Near the Old Man of Storr, Scotland I took this in 2004

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Mt. Chomolunga

Before we begin as usual, please continue to sign my petition asking the Canadian government to include animal rights in the constitution.

Here's the website: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/put-animal-rights-into-the-constitution



You know what I hate? The term summiting. Why does no one ever say "climb"? The people who climb Mount Everest always use such hardcore, and really aggressive language about getting up that mountain. It's such patriarchal, dominating language.

It's like as if all the people who are going to climb Mt.Everest, or truly any other mountain, want to conquer the shit out of it. Want to make it into a war, and at the same time drain their bank accounts. They also make it into a huge spectacle with cameras, websites, sponsorships.

Shit. Wouldn't the logical thing be to think like a mountain? And then instead of spending all that money on "hard-core gear", why not just go and live up in the mountain area you want to climb for a long time. Become one with the ebbs and flows of the mountain, enabling you to acclimatize slowly, and with time you will, depending on how long you live with the mountain, gain more red blood cells, allowing you to take in m0re oxygen, as all mountain-dwelling people can.

But this would never do to most "ascenders" as they are all in such a damn hurry to get there, and "summit". I could've called this piece, Zen and the art of Mt. Chomolunga, but think how ironic that would be?

What do the Sherpas say? Probably "climb" or maybe something even more beautiful, less "me" against "nature" and more Tibetan Buddhist, which is what they are, and perhaps, they say, "We are going to be one with the great spirit of Chomolungma"

The Tibetan word for Mt. Everest,
Chomolungma, translates as Saint Mother. Isn't that beautiful? Instead of being named after some stupid colonial, white guy, a name which was chosen by another stupid,colonial, white guy.