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My name is Eric. If you are reading this right now, I've either died in a sad, dark crevice while going down and my body was found, or I've made it from the summit and decided to share this to the world. This journal entry will contain the story of my journey climbing up Mount Everest.
I was brought here by my best friend, Brandon. I had been friends with Brandon since the 5th grade. If I were to risk my life for anyone, it would be him. I was the more adventurous and daring of the two, if there were a huge earthquake, I'd be the one filming it, but even Mount Everest was a stretch for me. One day on a Friday night, he called me, and when I answered him, all I heard was, "Let's climb Mount Everest." Initially, I declined. I read stories about large groups of people dying there on that very mountain, but after a few minutes, he was able to convince me. Now looking back at it, I should have never even picked up.
I was given a deep, dark blue suit, and a neon blue backpack. Brandon chose a suit made up of different shades of red, and a neon red backpack. We walked through the Khumbu Icefall. It was an area filled with deep, deadly holes. I looked in one hole and saw a frozen body. I looked in silence, wondering how that person got there. I felt uneasy. Just making 1 mistake like a small trip or slip would result in your death. When we passed it, we were met with a few steep, or narrow pathways. Brandon was far ahead of me, almost as if he'd been there a thousand times before. We passed camp 1 and 2, thinking nothing of them. After climbing for what seemed like centuries, we arrived at a large series of ladders, leading only up. They were fairly easy, but there was one particular group that would result in one of the most scarring moments of my life.
I chose to go first, which was the worst mistake of my life. I saw when I reached the top, that if you attempted to transfer to the other set of ladders, you would most certainly fall. I shut my eyes, made a leap of faith, and landed with a thump. I opened my eyes, expecting to be dead, but I had landed. I sat up and shouted to Brandon, "I made it!". What I didn't know, was that when I landed, I cracked one of the bars of a ladder. I kept walking forward, expecting Brandon to make it as well and follow me. As I was walking, I hear a snap. I turned around to see Brandon, holding on to a single bar and calling my name for help. I ran to him, my goal being to grab his hand and pulling him up. I almost had him, but before I could grab ahold of him, he fell. He screamed, and then silence. The silence was deafening. I sat there, crying. It should have been me. Brandon and I were like brothers. We looked out for each other, and now he was gone.
After my tears were spent, I continued my climb. I finished the remaining ladders and made it to camp 3. After refilling my air tank and refilling my empty water bottle, I came across a bridge made almost entirely of unstable, unpredictable ladders. I was about halfway through when It flipped upside down. I fell face first into the snow below. I was knocked out by the impact of my face colliding with the ground, and when I woke up, I was all alone. I needed to find a way out, and I saw a very narrow, and small way I could escape. I attempted to climb it hundreds of times before I felt as if it was hopeless. I was going to die there, alone. I decided that no, I wasn't going to stay there hopelessly. I had a family that expected me to return home. I tried one more time, and my luck paid off. I was able to grab a rock at the top and pull myself up to the other side.
I went on to climb until I reached a group of ladders. It was like nothing I had climbed before. Some had none underneath, some were just broken. I made it slowly but surely across, until I met Austin. Austin was crying next to a snow mound. I talked to him, and decided to help him get the the top with me. Austin's friends decided it would be a great idea to climb Mount Everest together, and that it would be fun. Austin was the only one left. Austin was reluctant, fearful, and shy. I imagine he would be after witnessing his friends die. Austin and I found a bridge made of a relatively thin layer of ice. I decided that him and I go together, since the last time I went first resulted in the death of my best friend.
We crossed slowly together, when we heard a small snap. I looked at Austin's feet and found a large crack under him. I realized that the bridge couldn't support both of us, and that I'd have to push him off or we'd both die. "Buddy?" Austin whispered to me. "I'm sorry." I said. I thrust my hands out and pushed him off. I heard his terrified and agonizing scream as I walked to the other side. I reached the summit alone, a murderer, a soulless monster. I write this entry now while leaning on the flag post.
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