Sleepless Mountain (7)

After encountering such an unexpected event, none of the four of us could sleep for the rest of the night. We stayed up until half past two. Everyone got up and made preparations to depart. Then, precisely at three o'clock, we formed ranks and set off towards the U Glacier route. As mentioned before, climbing a glacier, while not requiring the high-difficulty techniques of rock climbing or the physical exertion of altitudes above 8000 meters, is something that absolutely cannot be taken lightly. Even for seasoned veterans, the fatality rate from slipping and falling on a glacier is no less than that of some highly difficult vertical slopes. Because glaciers are constantly moving, walking on them, you can often hear the sound of ice cracking. The ever-changing compression and displacement of the ice layers create one death trap after another, repeating and alternating. This not only tests the climber's judgment but also tests the climber's own luck. A senior climber once described glaciers like this: 'A glacier is like a giant roulette wheel. If you pass safely today, it's just because you didn't hit snake eyes. But your companions might not be so lucky, and you won't always be lucky either.' We proceeded in pairs, with shifts every half hour. While the leading pair set up aluminum ladders, measured ice thickness, and determined the route, the trailing pair was responsible for carrying luggage and resting. Around half past six, Mita and I took over the luggage, and Chen and Wang went ahead. That's when the sun rose. Golden rays streamed in from the east. The summit of Mt. K, which had been shrouded in clouds for days, cleared. The azure mountain body was covered in white snow.