole and it was tasty. Nima always reinforcing the fact you must always eat even though your body doesn’t feel like it.
Early morning start after a short sleep we head up the north ridge fully loaded with snow and a wind coming in on my left ear, a wind that would just cut you in half. The objective today was to reach the next high camp location of 25.250ft camp two.
It was an exhausting climb with the difficult conditions taking us seven hours beating against the high winds. From here we moved to the use of assisted oxygen, so on with the masks as we were carrying the oxygen in our rucksacks.
We quickly got set up for the night, melting snow for fluids for the body and getting something on to fuel this tired body. melting and boiling even a couple of cups of tea would take any thing up to 1 hour to do. Falling into bed the ferocious storm continued with the tent taking the most fearsome beating with winds gusting 100mph and I was freezing both from that and with the cold coming up from the rocks I was laying on. With added difficulty tring to sleep with the oxygen mask on.
Yeah no sleep, up early next morning boiled up some hot black tea and quick bit of food by now I don’t feel very much like eating, body’s rejecting everything.
Stepping out of my tent I could see the damage the winds have left in there wake, ripped torn and some totally destroyed.
Suited up and oxygen on level 2 we set of for entering the death zone at 26.250ft where the colour of the rock surface changes to a strong yellow colour known to the mountain as the yellow band. So our destination today is 27.250ft camp three by now the conditions are so bleak with all the snow removed by the jet stream leaving only a Mixture of rock and ice making it hard work wearing 12 pointed crampons.
Ropes put in weeks before for the safety of the climbers are now very sparse and proves difficult navigation wise.
The views over my shoulder are just breath taking and eery at times as we rise above the clouds.
The winds still blow hard making it really difficult to catch your breath, we get into camp three at 4 pm exhausted as each step feels like hell to achieve.
Nima informs me that we wont be staying here for long, just long enough to catch some some food, not that I can eat and four hours later at 8pm pitch black and really cold temps we head on for the final summit push with a mixed feeling of excitement and fear of we set off, extra gloves balaclava and energy food.
My head torch firmly fixed on the bare route ahead Nima forcing me to lead the way.
On we plodded and the higher we went the harder it was to breath and man it’s tough to climb as the energy levels are so low with the exhaustion, my body’s screaming at me as its in huge distress, now it’s taking all the Mental Stamina I can gather up to keep me going putting one foot in front of the other.
It’s now 12 midnight and the temperatures are super low -20 -30 deg and my face hurts with the pain of the cold winds, my nose and cheeks numb, I’m now carrying 3 tanks of oxygen in my rucksack, each supplying 600mins each.
About 1.00am I felt my body getting very weak I was sucking and sucking with a real fear of suffocation and I quickly checked my tank to find it empty, switched over it was like someone put the life back into me and on I plodded 2 – 3 – 4 o’clock each hour bringing its own pressures.
one part of the climb was the feared second step which is a substantial vertical climb with a combination of ladders and ropes, times I knew my life depending only on a 6″ ledge to walk on with drops of over 10.000 ft directly below. The fear of god was genuinely running through my veins as climbed higher and higher.
By now it was sunrise and it brought with it the most magnificent views and the most deadly reminders of where we were, as now the dead bodys were in fully view preserved in there full state, I had to block out and not let it interfere with my progress but it was hard to avoid the thoughts of what happens if something happens me up here, I’m I next .. Stop stop I shout to myself and focus again on the job ahead.
Finally I see It the summit and the sun setting as my emotions run wild, I’m here I’m finally here, Nima reminds me it still and hour away and I knuckle down again climbing higher and higher, the final part proving very very difficult attached to the mountain with an 8mm red rope and directly on my right side is a bottomless drop turning left and safely I get onto to snowy slope to the summit and I push and push “I’m finally here” where’s everyone else at 7am I’m the only person standing on The summit of the world at 29.028ft, minutes later I see a team arriving from the south side but for a few simple minutes it was me and Mt Everest alone and it was wonderful, amazing, majestic, spectacular.
I sat down in awe of where I was all my childhood dreams have come true. Then a moment of weakness as today I stand closer to my mother and brother who both passed from this world and today for a brief moment I felt so reconnected.
Proudly getting out my Donegal and Irish flags Nima snaps a few pics as a lifetime Reminder of this wonderful moment in my life.
Nima taps my shoulder saying we gotta get moving, taking my final look around and been so proud to be from Donegal and standing on top of the world.
Slowly we started the decent proving as difficult as it was to climb Mt Everest. By now we were climbing non stop for days and days running on adrenaline which was quickly running thin.
On my decent the reminder of where I was quickly grounded me as I counted 14 plus dead bodies they were everywhere and it was so so sad to think that this was their final place of rest.
Arriving back wrecked to camp 3 at 27.250ft where I fell Into the tent exhausted my mind running wild with excitement.
I needed no rocking as I slept, not even having the power to get into my sleeping bag or taking my moon boots off – I passed out.
Next morning Nima Woke me “hot tea” and we need to get out out this Danger zone of 26.250ft down to a safer altitude of either the north col or if the energy provides get back to advance base camp.
What a fantastic summit day to the top of the world and I have so many people to thank for this experience an experience that I wish to pass on to the youth of our county, hopefully inspiring them that no mountain is to high or no problem to big to conquer.
Tonight my focus is clearly to get home safely to my wonderful county Donegal and take my Mt Everest Donegal flag back to the most beautiful mountain in the world the Summit of Mt Errigal and I hope you all can join me that day.
For now
Thank you a for allowing me into your lives and I hope you have enjoyed this wonderful expedition to the top of the world, on this majestic mountain standing 29.028ft .. Mt Everest.
Respect
Jason.
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