Freedom Climbers (Legends and Lore) by Bernadette McDonald

Author:Bernadette McDonald [McDonald, Bernadette]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mountaineers Books
Published: 2013-02-28T23:00:00+00:00

9

THE ART OF SUFFERING

...there are men who, on the approach of severe pain, hear the very opposite call of command, and never appear more proud, more martial, or more happy than when the storm is brewing; indeed, pain itself provides them with their supreme moments! These are the heroic men . . .

—FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE, THE JOYFUL WISDOM

WHEN JUREK AND VOYTEK met up again, Jurek suggested another climb together. He knew of a couple of Polish winter expeditions planned for Dhaulagiri and Cho Oyu, both 8000ers. Was Voytek interested? Voytek said that no, he wasn’t interested in winter climbs. But Jurek definitely was, particularly two in one season. They would add to his collection.

Jurek’s plan was unorthodox in the extreme: two 8000ers in winter, a considerable distance from each other. For that reason, he wasn’t totally forthcoming with the leaders of either expedition; he knew that neither team would be terribly happy about sharing his attention and effort. Andrzej Zawada, leader of the Cho Oyu expedition, harboured some suspicions about Jurek’s intentions, but he kept quiet because of his deep respect for Jurek. Adam Bilczewski, leader of the Dhaulagiri expedition, was not so accommodating. There were awkward discussions about who would pay for Jurek’s trip, since he hadn’t put in his allotted time on the Katowice smokestacks like the other members of the team. He finally discounted Jurek as a serious contender, and when the number of expedition barrels exceeded the available truck space, two barrels were left off—Jurek’s barrels.

Jurek didn’t create a fuss about the slight, and it did nothing to alter his plans. He was a man of few words, private and self-contained. He wasn’t known to be argumentative, but he was definitely not a pushover. Once he decided on a course of action there was no turning him back. If others didn’t agree, he pushed on, alone.

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