BASE 2

MOUNT EVEREST ALLEGORY

Now you continue your short story as a Mount Everest climber, dramatizing your acclimatization in this allegory.

Last time, you were at Base 1, beginning your journey to Base 2 in your final push to the summit.

Imagine you started at midnight, under a clear sky and calm night. Your expedition joined three others, about 30 climbers in total.

You did not feel altitude sickness. Your body was adapted to higher altitudes.

While crossing a deep crevasse on two aluminium ladders roped together, you remembered a tragedy on the same path two weeks earlier: a young Sherpa fell while crossing. His body was recovered 150 metres below.

You reached Base 2 after six hours of climbing. The morning was sunny, cold, and windy. By lunchtime, it was very hot. Your watch showed 32 degrees Celsius. You had no headaches.

At Base 2, your body was acclimatized to 7,136 metres above sea level. No symptoms of mountain sickness appeared.

You spent the rest of the day with your group, resting and eating. At midnight, you planned to climb to Base 3 once more, and from there, to the summit.

For now, your story as a climber ends at Base 2. It will continue at Base 3. Now, let’s climb the philosophical path.

The topics of the last chapters were not easy to digest. They probably caused you some intellectual pain. What follows is more challenging.

Remember: if your symptoms become very strong, stop immediately. Drink water, breathe, take a walk, play the game with friends, smile. After a while, continue.

Now it is time to climb. See you at Base 3.