Mountain Sunrise

The warmth of her mug seeped through Anne's thick gloves. Sitting in her camp chair wrapped in her sleeping bag, Anne was perched on the half-way ridge of her latest conquest. By no means the tallest of mountains one could encounter, Cho Oyn was no walk in the park.

Anne's group had reached the advanced base camp, sitting 5,800 meters above sea level the previous afternoon. Anne had promised herself that she would take the time to enjoy the sunrise, no matter the bitter cold before first light.

Whilst taking in this amazing moment, Anne's thoughts fell to her mother, Kathleen. Rarely an early riser, Anne could not help wondering if this view would convince Kathleen that the morning does have some redeeming qualities. She imagined her mother sat right beside her.

The steam from her tea quickly cooled ice cold on her nose, bringing her back to reality. Her heart ached for her mother, her battle. Anne had planned this trip a year before, her flight into Kathmandu was a gift from her parents, but when they learned of Kathleen's cancer returning, Anne was ready to abandon the climb and return home. Kathleen insisted that Anne was overreacting, she was going to be fine, really.

Anne braced herself for the day to come, she'd been training for a year. Forgoing socializing with friends for spending hours training at the gym had been brutal. Her friends had dwindled to just a handful, as many stopped inviting Anne out knowing all she'd talk about is her impending climb. But sitting here, in this moment it was all totally worth it.

The deep blue of the sky was starting to give way to streaks of pink, hinting that the bright, beautiful giver of life was minutes away from bathing the snow-covered terrain with sharp orange rays, washing it with warmth and welcoming in a new day. Anne's heart raced with anticipation.

The remaining group members awoke and emerged from their tents. Slight chatter interrupted the silence, and then quickly subsided, as they all turned their attention to the horizon and waited for the magic to happen, and just like that, it did.

The sun peered from beyond the horizon, silent but it's warm light screaming across the snow-covered surrounding peaks. There was an audible gasp as the sight literally drew the very breath from its onlookers. Anne herself felt tears well, stunned by the sheer beauty of the view. This was not her first sunrise, but never has one struck her like this.

Then just like that, the group started packing up and chatter again filled the icy air. The next leg was not too daunting, however there were a few areas to be extra cautious of. So, laden with supplies the group set off up the incline. Over the next few hours, the once vocal group had fallen silent with only the sound of snow crushing beneath their feet and an occasional groan of exertion. Finally, they had arrived at an appropriate resting place.

Free from the weight of her pack, Anne rolled her aching shoulders and stretched her arms above her head. The group sat sipping from thermoses and chomping hungrily at protein bars. Charley, the group's guide, moved from person to person and checked on their wellbeing, using a generic spiel that a guide school might teach to ensure that their guides do not miss any issues that may arise.

Anne felt uneasy when she noticed some darker clouds looming among the cotton white background, but Charley put her mind at ease. Again, they collected their packs and set off, everyone refreshed and chatter resuming.

After a couple of hours more, Anne's attention returned to the gradual changes in the clouds. The density and deep grey seemed to be growing, the sun struggling more so to light up the sky. Anne looked towards Charley and he too, seemed to be taking stock of the change in the weather.

At the next rest stop, Charley gathered the group around to address the situation as restlessness seemed to ripple through the group. Winds had started to pick up and there was a clear drop in temperature. Charley attempted to reassured everyone but advised that they were going to set up camp early where they were, just to be safe.

As they all set up their camp, Charley walked purposefully around checking all equipment was secured. The camp kitchens were prepped doling out hot drinks and rehydrating freeze-dried foods, and the atmosphere relaxed. Needing to as nature insists, Anne let Charley know she was venturing off site, took her equipment, and set off to find some privacy.

Anne travelled a reasonable distance, not wanting to stray too far but enjoying a moment on her own. As she began to head back, the quiet was shattered by an alarming sound of cracking branches and a roar that was coming from above where Anne standing. Fearing the worst, Anne dove beside a stable looking cliff-face praying that if she was in the path of an avalanche, it would offer some protection.

The terrifying truth of her imminent danger was realized as Anne saw the flow of snow, muddied by debris, crashing overhead in a wave narrowly missing where she crouched. The roar was overwhelming, with rocks and whole trees flying over the cliff face, each with the ability to end Anne's life in an instant.

Anne's heart raced, as she instinctively crouched low with her arms stretched over her head, trying in vain to offer some protection, for what felt like hours. Eventually, the roaring stream subsided until finally an eerie silence returned. Tentatively, Anne opened her eyes and slowly straightened out from the tight ball she had rolled into.

Thankfully, the split-second decision to move beneath the cliff-face had protected her from the avalanche, she was alive. But it was not over yet. Gripped with fear, Anne could not see her way back to camp. There was a whole new terrain surrounding her, and now Anne's thoughts were on the wellbeing of her group.

Anne's first impulse was to call out, but before the sound could leave her lips, she stopped herself fearing setting off another avalanche. Holding back the urge to head off in the direction on instinct, she stopped and took a long, calming breath. Having a small pack with some emergency supplies, Anne fought panic and took stock of her predicament.

Anne checked her kit and removed a pack of fluorescent orange flag pegs, placing one where she sat. Whilst Anne had told Charley where she was going, she feared that they had succumbed to the avalanche. After some consideration, and feeling reasonable safe, Anne decided to stay where she was for now.

Anne wrapped herself in and emergency foil blanket. Suddenly she felt so small and helpless. What if's flooded her mind so she made a conscious decision to change her train of thought. She thought of her parents and what she would tell them if, no when, she arrived back home.

Anne thought about other times when she had been scared and got through it, like when her mum was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Kathleen went through so much in such a short time. Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, things that all have terrifying repercussions. If Anne was so frightened, how scared must Mum had felt?

Sitting here, on this mountain up in the clouds, Anne forgot about her situation and tears flowed as she remembered her mum bravely navigating her way through this journey, not an adventure she'd chased, but a path imposed on her that no one would willingly choose. Anne vowed at that moment that she would return home and not leave Kathleen's side.

With her renewed resolve Anne gathered up her courage and removed a ball of line from her pack and tethered it to her marker. Then, she stepped out from behind the cliff face. Almost overcome by fear, she pushed on and looked around for familiar terrain. Noticing a large tree that had somehow survived the onslaught, Anne moved towards it.

Shaking uncontrollably, unsure if through cold or fear, Anne placed another marker at the tree, tethering the line again. Her confidence building, she continued in the direction seeking out identifying features in the landscape and marking her trail.

Eventually Anne saw a sight that literally had her falling to her knees in joy. The familiar sight of the camp filled her vision, a little worse for wear, but still standing. From the camp, Charley looked up moving towards her, as if in slow motion, and wrapped his arms around her like a long-lost sister.

After setting Anne down with hot tea and her favorite caramel protein bar, she shared her story of misadventure with her group and in turn Charley shared how the avalanche had narrowly missed the camp but left them all fearing the worst for her.

Charley had advised the group that as the weather had become more unpredictable, and the renewed uncertainty of the safety of the trail, that the group were going to have to hike to the nearest checkpoint and they would be returning to Kathmandu by light aircraft, until further notice.

Anne's heart skipped a beat and true to her decision, she returned home on the first available flight, and stood with her mum to support her, and her family, on their own unexpected journey.