Together they conquered

“We were exhausted. Breathing had become difficult. But the scene in the distance took away all our tiredness. It was the gorgeous Mount Everest – the highest peak in the world. The mist had thinned out and the snow covered peak was clearly visible..”

Bhathiya Arangalla who reached the top of Kala Pathar in the Himalayan range together with his instructor Major Jagath Alwis was full of joy at their achievement. And why not? Reaching such a height in adverse climatic conditions is an achievement of a lifetime. Kala Pathar which means “Black Rock” in the native language is 5545 m in height and known as one of the best viewpoints of Mount Everest.

Bhathiya was part of the Ananda College Mountaineering and Expedition Society’s tenth expedition to the Himalayas. What made this trip special was the participation of their principal – B.A. Abeyratne. It was the first time a school principal had joined the Himalayan expedition with his group of students from Sri Lanka. “Mountaineering is helping the students to improve their soft skills. First of all they need to work as a team to conquer difficulties. Only those who are tough and have the focus will able to reach the summit or achieve their ultimate goals. So the exercise improves the state of mind as well as students’ physical fitness,” said Mr. Abeyratne.

Inactive for some time, the Mountaineering Society was revived by Mr. Abeyratne, who leading by example, joined the students on most of their climbing expeditions in Sri Lanka. The team conquered all the major mountain peaks including Piduruthalagala, Knuckles, Kirigalpoththa, Hunnasgiriya, Sri Pada etc.

The team left Sri Lanka on December 4 last year for their 22-day Himalayan expedition. They had to visit Nepal through India to reach the entry point to the Himalayas. The travel turned out to be frustrating with endless traffic blocks and interminable train journeys. When they reached Lukla - the starting point of the hike- they were already tired. The freezing cold gave them a hint of the harsh conditions ahead.

It is the custom to hire a guide, usually from the local Sherpa community during expeditions to the Himalayas. This usually costs around Rs.100,000. But the team who each had to find about Rs.150,000 for their expedition did not need to spend for a guide. The Mountaineering Society’s chief instructor, Major Jagath Alwis who had visited the Himalayas once before was confident that he could guide them.

He was supported by S.M. Godakumbura, the teacher who assists him in training the students. Passing the Sagaramatha sanctuary, they reached Tembuji, where Edmund Hillary, the New Zealander who conquered Everest in 1953 had built a Buddhist temple. The Anandians received a pleasant welcome from the Sherpas after they came to know that the team was from Sri Lanka and from a leading Buddhist college. However, the winter conditions were harsh at Tembuji. Temperatures dropped to -22oC at night time. Some of the team members took ill and decided to go down while the rest of the team continued the climb.

Another five students also experienced mountain sickness further up and also decided to go down. But Bhathiya and Major Jagath after a very hard climb, reached the peak of Kala Pathar and placed the flags of Sri Lanka and Ananda there.

Ananda College wants to make mountaineering a hobby for all and will soon organize a workshop to encourage other schools to establish their own mountaineering societies. The mountaineering club of Ananda also has plans to conquer the highest peak in the world, before the 50th anniversary of the conquest of Everest.

“The base camp has been shifted by 40km from where it was established by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953. The glaciers in Everest have already started melting. Everest is testifying that Climate Change is at our doorstep,” Peter Hillary – the son of Sir Edmund Hillary, said at the Live Earth concert.

Some scientists fear that Everest will be a bare rock by 2050, if the earth continues to get warmer. Up to 40,000 Sherpas who live at the base of the Himalayas face devastation if vast new lakes formed by the melted ice burst and send a torrent of millions of tons of water down the slopes.

The melting of the glaciers will also have a devastating impact to those who depend on the river systems below - rivers like Indus, Ganga-Brahmaputra and Yangtze start from the mountain region and approximately 1.3 billion people live in the drainage basin.