A Kenyan mountain climber who went missing on a mission to climb Mount Everest without supplementary oxygen was found dead on Thursday morning. Joshua Cheruiyot Kirui was on a mission to be the first African to climb Mount Everest without extra oxygen.
Cheruiyot was on a mission to test human capacity by climbing the tallest mountain in the world. The daring climber, together with his guide had gone above 8,000 meters when they lost communication. His lifeless body was later found in the ‘death zone,’ an area which is above 8,000 meters.
According to Everest Today reports, Cheruiyot’s body was found above the mountain’s summit. In their condolence message to the family, Everest Today recognizes Cheruiyot’s indomitable will and passion for mountain climbing as inspiration.
Cheruiyot with his mountain guide, Mr Nawang Sherpa lost contact with the Bishop Rock zone. The two were missing for several hours before Cheruiyot’s body was found. However, Sherpa is still missing, and his fate was unknown as of Thursday morning.
Cheruiyot taking a selfie while climbing Mount Everest
Cheruiyot’s Last Moments and Determination
The 40-year-old Cheruiyot was a banker at Kenya Commercial Bank and a dedicated mountain climber. He was accomplished and enthusiastic, having successfully reached the peak of Mount Everest more than ten times before dying in the heroic mission.
Cheruiyot was well prepared for the mission both physically and emotionally. His social media posts earlier showed how much he was looking forward to accomplishing the mission. Part of the posts read:
“Finally. Tonight we head up. Summit Rotation. After 10 Basecamp days. But there were parties in honor of successful summits.”
The mountain climber was also well aware of the risks that awaited him in the mission. He clearly outlined the risks he was likely to face and how he was prepared to tackle them.
“My plan a no-oxygen attempt comes with its special preparations and risks, physically my body is ready. On the other risks, I’m taking the following measures; Cold Without oxygen one is much more susceptible to frostbite. So I have; Hands: A pair of heated gloves, a pair of heated mittens with a spare set of batteries.
Climbers at Mount Everest
Feet: Two pairs of heated socks with a spare set of batteries.MedsI’m susceptible to HAPE so I’m armed with Nifedipine. For HACE I have Dexamethasone. And Acetazolamide. Manaslu taught me well, having had an episode of HAPE and no meds.”
While others have successfully climbed Mount Everest without oxygen, they usually turn to air back up once they reach above sea level (6,000 meters). For Cheruiyot, having supplementary oxygen would not be a good challenge.
Cheruiyot was determined to see how well her body could cope under the extreme altitudes. Unfortunately, his pursuit to test the limitations of the human body ended in his death. A Romanian climber Gabriel Tavara who was also on the ill-fated mission was found dead inside Camp III on Tuesday.