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Charlotte Elementary School (CES) students were fortunate to have mountaineer, author, photographer and visiting lecturer Ed Webster come to the school on March 30 and 31. One doesn't often have the opportunity to meet a person who has climbed on Mt. Everest not once but three times -- in 1985, 1986 and 1988 -- and to learn about mountain climbing.
Principal Peggy White met Webster last summer and arranged for his visit to CES to do his "Winter Activity Day for Students C The Mt. Everest Base Camp Project."
Webster told the students that he became interested in climbing when he was about 10 years old. His mother, wanting him to be safe, borrowed a book from the library called Everest Diary. Webster read other books on climbing too, as well as joining the Boy Scouts and hiking in Maine, New Hampshire and other places. His really big dream was to one day climb the highest mountain in the world -- Everest. At age 11 he learned to rock climb and then to climb cliffs and tie knots. He climbed mountains in New England, and when he went to college he climbed in Colorado, Utah and California and then expanded all over the world.
Webster began his lecture with a slide show of his mountain climbing days at Everest. He talked about camping, special boots with spikes, ice axes, Yak taxis, oxygen tanks, rope bridges, the difference between a crevice and a crevasse and much more.
Webster explained that one has to be invited to join an expedition to climb Everest, usually one being organized by an older climber, and that the members have to raise the money for the trip. The groups that he was able to join had over 20 people, including Sherpas, who are climbers who carry the necessary food and equipment. He told the students it takes two and a half days to fly to Asia. After arriving it takes weeks just to get to base camp, which is a safe place where climbers eat, sleep, explore and prepare for the climb. A group may spend months exploring from base camp.
On his first trip, the group climbed from the Nepal side of the mountain to try to get to the North Summit, but they did not reach the top. Webster thought that would be his last invitation, but six months later he was invited to go again. On that trip he got to see the Great Wall of China.
The team on his last adventure to Everest was made up of four men: Paul Teare from Canada, Stephen Venables from the U.K. and Robert Anderson, another American. They were going to climb Everest from a direction that no one else had tried. They were the smallest team to climb a major new route up Everest from the 12,000‑vertical‑foot Kangshung Face in Tibet, also known as the East Face. They did this without Sherpas, oxygen tanks, radios or satellite telephones. It has been said that it is probably the hardest, most remote, least explored and possibly the most dangerous side.
On the first day of the climb, Teare became ill and had to return to base camp, while the other three continued. Nearing the top, Webster decided to take some pictures. It was 40 degrees below zero. He took off the outer layer of his mittens for less than two minutes and got severe frostbite, eventually losing all eight fingertips. He said those were some expensive pictures.
Venables was the only one who made it to the South Summit. Before he finished the climb, he borrowed Webster's extra pair of boots, because they were size 13 and he could put four more pairs of socks on his feet. Webster did not make it to the top, but his extra pair of boots did, reaching 29,000 feet above sea level. Webster made it to 28,700 feet -- just 300 feet from the summit. At that height, there is very little oxygen and one's mind and body do not work well. Webster said he knew he would not survive to make the return trip if he went the rest of the way to the top. The team returned to base camp via a dangerous route never before attempted. All received serious frostbite and had no food for the last four days.
After the slide show and lecture, Webster let the students touch the equipment that he used on his climbs. The students then split into groups to set up and take down special tents that are used by mountaineers.
On the second day, Webster took the students outside to set up a base camp. The students carried the necessary equipment across the snow-covered ballfield to set up seven mountaineer tents and the cooking supplies.
Throughout the two-day adventure, Webster encouraged the students -- without their realization -- to follow their dreams, set goals for their lives and gain skills by trying new things. They learned about being team players, developing friendships and being prepared for what they want to do in life. They also learned the value of having a polite, positive and helpful attitude even under difficult circumstances.
Since CES is a very small school with just under 40 students, Webster was able to include all students, Pre‑K through Grade 8, in the adventure. He also donated a copy of his book, Snow in the Kingdom: My Storm Years on Everest, to the school library. This book will probably be checked out quite often in the coming days. |
