Qomolangma Peak-part one

It has been a long-cherished dream of mine to climb the Qomolangma Peakbutwhen

I approached it for the first time in my life，it still took me by surprise．

As we arrived at Rongpu Monastery．And drove up a gentle slope，the driver said in hushed tones．“NOW we can see it．”We lowered our heads and stretched forward to 1ook，and saw a dark green mountain moving towards US．There was not a great deal of snow-a few snow belts lying up the slopes．

“Majestic and beautiful，”someone shouted．I said，“Its beauty takes your breath away.” Everyone laughed， saying that my altitude sickness must be very bad．The team leader said，“Qomolangma is sitting，protecting Mount Changzheng，Mount  Jianshe and Mount Zhangzi on its right hand，and Mount Guangming on its left．The sash of its skirt is flying toward US．Look．this is the middle Rongpu Glacier…．”

Beautiful Flag Cloud and Soft Knife

Its streaming flag clouds are Qomolangma’s most famous sight．There were no clouds against the backdrop of the azure sky．The rosy glow of morning covered a third of the summit．Called “Sunshine over the Golden Mountain．”it is often seen in photographs，but in this tableau，a long thin ribbon of white silk appeared from the summit．It has long been called the “flag cloud” because it looks like a streaming flag．

Looked at from a distance，it always hangs silently on the summit，giving the impression of calmness and beauty．But in fact，it is just the time when the goddess is in a rage：no expert climbers would dare go near it at this time and if they meet it en route，they can only retreat，or they will stay on the mountain for life．

I remember once，when we were attempting an adaptive climb of a 7，790一meter height，the wind gradually grew stronger and the route rope was blown up into the air in an arc．The snow was whipped up and cut into our faces like a knife．At 7，540 meters，we could no longer stand steady；we looked round only to see the flap cloud appearing on the summit．

Headquarters ordered US to turn back immediately．The overwhelming force of the gale completely put a stop to our advance．

The tent was torn apart and the oxygen cylinders and equipment stored in it were all blown away．I don’t know why．but that day l was completely free of fear；on the contrary l was excited；the team struggled on in the teeth of the snowstorm，the flag cloud hanging elegantly from the summit．What a magnificent scene!   I 1ove striking contrasts like this．