No Summit out of Sight by Jordan Romero

Author:Jordan Romero
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

CHAPTER 18

Advanced Base Camp was on a big plateau where rangers had set up what looked like a small village. There was a large medical tent, a ranger station that broadcast weather reports and could offer emergency help, and a landing pad for a rescue helicopter. In the dead center were holes for toilets surrounded by snow walls for privacy.

Rumors and stories about the Russian man swirled around camp. He had been quite sick high up on the mountain. The Swedish team worked for hours and risked their own lives to get him to safety. We were there when they arrived in camp. The Russian felt better almost immediately, just being at a lower altitude. He planned to spend the night at ABC before continuing down to a lower altitude. He’d never reach the summit—not on that trip anyway.

His experience brought home all those safety lectures I had gotten from Dad and Karen. Not only was the guy out there all alone—not a good idea—but he had obviously tried to climb too high without being ready for the altitude. That wasn’t a mistake I planned on making.

After the drama, hanging out at ABC was pretty cool. Climbers from all over the world gathered there, and it was fun being around them. Dad and Karen needed a day to rest after their double climb anyway.

I found them studying the map and asked how long they thought it would take us to summit.

Karen folded the map. “Depends on the weather and how we’re doing.”

On the second day the weather was clear and sunny. “Looks good for moving to High Camp,” Dad said. “Jordan, get your stuff together.”

I gathered my crampons, harness, ascender, and carabiners. Then a sudden panic slammed me in the head. My ice axe. Where was my ice axe? Had I dropped it on the trail coming up? Left it in the lower camp? I didn’t want to tell Dad and Karen that I had lost it.

“Okay, J Man,” Dad said. “Let’s go.”

I let out a long shaky breath. The axe wasn’t on Dad’s list of gear. Maybe I didn’t need it. Should I not say anything? This was a moment of decision, and I couldn’t risk making the wrong one.

“Ready in a minute. Need to find my ice axe,” I admitted.

“Where is it?” Karen asked.

“Don’t know.”

“Better find it,” she said. “You’ll need it.”

My heart raced into overdrive as I ran from one ice shelter to the next. “Did you guys see a blue ice axe?”

“Sorry, no,” they answered.

“Anybody here find a blue ice axe?”

“Nope, but we’ll let you know if we do.”

At the sixth tent I spotted what looked like my axe being used to anchor some prayer flags to a wall made of ice blocks. I quietly approached the climber sitting in front of it with his morning coffee. “Excuse me, is that your ice axe? It looks kind of like mine.”

He immediately got up and retrieved it for me. “We found it lying in the snow and asked all around.

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