Soliloquy

Maurice Herzog’s Annapurna is a mountaineering classic. Written with utmost precision regarding all the hardships that were encountered by his team, this book is different from other books in the same genre in a manner that is quite pleasing. It is not too overbearing with mountaineering lingo, and can be understood very well even by those who do not quite share a similar enthusiasm about tall mountains.

This book details the journey of the 1950 French expedition team led by Herzog, which succeeded in climbing Mt Annapurna, situated in the upper Himalayas of Nepal, on the course of becoming the first to stand on top of a mountain higher than 8,000 metres (Annapurna stands at about 8,020 metres.) Three years later, the highest mountain on earth, Mt Everest, was scaled by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay and till then Herzog and his climbing partner Louis Lachenal held the record for having stood on top of the highest peak on earth.

The book begins with the team preparing for the expedition in Paris. All details are written with precision as well as the criteria behind each member’s selection into the team are given by Herzog. After flying to Delhi, the team departs for Kathmandu in Nepal and go from there to the valley of Pokhara from where they start their trek towards the upper Himalayas in the midst of beautiful forests and meadows.

The aim of the team when they left from France was to climb Mt Dhaulagiri, which is located on the eastern flank of the Annapurna massif but having reconnoitered there for over a month, they failed to discover any possible way to get to the top. The existence of innumerable glaciers which lie on the face of Dhaulagiri made their job extremely difficult and Herzog, in consultation with others, took the wise call to put climbing Dhaulagiri off. Their attention was now turned towards Annapurna.

The search for Annapurna seemed excruciating as Herzog’s team were not able to locate it at first. They walked from valley to valley and from one hill to another looking for a sight of their nemesis but to no avail. They appeared confused by Mt Gangapurna at first, and later by another mountain they call the Great Barrier, but which ultimately turns out to be Annapurna itself. Their real journey began now.

The story, extremely well told by Herzog it is full of twists and turns akin to those found an adventure novel. Tales of heroism are abounded in plenty as we get a close look inside what made these men tick and what went inside their heads as they went about climbing one of the highest mountains on earth. Their camaraderie is unmatched, as is the complete submission they show towards Herzog’s commands.

One of the most beautiful aspects of Annapurna is the role that the Sherpas played in getting Herzog’s team to the top. These people, natives of the hilly tracts of Nepal, are renowned for their ability to bear enormous amounts of weight while climbing and for providing support to others when they falter. The Sherpas carried the luggage of Herzog’s team to and fro between camps set high upon the mountain with a smile on their face and made minimal complaints. Their simple nature is underlined when, before the final assault to the summit is made by Herzog and Lachenal, the former, asks Angtharkay, the sirdar of the Sherpas, to join them because by all means, he had earned it.

Angtharkay refuses to do so and wishes Herzog luck. Later on, Herzog finds it difficult to understand how Angtharkay, having made sacrifices and done all the hard work by helping the expedition team, decided to not reap the result of his efforts. The Frenchman feels that this is the essence of the Sherpa community- the selflessness and austerity which resonates with them wherever they go.

Annapurna can be enjoyed by people who do not know much about mountaineering too and it is a testament to Herzog that the story is bound until the last pages. The last line of the narration is written in such a way that it prods people to keep climbing mountains. To know what it is, you will have to read the book.