Before successfully summiting Mount Everest, Filipino climber Miguel Mapalad was slapped with the harsh reality of people dying in their attempt to fulfill their dreams.
Filipino mountaineer Miguel Mapalad was well aware of the risks when he first began climbing mountains, and much more when he decided to conquer the world’s tallest peak in Mount Everest.
But he was admittedly taken aback when he, along with his Filipino mountaineering partner Jeno Panganiban, encountered the infamous “death zone” when they successfully became the ninth and 10th Filipinos to summit Mount Everest last month.
The "death zone" begins just after Camp 4 (7925 meters above sea level), which is the last stop before climbers attempt to summit Mount Everest, which is 8848.86 meters above sea level. There, bodies of climbers who died on the way to the top remain largely due to the high costs of retrieving their bodies.
[READ: Filipino mountaineer passes away during Mt. Everest expedition]
For Mapalad, seeing it in person reminded him that the risks were very much real for his and Panganiban’s life.
“Unang una, nung nakita ko yung mga [patay], di kasi ako sanay makakita ng ano no, so natakot ako. Natakot ako kasi parang baka madaanan ko, maapakan ko, parang nasa horror movie,” Mapalad said during his homecoming press conference hosted by his sponsor Delimondo.
“Pero hindi yung natakot [ako umakyat]. Yun yung nagbigay sakin ng babala na hindi ganto kadali yung Mount Everest pero alam ko na yan before, before pa lang kami umakyat na may madadaanan kaming ganyan na pwede ring mangyari samin yung mga ganong bagay.”
But Mapalad clarified that it wasn’t fear that discouraged him from pursuing what he loved. Rather, it was a grim reminder that he must be cautious, and understand that what it takes to summit Mount Everest isn’t so simple.
Even if one has money and the right equipment, preparation still had the upper hand — which fortunately for Mapalad and Panganiban, were things that they were able to do.
“Parang naging warning lang siya na kailangan maghanda ka. Hindi basta basta ang Everest,” he said.
“Hindi dahil may sapatos ka, may jacket ka, o may pera ka, pwede na sayo ang Everest. Hindi. Kailangan mo paghandaan,” he added.
After being able to summit, Mapalad also stressed patience for whoever wants to conquer Mount Everest next.
[RELATED: Filipinos Jeno Panganiban, Miguel Mapalad successfully summit Mount Everest]
That is, with all the risks involved, it is important to pace yourself and keep going step by step, especially since success in Everest depends largely on a lot of uncontrollable forces — like the weather and other conditions.
“Unang-una, lagi kong sinasabi sa mga gustong umakyat din sa Mount Everest at sa iba pang matataas na bundok, dahan dahan. Huwag niyong madaliin. Kailangan dumaan sa ensayo, kagaya ng ginawa ko. Nagsimula ako sa mababa. Inunti-unti ko,” he said.
“Wag mo mamadaliin kasi kapag minadali mo, mas maano ka lalo, or kung ano man. Delikado ang buhay mo.”
After conquering Mount Everest, Mapalad and Panganiban are expected to try and summit all 14 mountain peaks in the world above-8,000 meters. They are expected to tackle K2 (Daspang), the second highest peak in the world, in the near future.