The Shining Mountain

The Shining Mountain is the beautiful Changabang in the Himalayas. And it is also the title of a book by Peter Boardman, who, together with Joe Tasker, made the first ascent of the West Wall of Changabang in 1976.  It is a good read, puts me right there up with them, but safely, on my couch, with a cup of tea at my side.

Tragically both Peter and Joe disappeared on the N.E.Ridge of Everest in 1982.  It was at that time unclimbed. And has hardly been climbed since, so no-one knows what happened.  They were both young and had so much to live for.  I do sometimes think about them, and hope that when the time comes God will wake them from the dreamless sleep of death and they will see this lovely earth again.  

If - IF - I am there, in the restored earthly paradise, would it be ill-mannered or unkind to ask them what happened? 

Interestingly, Peter says this in the book, in the last chapter:

"Many tales and legends, linked through all cultures, carry poignantly within them a sense of loss, of a glory that has gone; an Eden unrecovered and yet also convey the implicit promise of renewal, return, recovery, the Eden which will again be found."

Yes.  I don't think that we, the children of Adam, have ever forgotten the paradise that was lost.  Do you remember in Alice in Wonderland when Alice sees this beautiful garden through a keyhole - but she cannot get in? 

This is what Genesis is telling us: that Paradise was lost, but it will be restored.  And it is that restoration we are praying for when we say the Lord's prayer and ask for God's Kingdom to come, and for His will to be done on the earth.

I hope both Peter and Joe will know that one day when they wake up in the restored earthly paradise, in a worldwide Garden of Eden, with more happiness ahead of them, ahead of all of us who are there, than we can now imagine. 

We continue with our routine of Zoom calls and meetings, metal detecting trips and SUSSAR training sessions (the latter two for Captain Moth-Butterfly of course).  The weather has been cold and blowy, but it looks like sunshine today.

And I have embarked on another mountaineering adventure - with Peter Boardman, Joe Tasker and 2 others: Doug Scott, and George Bettembourg.  I find myself wondering about Doug and George - if they have survived.  It is such a risky sport.  

I am now reading Peter's Sacred Summits - and at this moment they are towing me and the sofa up Kangchenjunga, another dangerous mountain in the Himalayas. We were almost blown off the mountain a few night ago, in the jet stream winds.  The lads lost their tent and were lucky not to be blown away with it.  My sofa stood firm though. It's a big sturdy comfy one.  "Tell me about it" they groaned, having had to pull me and it up there, but at least we could all toboggan safely down on it.

I have my uses.